Hot Pepper Vinegar
This quick and easy hot pepper vinegar is the perfect condiment to jazz up your favorite recipes with its spicy, tangy punch.
Just 10 minutes of hands-on time and a handful of fresh chillies is all it takes to make this classic Southern-style preserved pepper condiment- the kind of bottle that belongs on every dinner table. If you love hot and tangy flavors, also try my preserved chilies in oil recipe.
I've been trying quite a lot of pepper-infused recipes recently. The last time I got my hands on a bunch of fresh jalapeno peppers, I used them up to make some delicious homemade jalapeno honey and some spicy jalapeno salt.
This time, I wanted to try something a bit different- something tangy and spicy. And an infused vinegar seemed like the perfect idea.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️Cook time: 5 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 10
- 📋Main ingredients: Green chilies, white vinegar.
- ♨️Cooking method: De-stem chili peppers 🡢 add to glass jar 🡢 pour boiling hot vinegar 🡢 cool and refrigerate.
- ⭐Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Use as a base for your simple salad dressing- like a spicy jalapeno vinaigrette.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's affordable, easy to make and a great condiment to have on your dinner table to jazz up your meals.
- It comes together in just minutes, and is great with most savory dishes. Plus, it's vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
- It's also a great way to use up any extra chilies you may have at hand. I love making this and my green chili pickle whenever I have some extra chilies.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chili peppers: Use a mix of fresh chili peppers of your choice. I used both red and green peppers here- you can totally work with just one kind of pepper too.
- Vinegar: I used white vinegar here. It's actually best to stick to it, to allow the flavors of the spicy peppers to shine. That's actually what I did when I made my strawberry infused vinegar too.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a bit of extra flavor, you can also add whole garlic cloves too.
- You can also try adding a teaspoon of whole black peppercorns along with the chili peppers. This will add a nice bit of earthy aroma and heat to the infused vinegar. I always use them while making my quick pickled shallots and pickled raisins.
- To add a bit of a different flavor to the infused vinegar, you can swap the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar- it'll add a nice fruity aroma and deliciousness.
- You can also add fresh herbs if you want to. I like adding basil and thyme whenever I make my blueberry infused vinegar- but you can try using pretty much any herb you have at hand.
How to Make Hot Pepper Vinegar
Wash and pat dry the peppers. Remove all traces of moisture from the surface.
Trim the heads off the peppers and slit them if you want to.
Add them to a glass bottle or jar with a narrow head, and top them off with a boiling hot vinegar.
Let this cool down completely, and once it is at room temperature, top the bottle with the lid and refrigerate.
💭Top Tip
Make sure the peppers are completely submerged in the vinegar. Doing this will help keep them from spoiling.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Experiment with a mix of different peppers like Scotch Bonnet, Poblano, Chipotle, Habanero, Jalapenos and Cayenne peppers- they all work wonderfully in this recipe.
- If you don't have enough vinegar to submerge the peppers, prepare a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water with a teaspoon of salt added in, bring it to a boil, and use this to cover the peppers. This is actually what I do when I make my jalapeno pickled eggs, pickled Brussels sprouts and a lot of other pickled veggies.
- You can also add freshly sliced red onions or sliced garlic to amp up the flavor of this pepper infused vinegar.
- Remember to wear gloves while handling the chili peppers- they may look tiny, but they can pack in quite a punch.
How to Use the Hot Peppers in Vinegar
Traditionally, this hot pepper and vinegar is used to add a splash of flavor to Southern dishes like black eyed pea soup or collard greens, and you can totally use it there if that's what you want.
I personally love using it with my rice and noodle dishes for that bit of extra flavor punch. Sometimes, I also use it to add a kick of heat to a simple crunchy coleslaw and my marinated butter beans.
And of course, this also makes for a wonderful homemade gift for anyone special!
Recipe FAQs
You can! For a slightly sweeter undertone, use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar as the base.
A good trick to make this last longer is to leave a bit of space on the top after you add in the vinegar, and add a teaspoon of olive oil (or any neutral cooking oil) to create a seal and preserve the vinegar and the peppers.
These preserved peppers can last for months when stored in a cool and dark place at room temperature, and maybe even longer when refrigerated.
Check for any strong foul odor or any other signs of spoilage like discoloration at the 1 month mark and post that. If you notice any of those, discard it.
More Scratch-Made Condiments
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this hot pepper vinegar or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Hot Pepper Vinegar
Ingredients
- 8-10 peppers
- 1-2 cups vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the peppers. Remove all traces of moisture from the surface.
- Trim the heads off the peppers and slit them if you want to.
- Add them to a glass bottle or jar with a narrow head, and top them off with a boiling hot vinegar.
- Let this cool down completely, and once it is at room temperature, top the bottle with the lid and refrigerate.
Notes
- Experiment with a mix of different peppers like Scotch Bonnet, Poblano, Chipotle, Habanero, Jalapenos and Cayenne peppers- they all work wonderfully in this recipe.
- If you don't have enough vinegar to submerge the peppers, prepare a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water with a teaspoon of salt added in, bring it to a boil, and use this to cover the peppers.
- You can also add freshly sliced red onions or sliced garlic to amp up the flavor of this pepper infused vinegar.
