These crispy pickled jalapenos and carrots are the perfect addition to any Mexican dish and will definitely remind you of your favorite local taqueria. The best part is that it’s an easy quick pickle recipe, no canning process, and you’ll only need simple ingredients. Plus, you can snack on them straight from the jar.
Most taqueria style taco shops offer some form of pickled jalapenos or will serve them on the side. If the canning process is intimidating to you, good news! This easy recipe isn’t like the others and you can store a batch for up to 3 weeks without really canning them. Storing in the refrigerator has the added bonus of producing ultra crisp pickled vegetables.
We love adding these to Mexican red rice, Mexican lasagna, and serving them as a side with Mexican street corn. It’s also the perfect side to sweet pork barbacoa.
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🌶️ Ingredients:
These pickled jalapeños and carrots contain a number of basic ingredients, and all of them are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- white onion – we don’t recommend using red onions since their flavor can be overpowering
- garlic cloves – thinly sliced.
- ground cumin, kosher salt, Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, bay leaves – kosher salt has larger granules so reduce the amount if you are using a table salt or finer salt. Mexican oregano is more pungent than standard oregano, but any variety will work in a pinch.
- sliced jalapeno peppers – around ¼ inch thick
- carrots – peel them first.
- granulated sugar
- white vinegar – some choose to use apple cider vinegar, but white vinegar is best for a neutral taste.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Pickled jalapeños and spicy carrots add so much flavor to any dish and you can toss them on anything that you would normally order at a Mexican restaurant.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pickled jalapeños – if desired, you can omit the carrots and just use the peppers.
- Long-term canning – if you want to pickle the peppers and carrots where they are shelf stable or make a really big batch, you will need to go through the full canning process. Wash the jars, lids, and rings with soap and water, then dry. Place the jars in a boiling hot water bath over high heat for 10 minutes to sterilize. Follow the recipe instructions that are listed, but don’t fill the jars completely full, leave a little room at the top. Clean the rim of the jar with a paper towel and secure the lid. Place them in another boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove the jars using tongs and cool at room temperature.
- Other vegetables – essentially you can follow these instructions and pickle other veggies.
- If you love jalapeño slices to toss on top of your favorite dish, try this Cowboy Candy, or Candied Jalapeños. With similar ingredients and process, you can make another jar of jalapeño snacks with a different flavor profile.
🔪 Instructions:
Step 1: Heat the onions in the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until they have softened.
Step 2: Add the oregano, cumin, garlic, and salt. Continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the fresh jalapeños and sliced carrot.
Step 4: Pour in the water, vinegar, and sugar. Then add the bay leaves.
Pro Tip: If you don’t like as much spice, remove more of the seeds.
Step 5: Bring the vinegar mixture to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. The sliced jalapeños will change from vibrant to a dull green.
Step 6: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer the jalapeños and carrots to two mason jars and then top with the pickling liquid so that the vegetables are fully submerged.
SERVE: Let the jars cool to room temperature. Then place the lid on and store in the refrigerator. These are best after sitting in the brine for at least 24 hours.
Recipe Tips for Taqueria Style Jalapeños and Carrots
- Add more or less when it comes to spices and garlic. We sliced the garlic really thin to help with infusing the flavors and for nicer storage. Whole cloves and minced garlic can be used as well.
- Kosher salt is recommended for this recipe, as the granules are larger and the quantity will differ from other varieties of salt.
- For quicker and more uniform slicing, use a mandolin. When hand slicing, keep the veggies about ¼ inch thick.
Fun Fact
Just one jalapeno plant can produce 25-30 peppers! -AgHires
Recipe FAQs
While they do have a little kick, they are not as spicy as raw peppers with the seeds. The spice level will also vary depending on the peppers used. I grew some jalapeños this summer that developed striations and ripened to deep red and man, those puppies were hotter than my Thai chiles.
The pickling process is a method of preserving or flavoring food by immersing it in a vinegar-based brine. Salt, spices, and sugar is usually added, as it helps in preservation and adds flavor to the food being pickled. The acidic environment created by vinegar inhibits the growth of bacteria, thereby extending the shelf life of the food. Quick pickling does not go through fermentation like pickles or kimchi do.
Once they have cooled, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. If they go through the full canning process, they can be stored in the pantry for a year.
More Amazing Jalapeño Recipes
If you tried this Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots
Ingredients
- ½ small white onion about ½ cup, sliced thinly
- 3-4 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced thinly
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups sliced jalapenos about 5
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots about 4 medium
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups white vinegar
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil and sliced onions over medium heat, cooking until onions soften.
- Add the sliced garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt to the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Add the jalapenos and carrots, sauteeing for another minute.
- Pour the water, vinegar, and sugar into the saucepan and add the bay leaves.
- Bring mixture to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the jalapenos change in color from vibrant green to a dull green.
- Remove saucepan from the heat. Transfer the jalapenos and carrots into glass canning jars for storage. Top with the liquid so that the vegetables are submerged under the brine.
- Store in the refrigerator, lidded, for 24 hours before eating for best flavor.
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