Each year I try to plant a few different types of chiles, but this year I only managed to plant one type – the Santa Fe Grande chile pepper. Just two plants have been quite prolific and are still producing. With my first big batch, I made a quart of these pickled peppers which I make every year. Last week I had picked enough to do even more pickling. Instead of using the same recipe, I changed it up a bit and made these Pickled Chile Peppers and Onions as well as fresh chilli in olive oil that I found over at With a Glass. These recipes yielded two completely different flavors and both were excellent.
The pickled chile peppers and onions are seasoned with star anise, coriander and cumin. These three spices combine and infuse the peppers and onions with a very exotic flavor that carries just a hint of each specific spice. The heat and the flavor of the chile peppers infuse into the onion and garlic and vice versa. As a result, each bite fills your mouth with an infusion of all of the ingredients and lingers for quite a while.
These pickled chile peppers are as easy to make as my original pickled peppers and can be used in the same type of dishes as well as just eaten right out of the jar. I’ve added them to coleslaw, served them as a condiment to pulled pork, and placed them on top of pulled pork sandwiches – and I’m just getting started. Can’t wait to place a few on top of a taco or just wrap a few in a warm corn tortilla. Sound good? If so, then check out the recipe below.
Easy Spiced Pickled Chile Peppers and Onions
“*” See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 4 ounces red, ripe chile peppers*, remove top and slice
- 4 ounces onion*, cut into chunky pieces
- 6 garlic cloves, peel and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp. coriander seeds
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 – 1 ½ cup distilled white vinegar*
- In a small sauce pan, add the vinegar, star anise, coriander, cumin, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce and simmer for 2 minutes.
- While the vinegar is heating, prepare the chile peppers, onion and garlic. Transfer to a bowl and toss together to mix it all up. Transfer to a clean glass jar.
Pour the hot vinegar and spices into the jar. Add enough vinegar to cover the chile slices. Place the lid on a jar and set on the counter for 24 hours.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and enjoy! Pickled chile peppers will keep for at least 6 months, but they’ll be gone long before then.
Chile Peppers – For pickled chile peppers, use small, thick walled, hot red peppers – like these Sandia… or jalapeno. You could use green or a mix of red and green or go all green, but the flavor will be different. Red chile is sweeter than green chile, so what you use is based on the flavor you want.
Onion – Sweet onions and red onions work best IMO, but you can use whatever you have.
Vinegar – For pickling, I prefer white vinegar as opposed to apple cider vinegar, because it doesn’t take away from the flavor of the onion and chile. Apple cider vinegar can add a totally different profile which I’m not crazy about. But if that’s what you have, then give it a try.
Doubling/Tripling recipe – To make a larger batch, just maintain the same proportions on all ingredients, except for the vinegar. The amount of vinegar you use depends on the size of the jar and how well you pack the jar. For example, a batch with 8 ounces of chile in a quart jar will require more vinegar than 12 ounces of chile packed into a quart jar. Therefore, for larger batches, start with 2 – 2 ½ cups of vinegar. You can always boil additional vinegar and add it to the jar if you need to.
The longer these pickled chile peppers and onions stay in the refrigerator the more the flavor infuse, but the less crispy the peppers and onions get. They stay really crisp for about a month, then they start loosing the crispiness. However, they never do get “soft”, just less crispy.
If you enjoy pickling things, then here are some more ideas for you.
Pepper Cucumber Infused Vinegar
An Assortment of Pickled Chilli from With a Glass
Spiced pickled pepper looks delicious, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting.
Thanks so much Swathi!
What a lovely pickle recipe, MJ – perfect for fall and also for the upcoming holiday season! Love how spicy and flavourful these are. Thank you for sharing with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop!
Thanks so much April!
We love pickled peppers in this house. I usually can pickled jalapenos and banana peppers each year to last through the year as we eat so many. I’m not going to get to it this year though. These look delicious – perfect for topping so many dishes.
Bummer that you’re not going to get to your pickling this year. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have some pickled peppers in February. 🙂 Thanks Amy!
This is a nice additional filling on tacos or fajitas
Sure is! Thanks Raymund!
It’s amazing how many things you make with chilies, I am using them not often enough, but then again, we only get to buy 2 or 3 sorts of chilies around here and the climate is not appropriate to grow them ourselves… Such a pitty!
Thanks Adnina! I can never get enough chile. They say the capsaicin in chile has many health effects, so all the more reason to eat more chile. 🙂
Looks like I’ve been missing out–I’ve never even thought to pickle peppers! Sounds like something I’m going to try the next time we get peppers from the store (sadly, no homegrown ones around here). Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Ala! We go through about 3 quarts of pickled peppers each year. 🙂
I just started saying in my head: “If Mj picked a packe of pickled pepppers….” lol. Lovely new pickling recipe, you had me at star anise, coriander and cumin! Great spices.
Ha Ha…thanks Evelyne!
I have a couple trips out west this fall—one to Colorado with my sisters and one to Utah with some high school friends. I’m hoping to enjoy the peppers of the region. I’m lucky if I can find unmarred jalapenos around here! Your pickled peppers look wonderful!
Thanks Liz! Enjoy your trip!!!
Been so busy I haven’t even wandered down to the garden in ages. I am sure I can find peppers to pickle! (If they’re still alive!) 🙂
Thank goodness my garden is just a few feet out the back door. I visit it every morning; therefore, things are still going strong!
Those look like a great side dish! or dipping sauce
Thanks Peachy!
Dear MJ, thank you so much for mentioning my blog! I’m glad you liked the chile in olive oil (I keep on making jar by jar and my husband makes sure they disappear in no time at all!). I always knew even such a similar thing in appearance as pickled chile peppers will have fascinating differences in your version. I make at least twenty-thirty jars every year, but only add garlic and olive oil… I have never thought of onions, not to mention star anise and, in general, your spice combination! I love it. (And love the photographs, especially the first one….I’m a fan of shadows).
Our jar is disappearing quite fast as well. It’s different from what I normally do and lends itself to more options. Love it! Adding the onions was a last minute decision when I first made this. I didn’t have enough chiles to fill a jar, so I added onions and loved it! So I’ve been adding them ever since. Bobby isn’t an anise fan, so he still prefers the other peppers I make, but being an anise fan, I eat these peppers and onions as a snack right out of the jar. ;0 Thanks so much Sissi for your wonderful comments as always!
This looks so easy and nice ♥
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Thanks Summer!!
This time of year my kitchen is busy with pickling. even more so with the steady supply of chiles from my garden. I’ve not added onions to the jars but I like the idea. Whether served on the side or atop a burger, I really enjoy pickled veggies. My next batch is going to include some onions. Thanks, MJ!
You definitely should try adding onions! I almost love the onions as much as the chile slices. 🙂 Isn’t pickling our produce fun!!!! Thanks John!
Those chili peppers look like peperoncino…or they are the same variety?
I love all the spices you used here.
They do look a lot like peperonicinos. Probably a hybrid from that variety. There are so many varieties of chile peppers and they are evolving all of the time that it’s hard to keep up and they all start looking the same. 🙂
Wow these flavors would be dancing in my mouth. How hot would those chile peppers be once pickled?
MJ you must have a cast iron stomach that you can eat all these peppers without any side effects. The older I get the spicy foods seem to not always settle with me. This looks quite tasty though, I may have to give it a go and chase it with some TUMS!
It’s weird because I can handle spicy things but not really acidic foods like most citrus and cherry tomatoes. Those I chase with a Tums. 🙂 Thanks Vicki!
This is my season for making jams and pickling! I love this recipe – especially the addition of the anise – and plan to pickle up some peppers and onions shortly!!
I know what you mean Susan! It’s definitely pickling season and we’re staying pretty busy. Hope you enjoy these pickles!!!
Mmmm, peppers. Love pickled peppers. And the inclusion of anise? Really nice. Thanks!
Thanks John!
The addition of star anise, coriander and cumin seeds makes this recipe very enticing! Having this lush condiment in the frig a month from now will bring back summer memories with every bite.
Thanks Deb! Like you I LOVE having treats like this during the winter! The only probably is that once they are gone, I want winter to end ASAP so I can get some more chile. 🙂