If you've ever visited or lived in the South, then chances are you've seen (and hopefully tasted) hot pepper vinegar. It's the condiment of choice for any type of cooked green, field peas, acre peas... the list goes on. The super fabulous thing about hot pepper vinegar is that it's more than just a condiment!
What is Hot Pepper Vinegar?
Hot Pepper Vinegar is just what it sounds like. Hot peppers are soaked in vinegar for weeks (or months.. years..) and create a tangy and spicy addition to any meal. The benefits making some hot pepper vinegar with fresh peppers are...
- Is so easy to make; any greenhorn cook can do it!
- It's beautiful, so it's a natural DIY gift.
Now, while peppers and vinegar may not sound all that exciting, wait until you taste it. And you will have to wait, because after preparing the vinegar, you'll need to give it some sit time in your pantry for a few weeks for the flavors to develop. But trust me, much like wine and your wedding day, it's worth the wait.
Our garden's pepper plants went the distance this year and survived from May to December, so with this last bowlful, I decided to restore our pepper vinegar stash.
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Hot Pepper Vinegar Ingredients
- Two handfuls of hot peppers (Or enough to fill your jar)
- White vinegar
- Whole garlic cloves (optional)
- Empty, clear jar with lid (I like to use leftover maple syrup jars)
- Small funnel
How to Make Hot Pepper Vinegar
- Wash off peppers and gently slice the tops off--this will expose the seeds and membrane to the vinegar, and that's where the heat is.
- While slicing, place vinegar in a small pot on the stove over medium high heat. The amount of vinegar you need depends on how big of a jar you're using.
- Pack your jar full of the peppers; when you don't think you can cram another pepper in, add two more or add in a few peeled, whole garlic cloves. This will give your pepper vinegar an extra pop.
- Once your vinegar has reached a slow boil, use the funnel and fill the jar almost to the top. (You do want all of the peppers to be covered by the vinegar.)
- Let the jar cool, then screw on lid and place in a cool, dark place for several weeks (a pantry or cabinet is perfect). The vinegar should keep in your cabinet for months, or until you use it all and make more. Enjoy!
And that's it! You'll have fresh hot pepper vinegar to use on any dish you choose, or you can gift it to friends and family as a way of sharing your pepper harvest!
Hot Pepper Vinegar
Make fresh hot pepper vinegar from spicy cayenne peppers and white vinegar! It's the perfect southern condiment!
Ingredients
- Two handfuls of hot peppers (Or enough to fill your jar)
- White vinegar
- Whole garlic cloves (optional)
Instructions
- Wash off peppers and gently slice the tops off--this will expose the seeds and membrane to the vinegar, and that's where the heat is.
- While you're slicing, place vinegar in a small pot on the stove over medium high heat. The amount of vinegar you need depends on how big of a jar you're using.
- Pack your jar full of the peppers; when you don't think you can cram another pepper in, add two more or add in a few peeled, whole garlic cloves. This will give your pepper vinegar an extra pop.
- Once your vinegar has reached a slow boil, use the funnel and fill the jar almost to the top. (You do want all of the peppers to be covered by the vinegar.)
- Let the jar cool, then screw on lid and place in a cool, dark place for several weeks (a pantry or cabinet is perfect). The vinegar should keep in your cabinet for months, or until you use it all and make more. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 5Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
Other Garden Fresh Recipes
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- How to Freeze Fresh Figs for Use Later: Harvest figs now and freeze them for use later. It's quick and easy!
This sounds GREAT!!! I have a bunch of cayennes saved upCould you water-bath these to keep longer?
Great question! They seem to keep indefinitely in the vinegar, but I'm willing to bet you could water bath them to can as well. Thanks for stopping by!
@Courtney, Great! Thank You so much!!!
Hello! I have a few peppers ready to go, but not enough for a full jar. Can I make the vinegar and then add kore peppers as they grow? Thank you!
Great question, Emma. You definitely can!
@Emma Mitchell, thanks for asking that question. I’m in the same boat. I don’t have quite enough for my jar so all the peppers aren’t covered by the vinegar and coming up the neck of the bottle. If u had more peppers and less vinegar it would probably be better.
Yes, I'd go with less peppers. You want them to be covered. Thank you!
Okay so my garlic has this weird blue tint? Any ideas what happened??? Do I toss it???
Great question! No, definitely don't toss it. This is actually a pretty common reaction between garlic enzymes and acid (vinegar in this case). It's perfectly safe to eat. Hope this helps!
Definitely do yourself a favor and wear gloves! My hands are burning like fire right now after making 9 jars! You might want to wear a mask too… it’s extreme! But worth it!
Hi Mary! Yes, that's great advice!
what happens if you don't warm the champagne vinegar? I just poured it in and forgot to do that step. Why do you have to warm the vinegar? thank you
Hi there! It shouldn't make too much of a difference since there's no sugar to melt as with some other "pickled" vegetables. Hot vinegar does help the flavor of the pepper vinegar to develop more quickly, but overall, you should be fine. Thank you for asking!