A couple of weeks ago, my best buddy from college, David, ask if I’d tried the candied jalapenos at Buc-ees. Now, if you aren’t from Texas, you won’t understand just how amazing this gas station is. It’s got restrooms from the gods, every food you can imagine, house-made jerky, fudge, amazing sandwiches, home decor, car maintenance… I could go on and on. It sounds ridiculous, I know. Wa-Wa in the northeast has a cult following. Even the Wa-Wa lovers admit that Buc-ees trumps it, hands down. If you’re ever blessed to be near one, you have to stop– just trust me. Anyway, Ryan and I hadn’t tried the candied jalapenos, so we picked up a jar on our way home from Austin. Y’all, we’ve now been through four jars in 3 weeks. Needless to say, I decided I had to figure out a way to make them so that they don’t have to become a budget line item. I figured Instant Pot candied jalapenos would be my best bet, for the lack of attention it would require and the speed at which they’d be ready.
Candied jalapenos, if you haven’t had them, are one of my top 5 foods now. They’re sweet, slightly pickle-ish tasting, but then they have the heat of jalapenos at the end. We put them in EVERYTHING lately– on nachos, in scrambled eggs with some bell pepper or onion, even just on crackers with cream cheese. They’re AMAZING on Instant Pot tacos al pastor or even with Taco Tuesday beef tacos. I may or may not have eaten them straight out of the jar at one point. Making candied jalapenos in the Instant Pot means the actual time you have to pay attention to them is only as long as it takes you to slice up jalapenos. After that, the Instant Pot does all the work!
A few tips for making candied jalapenos in the Instant Pot
- Set your Instant Pot up near an open window if possible. The vapors coming out when the pressure releases can be strong.
- Make a double batch– one for now, and one for in a couple of weeks. They’re good right out of the Instant Pot, but they’re better if you let them sit in the fridge (but we both know you won’t be able to wait that long if you don’t have a standby).
- This does NOT make canned Instant Pot candied jalapenos. If you want them to last in your garage until the apocalypse, you’ll need a canner. This makes fridge-worthy ones, that, according to EatbyDate.com, still last a couple of years, so you’ll be more than fine.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs jalapenos, sliced
- 2 c white vinegar
- 5 c sugar
Instructions
- Dump your 3 lbs of jalapenos into your Instant Pot.
- Add the 5 c of white sugar and pour the white vinegar over it (to help it separate down among the jalapeno slices).
- Stir well before closing/locking the lid and setting it to manual high pressure for 1 minute (yes, really. You want them slightly crunchy!)
- Allow to natural pressure release near an open window if possible (the jalapenos and vinegar make for a STRONG vapor coming out).
- Spoon the jalapenos into your jar and then pour the liquid over the top until nearly full (you want to be able to close the jar without spilling sticky jalapeno vinegar everywhere).
- Enjoy-- they're good right out of the Instant Pot, but they're better after a week or two if you can make yourself wait!
Sandy says
Any tips on how to cut up the huge amount of peppers? Do you seed them and remove the ribs?
sotexanblog says
I use gloves and just slice them, but a food processor or mandolin would work, too! I leave the seeds in because we like a lot of heat to balance the sweet, but if you prefer them a little less spicy, I would seed them before tossing them in your IP.
Ken says
Hi , I’ve found using a “metal” tined hair pick & one disposable glove is fast & makes uniform slices !
sotexanblog says
That’s a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
We love them too!! Never considered useless no the IP!! Will defnately try this next time to I don’t not have to dip them lol n. Boiling water.
Another excellent way to eat them is on a cracker with a dab of cream cheese and top wine th a candied jalapeño!! Try it sometime YUMMMMY!
Pam says
I made a half-recipe, but by accident added the full 2 cups of vinegar!! They were not crunchy, but, they tasted great – the brine had a sweet and sour taste. I don’t consider it a fail.
sotexanblog says
Lol! Oops! I’m glad it turned out anyway!
Gina says
If I make a half recipe, should I use pot in pot method?
John says
I am excited to be trying these ri now! I cut the recipe back for 2 pounds and made the adjustments to the amount of sugar and vinegar and will let you know how it turns out.
Anna Toney says
Do you sterilze the jars for this and does it seal to keep for a little bit?
sotexanblog says
If you’re going to can them, you absolutely need to sterilize the jars. I just keep mine in the fridge because we go through them so quickly, though. It would seal if you did a water bath, but just using the heat from the hot jalapenos wouldn’t be a safe option for storing them long-term.
Anna says
I tried this recipe I put it on a minute and then it beeped and I forgot it stays on warm so the peppers got soft but I’m still going to try them once they cool off. I did taste a little of the brine and it’s spicy I thought it was going to be sweeter.
sotexanblog says
They’re definitely still jalapenos, but they have a ton of sweetness to them, too. It’s that sweet-and-spicy thing that everyone loves!
Renee says
I made these Keto friendly, by substituting 3 Cups Pyure Stevie, instead of the 6 cups of sugar. So yummy!
sotexanblog says
That’s super smart! Thanks for the tip!
Greta says
Could I add some cranberries to add a sweet tartness to it? I already make a cranberry jam with jalapenos but want to try this with a lil tartness too. What do you think??
sotexanblog says
Ooo! That sounds TASTY! Did you try it?!
MrBeason says
Hi , so I made this for the first time and I got a little creative with it. I substituted 2 cups Maple Syrup for 2 of the cups of sugar and didn’t put as much vinegar to counter for the added liquid of the syrup. My question it this… how much jalapeño syrup (leftover liquid) does this recipe produce when the directions are followed? I wound up with enough to cover the jalapeños and about a pint and a half of what I am calling “liquid crack”!!! It’s really tasty, but what do I do with it?? Thanks for your help.
MrBeason
sotexanblog says
Yum! I honestly haven’t measured the amount of liquid produced, but I think that’s probably more than it does when I make it. “Liquid crack” sounds about right! I wonder if it would be good to pour over cauliflower, carrots, etc. and let them marinate in it? Let me know if you try it!
MrBeason says
I think next time I will put even less vinegar and see how it goes. But as far as using the leftover liquid goes… So far, I’ve put it on green salad. And I cut some bread and butter pickles into thin rounds and soaked them in my liquid crack. The flavor gets lost a little in the salad but the pickles pick up an amazing flavor and a bit of heat on the back end.
Autumn says
How long in the fridge do they stay good?
We have 5 pounds of what turned out to be Very spicy jalapeño peppers that I want to do something with but cut down the heat just a little bit.
sotexanblog says
I’ve never had them stay in my fridge longer than a month, but since you’re essentially pickling them, I would think they’d stay good for a while!