This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. This is my brother in law’s Mom’s recipe. I tried it a year ago at a party, jotted down the recipe, and then misplaced it. I’m still working on getting organized (if my husband reads this, he’ll probably roll his eyes. You see, he’s very organized and I’m, well, I’m working on it). P.S. Wait at least 1 week before opening a can and eating it to give the flavors a chance to meld and infuse into the bell peppers. When properly canned, these peppers will keep up to a year at room temp.
Ingredients for Marinated Canned Bell Peppers:
5-6 lbs Red Bell Peppers, seeded and sliced 6 1/2 cups (1 1/2 liters) tomato juice (I used my mom’s homemade juice) 1/2 cup extra light olive oil 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 Tbsp sea salt (use iodine free salt) 1/2 cup white vinegar
Home Canning Tools:
6 pint-sized jars with lids. I purchased them at Walmart. Large Stock Pot (20Qt+) with Rack (or purchase a canner) Jar lifter to safely transfer the jars
Cleaning/Sterilizing Your Jars:
Preheat oven to 215˚F. 1. Wash all of your jars and lids with soap and warm water. 2. Place jars in the oven on the bottom rack for 20 minutes or until completely dry. Boil lids in a small pot to sterilize them.
Making the Syrup:
- In a large pot or dutch oven, combine 6 1/2 cups tomato juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp salt, and 1/2 cup vinegar. Bring syrup to a boil and simmer 10 min
Making the Canned Bell Peppers:
In the meantime, slice your bell peppers into 1/2″ wide strips and add them to your pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until easy to poke through the skin side (20 -25 min). As your peppers soften, they will be covered with the liquid, just be patient and give it a stir every once in a while.
Transfer your piping hot bell peppers to your jars using a canning funnel (it makes the job so much cleaner and easier). I filled the jar with mostly peppers and then filled in the spaces with syrup. Fill the jars to the top with 1/4-inch of space left at the top.
Screw the lids on enough to keep a tight seal in place but don’t over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.
Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot with jar lifter and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid – it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate marinated peppers and enjoy within 3 months.
Current Canning Guidelines:
We updated the recipe in 2019 to reflect current canning guidelines which recommend boiling rather than the oven canning method. Get up to date on the most recent canning guidelines here. It’s a great resource to answer frequently asked canning questions.
Recipe Tips: Wait at least 1 week before opening the canned bell peppers and enjoying to give the flavors a chance to meld and marinate. These properly canned peppers will keep up to a year at room temp. Yeah yeah!! Are you canning anything this year?
Popular Canning Recipes:
Peach Preserves – my Mother’s recipe Plum Jam – no peeling required and no added pectin Canned Tomatoes – a classic that never goes out of style Refrigerator Pickles – delicious all summer long
Signs of Spoiled Canned Food:
With any type of canning, we follow this advice: “When in doubt, throw it out” Discard and do not eat or taste any canned food if you notice any of the following:
the jar is leaking, bulging, or swollen the jar looks damaged, cracked, or abnormal the jar spurts foam or liquid upon opening the canned food is discolored, moldy, mushy, slimy, or smells bad
