This easy cowboy candy recipe makes sweet and spicy candied jalapeños that keep for months and taste incredible on everything.
I’ve fallen hard for cowboy candy recipe. With the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, this is the best thing we’ve made in our kitchen lately, and it goes with almost anything!
I seriously can’t stop sneaking these sweet and spicy peppers onto my plate. The jar has been on the table for every dinner lately. If you’ve never tried candied jalapeños, consider this my gentle nudge to try them. For more of a tangy, pickled version, see our pickled peppers!
Key Ingredients
- Peppers: I use fresh jalapeño peppers, but feel free to experiment with other varieties. I leave the seeds and membranes in since the sugar syrup tones the heat of the peppers quite a bit. For extra heat, mix in spicier peppers or swap the jalapeños entirely.
- Garlic: Thinly sliced raw garlic adds amazing flavor and texture. The candied garlic turns sweet and mellow. I love it as much as the peppers themselves.
- Vinegar: We use a mix of apple cider vinegar and distilled white vinegar. The combination adds flavor without tasting too much like apples.
- Sugar: This is a candied jalapeño recipe, so you’ll use a generous amount of sugar. The sugar combines with vinegar to form a syrup that sweetens, preserves, and coats the peppers beautifully.
- Turmeric: Turmeric enhances both the flavor and color of the jalapeños as they sit. It’s the same trick we use in our bread and butter pickles.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cowboy Candy
Tip 1: Make the sweet and tangy syrup. The secret to perfectly candied peppers lies in the syrup. You’ll add all the syrup ingredients to a saucepan and heat. Once the sugar dissolves, you can add the sliced peppers and garlic. Then, transfer the peppers to jars, but keep the syrup in the pan to reduce it slightly for extra flavor.
Tip 2: Save the extra syrup. After reducing the syrup, you’ll pour it over the peppers in the jars. You might have some syrup leftover. Please don’t throw it away! It’s delicious in marinades, dressings, and cocktails, or even drizzled over fruit for a sweet and spicy kick.
Tip 3: Let the flavors develop. Refrigerate the candied jalapeños overnight before eating. They’re good the next day, even better after two days, and downright amazing after a week.
Ways to Enjoy It
Cowboy candy goes with just about everything! Once you try these candied jalapeños, you’ll want to add them to everything on your plate. They’re fantastic with sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, salads, tacos, nachos, and scrambled eggs. They even make potato salad, egg salad, and creamy pasta salad taste better.
I love adding them to a charcuterie board with cheese and cured meats or layering them onto bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Try them with mac and cheese or chili (see my favorite chili recipe and Texas red chili). And, if that wasn’t enough, you can even stir them into margaritas, cocktails, or mocktails for a sweet-spicy kick.
Easy Cowboy Candy
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Here’s how to make cowboy candy, also known as candied jalapeños. You don’t need to be a master canne. Our recipe is quick, easy, and keeps for months in the fridge. You’ll have some leftover syrup, which is delicious in marinades, dressings, cocktails, or even tossed with fruit (try it with melon!).
We recommend wearing food-safe gloves when slicing the peppers to protect your hands from the oils. You’ll need about 20 peppers and a 1-quart canning jar or airtight glass container.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds jalapeño peppers, about 20 jalapeños (680g)
5 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar (236ml)
1 cup distilled white vinegar (236ml)
3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Directions
1Prepare peppers: Slice the peppers between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick. Then, place them into a mixing bowl and add the sliced garlic. Sprinkle the salt over the peppers, toss well, and set aside on the counter for 20 minutes.
2Make syrup: Add apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, and turmeric to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture for 3 minutes.
3Add peppers and garlic: Add the peppers and garlic, and boil for another 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the peppers and garlic and put them into a 1-quart jar.
4Reduce the syrup: Simmer the vinegar mixture until it reduces to about 1 pint of liquid (2 cups), 5 to 8 minutes.
5To finish: Pour the reduced vinegar mixture over the peppers and garlic, then add a lid to the jar. Refrigerate overnight, but if you can wait, they are better on day 2 and even better after a week.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Homemade cowboy candy lasts in an airtight jar in the fridge for 3 months, though my family finishes the jar well before that! For longer storage, you can preserve it using a traditional water bath (I recommend reviewing a canning resource for tips).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Can this be canned for longer shelf life?
You can likely pressure can it, but I would check the directions of your canner to confirm.
I would water bath it the same as for sweet pickles.
I’ve made this recipe several times now. In fact I passed them out to family and friends for Christmas! They were a huge hit! So many different ways to enjoy them.
Yay! Glad you friends and family loved the recipe 🙂
Can I add red capsicum withthe jalapeños fir colour and texture?
Yep!
The recipe says 1 pint but instructions say pour it in a quart jar.
Great catch! We made a mistake. Thank you for pointing this out to us. I just fixed the mistake.
It’s one of the best. I can alot food, jelly, jam, pickles, you name it I make it.thank you!!!
You are so welcome! 🙂