These Pickled Jalapeños, also called Jalapeños en Escabeche or Chiles en Vinagre, are spicy, tangy, and one of my favorite Mexican condiments.
The jalapeños are cooked with carrots, onion, garlic, vinegar, and spices until tender and flavorful. I love having a jar in the refrigerator ready to add to just about anything.
Out of all my recipes, this one is in my top 5. Once you try them, you’ll understand my madness. 🌶️
If you love Mexican pickled vegetables, be sure to try my Mexican Pickled Carrots and Mexican Pickled Onions too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Spicy and tangy. The jalapeños soak up the vinegar and spices, giving them that classic pickled flavor.
- The vegetables are part of the fun. Tender carrots, onions, and jalapeños soak up all that delicious vinegar and spice.
- The cloves are my secret ingredient. Just a few whole cloves add a subtle earthy flavor that makes this recipe stand out.
- You can adjust the heat. Leave the seeds and membranes intact for more heat, or remove them for milder Pickled Jalapeños.
- They make almost anything better. Add them to tortas, tacos, sandwiches, nachos, Jalapeño and Cheese Tamales, or serve them alongside your favorite Mexican dishes.
-Maggie
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Wash the jalapeños, carrots, and onion.
- Slice the jalapeños into rounds or lengthwise strips. The round slices are commonly called nachos, while lengthwise strips are called rajas.
- If you want milder pickled jalapeños, remove the seeds and membranes before slicing. Wear gloves if you are sensitive to spicy peppers.
- Slice the carrots and quarter the onion. Peel the garlic cloves.
Cook the Vegetables
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the sliced carrots and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The carrots should begin to soften but still have some bite. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
- Add the sliced jalapeños to the pot. Stir and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
- The jalapeños will continue cooking once you add the vinegar mixture, so don’t overcook them at this stage.
- Add the quartered onion and garlic cloves. Cook for about 1–2 minutes, just until the onion starts to soften.
Add the vinegar and spices
- Pour the water and white distilled vinegar into the pot.
- Add the bay leaves, dried oregano, peppercorns, cloves, and salt.
- Give everything a good stir.
I like using whole peppercorns and cloves because they slowly flavor the pickling liquid as everything cooks. The cloves are my secret ingredient—they add a subtle earthy flavor that really makes these Chiles en Vinagre stand out.
For a sweeter version, try Sweet Pickled Jalapenos.
Simmer the vegetables
- Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat if needed and cook for 5–7 minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender.
You don’t want the vegetables to become mushy. The carrots and jalapeños should be tender while still holding their shape.
Cool and store
- Carefully transfer the Chiles en Vinagre and their pickling liquid to clean glass containers.
- Let them cool, then cover and refrigerate.
Remove the bay leaves before serving. The Pickled Jalapeños can be eaten once they have cooled, but letting them sit in the refrigerator gives the vegetables more time to absorb the vinegar and spices.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Chiles en Vinagre means “chiles in vinegar.” You may also hear them called Jalapeños en Escabeche or simply pickled jalapeños.
They are commonly made with jalapeños, carrots, onion, garlic, vinegar, and spices. They are a staple condiment in many Mexican kitchens and are especially good served alongside sandwiches, tacos, tortas, and other Mexican dishes.
Yes, but the heat depends on the jalapeños you use and how you prepare them.
For milder pickled jalapeños, remove the seeds and membranes before slicing. For more heat, leave them intact.
Yes. Remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños before slicing. You can also choose jalapeños that are smaller and less mature, although the heat will vary from pepper to pepper.
Not necessarily. The heat depends on the peppers and the recipe, but the vinegar, water, and other ingredients can make homemade pickled jalapeños taste less intensely spicy than fresh jalapeños.
Pickling also softens the peppers, so they won’t have the same crisp texture as fresh jalapeños.
Store the pickled jalapeños in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator. For best quality, use them within 1–2 months.
This recipe is intended as a refrigerator pickle. It is not a shelf-stable canning recipe, so do not store the jars at room temperature.
Yes. Carrots and onions are classic additions to Chiles en Vinagre, but you can also add vegetables such as cauliflower. Just keep in mind that different vegetables may require different cooking times.
🍴 Serve With
- Torta de Jamón
- Chicken Torta Recipe
- Salpicon de Res
- Carne Asada Nachos
- Mexican Burger
- Pescado a la Veracruzana
- Milanesa de Pollo
I always like having these Chiles en Vinagre in the refrigerator. They are one of those little extras that can completely change a meal.
The jalapeños bring the heat, while the carrots and onions soak up the tangy vinegar and spices. And yes, I absolutely eat the carrots too. 😉
This is definitely one of my favorite Mexican condiments—and one of those recipes you’ll be happy to have ready in the fridge.
Pickled Jalapeños (Chiles en Vinagre)
Ingredients
- 1 lbs fresh jalapeños sliced, or cut into strips
- 5 carrots sliced
- 1 whole onion quartered
- 4 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white distilled vinegar
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 whole peppercorn or ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the jalapeños, carrots, onions.
- In a large stockpot, heat the oil.
- Add the carrots first.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Make sure the carrots don’t burn.
- Add the jalapeños.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion.
- Cook for 1 minute, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the water, white distilled vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, peppercorn, cloves, salt.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
- Place in container.
- Lasts 1-2 months in the fridge.
Oh yum! Love jalapenos. I’m going to try this!
Hope you do! They are so yummy.
I love to pickle the jalapeño minus the sugar though.
Sugar is optional. I like the sweetness it brings.
Wow! My husband loves pickles so I have to try these Pickled Jalapeños!
It’s really yummy, hope you can try this recipe.
Perfect for taking boring tacos and making them much more exciting!
Right? So easy and delicious
These look so easy and delicious to make, I can’t wait to try it!
This recipe is really yummy. Hope you try it!
Perfect time to find this….I planted a ton of jalapenos in my garden and I’ve been wondering what to do when they all ripen at the same time. Pinning so I’ll have this terrific recipe handy.
Perfect recipe for your planted jalapeños. You”ll love it!