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This jalapeño jelly recipe is a deliciously sweet and spicy spread for toast or crackers and can even be used as a glaze or sauce on meats.
It is made up of jalapeño peppers, bell peppers, lots of sugar, vinegar, and pectin. While you may be tempted to reduce the sugar, don’t. This is meant to have lots of sugar – it’s a jelly after all! It also helps to balance out the heat from the jalapeños perfectly. Our favorite way is to serve it as a topping with cream cheese and crackers.
If you love jams and jellies, you are sure to love this Jalapeño Jelly, aka hot pepper jelly! Yes, the flavor is a little different than your typical Strawberry Jam, but it is so good! The sweet with the heat is addictive!
If you love jalapeños, you’ll love our Jalapeno Poppers and dip.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Sweet and spicy. It delivers that perfect balance of sweet fruitiness with a kick of jalapeño – a delicious combination!
- Use it as a dip or glaze! Beyond toast, it’s amazing on cream cheese with crackers, glazed over meats, or even mixed into dressings.
- Prepped in 15 minutes. Making jalapeno jelly yourself is simpler than you think and incredibly satisfying, plus it makes fantastic gifts!
Jalapeño Jelly Ingredients and Substitutions
- 10 jalapeno peppers, half seeded – about 1¼ cups chopped jalapeños. If you want to have a hot pepper jelly, leave in all of the seeds; for a milder jelly, remove all of the seeds and the membrane.
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped – about 1⅛ cups
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped – or orange bell pepper, about 1⅛ cups
- 5½ cups sugar – do not reduce or substitute the sugar
- 1½ cups white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt – We like the balance of flavor this adds, but it can be omitted.
- 1 (3-ounce) pouch liquid pectin
How to Make Jalapeño Jelly?
- PREP. Wash the jars with hot, soapy water and keep them warm while making the jelly. Place the lids in a small saucepan on the stove on a low simmer. Fill the water bath pot about halfway with water. Let it come to a simmer while making the jelly.
- BLEND. Pulse the jalapeños and bell peppers in a food processor until the peppers are finely chopped. Empty into a mesh strainer and drain off excess liquid.
- HEAT. Place the chopped vegetables in a large stock pot and add the sugar, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 10 minutes. Add the pectin and boil 1 more minute. Remove from the heat
Jarring the Jelly
- FILL JARS. For water bath canning, ladle the jelly mixture into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. After filling the jars, wipe the rims with a paper towel and then top with the lids. Screw on the rings using just your thumb and index finger until you meet resistance, then do a ¼ more turn. This will ensure that they are on, but not too tight.
- HEAT. Place the jars on the rack in the pot of simmering water. Add more water until the jars are covered by 1-2 inches. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 more minute for each 1000 ft elevation above 1000 ft.)
- After 10 minutes, remove the jars and place them on a kitchen towel about 1 inch apart. After a few minutes, you should start to hear the jars seal with a pop. Leave the jars untouched on the counter for 12-24 hours.
- STORE. Store properly sealed jars in the pantry for up to 12 months. Refrigerate unsealed jars for 3-4 weeks.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- For a mild jelly, remove all of the seeds and membrane; for a hotter jelly, keep the seeds and membrane in. We prefer half-seeded for the best sweet and spicy flavor.
- To avoid runny jelly, drain the excess liquid from the chopped jalapenos.
- If making at a high elevation, add 1 more minute for each 1000 ft elevation above 1000 ft. to the time you boil in the water bath.
- Always check to ensure the lid has sealed before storing on the shelf. Refrigerate unsealed jars for 3-4 weeks.
- Ways we like to use this jelly: A glaze for steak, pork, or salmon, put it on top of vanilla ice cream, use it like regular jelly, make a spicy PB&J sandwich, and put it on top of cream cheese to make a cracker spread.
Jalapeño Jelly Recipe
Equipment
- mason jars
- lids
- water bath pot
- water bath kit
Ingredients
- 10 jalapeno peppers, half seeded
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 5½ cups sugar
- 1½ cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (3-ounce) pouch liquid pectin
Instructions
- Wash the jars with hot, soapy water and keep them warm while making the jelly. Place the lids in a small saucepan on the stove on a low simmer. Fill the water bath pot about halfway with water. Let it come to a simmer while making the jelly.
- Place the jalapenos and bell peppers in a food processor and pulse until peppers are finely chopped. Empty into a mesh strainer and drain off excess liquid.
- Place the chopped vegetables in a large stock pot and add the sugar, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 10 minutes. Add the pectin and boil 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Jar the Jelly
- Ladle jelly into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. After filling the jars, wipe the rims with a paper towel and then top with the lids. Screw on the rings using just your thumb and index finger until you meet resistance, then do a ¼ more turn. This will ensure that they are on, but not too tight.
- Place the jars on the rack in the pot of simmering water. If needed, add more water until the jars are covered by 1-2 inches. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 more minute for each 1000 ft elevation above 1000 ft.)
- After 10 minutes, remove the jars and place them on a kitchen towel about 1 inch apart. After a few minutes, you should start to hear the jars seal with a pop. Leave the jars untouched on the counter for 12-24 hours.
- Jelly that is sealed properly can be stored on the shelf. If a seal did not form or if you opened the lid and broke the seal, jelly can be stored in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- For a mild jelly, remove all of the seeds and membrane; for a hotter jelly, keep the seeds and membrane in.
- To avoid runny jelly, be sure to drain the excess liquid from the chopped jalapenos.
- Always check to ensure the lid has sealed before storing on the shelf. If they haven’t been sealed, place them in the fridge to be used within a few weeks.
- Ways we like to use this jelly: A glaze for steak, pork, or salmon, put it on top of vanilla ice cream, use it like regular jelly, make a spicy PB&J sandwich, and put it on top of cream cheese to make a cracker spread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
We like to fill the jars with water and then microwave them for about 2 minutes. Alternatively, fill the jars with water and place them on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. When ready to use, empty the hot water and fill the jars with the jelly.
Many jars will seal fairly quickly, and you’ll hear those characteristic “pings” within minutes or an hour after the water bath. You will still want to leave the jars undisturbed on the counter for 12 hours to fully seal. Gently press the center of the lid. If it does not spring up or move, it’s sealed. If it moves up and down, it’s not sealed.
Store properly sealed jars in the pantry for up to 12 months. Refrigerate unsealed jars for 3-4 weeks.
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This is the best! Had a half pint jar left over that didn’t fit in the water bath. We ate it a couple days later with cream cheese and round crackers and my fiance raved about it! We are making a double batch today.
Mmmm such a fun way to use the leftovers. I’m so glad you love the jelly recipe!
First thank you so much for posting this recipe. Every one loves it and keeps asking for more. Question: On the web page when I use the tool to double the recipe everything doubles EXCEPT the pectin..It goes to 8 Ounces…yikes. Is that correct? Have you double or tripled the recipie? so if i want 12 half pint jars is it just 2 – 3 ounce packs or is it 8 oz total? could it be off because of the way you wrote the recipe? ( 1 3 ounce pack vs 3 ounces (1 packet))? again thanks for the post.
Oh I’m so glad that you enjoy the recipe! You know, I haven’t doubled it before, but I would suggest just doing 2 3 oz. pouches of liquid pectin. That way it is exactly double of what the original recipe calls for (which we know works!) Best of luck and again, so glad you enjoy the jelly!
Love, love, love this recipe. If you follow the directions, it comes out perfectly! It is great mixed with cream cheese snd served as a dip.
Mmmm yes! That is a great way to serve it. So glad the jelly turned out well for you. Thanks for sharing!
What is a serving?
I’d say a serving is about 1 Tbsp. Nutrition facts are for the recipe as a whole.
Recipe just says salt, but should I use canning salt?
You can if you would like but regular salt will work just as well. It just depends on your preference.
Jelly did not set. Made a habanero jelly at same time. Pretty much the same ingredients, although it called for 2-3oz packs of pectin. Habanero jelly turned out great. Really bummed!
Sorry to hear the recipe didn’t go quite as planned. There are various reasons why jelly may not set — temperature, pectin problems or incorrect measurements are a few. But thank you for giving the recipe a try!!
Well I was excited I made 6 Jars of this and it didn’t set. Still liquidy… what did I do wrong? Am I supposed to stir it at all while it’s boiling or not? Did I have to do the water bath in order for it to set, because I thought that was just to give it storage life? Am I supposed to let the Jars cool down and then put them in the fridge? Or do they just sit out at room temperature for a certain amount of time?
Hi Ashley! Yes, you can stir while it’s boiling. How long did you let the jelly set? Sometimes it can take 24-48 hours for it to completely set. I would just leave the jars out at room temp for at least 24 hours. If they are still not seeming to set after that, try refrigerating them. Sometimes that helps it to jell. The cause for the jelly not setting could be a few different things — not exact measurements, undercooking, overcooking (can break down the pectin). Hopefully after giving it some time, it set up a bit more!
I used small, sweet mini red and orange bell peppers because that was what I had on hand. I also have extremely hot homegrown jalapenos so I thought it would be a good balance. Maybe I boiled on too high a temp, or something not quite right, as I only got 4 half pints- but the jelly is AWESOME! I’ll try this again with a bigger batch as I have way too many jalapenos.
Thank you for trying it 🙂 So happy you liked it!
Can I eat it right away? Or do I have to can it? Thanks
I made this the other day and it was my first time attempting to make any type of jelly! This recipe was so easy and the jelly was delicious! I sent some to my mom and she shared with other family members and they all loved it too!!!! Amazing! I have 1 question can I use less sugar and it come out same consistency?
Oh, that makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Honestly, I wish I knew for sure, since I have not tried. I don’t think it should.