Honey Habanero Pickles are the best of both worlds, spicy and sweet. Eat them as a snack or pair them your favorite burger or hot dog!
Recipe Must-Haves
With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can have these honey habanero pickles ready in no time! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Pickling cucumbers – Skip the same type of cucumber I would use for a salad, like hothouse or English cukes. Instead opt for a medium skinned cucumber that is a little smaller. The skins hold up better to pickling ingredients and they just fit better into a mason jar.
- Distilled white vinegar
- Honey
- Whole mustard seed
- Kosher salt
- Habanero peppers
- Garlic cloves peeled
- Whole white peppercorn
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – Kosher salt is what we use for this pickle brine. If using a different salt, keep in mind each kind measures differently.
- Seasonings – Although these aren’t dill pickles, you could add fresh dill. Other options include red pepper flakes or bay leaves.
- Swaps – Cut pickles into spears instead of chips. Smaller pieces will pickle faster, so spears might need an additional day or two to fully ferment. If you want, you can also add beets, asparagus cabbage to your pickle jar for a medley of sweet and spicy goodness!
- Sauces – Instead of the honey, try using maple syrup to sweeten these pickles. Just keep in mind it will add a slight maple flavor.
- Senses – Honey habanero pickles are crisp and snappy, with a sweet, spicy aroma that tingles your nose. Each bite bursts with bold flavor—sweet honey up front, followed by a fiery habanero kick that lingers on the tongue.
Perfect Pairings
Although these pickles are perfect for snacking on their own (and were gone the same day they were ready!) they also pair well with lots of dishes! They are great when used as a topping for burgers.
You can also use them as a sweet and spicy topping for pulled pork sandwiches, on nachos, as an addition to a charcuterie board or on top of a salad. If you have other favorite ways of using pickles, let us know in the comments!
Spicy Pickle Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 pickling cucumbers approximately .75 pounds
- 3 cups water
- 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seed
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 habanero peppers stem removed, cut into fourths (remove seeds for less heat)
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorn
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the 3 cups water, 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar, 3/4 cup honey, 1 teaspoon whole mustard seed, and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a low simmer, stirring until all ingredients (except mustard seed) are dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- In the bottom of two 16-ounce mason jars, evenly divide the sliced 2 habanero peppers, and 2 garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorn, dividing evenly.
- Cut the 4-5 pickling cucumbers according to preference, either sliced with a mandolin slicer or into spears. Divide evenly in the mason jars.
- When cooled, divide the liquid into jars. You might have more than you need, that is fine, just discard it.
- Screw on tops and place in refrigerator.
- The amount of time it will take for them to "pickle" depends a lot on the size of your pickle. Mine were rather thin and cut into 1/2 inch disks, which took 10 days. Thick pickles could take closer to one month.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how you liked it in the comments and star ratings.
Video
Nutrition
Storage and Freezing
Homemade pickles don’t contain the same preservatives as mass produced pickles, but the fermentation process does naturally preserve them. If kept in the refrigerator, they should be good for up to 2 weeks after being initially opened.
The short answer is yes, you can. However the texture will be different and less crisp upon thawing, so I don’t recommend it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This questions always makes me cringe. Mainly because everyone’s definition of “healthy” is different and I am NOT a nutrition professional nor a physician. You can scroll on up to look at the nutritional information and make a judgement call all on your own.
Unfortunately, no. There aren’t any tips or tricks for speeding up the fermentation process.
For the pickling process to get started, vegetable sugars need to metabolize to prevent the growth of bad bacteria. Cucumbers naturally have good bacteria already in them (don’t worry, it is harmless). The process produces antibacterial substances, carbon dioxide and alcohol, without changing the vitamin content of the vegetable. This is known as lactic acid.
More Easy Snack Recipes
Easy snacks are the best for when you’re in a hurry! These are some of my favorite quick snacks.
I was buying these at the local farmers market but the vendor was not making enough money to make it worthwhile. So I found this recipe and it is identical and amazing.
Thanks