Fermented Vegetables & Fruit

Fermented Banana Peppers: Easy Recipe in Salt Brine

By Matt L. September 24, 2025 Updated September 30, 2026 2 min read

At a glance

To ferment banana peppers, slice them into rings (or pierce them whole), pack them into a jar with garlic, and cover with a 3–5% salt brine – about 17–18 g of salt per 500 ml of water for 3.5%. Weigh them down and leave at 65–75°F (18–24°C) for 5–10 days, tasting from day 5, then refrigerate.

Brine: 3–5% salt; 3.5% is 17–18 g per 500 ml water.
Ready in about 5–10 days at 65–75°F (18–24°C).
Pierce whole peppers or they'll float and ferment unevenly.
Peppers turn from bright green-yellow to olive as they ferment.
Keep everything under the brine; fuzzy or colored mold means discard.

Ferment profile

Fermentation: Lactic acid
Main microbes: Naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria
Live cultures: Yes
Alcohol: None / trace

Recipe: Fermented Banana Peppers

Makes: 1-litre (1-quart) jar
Hands-on: 15 min
Fermentation: 5–10 days at 65–75°F (18–24°C)
Salt: 3.5% brine: 17–18 g salt per 500 ml water
Temperature: 65–75°F (18–24°C)
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

1-litre (1-quart) wide-mouth jar
Fermentation weight or brine-filled bag
Airlock or loose lid
Kitchen scale
Gloves (optional)

Ingredients

450–500 g banana peppers (sliced into ¼-inch rings, or whole and pierced)
500 ml filtered or dechlorinated water
17–18 g non-iodized salt (3.5% brine)
3–4 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tsp black peppercorns

Method

Wash the peppers, trim the stems and slice them into rings (or pierce whole peppers a few times).
Dissolve the salt completely in the water.
Put the garlic and peppercorns in the jar and pack the peppers in tightly, leaving about 1½ inches (4 cm) at the top.
Pour in brine until the peppers are covered by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm).
Add a weight so nothing floats, then cover with an airlock or loose lid.
Leave at 65–75°F (18–24°C), out of direct sunlight, on a plate to catch overflow.
Taste from day 5. When they're tangy (usually 5–10 days), close the jar and refrigerate.

Fermented banana peppers are mild, tangy pepper rings (or whole peppers) soured in a salt brine – a livelier, lightly fizzy version of the pickled banana peppers you put on sandwiches and pizza. Sliced into rings and covered with a 3–5% brine, they’re ready in about one to two weeks. Here’s the method with the salt in grams, plus the batch we first made and photographed in 2016.

Salt and Brine

Peppers are hollow and full of air, so they need a brine rather than dry salt. A 3.5% brine – 17–18 g of non-iodized salt per 500 ml of water – is a good middle ground: salty enough to keep the peppers crunchy and hold back spoilage, not so salty that fermentation stalls. Use 3% for a milder, faster ferment or up to 5% for a longer one. Weigh the salt; spoon measures of salt vary too much.

Water	3%	3.5%	5%
500 ml	15 g	17.5 g	25 g
1 litre	30 g	35 g	50 g

Rings or Whole?

Rings (about ¼ inch / 5 mm): ferment faster and pack tightly – best for sandwiches and pizza.
Whole peppers: pierce each a few times so brine can get inside, or they’ll float and ferment unevenly.
Seeds: keep them for more heat, or scrape them out for a milder result. Banana peppers are mild; mixing in a few hot wax peppers or a jalapeño adds kick.

How Long to Ferment

Days 2–4: the brine clouds and bubbles appear; the peppers turn from bright green-yellow to olive.
Days 5–10: tangy and ready for most people. Taste from day 5.
Up to 2 weeks or more: more sour and slightly softer.

Ferment at 65–75°F (18–24°C), then refrigerate. Keep them under the brine – anything floating can mold (NCHFP).

Flavor Ideas

Classic: garlic and black peppercorns (our 2016 batch).
Italian-style: garlic, oregano and a bay leaf – great on subs and pizza.
Spicy: add a sliced jalapeño or a few chili flakes.
Dill: fresh dill and mustard seeds for a pickle flavor.

Troubleshooting

Floating pieces: pack tighter and use a weight or a brine-filled bag.
White film: a flat film is usually kahm yeast – skim it off. Fuzzy or colored mold means discard (NCHFP).
Soft peppers: too warm, too long or too little salt; use fresh, firm peppers.
Hollow whole peppers floating: pierce them or cut them into rings.
Rotten smell or slime: discard.

How to Use Them

On sandwiches, subs, pizza, salads, nachos and burgers; chopped into potato salad or pasta salad; with cheese and cured meats. A splash of the brine livens up dressings.

More peppers: how to ferment peppers, fermented jalapeños and fermented hot sauce.

From our kitchen

Our original fermented pepper recipe, first published here in 2016, used fresh banana peppers from a farmers’ market: about 500 g of peppers, 4 garlic cloves and a few black peppercorns, with 3 tablespoons of salt dissolved in 4 cups of water, in a 1.5-litre clip-top jar.

We sliced most of the peppers into rings and left a few whole, put 2 crushed garlic cloves in the jar, then the rings, the rest of the garlic and the whole peppers, squeezing everything in so it wouldn’t float, and poured the brine over. We left it out of the sun for about 10–14 days. The brine turned cloudy, the peppers went from bright green to yellow-olive, and they tasted salty, tangy and spicy with a crunch.

What we’d change today: 3 tablespoons of salt in 4 cups of water is roughly a 5% brine – on the salty side – so we’d now use about 3.5%, and we’d pierce the whole peppers so they don’t float.

Ingredients for fermented banana peppers: fresh banana peppers, garlic, salt with peppercorns, a measuring jug and a clip-top jar — Our 2016 ingredients: banana peppers, garlic, salt and peppercorns.

Four crushed garlic cloves on a wooden board — Crushed garlic.

Banana peppers sliced into rings next to a few whole peppers on a wooden board — Most sliced into rings, a few left whole.

A clip-top jar packed with banana pepper rings and whole banana peppers — Packed tightly into the jar.

A clip-top jar of banana peppers covered in brine — Covered with brine.

A clip-top jar of fermented banana pepper rings, now yellow-olive, in cloudy brine with peppercorns — After fermenting: yellow-olive and tangy.

Frequently asked questions

How long do banana peppers take to ferment?

Usually 5–10 days at 65–75°F (18–24°C). Start tasting on day 5 and refrigerate when you like the tang.

How much salt do I need to ferment banana peppers?

A 3–5% brine. For 3.5%, dissolve 17–18 g of non-iodized salt in 500 ml of water.

Should I ferment banana peppers whole or sliced?

Rings ferment faster and pack more easily. Whole peppers work if you pierce them so brine can get inside.

Are fermented banana peppers spicy?

Banana peppers are mild. Fermentation doesn't make them much hotter; add a jalapeño or chili flakes if you want heat.

Are fermented banana peppers the same as pickled banana peppers?

No. Store-bought pickled banana peppers are made with vinegar and have no live bacteria. Fermented ones are soured by lactic acid bacteria in salt brine.

Why did my peppers turn olive or yellow?

That's normal. The acid produced during fermentation changes the green pigment, just as it does in dill pickles.

How long do fermented banana peppers last?

In the fridge, kept under their brine and handled with clean utensils, they keep for months, slowly softening.

Sources

National Center for Home Food Preservation. General information on fermenting. Link
National Center for Home Food Preservation. Causes and possible solutions for problems with fermented pickles. Link