Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (2024)

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“Sue, I wanted to let you know I absolutely love this recipe! It’s my go-to! I’ve shared the jelly I’ve made with family and friends over the last two years and they’ve absolutely loved it. Thank you for posting this recipe!” ~Steph

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (1)

everyone needs a great hot pepper jelly recipe ~ and this one is so easy!

I’m excited about this recipe because it was truly easy and it turned out so well. And come on, you can’t start out the upcoming appetizer season without a good hot pepper jelly recipe. Paired with soft goat or cream cheese and crackers it’s an epic experience. It draws people in like a flies, and causes normally discreet friends and family to shovel, gorge, and wolf. All conversation stops until the plate is licked clean. It’s not pretty, but it is delicious.

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (2)

hot pepper jelly doesn’t have to be complicated

If you already know and love hot pepper jellies and jams I think you’ll be excited about this one too. I’ve kept the steps to an absolute minimum.. Maybe it’s just me, but the directions that come in those pectin boxes drive me crazy. They are so convoluted and there are so many charts! I bypassed all the charts, and I’m giving you a quick way to get hot pepper jelly into your belly asap. 🙂 And then you can customize it to whatever hot and sweet peppers you have on hand. If you’re the canning type, can up a bunch of it, it will make fantastic holiday gifts. I made enough to last in the fridge for a few weeks of gorging.

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (3)

I love peppers of all kinds!

I’ve blathered on about my love of peppers before, so I’ll keep it short. I just think they are not only beautiful, but so versatile. Mid to late summer is the best time to find them at farmer’s markets, but of course you can get them year round in the supermarket. I go crazy picking out a rainbow of colors. For this jelly I used a handful of jalapenos for the heat, and an assortment of bell peppers for sweetness and color. All it takes is a few pulses of the food processor to get them finely minced.

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (4)

the peppers stay colorful and crunchy in my hot pepper jelly recipe

What I love most about this recipe is that there’s no long cooking of the peppers. I just bring the pot to a boil, stir in the pectin, and let it cook for 1 minute. That’s it. All the recipes I researched cooked the peppers for a full 10 minutes before adding the pectin. I took a chance and sidestepped all that. It was perfect. And this way the peppers stay fresh and bright.

what you’ll need

  • 8jalapeño peppers
  • 12ozassorted colorful bell peppers,weighed after trimming
  • 2cupswhite vinegar (or cider vinegar)
  • 3cupssugar
  • 1.75ouncebox no sugar needed pectin
Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (5)

working with jalapeños

Jalapeños are not all created equal. Some jalapeños are hot, some are not so much. There’s no real way to tell until you taste. But since the whole point of hot pepper jelly is the heat, I suggest erring on the more is better side. For some serious heat you can substitute habanero or Serrano peppers.

  • The heat in jalapeños peppers is concentrated in the seeds and inner ‘ribs’. Keep them for a hotter result, and for a milder jelly, remove them and just use the green flesh.
  • Jalapeños get hotter as they get older, so the smoother and glossier the pepper is, the milder it will tend to be. If the pepper is striated (has fine white lines on it) and slightly wrinkled, expect more heat.
  • To test the heat of your peppers, slice one open and touch the tip of your tongue to the exposed area.
  • After working with hot peppers, be sure to wash your hands well; the spicy oils can burn if you touch your hands to sensitive areas like your eyes or nose.
Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (6)

tips for making my easy hot pepper jelly recipe

  • IMPORTANT — Make sure you buy the right pectin for this, I used this one which is specifically for lower sugar jams and jellies. It really does make a difference is how reliably this recipe ‘jells’.
Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (7)
  • Use any color sweet peppers you like, all red, all green, or all yellow make a pretty hot pepper jelly, too.
  • If you really like it hot, use Serrano or Habanero peppers in place of the jalapeños.
  • This recipe is formulated as a small batch recipe, I haven’t measured the ph to insure that it’s safe to can.
  • For longer storage you can freeze your jelly. For freezing, be sure you leave some empty space at the top when filling your jars to allow to expansion in the freezer.

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (8)

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe

3.55 from 601 votes

This easy small batch refrigerator recipe makes use of both sweet and hot peppers for a colorful, confetti-like look and and an intense spicy kick. It's going to be your new favorite appetizer!

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Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:25 minutes minutes

Servings: 64 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 jalapeño peppers
  • 12 oz assorted colorful bell peppers, weighed after trimming
  • 2 cups white vinegar (or cider vinegar)
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1.75 ounce box no sugar needed pectin

Instructions

  • Wash the jalapenos and trim the stem end off. Remove the seeds if you want a milder jelly. I recommend using the whole peppers, seeds and all. Give them a rough chop and then pulse them in the food processor until they are finely minced. Be careful, the fumes will be strong, and make sure to wash your hands well after working with hot peppers. Put the peppers into a heavy bottomed pot.

  • Wash and trim the bell peppers, and remove the inner ribs and seeds. Give them a rough chop and pulse them in a food processor until finely minced. You may want to do this in batches, because I find you get a more even chop if you don’t crowd the bowl. Add the bell peppers to the pot with the jalapenos.

  • Add the vinegar and sugar to the pot and stir to combine. Bring the pot up to a boil, and then add the pectin. Boil, stirring, for one minute.

  • Ladle the hot liquid into clean jars and set aside to cool before capping and refrigerating.

  • If your pepper bits float to the top, you can give the jelly an occasional stir as it cools to distribute them more evenly.

  • When the jelly is cool, cap and refrigerate the jars. They will thicken as they cool, and even more as they chill.

  • Serve with plenty of creamy goat or cream cheese, and crackers or grilled slices of baguette.

Video

Notes

This recipe has not been formulated or tested for water bath canning. It will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. For longer storage it can be frozen.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: appetizer, easy, hot pepper, jelly

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Tbsp · Calories: 42 kcal · Carbohydrates: 10 g · Protein: 0.1 g · Fat: 0.1 g · Saturated Fat: 0.01 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001 g · Sodium: 2 mg · Potassium: 16 mg · Fiber: 0.2 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 185 IU · Vitamin C: 9 mg · Calcium: 1 mg · Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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Peppers

Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe • foolproof! (2024)

FAQs

How to fix pepper jelly that didn't set? ›

How do you fix pepper jelly that didn't set? You can try pouring it into a pan and boiling it longer. You can try adding more sugar and boiling it longer. You can try adding some pectin to it and boiling it longer.

How to keep peppers from floating in pepper jelly? ›

Stir in 1 pouch (85 ml) liquid pectin, then boil again for 1 minute. Take off the heat and let cool completely, stirring every so often. Cover and leave for about 4 - 6 hours, or overnight. This will stop the peppers from floating to the top when canning.

What is the difference between pepper jam and pepper jelly? ›

The primary difference between jam and jelly is that jam is made with fruit and jelly uses fruit juice. Preserves contain whole fruit or large pieces of fruit.

Why is vinegar used in pepper jelly? ›

The vinegar does a couple of functions in this jelly recipe. First, peppers area low in acid and acid is needed to react with the pectin and sugar to help the jelly set. Without the vinegar, your jelly won't set up as firm. Second, the acid in the vinegar makes the jelly safe when it is canned and kept for a long time.

Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›

Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam. It can be added at the start of the cooking process or towards the end, but what must be taken into account is that adding liquids to the jam mixture will inevitably require the jam to cook for longer.

Why don't you refrigerate pepper jelly? ›

Jellies and jams do not need to go in the fridge because they have a water activity of around 0.80, and their pH is usually around 3. So they don't have enough moisture to support bacteria and are too acidic for them as well. Conclusion: Keep your jams and jellies wherever you want to.

Why did my pepper jelly turn white? ›

Usually that thin, white film is jelled foam. If your fruit was foamy in the sauce pan and you didn't skim the foam off, or if your mixture had a lot of air in it and you didn't do air releasing before putting the jam in the jars, the foam or tiny air bubbles rise to the top of the jar and form that white film.

How do you keep peppers submerged when fermenting? ›

A Small Ceramic or Glass Dish

Mini jelly jars, condiment dishes or small dessert ramekins that fit inside the mouth of the jar work very well to weigh down fermenting veggies. Partially fill the jar with water to create extra weight or add these jars on top of fermentation weights to help keep vegetables submerged.

Does homemade pepper jelly need to be refrigerated after opening? ›

The ideal storage time for unopened jams, jellies and preserves is 12 months in the pantry. After opening, refrigerate for 6 months.

Is hot pepper jelly a southern thing? ›

This sweet and spicy concoction has long been a beloved staple in many Southern households. You would be hard-pressed to find a Southern grandma's kitchen that didn't have a jar of homemade pepper jelly tucked away, ready to be slathered on a biscuit or spooned over a block of cream cheese served with crackers.

Can I use frozen peppers to make pepper jelly? ›

So if you're wanting to make hot pepper jelly and frozen peppers is what you have access to, go for it! As they thaw, they'll probably release some water, and you'll want to make sure you add both he solid parts of the pepper and that water to your recipe.

What is hot pepper jelly made of? ›

Pepper jelly is a preserve made with peppers, sugar, and salt in a pectin or vinegar base. The product, which rose in popularity in the United States from the 1980s to mid-1990s, can be described as a piquant mix of sweetness and heat, and is used for meats and as an ingredient in various food preparations.

Is red pepper jelly and hot pepper jelly the same thing? ›

It is typically served as a condiment and can be used as a glaze for meats or as a spread on crackers or bread. Some popular variations include hot pepper jelly made with spicy peppers, and red pepper jelly made with red bell peppers.

Why did my pepper jelly crystallize? ›

- Crystals can form as a result of excess sugar, undissolved sugar during cooking, or over or under cooking.

Why is my pepper jelly Brown? ›

Low-sweetener jam or jelly that is a bright color at first will begin to fade over time and with exposure to light. This is a process of color loss and does not mean the jam or jelly is going bad. The browning starts at the top of the jar and slowly works its way down.

How to fix jelly that set too hard? ›

Heat it very gently, stirring from time to time until the jelly has combined with the juice. No Need to add sugar. Just proceed as usual, bring it to a rolling boil and test for set every couple of minutes.” I did this and it worked!

How long does it take for pepper jelly to set? ›

Turn the heat off and allow the jelly to cool for a few minutes. Then ladle into jars and place in the fridge to set up. This makes 4 (8 ounce) jars or 8 (4 ounce) jars. The smaller jars usually set up in 4-8 hours and the larger jars are completely set after about 24 hours.

Does pepper jelly thicken as cool? ›

The natural pectin of the lemon will help thicken the jelly. Bring the mixture to a boil and make sure it gets up to at least 220 degrees F before turning off the heat. Then process the jars again. The jelly mixture will still be thin but should thicken as it cools.

Does lemon juice stop jelly setting? ›

Acidic Ingredients

Acidic ingredients, such as pineapple, kiwi, or fresh lemon juice, can interfere with the setting process of gelatin.

References

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