Canning plain peppers

These canning directions concern plain unroasted fresh peppers, blanched and packed in water.

These directions apply to fresh peppers regardless of the colour and they also apply to hot peppers (aka chiles.)

You may can peppers (hot or sweet). You can can them, pickled, or plain.

Pickled peppers can be water-bathed or steam-canned. Unpickled plain ones must be pressure canned as per the directions below.

We also provide directions for roasted, peeled peppers.

Jars of home canned peppers make rice dishes such as this Pepper Rice a no-brainer to make, even on weeknights. Use the pepper broth from the jar as cooking liquid!

Bonus knowledge! Chili is a dish; a chile is a hot pepper!

See also: Dehydrating sweet peppers

Quantities of peppers needed

Numbers are approximate guidelines.

Allow half a kilo (1 pound) raw whole peppers per half-litre (1 US pint) jar.

The recipe

Jar size choices: Quarter-litre (1/2 US pint) or half-litre (1 US pint)

Processing method: Pressure canning only

Yield: varies

Headspace: 3 cm (1 inch)

Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)

Processing time: Quarter or half-litres (pints or half-pints) 35 minutes

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Canning plain peppers

Course Vegetables

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Calories 78 kcal

Ingredients

• peppers (fresh)
• water

Instructions

1. Wash peppers.
2. Cut into quarters, removing stems and seeds.
3. Put in a large pot of boiling water and when the water returns to the boil, let boil for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from pot with slotted spoon.
5. Pack into quarter-litre (1/2 US pint) or half-litre (1 US pint) jars.
6. Leave 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
7. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar to each quarter-litre (1/2 US pint) jar; 1 tablespoon vinegar to each half-litre (1 US pint) jar.

8. Optional: a pinch of salt per jar.

9. Top up each jar with clean boiling water (such as from a kettle, for instance), maintaining headspace.
10. Debubble; adjust headspace.
11. Wipe jar rims.
12. Put lids on.
13. Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)
14. Processing time: either size jar 35 minutes.

Processing guidelines below are for weighted-gauge pressure canner. See also if applicable: Dial-gauge pressures.

Reference information

How to pressure can.

When pressure canning, you must adjust the pressure for your altitude.

More information about Salt-Free Canning in general.

Recipe notes

• Do not do larger jars; there are no tested, safe times for them.
• If you are doing hot (as in spicy) peppers, it is one thing as a cook to brave prepping one or two peppers with bare hands; it is a different thing altogether to prepare them in industrial quantities such as are encountered when canning. Wear gloves, or your hands will go dry and burn for hours on end, even with mild Jalapeno peppers, and no matter how much you think your hands are “used to it” and no matter how much you think gloves are for wimps. (Sweet peppers should be fine.)
• Instead of the salt, you can use a non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub. We have found Herbamare Sodium-Free performs well in that regard.

Recipe source

This recipe comes from both Ball and Bernardin.

Their preparation directions call for no peeling, a brief blanching, and, adding a bit of vinegar to the canning jars.

It is unclear what purpose the vinegar serves. (The Ball / Bernardin Complete Book does not call for it.  ^[1]Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Ball / Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto: Robert Rose. 2015. Page 391. )

The no peel approach has a definite appeal to those who feel life is too short to peel a mushroom, let alone peppers.

Ball directions for canning peppers

• 500 g (1 pound) sweet peppers per 1/2 litre (US pint) jar
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Water

Wash sweet peppers, drain. Remove stem and seeds, cut peppers into quarters. Cover peppers with water in a large saucepot; boil 3 minutes. Only process in half-pints or pints. Pack hot peppers into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to each half-pint jar. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar to each pint jar. Ladle boiling water over peppers, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process half-pints and pints 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.” ^[2] Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. Daleville, Indiana: Hearthmark LLC. Edition 36. 2013. Page 68.

Bernardin directions for canning peppers

Select mature, firm peppers. Wash peppers, remove stem and seeds and cut into quarters. Place in a stainless steel saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; boil 3 minutes. Drain. Pack peppers into 250 ml or 500 ml jars only. Do not use larger jars. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) vinegar to each 250 ml jar; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar to each 500 ml jar. Season, add fresh boiling water. Heat process 250 ml or 500 ml jars 35 minutes at 10 lb (69 kPa) in weighted gauge pressure canner.” ^[3] Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Bernardin Ltd. 2013. Page 104. [Also online at: Sweet Green Peppers. ]

Cooking with canning

Mexican Rice

Pepper Rice

Pork and pepper in cream sauce

Taco Skillet

Nutrition

Serving size: 250 g, drained (about one half of a 1/2 litre / US pint jar, if 500 g went into the jar.)

• 78 calories, 10 mg sodium
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus®: 0 points (peppers are free on Weight Watchers).

* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com

* PointsPlus™ calculated by healthycanning.com. Not endorsed by Weight Watchers® International, Inc, which is the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.

What size of pepper pieces?

New Mexico says, “Chiles can be cut in pieces or left whole. Pack chiles loosely and add boiling water.” ^[4] Flores, Nancy. Sweet Green Peppers. New Mexico State University. E-308. May 2008. Accessed May 2015.

The USDA in its directions for Sweet Green Peppers says, “Large peppers may be quartered.” Texas A&M University Extension says, “large peppers should be quartered.” ^[5] Van Laanen, Peggy. Preserving Peppers. Texas A&M University Extension. L-5309. Accessed March 2015 at https://university.uog.edu/cals/people/PUBS/Food/L-5309.pdf.

Both Ball and Bernardin want peppers quartered, too.

What’s clear is no one wants you dicing them, or mincing them, etc.

Pickle the peppers if you don’t want to pressure can them

You cannot water bath or steam can plain peppers packed in water. For water bath or steam canning, they must be pickled to be safe from nasties. Use a tested recipe for pickled peppers such as this one for Pickled Roasted Peppers from Ball.

The USDA Complete Guide (2015) also has recipes for pickled peppers, as well as for pickled peppers marinated in oil.