No-Sterilization Pickled Hot Peppers for Winter
Spicy, fiery, aromatic - a preserve with character! No-sterilization pickled hot peppers for winter are a great snack to serve with strong spirits. Easy to make, no sterilizing needed, and they keep for years thanks to their heat and the vinegar.
Updated : 09 March, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
500 grams
Chili pepper
500 milliliters
Water
1 tablespoon
Salt
1 tablespoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Vinegar
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you pickle whole hot peppers for winter in jars without sterilization? Prepare the ingredients. You won’t eat a lot of these, so make a small batch in the smallest jars. Peppers can be any size, shape, and color. I recommend small, bite-size varieties - round hot peppers or bell-shaped hot peppers work great.
Step 2
Wash the peppers and prick them in several places with a toothpick. Many hot pepper varieties have thick walls, and we need the marinade to get inside the peppers too.
Step 3
Sterilize the jars in any convenient way. I place jars with a little water in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. You can also sterilize them in the oven at 100°C / 212°F for about 30 minutes, or hold them over steam, or pour boiling water over them. Boil the lids for a few minutes.
Step 4
Fill the jars with peppers.
Step 5
Pour boiling water over the peppers, cover with lids, and leave for about 10 minutes.
Step 6
After that time, drain the water into a separate container (a small saucepan or a metal bowl).
Step 7
Add salt.
Step 8
Add sugar.
Step 9
Pour in vinegar. This recipe uses 6-9% vinegar. If you have vinegar essence, dilute it with water at a 1:8 ratio. Bring the marinade to a boil.
Step 10
Pour the boiling marinade into the jar and seal tightly with a lid (or use a canning seamer). No sterilization is required.
Step 11
Enjoy your meal!
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