Canning Peppers

mild or hot chili peppers

If you are canning peppers remember they will not hold their crunch or texture. However they are great for adding to many meals that benefit from the flavor addition.

Do you use spicy peppers as an ingredient in many meals?

Casseroles often use peppers for a bit of spice.
Add peppers to an omelet in the morning
Add to a chicken enchilada bake.

Start canning peppers in pints or 1/2 pints and have a ready supply on hand.

Did you plant peppers and now wonder what to do with your abundance? Canning peppers is one option. Pickled peppers is another great option. I like pickled pepper rings.

You may already know this but it bears repeating. If you are canning peppers that are spicy, wear plastic gloves while handling them or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face.

Personally, I don’t skip the gloves. Once I was canning salsa. I only had a few peppers to chop, so I figured I’d just wash my hands right after working with them….. big mistake. My hands burned all night long.

I used lotion, I washed over and over, I soaked my hands in milk and I even rubbed some of my aloe plant all over them. I ended up keeping my hands wrapped in a cold damp rag all evening. The cold rag worked best.

The burning was gone by morning and it didn't do any damage but it was definitely an uncomfortable evening. Maybe my peppers were especially hot, I don't know. I still won’t repeat that mistake. I hope you won't either!

As spicy as some peppers get, they are still all low acid foods and must be processed in a pressure canner. Botulism is a risk and pressure canning is the only safe option.

This pressure canning page has more detailed information and step by step instructions.

Prepare

Gather your canning supplies

pressure canner
canning jars
canning seals and rings
jar lifter
canning funnel
large pot or blancher
bowls
large spoons
sharp knife
towels and dish cloths
plastic gloves
cookie sheet to blister peppers or blancher or pot to blanch peppers.

Ingredients

Peppers - 9 pounds will allow you to can peppers in 9 pints.
Canning Salt - optional

Procedure

You can leave the peppers whole, or if you have larger peppers, you can quarter or halve them.

Remove cores and seeds. I do this by cutting off the top and then pulling out the centers with my hands (don’t forget the gloves). Hot pepper seeds hold a lot of heat. If you really like hot, experiment and can a few with the seeds. Remember though, tastes will become stronger as they are canned.

Many hot peppers will have a thick skin that will get tough if you leave them on. This depends on the type of pepper you have.

If you are canning peppers with a thick skin and you want to remove the skin. Cut 3-4 slits through the skin of each pepper. Place peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in a hot oven (400 degrees F) or under the broiler for 6-8 minutes, turning to roast all sides. When you see the skins blister, they are done. Place peppers in a pan and cover with a damp cloth to cool. This keeps them moist and easier to peel.

When cool enough to handle, peel each pepper. Flatten whole peppers. Cut down one side and open up the pepper.

You may also chop peppers or cut into rings.

Add ½ teaspoon of salt to each pint jar, if desired.

Fill jars loosely with peppers and add boiling water, leaving 1-inch head space.

Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place your lids.

Process according to pressure canning instructions.

Process

Process pints or 1/2 pints 35 minutes.

Be sure to adjust processing according to your altitude. For more information see this altitude adjustments page.

Adjustments for Pressure Canner
Altitude in Feet	Dial Gauge Canner	Weighted Gauge Canner
0-1000	10	10
1001-2000	11	15
2001-4000	12	15
4001-6000	13	15
6001-8000	14	15
8000-10,000	15	15