These spicy pickled eggs are easy to make with simple ingredients and can be stored in your refrigerator for a long time.
I love this easy refrigerator pickled eggs recipe because I always have extra eggs laying around and this spicy recipe does not require any canning. The eggs are hard-boiled and placed in mason jars with fresh onion and hot peppers, then a spicy brine is poured in and everything goes into the refrigerator. Pretty simple, right?
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Hard boiled eggs - You can hard boil your own eggs or buy them from a grocery store.
- Serrano peppers - Any other spicy pepper can be substituted. Personally, I do not recommend using jalapeno peppers. When soaked in vinegar they taste like nacho peppers (which is how nacho jalapenos are made), which I feel makes a strangely flavored egg.
- Small yellow onion
- White vinegar - Apple cider vinegar can be substituted, but that will change the flavor.
- White sugar - Sugar can be omitted, but I personally am a huge fan of sugar in my brines because it takes the edge off the brine. A little sweeter brine is a good counterbalance to spicy peppers.
- Pickling salt - Table salt can be substituted, but it contains iodine which will discolor the brine slightly.
- Garlic cloves
- Bay leaf
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Whole black peppercorns
- Whole coriander seeds
- Mustard seeds
- Large jars - I personally recommend quart-sized mason jars, but a pint jar can be used for smaller batches.
Optional - Whole cloves or star anise can also be added if you enjoy a subtle black licorice flavor.
How to pickle them
This spicy pickled eggs recipe begins by making your brine. Add the brine ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a controlled simmer and let everything simmer until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Remove the shells from your hard boiled eggs and place the peeled eggs in a mason jar with slices of onion and pepper. Then pour the brine into the jar. For best flavor, it is important to ensure that most of the seasonings and garlic are added to the jar too. Any leftover brine can be discarded. Seal the finished jars with the lids and place them in the refrigerator.
How to store them
It is important to understand this is not a canning recipe, this is a refrigerator pickled eggs recipe which means the jar of eggs needs to be stored in your refrigerator when you are not eating them. For best flavor, I recommend storing them for a week before enjoying them.
These spicy refrigerator pickled eggs will last a long time in the refrigerator, but the exact shelf life can't be determined without scientific testing. As such, for precaution, I recommend they be enjoyed within a month.
More Pickling Recipes
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Spicy Pickled Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 hard boiled eggs
- 1 serrano pepper sliced
- ½ small yellow onion
Brine
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
- 2 cloves garlic lightly crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
Instructions
- Prepare your pickling brine by adding vinegar, cold water, sugar, salt, garlic cloves, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds to a medium saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until all of the sugar and salt have dissolved, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove the shells from your hard boiled eggs and place the eggs into a quart jar layering with raw onion and pepper slices.
- Pour the hot brine into the jar, ensuring the spices and garlic cloves make it into the jar. Any extra pickling liquid can be discarded.
- Place a lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator for a week, then enjoy.
Sherry Estrada
My husband loves anything spicy and pickled eggs , I had to add double the amount of chili peppers and just a smidge of whole cumin seeds to give them a southern flavor other than that this was great thanks so much
Carrie Conradt
Dear Mr Fox Valley Foodie - This recipe is genius. Was a bit afraid of the Serrano pepper but it worked so well with other spices. Everyone loved them!! So nice to look forward to your other recipes….especially the Alfredo Sauce. I love your recipes. Thank you for sharing.