Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy)
These sweet & spicy candied jalapeños are incredibly easy to make & go great in sandwiches, with fried chicken or on nachos.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 People
Author: Ben Racey
Large Kilner Jar
Medium Saucepan
Slotted Spoon
- 250 g Jalapeños (Roughly 12 Peppers)
- 300 g Vinegar (White Wine Or Apple Cider)
- 400 g Caster Sugar
- 6 Black Peppercorns
- ½ tsp Garlic Granules
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Using a sharp knife, cut the jalapeños into 5mm thick slices, discarding the stem. Set to one side.I'd recommend wearing a pair of gloves to do this! Next, add the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, garlic granules & cayenne pepper into a medium saucepan then set over a low heat.
Cook the pickle until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally then increase the heat to medium-high & bring to the boil.
Boil the pickle for 3-4 minutes, until reduced & syrupy then turn the heat back down to low & add in the jalapeños.
Cook the jalapeños, stirring regularly until they have started to soften & darken in colour. This will take around 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the jalapeños from the vinegar & transfer into a clean jar.
Set the pan of vinegar back over a medium-high heat & bring to the boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until syrupy then pour over the jalapeños.
Let the candied jalapeños cool completely then refrigerate for a day before using.
Salt Butter Smoke Magazine
Food that's made for sharing.
The Christmas 2026 issue features 30 festive recipes,
Christmas cooking guides, beautiful food photography
and features on everything from the perfect cheeseboard
to the art of trifle.
Discover the Christmas Issue →
1. Jalapeños - For this recipe, we're using 250 grams of jalapeños, which equates to around 12 peppers.
2. Vinegar - Either white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used for this recipe.
3. Clean Container - Make sure that the container that you're going to be storing the jalapeños in is both clean/sterilised & heatproof.
4. Storage - Kept in the fridge, candied jalapeños will keep for 3-4 weeks, providing that you're container was thoroughly cleaned before using.
Enjoying This Recipe?
The Prep List is my free weekly newsletter with seasonal recipes, kitchen notes and behind-the-scenes from my kitchen. Add Salt Butter Smoke as a Google Preferred Source to see more of my recipes in Search.