This delicious jalapeño relish recipe is great way to turn fresh jalapeños and a few other simple ingredients into a flavorful vegan condiment! It’s easy to make, especially if you use a food processor, and tastes great on hot dogs, burgers, tacos, eggs, nachos, and much more.
Jalapeño season is almost here, and this recipe is perfect for when you have way too many on hand! I always struggle with using up jalapeños. If you grow them at home, you probably know how prolific they are. Or maybe you’re familiar with how some stores and many farmers markets sell them in packs of 5 or 10 instead of loose.
So if you find yourself with a lot of jalapeños, jalapeño relish is for you! It’s easy to make and still highlights the spicy, earthy flavor of the peppers.
I love adding a generous spoonful of this stuff to burgers (veggie, turkey, or beef), sandwiches, eggs, fish, tacos, and even my Loaded Sweet Potato Fries. It also makes a good snack when paired with tortilla chips. The opportunities for this one really are endless. Remember to report back and leave a comment to let me know how you use your relish!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Jalapeños: Of course! I call for half of a pound, or about 5 to 6 large ones. You can easily double the recipe and use a pound if that’s what you have. For a fun variation, consider using roasted jalapeños instead of raw ones.
- Garlic: I recommend fresh garlic, but dried minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Apple cider vinegar: This adds a little tang, sweetness, and relish-y flavor. You can substitute white vinegar or lime juice if needed.
- Red onion: Substitute white or yellow onion if that’s what you have.
- Salt: I like to use regular table salt or fine sea salt in jalapeño relish.
Instructions
The full recipe card is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the incredibly easy steps, including tips for making it without a food processor too!
Combine the red onion, seeded jalapeños, and minced garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but try to stop before the relish becomes overly watery. However, jalapeños are watery by nature, so don’t stress about their consistency too much.
Once the relish has been pulsed enough to look like it does here, I like to drain the chopped mixture in a mesh sieve to remove excess water. This also removes some of the heat, so it’s up to you if you want to do that step. Then, transfer everything to a bowl and stir in the apple cider vinegar and salt.
How to Make Without a Food Processor
If you don’t have a food processor (or don’t want to lug it out to use), you can make jalapeño relish by hand instead. Dice the jalapeños, red onion, and garlic into small pieces. See my tutorial on How to Cut Jalapeños for helpful tips. Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl, and stir in the apple cider vinegar and salt. Making the relish this way will also prevent it from getting overly watery.
Storage
Keep your relish in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. I like to store jalapeño-heavy condiments like this one in glass jars, since the spicy compound in jalapeños (capsaicin) can rub off on plastic or silicone containers and be difficult to remove.
Serving
Add jalapeño relish to burgers, sandwiches, tacos or burritos, nachos, hot dogs, brats, or eggs. It’s also a great topping to serve with my Loaded Sweet Potato Fries, Vegetarian Taco Casserole with Quinoa, Grilled Quesadilla, Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls, and Sweet Potato Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls.
More Jalapeño Recipes
- How to Freeze Jalapeños
- Cream of Jalapeño Soup
- How to Cut Jalapeños
- Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa (Salsa Verde)
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Jalapeño Relish
Equipment
- Food processor (see notes for how to make it without one)
Ingredients
- ½ pound jalapeños - about 5 to 6 large ones, seeded and halved lengthwise
- ½ medium red onion - cut into quarters
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, prepare the jalapeños by removing the stems, slicing them in half lengthwise, and cutting out the membranes and seeds. For a spicier relish, you can keep the membranes and seeds. Cut the red onion into quarters and mince the garlic (or you can let the food processor chop the garlic to save yourself a step).
- Add the jalapeños, onion, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse for about 30 to 60 seconds until finely chopped, but try to stop pulsing before the mixture gets too watery. However, jalapeños are pretty watery by nature, so your mixture will have some water regardless. If you prefer to remove some of the water, you can transfer the pulsed veggies to a mesh sieve in the sink. Press them with the back of a spoon to drain off the water. I prefer to do this so that the texture of the relish is a little less watery, but the catch is that it also removes some of the heat from the peppers. So, if you like spicy relish, don't feel like you have to remove the water. The recipe turns out well either way!
- Next, transfer your veggie mixture (whether drained or not) to a mixing bowl. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and salt to taste.
- Spoon the relish into a glass jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator. You can enjoy the relish immediately or let it sit for a couple hours for the flavors to get stronger. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- To make the recipe by hand, finely chop the jalapeños, red onion, and garlic by hand instead of in the food processor.
- This relish will last for up to 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I prefer to store it in glass instead of plastic or silicone containers, because the jalapeño flavor can rub off on the latter ones and be hard to remove.
- Recipe yields about ¾ cup total, depending on if you drained the veggie mixture or not.
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