In this video and article, I show you how to make quick pickled banana peppers. I also provide the benefits of creating quick pickles (also known as refrigerator pickles) instead of canning pickled banana peppers or other types of pickles.
Quick Pickled Banana Peppers Step-by-Step (with Pictures)
I started with just 7 banana peppers from my garden.
Add salt to 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups white vinegar.
Bring the brine to a boil and simmer until salt dissolves. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
While waiting for the brine to come to a boil, slice up the banana peppers.
Place the banana peppers and the garlic into a clean glass jar.
Pour the cooled brine over the peppers and garlic, being sure to cover them completely.
Place a lid on the jar, and store in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating. The quick pickled banana peppers will last for about 4 weeks in the fridge.
Quick Pickled Banana Peppers – Ingredients and Process
Ingredients
- 12-15 banana peppers
- 1 teaspoon salt (kosher or canning salt preferred)
- 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
Process
- Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil and simmer until salt dissolves. Then turn off heat.
- While waiting for the brine to boil, slice up the banana peppers.
- Put the sliced banana peppers and garlic in a clean glass jar.
- After the brine has cooled for 5-10 minutes, pour it over the banana peppers in the jar, and screw on the lid.
- Once the brine has cooled to room temperature, place the peppers in the fridge.
- Allow the peppers to marinate in the brine for at least 24 hours before eating. The banana peppers will last for about 4 weeks.
Benefits of Quick Pickles Vs. Canning Pickles
There are several benefits of making quick pickled banana peppers instead of canning them. Here are some of my favorites.
Quick Pickled Banana Peppers are a Great Way to Preserve a Small Harvest
When making quick pickles, you can start with a small amount. This is great for those who either have small gardens and therefore small harvests. It’s not worth pulling out the canner to can a half pint of peppers, cucumbers, or whatever you have growing in your garden. It’s also great for those who live in small spaces and don’t have room for multiple jars of the same item canned.
Especially for those who are single or have a small family, super small batch pickling is a great option, and quick pickles are one of the best ways to preserve even the smallest amount of vegetables.
Quick Pickles Require No Special Equipment
Quick pickles require no special equipment. For instance, you don’t need a canner, or canning jars or special lids. Any jar with a lid will do. In my case, I used an empty Green Giant jar that had had sliced mushrooms. Even though I have canning jars and lids, there was reason to use them for this project, especially since I had this perfectly good empty jar.
This Recipe Used Basic and Inexpensive Ingredients
This particular recipe used the most basic of ingredients that are very inexpensive. Granted, the same would be true if I water bath canned these pickled banana peppers. 🙂
Quick Pickles are Great for Beginning Canners
Since these quick pickled banana peppers require no special equipment and you don’t have to worry about things like processing the right way for the right amount of time, and you don’t have to worry about jars sealing, these are a great option for people new to preserving food.
While it’s very true that these quick pickled banana peppers have to be refrigerated and only last about four weeks, they still keep longer than if you just threw them in the fridge, without pickling. So they are a great first step when it comes to preserving food.
Quick Pickles are. . . Quick!
Quick pickles are named quick for a reason! They are so fast and easy to make, that they are a great option for busy people.
Sometimes I’ve had vegetables go bad because I was trying to find the time to can them. In contrast, as I harvested these banana peppers often just a few peppers at a time, I was able to quickly slice them and put them into the brine I had already prepared. No fuss, no muss, and no waste!
Quick Pickles Tend to Be More Crisp
One of my favorite things about making quick pickles is that since they don’t require canning, they tend to stay more crisp. One of the biggest disappointments for me as a canner is when I start with nice crisp cucumbers or peppers, and once I’ve canned them, they aren’t as crisp as I’d like them to be.
There are products such as Pickle Crisp that help with this as well. If you’d like to learn more about how Pickle Crisp works, check out my article, What is Pickle Crisp and How Do You Use It?