COOK: Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs (easy refrigerator pickle recipe)
- Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Egg Ingredients
- Equipment Needed to Make Pickled Eggs
- How to Make Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs
- How do you store pickled eggs?
- Serving Ideas
These spicy jalapeno pickled eggs are an easy flavor-packed snack. It’s a quick refrigerator pickle recipe and so simple to make… the hardest part is peeling the eggs. No complicated canning required, just heat up the fast and tasty brine while you cook and peel your eggs, and then you wait… if you can.
These are most delicious if you give them at least a few days to marinate in the spicy brine, though until you have a few batches going, you can certainly sneak a few earlier than that if you can’t wait. They’re delicious anytime but especially great to make in the early spring and summer if you have chickens and a surplus of eggs!
Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Egg Ingredients
Eggs:
Before pickling your eggs, you’ll need to cook and peel them. I prefer steaming to boiling for making “hard-boiled” eggs. First, wash your eggs in warm water, then place them in a steamer basket. Pour an inch or two of water in the bottom of the pot, then place the steamer basket on top of the pot, cover it, and bring it to a boil on medium-high heat.
Keep an eye on the pot, and as soon as the water boils, set a timer for 7 minutes. I like to cook an extra test egg, peel it under cool running water, and slice it in half. This way you know that your eggs are cooked through (mostly, it’s so the cook gets a snack though, since this method is basically foolproof as long as you keep an eye on the pot and track the time).
Vinegar & Lime:
I like to use a mix of apple cider vinegar and plain distilled vinegar for most of my pickled egg recipes. This is purely a taste consideration. You can use all distilled or all apple cider vinegar, or substitute white wine vinegar or even rice wine vinegar. For our jalapeno pickled eggs, we’re also using lime juice for even more bright flavor! If you don’t have lime juice, you could safely substitute vinegar. You can use either freshly juiced limes or bottled lime juice in this recipe.
Jalapenos:
Sliced fresh jalapenos are best, but you can also use pickled jalapenos if fresh ones are out of season.
Seasonings:
Coriander seeds, bay leaf, garlic cloves, Mexican oregano, cumin, and peppercorns. You can substitute regular oregano, or omit it altogether.
Salt & Sugar:
These are mostly for flavor, but also help preserve the pickled eggs.
Equipment Needed to Make Pickled Eggs
Stockpot & steamer:
If you are steaming your eggs, you’ll need a pot and a steamer insert or basket. If you prefer boiling your eggs, you’ll just need a pot large enough to hold a dozen eggs plus water to cover by an inch or two.
Quart mason jar & lid:
You can use wide or regular mouth jars. I like to use wide mouth jars, as they’re easier to fill and remove the eggs from. You can use regular canning lids (this is a good way to repurpose used lids, since this is a refrigerator pickle and they don’t need to seal). I like to use plastic lids for these and other refrigerator pickles, as they won’t react and corrode or rust in contact with the vinegar like metal lids can.
Make sure your jars and lids are spotlessly clean and sanitized. Wash them with hot soapy water, rinse well, and steam or simmer your jars, or run them through a sanitize cycle in the dishwasher. Don’t boil plastic lids or they’ll melt! I usually have a spray-bottle of pre-mixed no-rinse food-safe sanitizer in my kitchen for brewing projects, so I spray my jars and lids with this after washing instead of boiling them. This is not absolutely necessary if you keep everything cold and work clean, but it’s cheap insurance, since you won’t be heat-processing your pickled eggs.
How to Make Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs
step one: prepare pickling brine
- Combine all ingredients except eggs and jalapenos in a small sauce pan.
- Bring the pickling brine to a hard boil while you cook the eggs, then cover the pot and turn off the heat.
step two: cook & peel eggs
- Steam or boil and peel the eggs. I start steaming my eggs over room temperature water, and set a timer for 7 minutes as soon as the water begins to boil.
- Cool the eggs quickly with cold water, and peel them under cool running water.
- Place the peeled eggs and jalapeno slices into the sanitized quart jar.
step three: brine the eggs
- Pour the hot pickling brine over the eggs in the jar.
- You can strain out the spices, but I like to leave them in to infuse even more flavor.
step four: chill & marinate
- Place a lid on the jar, shake well, and refrigerate. Shake the jar every few days during the first week to distribute the spices and make sure the eggs on top stay in the brine.
- Keep the eggs in the refrigerator, and let infuse for a week before eating for best flavor.
How do you store pickled eggs?
Keep these in the refrigerator- there are no safe recipes for pickled eggs that are shelf-stable. The flavor is best if you wait at least seven days before eating them, and they should stay fresh for several weeks.
Make sure you only use clean utensils to remove eggs from the jar (no dirty fingers in the brine, please) and try to keep the eggs under the brine (you can top it up with more vinegar if you need to.
Serving Ideas
You can eat these plain as a snack, or make extra-flavorful deviled eggs or egg salad from them. Slice them and serve them on open-face smorbrod sandwiches on dark rye or crispbread crackers with a spread of mayo, butter, or soft cheese. They’re fantastic with a cold beer and a pretzel, pub-style, especially on a hot day.
Spicy Jalapeno Pickled Eggs
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 large jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 4 tsp canning & pickling salt (sub 4 ½ tsp kosher salt)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 small garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp Mexican oregano leaves (can sub regular oregano leaves)
Instructions
prepare pickling brine
- Combine all ingredients except eggs and jalapenos in a small sauce pan.
- Bring the pickling brine to a hard boil while you cook the eggs, then cover the pot and turn off the heat.
cook & peel eggs
- Steam or boil and peel the eggs. I start steaming my eggs over room temperature water, and set a timer for 7 minutes as soon as the water begins to boil.
- Cool the eggs quickly with cold water, and peel them under cool running water.
- Place the peeled eggs and jalapeno slices into the sanitized quart jar.
brine eggs
- Pour the hot pickling brine over the eggs in the jar.
- You can strain out the spices, but I like to leave them in to infuse even more flavor.
refrigerate & marinate
- Place a lid on the jar, shake well, and refrigerate. Shake the jar every few days during the first week.
- Keep the eggs in the refrigerator, and let infuse for a week before eating for best flavor. Use a clean fork to remove eggs from the jar. Should keep for several weeks under refrigeration.