Candied Jalapenos – Cowboy Candy Recipe
These Candied Jalapenos, otherwise known as Cowboy Candy, are such a great treat any time of the year. They’re a great way to use up all of those jalapeños from your garden this summer.
What is Cowboy Candy?
Candied jalapenos, also known as cowboy candy, are essentially sliced jalapeno peppers that are quickly blanched in a flavorful, simple syrup.
About Growing Jalapeño Peppers
Pepper plants are easy to grow. Either in your home garden or even in large pots, they are foolproof, even if you have a black thumb.
Peppers prefer hot, dry weather, and the flavor of the pepper will be hotter, the drier the season is. Here is a helpful article regarding growing peppers.
I usually plant about 30 mixed pepper plants. So by the end of September, even after picking all of the ripe ones all summer, I have about ½ a ton of jalapeños, which is fine by me since we love them.
I make a plethora of salsas and pickled peppers! This recipe is very loosely based on my hot pepper relish, zucchini relish, and sweet pickle relish.
Canning Candied Jalapeños
If you’re looking for the easiest way to preserve jalapeños, canning candied jalapeños is your best bet. These peppers can last for a year or more (if they last that long) and add bold flavor to everything from burgers to appetizers.
You’ll simmer sliced peppers in a vinegar-sugar brine, pack them into jars, and process them in a water bath canner. The result is sweet, spicy, and shelf-stable.
See the full canning instructions below. Don’t forget, leftover syrup is liquid gold!
What you Need
- Jalapenos: Use either green (immature), or red (mature) jalapeños.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar adds that signature tart flavor that you look for in a pickle.
- White Sugar: White sugar adds the sweetness that is reminiscent of sweet pickles.
- Turmeric: This delicious spice adds more than color to this recipe. It adds a subtle earthy bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the sugar and the spiciness of the peppers.
- Celery Seed: Celery seed is the quintessential spice in all pickles. It adds a fresh, bright leafy flavor.
- Granulated Garlic: Garlic, as in most recipes, adds the umami that so many dishes require.
- Ground Cayenne Pepper: Adds more heat. If your peppers are very hot, you may want to eliminate the ground pepper. It won’t hurt.
How to Make it
Prepare the jars, lids and bands. There is no need to use sterile canning jars, as these peppers will be processed for over 10 minutes.
Mix the vinegar, sugar and spices for the brine in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and drain jalapenos.
Wear gloves to cut up this quantity of peppers! Slice the peppers into uniform rings, approximately ¼ inch thick. You can also use a mandolin or food processor for more evenly sliced pieces. (Hold the stem-end when cutting to make them easier to hold.)
Add the peppers to the brine and simmer for 4 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to load jalapenos into washed and pint jars or half-pint jars. Leave ½-inch headspace (the space between the rim of the jar and the product).
Once the peppers are loaded into jars, turn the heat up under the syrup again and boil vigorously for an additional six minutes. Ladle additional boiling syrup over the top of the peppers in jars, leaving the headspace. Remove trapped pockets of air with a wooden or plastic chopstick or bubble removal tool.
Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel. Place two-piece lids, center lids, and then screw on the bands fingertip-tight. Load jars in a hot water bath canning pot with canning tongs. Be sure the jars are covered with 2 inches of water above the jars. Process 15 minutes for pints, adjust for altitude. (See recipe notes below for details.)
Processing the Jars
Get the canner water hot. Wash the jars and lids. Add the clean jars to the canning pot to heat. Once the jars are filled, add them to the canning pot. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Once the water is boiling, set the timer.
When the processing time is complete, remove the pot from the heat, carefully open the lid, and partially lift it off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.
Then, remove the lid and let the jars rest in the canning pot for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
After resting, remove the jars onto a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed. You may hear the lids pinging sometime in the next hour. This is music to a canner’s ears. It is due to the reaction of the lids being sealed to the jar.
Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.
Then, remove the bands. Gently pick up the jar by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.
Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark place for at least a year. Avoid areas with large temperature fluctuations.
Do not stack jars on top of each other. This can compromise the seals. If you run out of room on your shelf, use a sheet of cardboard or a thin piece of wood and place that on top of a row of jars. Then you can put jars on top of that. This will distribute the weight evenly.
Before using any canned goods, always inspect the packaging and the food itself. Make sure that it looks and smells as it should. If it doesn’t, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard it.
Pro Tips for Success
- Seeds and ribs can be removed for less hot peppers. Most of the heat lives in the seeds and ribs.
- Use proper canning techniques when canning peppers to ensure food safety. Details above.
- Do not cook the peppers too long, or they will get soggy.
- Do not throw away extra brine! It is great in lots of different foods. Store it in a sterilized jar in the refrigerator. Add to sauces, stews, and chilies, and make spicy aioli for burgers, fish, and tacos. Brush fish, poultry, beef, or pork while cooking for an extra zip.
- Always wear gloves when cutting up large quantities of hot peppers.
- Never touch your eyes, mouth or nose with gloves! It can cause severe irritation.
- Any hot pepper can be used for candy, such as Hungarian wax, hot cherry, serrano, habanero, and more.
- Some of the sugar and spices may fall out of the solution as the peppers sit in the pantry. This will not affect the flavor of the brine or the peppers.
- This cowboy candy can be quick-canned. In other words, not processed in the water bath canner. Store in clean, sterilized jars. Let them sit on the counter until room temperature, then store the jars in the refrigerator for 3-6 months, or possibly longer.
Saving the Brine From Candied Jalapeños
DO NOT throw out the remaining syrup!
Place it in a jar and use it in a variety of ways! Brush it on meat, fish and poultry on the grill or roasted. See more recipe suggestions below.
It is fantastic on these Cornish Game Hens, mixed with cream cheese or sour cream for a quick, tasty dip for veggies. The possibilities are endless.
The worst part of this recipe? You have to try to keep everyone away from them for at least 2-3 months, if possible, 4 months is even better, so that they can age naturally.
It’s torture waiting for these babies to be ready to eat!
If you can’t wait, they are still tasty right after they are done. The flavor is just better with the wait.
In the meantime, do yourself a favor and buy a jar from your local grocer. They are readily available, but certainly not as good.
Frequently Asked Questions
When appropriately processed in a water bath canner, cowboy candy will keep for up to a year in a cool, dry pantry. With new canning lids from Ball, they can last 18 months. For best flavor, wait 2–3 months before opening a jar.
Yes! You can store them in clean, sterilized jars in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 months. Just be sure the syrup completely covers the peppers.
It depends on the heat level of your peppers. To reduce spiciness, remove the seeds and ribs before cooking. The syrup helps mellow the heat, but the flavor still has a kick.
They’re great on burgers, grilled cheese, nachos, deviled eggs, and cream cheese-topped crackers, but that isn’t all. Check out the list below. You can also mix the syrup into sauces or slaws for an extra flavor boost.
Slice them into uniform ⅛ to ¼-inch rings. You can use a chef’s knife, mandoline, or food processor slicing blade. Always wear gloves when handling large quantities of hot peppers.
You can remove the seeds and ribs if you would prefer a less hot pepper. Most of the heat lives in the seeds and ribs.
Recipes Using Cowboy Candy
- Sandwiches like these, Candied Jalapeño Grilled Cheese, Spicy Fish Sandwiches.
- Chicken or poultry like these Spicy Cornish Game Hens
- Spicy Cornbread Stuffing
- In salads like Spicy Coleslaw, macaroni salad or potato salad.
- The brine also makes delicious spicy mayonnaise or ketchup.
- As an appetizer, with a cracker topped with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and cowboy candy
- Spicy deviled eggs
- Top of nachos with cowboy candy instead of pickled peppers.
Tools Needed to Make Cowboy Candy
Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.
Want to Grow Your Own Produce?
Due to my horticulture background, readers frequently ask for help with vegetable gardening. If that’s something you’re curious about, check out my How to Start a Garden series:
- Planning Your Garden
- Preparing the Garden Site
- Choosing Plants + Planting
- Garden Maintenance
- Harvesting + Preserving the Harvest – includes over 100 free recipes
These sweet and spicy jalapeños are the perfect way to preserve your summer harvest. Whether you’re topping burgers, stirring the syrup into sauces, or sneaking bites straight from the jar, cowboy candy never disappoints.
Have you tried canning candied jalapeños? Let me know in the comments or tag me if you share your batch!
Connect with us through our social media pages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.
Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
How to Can Candied Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds jalapenos
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 4 cups Sugar
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 4 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Wash and drain peppers. Wear gloves to cut up this quantity of peppers!! Cut them into ⅛- ¼" slices.
- Add the vinegar, sugar and spices to a large stock pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the peppers and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to load jalapenos into washed and sterilized jars. Leave ½-inch headspace.
- Once the peppers are loaded into the jars, turn the heat up under the syrup again and boil hard for six more minutes.
- Ladle additional syrup over the top of the peppers in the jars, leaving the headspace.
- Wipe the edges of the jars with a damp paper towel.
- Place the lids and bands on jars. Finger-tip tighten.
- DO NOT throw out the remaining syrup! Pour it into a jar, refrigerate, and use it in a variety of ways. See the article above for suggestions.
- Place the pepper jars in the canner filled with hot water. Bring it to a full rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes for half pints, 15 minutes for pints. Turn off the burner and let them stay in the hot water for five more minutes. Then remove the jars tot the counter and let them thoroughly cool overnight.
- The next day check for seal. If center of lid flexes up and down, they must be stored in the refrigerator. Place sealed jars in a cool, dry place.
- Try to resist the temptation to open them for at least 2 months. I like waiting 3 for the flavors to develop. In the meantime, console yourself with the syrup.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Video
Notes
- 0–1,000 ft: 10 minutes for half-pint jars, 15 minutes for pint jars
- 1,001–3,000 ft: Add 5 minutes
- 3,001–6,000 ft: Add 10 minutes
- 6,001–8,000 ft: Add 15 minutes
- 8,001–10,000 ft: Add 20 minutes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you go to the link and purchase something at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure here.
Originally published January 23, 2018. Updated July 5, 2025.
- Recipe Name: Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapeños)
- Type: Condiment / Preserve
- Main Ingredients: Jalapeños, sugar, vinegar, garlic, turmeric
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 7 half-pint jars
- Special Equipment: Water bath canner, canning jars, canning tool set
- Great For: Preserving garden jalapeños, holiday gifts, spicy condiments
Hi! I am kind of new to canning and the question I always run into is the elevation. I’m not sure how to adjust time for my elevation. Is there a way to do this? My elevation is 4,549.
For water bath canning, as a general rule, increase processing time 5 minutes, 1000-3000 ft. 10 minutes for 3000-6000 ft. 15 minutes 6000-8000 and 20 minutes 8000-10000 ft. I hope that helps.
I made these last week, I filled the jars to a 1/4 inch headspace. We opened one tonight and it looks as if there’s no brine, is it normal for the brine to absorb? The smell and taste great.
It just depends how much brine you add. It’s all fine as far as safety goes.
first tried this recipe last year and it is amazing. this year I had a lot of brine left can I use it on another batch of cowboy candy?
We add it to everything. Ketchup and mayonnaise are totally awesome. We even add it to deviled eggs, then top with a pepper. So good! Spicy Deviled Eggs. It would be ok to use it for more peppers though.
Could I dice the peppers instead of slicing?
Absolutely. Lisa. Diced peppers would make kind of a relish.
Could I use some mini bell peppers in addition to the jalapeños to add color and reduce heat?
Sure. Bell peppers will pickle nicely too!
I made these several years ago. The jars are sealed and on a shelf in a closet. How long should they last canned and sealed.
Theoretically, they could be fine. See this article https://binkysculinarycarnivalcom.bigscoots-staging.com/step-by-step-easy-canning-tutorial/
There is table of contents at the beginning, you can skip to the section “How will you know if your food has gone bad?” That will walk you through testing the peppers.
Would it be safe to use the extra syrup to make an additional run (or half run) and put them in a large jar in the fridge instead of processing them?
Thank you for the recipe. They are delicious!
Yes, you could. They should be good for a few months unopened and maybe a month once they’re opened. We also use the brine to make spicy mayo or ketchup. We use it in deviled eggs, coleslaw, potato or mac salad. It’s really versatile.
had about 1/2 inch brine in the bottom of jar after cool down does that hurt the jalapenos
No it doesn’t the brine will often fall out of solution.
My son-in-law turned me on to sweet jalapeños he had purchased at a grocery store at a family 4th of July picnic a couple of years ago. Being a “home canned is always best” type of things person, I have been searching for a good recipe. I just put up 8 pints and since we can’t wait to try them, I kept out about 1/2 pint in the extra brine. We’ll try them and wait for the others til they “mature”.
I usually do the same thing because we can’t wait either. They’re good but better as they age. Thanks Debbie.
Just made 30 pint size jars!!!! Awesome recipe! I wore gloves because I’m extremely sensitive to hot peppers…but love eating them😋
I’m so glad you liked them Jacqueline. Thanks for letting me know.
I have tried your recipe yet but plan to very soon. It has less sugar than the previous ones I made, can’t wait to try yours!!! (some I have made are just a little too sweet for my taste)On another note, I don’t understand the comments about the syrup being too thin. What possible difference does it make? Cowboy candy is about the peppers
It really doesn’t make a difference. Having said that, I use the brine to make other condiments. Try mixing it with ketchup or mayonnaise. You’ll love it! Let me know how you like them Linda!
Made them today, best recipe I have tried! I did see a similar one, same amount of vinegar but only 3 cups of sugar, which is what used and for me it is perfect, but each to their own for the sweetness
I’m so glad you like them Linda! Yes, the sugar content is not crucial to the safety of the product, so lowering it is fine.
My entire family LOVES candied jalapenos! I have never processed them for long-term storage so we are trying your recipe. Looking forward to the tasty results!
They store well Don. (Although, they never last too long around here). I hope you all enjoy them!