The best hot pepper relishes balance three things: sweetness to cut the heat, acidity to lift the whole flavor, and enough crunch to make every bite feel alive. A relish that skips the balance and goes straight for maximum heat is a one-trick pony. A relish that skips the heat entirely is just a sweet pickle topping. The ones worth keeping in your fridge do all three, in the right proportions, without sacrificing any of them.
Relish is also one of the most versatile condiments you can stock. It belongs on hot dogs, burgers, grain bowls, tacos, and charcuterie spreads, and it works as a quick stir-in for egg salad, deviled eggs, and dips where you want texture and tang in one ingredient. Browse our Condiments and Sauces Collection for the full range of bold condiment picks we carry alongside this relish lineup.
Our Relish Lineup: Every Bold, Briny Pick Worth Knowing
Here's the full breakdown of every relish we carry, from our Jarred Collection to small-batch Southern producers and a gourmet cabbage hybrid that earns its own category.
The Sweet Hot House Pick
Sweet Hot Jalapeño Relish from our own Jarred Collection is the one that started the relish obsession in our lineup. A sweet start with a spicy finish, this relish brings just enough heat to keep you hooked without overwhelming everything it touches. The jalapeño heat builds gradually, which means every bite is a little more interesting than the last. This is the relish for hot dogs, burgers, grilled chicken, and anywhere you want sweet heat doing the heavy lifting. It's also a standout in the Pickle Hot Dogs Recipe, where that sweet-spicy combination earns its place in a very serious hot dog build.
The Southern Chow Chow
Chow Chow Relish from our Jarred Collection is a classic Southern chow chow: a little sweet, a little heat, and a lot of crunch. Southern chow chow has roots in Appalachian and Southern cooking, where it was traditionally used to preserve end-of-season garden vegetables and serve them alongside beans, cornbread, and pork. Our version keeps that spirit alive with a bold, crunchy, well-balanced profile that earns its place on anything from a hot dog to a pulled pork sandwich. The Charcuterie Nachos Recipe is a great way to put chow chow's crunch and tang to work in a crowd-pleasing format.
The Green Tomato Pick
Sweet Green Tomato Relish from our Jarred Collection is tangy, sweet, and balanced with a kick that delivers a bold finish without leaning too hard in any one direction. Green tomatoes bring a tartness that sets this apart from standard pepper relishes, and the result is something with genuine character. It works beautifully on burgers and grilled meats, and it's a particularly interesting spread for sandwiches where you want something unexpected alongside the usual suspects.
The Extra Hot Pepper Relish
Sweet Pepper Relish by Kensington Food Company is for those who dare to turn up the heat. A fiery blend of Pennsylvania's most intense peppers, this is the sweet pepper relish that earns the "extra hot" label without apology. It builds in heat as you eat, making it a memorable addition to anything that can handle a serious kick: egg dishes, grilled proteins, and charcuterie spreads where you want a heat-forward condiment with sweet pepper flavor alongside it.
The Southern Sweet Pick
Vidalia Onion & Peach Relish by Pickled Pink is the most Southern thing in this lineup, and we mean that as the highest possible compliment. True Southern Vidalia onions, minced with sweet peaches, make a relish that screams the South in the best way. The Vidalia onion brings a natural sweetness that's completely different from a standard onion relish, and the peach adds a fruity depth that makes this feel genuinely special alongside pork, chicken, and grilled fish.
The Gourmet Cabbage Relish Duo
Original Gourmet Relish by Slawsa starts sweet and ends with a dash of heat, with a crunchy cabbage base of mustard, vinegar, and vegetables that sits somewhere between a relish and a slaw. It makes a hot dog feel like an entirely different food. Spicy Gourmet Relish by Slawsa takes the same cabbage-mustard-vinegar base and cranks up the heat for a version with a kick that hits just right. Both are natural fits for the Pickle Hot Dogs Recipe, where the crunchy cabbage texture adds a dimension that standard relish can't match.
Relish Beyond The Hot Dog
Hot pepper relish earns its place in more situations than most people use it for. On the Charcuterie Nachos Recipe, Sweet Hot Jalapeño Relish or Chow Chow Relish adds a sweet, tangy element that plays beautifully against melted cheese and cured meats. In grain bowls and tacos, any of the Southern picks bring color, texture, and acidity in a single spoonful. And as a stir-in for egg salad or deviled eggs, a good relish does in one ingredient what three condiments would otherwise attempt. Browse our Grocery Collection to see the full relish lineup alongside everything else we carry.
