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Pickled sweet peppers are simple to make, using vinegar, salt, and garlic, and a great addition to cheese and crackers trays, sandwiches, or as a topping on pizza!

These are similar to the pickled bell peppers used on Philly subs, but less sweet. I’m a huge fan of pickled peppers on pizza (bring me all the pickled banana peppers!), so for me, these are a delicious replacement for the typical raw bell peppers on supreme pizza. More tang. More pizazz. If you’re a flavor lover like me, these were made for you.

Ingredients for pickled sweet peppers

Bell peppers. I like to use a mix of colors. Red is sweetest, followed by yellow and orange, with green being the least sweet. It’s all personal preference.
Vinegar. For canned pickles, you’ll want to use 5% vinegar. I use distilled white vinegar in this recipe, but you can also use apple cider vinegar for a bit of a different flavor.
Salt. This, like vinegar, is a flavor agent as well as a preservative. It’s important for shelf stableness.
Turmeric. This adds a nice color, as well as an earthy flavor with notes of mustard and peppers.
Garlic. This is my favorite part of these pickled peppers. It adds so much. I use one clove per pint jar, and over time, it intensifies. If you like a bolder garlic flavor, you can add an extra clove, and press one to release the flavors more quickly to permeate the peppers as they marinate in the brine.

Optional additions

That is the simplest list of ingredients for pickles, and it really lets the flavor of the peppers themselves shine.

However, you can add a number of spices or herbs to flavor yours as you like them. Some good additions are mustard seeds, celery sees, mixed pickling spices, a small cayenne pepper or jalapeño for some heat.

These are just a few savory additions that sound good to me. As long as you keep your vinegar, water, and salt ratios the same, you can let your imagination run wild on seeds and spices.

How to Make Pickled Bell Peppers

If you’re familiar with making pickles, this will be one of the easiest recipes you’ve ever made. It’s very simple vegetable prep, and four ingredients brine make them come together fast, with little effort.

Combine vinegar, water, salt, and turmeric in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat, stirring a few times to dissolve the salt.
While the pickling brine is heating, prepare your peppers by deseeding them, and cutting them into your preferred sized. I like mine in relatively thin strips, but whatever you prefer is fine.
Prepare your canning jars (I like to use pints. Half pint or quart jars can be used as well) by washing them in a dishwasher, or bringing to a boil in your water bath canner.
After jars are sterile, remove them from the hot water, and drain well.
Add a clove of peeled garlic to the bottom of each jar.
Pack bell peppers into jars firmly, but not overly tight, leaving a half inch headspace.
When pickling liquid has come to a boil, remove from heat, and pour over jarred peppers to cover completely.
Wipe any splatter off of rims, and screw down lids and rings firmly.
Place in prepared hot water bath canner, making sure water covers jars by a depth of at least an inch.
Bring to a rolling boil, and process for ten minutes.
Remove canner from heat and allow to cool 15 minutes before removing the jars to a place where they can cool completely, undisturbed. Be careful to keep jars safe from drafts while they’re hot. I like to cover them with a bath towel to insulate them against temperature changes that could cause jars to break.
After 24 hours, check seals, and wash jars if needed.
Store in a cool place out of direct light.

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