Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Recipe – Quick & Easy Instructions!
If you like red pepper jelly but want a bit more of a spicy punch, this jalapeno pepper jelly will be your new best friend.
It’s sweet, sticky, and spicy – in my opinion, the only thing it’s missing is smokey (my flavor trifecta). But I can tell you that it goes great with smoked cheeses! If this is your first time making pepper jelly, you are in for a delightful surprise. (spoiler alert, it’s fantastic!)
Step 1: First, Choose fresh ripe Jalapeno peppers
The trick to getting a delicious jalapeno jelly is to ensure that your peppers are fresh. Soft, overripe, old, and dried hot peppers will not yield a good product. You want your jalapeño peppers freshly picked or at least plump without any lines on the surface and no soft spots.
The best way to get fresh peppers is to grow them. Every year, we grow several plants to make pickled jalapenos (my husband’s #1 canning request) and copycat cowboy candy (sugared, sweet, and unique!).
If you decide to grow your own, we especially like the variety Jalafuego. It grows 6-inch peppers with glossy dark green skin and slightly higher heat than your regular old jalapeno. They also grow abundantly, and I have grown them in Canada zone 3a, a very short season, which tells you how well they grow.
- Learn More: Jalapenos’ spiciness can vary wildly for several reasons. We have a full guide on the heat of jalapenos, and jalapeño scoville rating, including ways to increase the heat of your growing peppers. Depending on how you grew your peppers, you could end up with a mild pepper jelly or a homemade hot pepper jelly recipe!
Step 2: read over safe water bath canning practices before you start
- Wear rubber gloves while handling the jalapeno peppers. The peppers are hot and can cause serious skin irritation. If you do get some jalapeno juice on your hands, wash thoroughly with warm soapy water.
- Be sure to sanitize everything your pepper jelly will come in contact with, from the jars to the tools you will be using. This ensures that all your work will not spoil and go to waste.
- You MUST use a boiling water canner. Old-fashioned methods, such as inverting jars to create a seal, are no longer recommended as safe canning practices.
- While the peppers, sugar, and vinegar are cooking, resist the urge to get your nose in there to peek around. The mixture is quite acrid and can make you cough and water your eyes, so be careful.
- It’s also a good idea to open the windows to allow fresh air while canning with vinegar and hot peppers.
Helpful Tip: We have a complete guide on safe canning practices that you should read if you are new to canning.
Step 3: Gather ingredients Before You Start To ensure you have everything you need
- 2 large red bell peppers (or orange or yellow bell peppers)
- 10-12 large jalapenos
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (you can use white vinegar)
- 6 cups of sugar
- 1.5 pouches of liquid pectin
You can use green bell peppers in this recipe instead of red, it’s not a problem, but the final product will be olive green.
We’ve made this recipe with all green peppers, and it tastes great, but it’s not as visually appealing as the red pepper version.
Our recipe has been adapted from the Ball-canning jalapeno jelly recipe and the Certo jalapeno jelly recipe.
Can I Make jalapeño Jelly With Powdered Pectin?
You cannot substitute powdered pectin for liquid pectin in most recipes.
Liquid pectin and powdered pectin have different methods of use. Liquid pectin is always added to the cooked fruit and sugar mixture at the end of the cooking process and immediately removed from the heat source.
Powdered pectin is added to the start of the recipe to the uncooked crushed fruit before cooking.
4. clean your jars, lids, and prep area, and get your water bath canner boiling
- First, clean your mason jars and lids. Clean your jars in warm soapy water and rinse well. Set up a steamer rack in a 16-quart pot or water bath canner. Place the jars on the rack and fill the pot with water, enough to cover the jars.
- Bring the water to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs when you’re ready to use them.
- While the jars are boiling, be sure to clean your prep area and tools.
Step 5: Clean and finely chop your Peppers
- Clean your peppers in cold water and a splash of vinegar. Swish them around for a minute or two and then rinse with cold water. Give them all a soft pat dry with a clean tea towel or piece of paper towel.
- Finely chop the bell peppers and jalapenos in a food processor fitted with a fine chopping blade. You can also use a knife and a cutting board, it works the same way! You will want to ensure that the pepper bits are quite small. Large chunks of pepper do not look good in the final product.
- Use ALL the excess liquid in your food processor that is left over after the peppers have been minced. That juice will help the jelly set.
- Add the peppers to a large stockpot. You need a large pot because the peppers will foam during the boil, and you do not want the sugar mixture to boil over on your stove.
Tip: You can remove the seeds and innards to reduce the heat in this jelly. My favorite way to make this is to leave the seeds in!
Step 6: Cook the Jalapeno pepper jelly To a rolling boil For 10 Full Minutes
- Add to the pot and combine bell peppers, hot peppers, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for ten minutes, stirring constantly. You want to ensure that the mixture is not sticking or burning.
- Add the liquid pectin and boil for one more minute.
Tip – The recipe calls for a package and half of the liquid pectin. You can store the leftover pectin in the fridge for up to a week to use in other recipes.
Step 7: Process the Jars of jelly for ten full minutes
- Remove the pot from the heat. Ladle hot jelly to within 1/4-inch of the top of clean, hot jars. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean damp cloth. Place lids and screw bands on each jar and twist until finger tight. Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. (250 ml jars will be processed for 10 minutes, and 500 ml jars will be processed for 15 minutes)
- Adjust processing time for altitude.
- Once removed from the water bath canner, let the jelly rest undisturbed at room temperature for 24 hours to set fully.
- Once cooled, be sure to test the lids. Use your finger and press down on the middle of the lid. If there is any give and the lid pops back up, you do not have a proper seal. You can keep these jars in your fridge for up to two weeks, but they cannot be used for long-term storage.
Step 8: Store the hot pepper jelly for up to a year
The jelly will last up to a year if stored in a dark, cool, dry place. Once opened, you should finish the jelly in two weeks.
This jelly recipe is excellent if you have a lot of peppers you need to use up. It will last well into next summer!
Everyone LOVEs this jalapeno jelly recipe, and it’s a great addition to any cracker or cheese plate during the holidays. It also makes a great DIY gift.
Related: We stock our pantry every year with what we consider to be must-have pantry staples. Check our recipes for:
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Copycat Cowboy Candy Canning Recipe
- Pickled red onions (SO good on sandwiches and hot dogs!)
Tip: You can get creative with this recipe and change the flavor profile by adding peaches or blackberries. Blackberry pepper jelly is outstanding, especially when used as a BBQ with chicken. Mix 50% blackberry jam and 50% jalapeno jelly for a sweet fruity heat sauce.
Step 9: Pair your Jalapeno pepper jelly with cheeses, crackers, and meats
What to make with pepper jelly?
As we said before, spicy jelly goes excellent with all kinds of cheeses, especially smoked ones. We also like to add it to the charcuterie board with red pepper jelly during the holidays – so festive. A block of softened cream cheese smothered in pepper jelly makes a fantastic cracker dip!
When mixed with mustard, the jelly also makes a wonderful glaze for ham and chicken, and my father loves it on pork chops.
Looking for More Ways to Preserve the Harvest?
- How to Make Tasty Crispy Pickles
- How to Make the Most Amazing Rhubarb Jam Without Sugar
- Make Smoked Salt In Your Backyard
- How To Clean Pumpkin Seeds For Roasting And Snacking!
- How to dehydrate peppers right at home
- Easy peach preserves for the winter
- Beets, glorious pickled beets!
- How to Freeze Green Beans To Preserve Texture and Flavor!
- Canning Tomatoes Whole – Easy Cold Pack Method
Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Recipe - Quick & Easy Instructions!
An easy and quick recipe for sweet with heat jalapeno pepper jelly! This jelly makes a wonderful addition to charcuterie boards and makes a great glaze for spicy BBQ chicken!
Ingredients
- 2Â large red bell pepper
- 10-12 large jalapenosÂ
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar (you can use white vinegar)
- 6Â cups of sugarÂ
- 1.5 pouch of liquid pectin
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- First, clean your jam jars and lids. Next, wash your mason jars in hot soapy water and rinse. This recipe will make 6 - 250ml jars or three 500ml jars.
- Bring the water to a full boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes to sanitize.
- Clean your peppers in cold water with a splash of vinegar. Swish them around for a minute, and then rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a clean tea towel.
- Process the bell peppers and jalapenos in a food processor fitted with a fine chopping blade. You can also use a knife and a cutting board; it works the same way! You will want to ensure that the pepper bits are pretty small. Large chunks of pepper do not look good in the final product.
- Add the peppers to a large stockpot. You need a large pot because the peppers will foam quite aggressively during the boil.
- Add to the pot the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil for ten minutes, stirring often. You want to ensure the mixture is not sticking and burning to the bottom. Stirring constantly will prevent the jalapeño jelly from sticking and burning.
- Add the entire contents of the liquid pectin and boil for one more minute.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Pour the hot jelly within 1/4-inch of the top of clean, hot jars. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth. Place lids and screw bands on each jar and twist until finger tight. Process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for 250 ml jars or 15 minutes for 500 ml jars.
- Adjust processing time for altitude.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 96 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 52Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 0g
I added my pectin with the sugar, ugh, first time using liquid pectin. Hope it sets, it taste wonderful though.
Donna, can you let us know what happened when you added the pectin to the sugar. My guess is that it over set and you ended up with a jelly that was more like a candy texture. If it did, don’t toss your batch! You can always soften it before you use it with a bit of water in a pan to get it to the texture you want and place it the fridge. It should set back up. But you can also use it for glazes, or in BBQ sauces. I’ve messed up a batch of red pepper jelly one year and this is what I did with the results so they didn’t go to waste!
Could I substitue sugar with stevia? My father in law is diabetic and loves pepper jelly so I wanted to make him some this summer that is sugar free. What are your thoughts?
Hi Hannah, unfortunately no, stevia will not work in this recipe. But you can absolutely make wonderful sugar-free preserves. In recipes where pectin is required you will want to use a no sugar require pectin like Pomona’s – it’s a bit pricy per box but one box will do multiple recipes. We’ve used it with great successful for all kinds of jams and sauces on our sister site https://sugarfreesprinkles.com/category/jams-sauces/ – and pomona’s ( https://pomonapectin.com/category/recipes/) has recipes and instructions you can follow to make your own safe sugar-free preserves with the sweetner you want to use. We’ve tested and found allulose to be the best for texture and taste, but you can use the sweetner your father in law prefers. The pectin works a bit differently – but produces a wonderful product without the sugar- you will be able to use their instructions to make a red pepper jelly that is sugar free and safe. I hope this helps and if you have any questions about it at all feel free to reach out! Cheers and all the best.