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This easy Pepper Relish Recipe is sweet, tangy, colorful and one of those condiments you’ll suddenly want to put on everything. Finely chopped peppers and onions are simmered in a simple sweet and tangy vinegar mixture until glossy and tender. Make it mild and sweet with colorful bell peppers or give it a spicy kick with jalapeño and red pepper flakes. Keep a jar in the fridge for sandwiches, burgers, salads, sauces and charcuterie boards.
Table of Contents
- Kellie’s Note Relish Each Bite
- Why You’ll Love My Pepper Relish
- Ingredients For Pepper Relish
- How to Make Pepper Relish
- How to Make Sweet or Spicy Pepper Relish
- How to Store Pepper Relish
- Kellie’s Tips for the Best Pepper Relish
- What to Serve with Pepper Relish
- More Easy Pickle and Relish Recipes
- Easy Pepper Relish Recipe
Kellie’s Note
Relish Each Bite
I make a habit of keeping jars of homemade condiments in the refrigerator because they can turn an otherwise boring lunch into something I actually look forward to eating.
Pickled onions, pickled jalapeños, homemade relish…give me something sweet, tangy and spoonable and suddenly a turkey sandwich feels like I put some actual effort into lunch.
This Pepper Relish is one of my favorites because it’s ridiculously versatile. I can pile it onto a sandwich, stir it into mayo for an instant sandwich spread, spoon it over grilled chicken or add a little bowl of it to a charcuterie board.
And after years of making my own pickles, relishes and quick refrigerator condiments, I’ve realized that the best ones are all about balance. You want enough sweetness to tame the vinegar, enough acidity to make everything bright and just the right amount of texture so you know you’re eating relish and not pepper purée.
Even better, you can make this Pepper Relish Recipe completely mild or turn up the heat depending on the peppers you have on hand. I hope you like it as much as we do.
Why You’ll Love My Pepper Relish
There are approximately a million reasons I like having this in my refrigerator, but these are the big ones:
• Sweet, tangy and savory. The sugar, vinegar, peppers, onions and spices balance each other so no single flavor takes over.
• Make it mild OR spicy. Stick with bell peppers for a sweet pepper relish or add jalapeño and extra crushed red pepper when you want some heat.
• It uses simple ingredients. Nothing fancy or difficult to find here.
• Great for using extra peppers. If your garden is overflowing or you got a little carried away at the farmers market, this is your answer.
• It’s incredibly versatile. Spoon it onto sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, grilled meat or salads. You can also mix it into sauces and creamy spreads.
• Perfect for entertaining. That colorful sweet pepper relish looks right at home beside cheese, crackers and cured meats on a charcuterie board.
• It keeps well. Make a batch and you have an instant flavor booster waiting in the refrigerator whenever dinner needs a little something extra.
Ingredients For Pepper Relish
The full measurements are in the recipe card below, but here’s what you’ll need and how you can make the recipe your own.
- Bell Peppers – I love using a combination of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers because you get a gorgeous, confetti-like relish. If you want a sweeter pepper relish, lean heavily on red, yellow and orange peppers. If you want heat, replace a portion of the sweet peppers with finely chopped jalapeño.
- Onion – Onion keeps all that sweetness from becoming one-note and adds a little savory bite. Yellow, white or sweet onion will all work here.
- Kosher Salt – The salt does more than season the relish. It helps pull excess moisture from the chopped peppers and onions before they go into the pot. Pickling salt can be substituted if that’s what you keep in the pantry.
- Granulated Sugar – This gives Pepper Relish its signature sweet-and-tangy flavor and balances the vinegar. I prefer plain granulated sugar because it keeps the flavor clean and lets the peppers shine.
- Vinegar – I use both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar brings a softer, slightly fruity tang while white vinegar keeps everything bright and punchy. Together, they give the relish a really balanced flavor.
- Spices – Mustard seed and celery seed give the relish that familiar old-fashioned pickle-shop flavor without overpowering the peppers.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Totally optional but highly recommended if you like a little warmth. Add more for a spicy Pepper Relish.
- Turmeric – Also optional. It adds a little extra golden color to the brine without making the relish taste heavily spiced.
How to Make Pepper Relish
Pepper Relish is easy to make, but there are a couple of little things that make a BIG difference in the finished texture.
- Chop the vegetables. Finely chop the peppers and onion into small, fairly even pieces. A food processor makes quick work of this, but use short pulses. You want tiny pieces of pepper, not pepper soup.
- Salt and rest. Toss the peppers and onion with salt and let them sit for about an hour. You’ll be surprised by how much liquid collects in the bowl.
- Drain really well. This is important. Press out as much moisture as you can so the finished relish is glossy and spoonable instead of watery.
- Make the sweet-tangy base. Combine the sugar, vinegars and seasonings in a large saucepan and bring everything together over the heat. The sugar should disappear into the vinegar mixture.
- Simmer the relish. Stir in the drained vegetables, bring everything up to a boil and then lower the heat. As it simmers, the raw crunch of the peppers softens, the colors become glossy and the liquid reduces into a light syrupy brine that coats the vegetables instead of pooling around them.
- Cool and jar. Once the vegetables are tender and the relish has thickened slightly, take it off the heat and let it cool before spooning it into clean jars or airtight containers.
- Chill before digging in. Give the Pepper Relish at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. That little bit of patience gives the sweet, tart and savory flavors time to settle into each other.
How to Make Sweet or Spicy Pepper Relish
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easily you can adjust it.
- For Sweet Pepper Relish: Use mostly red, orange and yellow bell peppers. They make a colorful relish with a naturally sweeter pepper flavor. You can also leave out the crushed red pepper flakes completely.
- For Spicy Pepper Relish: Add a finely chopped jalapeño to the bell pepper mixture and keep the crushed red pepper flakes. If you like things REALLY spicy, increase the flakes gradually instead of dumping in a ton all at once.
- For Sweet AND Spicy Pepper Relish: This might be my favorite. Use colorful sweet bell peppers plus one jalapeño and the crushed red pepper. You get sweetness first with a little heat sneaking in at the end.
How to Store Pepper Relish
- Transfer your cooled Pepper Relish to clean jars or an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- I actually prefer making it ahead because the flavors have time to mingle after a few hours in the refrigerator.
- Always use a clean spoon when scooping relish out of the jar so you’re not introducing crumbs or other ingredients into it.
- This particular recipe is intended as a refrigerator relish, so keep it chilled rather than storing the jars at room temperature.
Kellie’s Tips for the Best Pepper Relish
• Don’t purée the peppers. You want finely chopped vegetables with a little texture left in them.
• Keep the pieces similar in size. The relish cooks more evenly and is much easier to spoon onto sandwiches when you don’t have huge chunks mixed with tiny ones.
• Don’t skip the salting step. Pulling excess water out of the peppers and onion is one of the secrets to a relish that isn’t watery.
• Drain, drain, drain. After the vegetables rest, press out as much liquid as possible.
• Use a mix of pepper colors. Besides looking prettier, it gives the finished relish a little more personality than using just one variety.
• Watch the texture near the end. You’re looking for tender peppers and a slightly thickened, sticky mixture. Remember that the relish will continue to thicken a bit as it cools.
• Let it chill. I know it’s tempting to eat it immediately, but those few hours in the refrigerator really do help everything come together.
• Adjust the heat for your crowd. Keep it all bell peppers for family-friendly sweet pepper relish or add jalapeño and red pepper flakes when you want more kick.
What to Serve with Pepper Relish
This is where Pepper Relish really earns its refrigerator real estate.
Try it with:
- Burgers – A spoonful of Pepper Relish gives a rich, juicy burger some much-needed tang.
- Hot Dogs and Brats – Use it exactly the way you would pickle relish, especially with mustard
- Sandwiches – It’s fantastic on turkey sandwiches, roast beef, Italian sandwiches, grilled cheese or a patty melt.
- Grilled Chicken or Pork – Spoon it over simply grilled meat for an instant sweet-and-tangy sauce.
- Charcuterie Boards – Add a small bowl alongside sharp cheddar, creamy cheeses, salami, prosciutto and crackers.
- Cream Cheese and Crackers – Spoon Pepper Relish over a block of softened cream cheese for the easiest last-minute appetizer ever.
- Salads – A small spoonful adds sweet acidity to grain salads, chicken salad, tuna salad or even a basic green salad.
- Sauces and Spreads – Stir Pepper Relish into mayonnaise for a sandwich spread or burger sauce. It’s also great mixed into tartar-style sauces and creamy dressings.
More Easy Pickle and Relish Recipes
Once you start keeping homemade pickles and relishes in the refrigerator, it gets a little addictive. Suddenly every shelf has a jar of something tangy on it, which is exactly how I like it.
Try these next:
- Homemade Pickle Relish
- Quick Pickled Red Onions
- Bread and Butter Pickles
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Quick Pickled Jalapeños
- Quick Pickled Garlic
- Quick Pickled Green Beans
- Homemade Hot Giardiniera
Easy Pepper Relish Recipe
Equipment
- saucepan
- chef's knife
- measuring cup
- measuring spoon
Ingredients
- 6 cups finely chopped bell peppers, any mix of red, yellow, orange and green
- 2 cups finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric, optional
Instructions
- Finely chop the bell peppers and onion into small, even pieces. If using a food processor, pulse in short bursts so the vegetables are chopped but not puréed.
- Transfer the peppers and onion to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the kosher salt and toss to combine. Let the mixture stand for 1 hour.
- Drain the vegetables thoroughly, pressing out as much excess liquid as possible.
- Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seed, crushed red pepper flakes and turmeric to a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Stir the drained peppers and onion into the vinegar mixture. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be tender and the liquid should be slightly thickened and glossy.
- Remove from the heat and allow the relish to cool.
- Spoon the Pepper Relish into clean jars or airtight containers.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving so the flavors have time to develop.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
