Are Jarred Jalapeños Hotter Than Fresh Ones?

Jalapeños are generally considered one of the milder hot peppers. For those who enjoy heat without being overpowered, jalapeños can make a great addition to many recipes. But for an extra punch of flavor, pickled jalapeños can elevate a dish even more. That said, if it's the heat you desire, you're going to lose it a bit with the pickled version because of the brining process.

As you would expect, the flavor profile of pickled jalapeños differs greatly from fresh ones. The vibrant, herbaceous notes of a fresh jalapeño are often lost after it's soaked in vinegar and spices. In much the same way as a fresh cucumber tastes different from a pickled one, the same transformation happens with jalapeños.

These peppers typically rank between 2,500 and 8,000 on the Scoville scale,  and it'd take quite a few jalapenos to match the spiciness of habaneros or other hotter peppers. Pickling reduces that heat sensation, but maybe not for the reasons you think. Though many believe that pickling dilutes the capsaicin, studies show that the capsaicin in pickled jalapeños is only slightly reduced. According to Ciência Rural's study, there was a 24% reduction in total phenolic content and a 35% drop in antioxidant activity, which may alter our perception of that heat.

The Ciência Rural study shows that the effect of pickling results in the capsaicin becoming more evenly dispersed after pickling. Instead of being concentrated in certain areas like the inner membrane, it spreads through the whole pepper. If heat is normally coming from one small spot, it makes sense that you get hit harder when you bite a fresh pepper. You're experiencing a full concentration of heat. When capsaicin is spread throughout a pepper that's been saturated in pickling liquid, you're getting a diluted version even though it's all still there.

In addition to the capsaicin spread, the reduction in phenols may be the source of the milder sensation. Phenols affect how we perceive the feeling of certain foods. They especially affect things like astringency and mouthfeel, which are related to heat. Since pickling reduces phenols in jalapeños, that could account for why they seem milder even with the same capsaicin content.

When your jalapeño recipes call for turning up the heat and the fresh flavor, then definitely choose the fresh jalapeños. But if you want a tamer heat with a punchier flavor, pickled is the way to go. Or, if you want the best of both worlds, nothing's stopping you from combining them. Fortunately, there are quite a few store-bought jarred jalapenos that bring the heat.