It’s another one of Grandmother’s canning recipes! This recipe is for canning sweet peppers, also known as bell peppers. Pickled sweet peppers will be a welcome splash of summer in the cold months.

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Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…but I’m not sure how much a peck is, and I am also confused about how you can pick already pickled peppers? (Sorry, I had to use that rhyme, it was my opportunity.)

Anyways, I picked a half bushel of multicolored bell peppers after I was looking through Grandmother’s recipes. I had never attempted pickled peppers before. We usually slice them and freeze them. I use them in recipes all year long this way.

I had seen pickled peppers floating around my social media feed, and thought it was time I made them.

Why Can Pickled Peppers?

Pickled bell peppers can be used in recipes, eaten alone, on top of a salad, or my most anticipated use: on top of pizza!

You can half or even double this recipe if you have more bell peppers than you know what to do with. I used a half bushel basket full of our fresh bell peppers.

Bell peppers are the only veggie you will need for this recipe! So it is pretty straightforward. You could also use any type of pepper with this recipe…including banana peppers, jalapeno peppers…you name it, you can pickle it!

Supplies for Canning Pickled Peppers

If you are new to canning and preserving, I’d encourage you to check out my how-to post for beginners.

The supplies to water bath can pickled peppers are as follows:

Water bath canner

Mason jars This particular recipe makes 8 pint jars

Lids and bands

Canning funnel

Canning tongs

Stockpot for cooking the peppers

Slotted spoon for packing the jars with peppers

Large spoon for filling jars with vinegar solution

Be sure to have all the supplies ready to go before you get started! Also, study the recipe well so you know the steps before you dive in. (This is always a good idea with any recipe!)

Ingredients for Pickled Peppers

For this recipe you will need to pick, or buy:

A half bushel’s worth of sweet bell peppers.

2 quarts of white distilled vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar, or other alternate sweetener. The original recipe said to sweeten to taste. So if this is too sweet, cut back. Or if you want it sweeter, add more! (If you follow THM and don’t want to use this amount of sugar, you can use a cup of Gentle Sweet, or sweeten to taste with other stevia sweeteners.) I imagine you could also use honey if you wanted.

This recipe was adapted from my great grandmother Grindstaff‘s collection of canning recipes. Her friend Shirley Cable wrote this out for her:

How to Prepare Pickled Peppers for Canning

First, wash the half bushel of bell peppers.

Then, you will core and seed them. I tapped them on the cutting board to make sure all the seeds were out.

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Slice them in strips about 1/2 inch to an inch in thickness.

Set the sliced peppers in a big stockpot while you’re working.

When all the peppers are cut up, add water to the stockpot and place on the stove to come to a boil.

Cook the peppers until tender, about 15-20 minutes. They do not need to be at a rolling boil the whole time. Just watch them, and don’t let them stick or burn.

After they are tender, strain the water off the peppers.

I placed my peppers in a colander to reuse my stockpot, but you could use two pots if you’d like.

To the stockpot, I poured in 2 quarts of white distilled vinegar.

Add the salt and sugar, and stir until dissolved.

Bring the vinegar mixture to a boil, and add in the peppers again. When it is hot, start packing the jars.

Now It’s Time to Can

As you’re preparing the peppers, be sure to have your water bath canner and your jars heating. They should be all ready to go as the peppers are tenderizing.

We’ll take one jar at a time out of the water bath to pack with peppers.

First, use your slotted spoon to dip out a small amount of peppers at a time. Using your canning funnel, easily drop the peppers in the jar. I shook the jar just barely to make sure all the peppers were fitting in.

***Important: DO NOT cram them in to where there is no room for the vinegar! Just don’t pack them in tightly. I used a fork to press them down only a little bit…to fit a few more in the top. But you will not want to overpack, or it may affect the seal.

After the peppers are packed, use your large spoon to ladle the vinegar solution into the jar. Leave 1/2 inch of headspace.

Wipe the rim, and place your lid and ring on the jar.

Lower it carefully back into the water bath canner.

Repeat with all 8 pint jars.

Put the lid on the canner, bring to a boil, and process the pickled peppers for 30 minutes.

When time is up, let the canner sit for five more minutes, then remove the lid.

Carefully lift out the jars, and you are done!

Notes to Consider

When I was pre-cooking the peppers, my husband seemed to be worried. He was concerned that they would be too mushy.

These pickled peppers will not be crispy and snappy, ok?

They will be so fun on top of pizza, and then it will not matter if they’re crispy when they have been pizza topping that is cooked under the broiler. Sorry, I had to clear that up!

For more recipes, see my Canning section!