Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly is a sweet, sour, and slightly spicy savory jelly that makes a great snack or appetizer when served with cheese and crackers.
I don’t do too much gardening anymore, but I usually grow a few things in pots and an elevated planter that Mr. Dreamboat made. I always grow tomatoes, and usually grow some variety of pepper. This year I grew one jalapeño plant. Usually my pepper plants get only a handful of peppers on them, maybe 10 at the most. This year I had dozens.
I usually use the peppers on nachos or pizzas and pickle whatever is left over. This year I decided to try something a little different. I wanted to make Jalapeño Pepper Jelly. If you’ve never tried it, Jalapeño Jelly is a sweet and savory (and a little spicy) jelly that’s often served as a condiment or appetizer with crackers and cheese. A popular restaurant where I live serves it with complimentary biscuits before every meal. I served mine with crackers and Boursin as an appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a huge hit.
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly can be red or green, and can range from mild to spicy depending on the color and spice level of the peppers, and how much of the seeds and ribs are cooked into the jelly. If you happen to find yourself with an overstock of jalapeños and want to try making it yourself, keep reading to find out how.
How to Make Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
Making your own jalapeño jelly starts with prepping the jalapeños and bell peppers. I recommend using food-safe nitrile gloves when you’re preparing this quantity of jalapeños, but if you don’t have any, make sure to wash your hands well with soap when you’re done.
For both types of peppers, start by removing the stems, and for the bell pepper, remove the seeds and pith. For the jalapeños, you’ll also decide how much of the seeds and ribs to remove. The more you keep in the jelly, the spicier the jelly will be. To get an idea of how much to keep, I suggest tasting some (or all) of the jalapeños to determine how spicy they are. If they’re mild, you might want to keep some of the seeds in the jelly. If you want your jelly completely mild, remove all of the seeds and ribs.
Coarsely chop both the bell pepper and the jalapeños and add them to the bowl of your food processor. Alternatively, mince the peppers finely. Place the minced peppers onto a clean dish towel (choose one that you don’t mind staining) or a few layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze and discard the excess moisture from the peppers. Transfer the minced peppers to a large saucepan.
Stir the sugar, vinegar, salt, and garlic into the saucepan and heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Make sure to stir it often. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil for 10-15 minutes. You should notice that the minced peppers begin to appear clearish and the liquid reduces a little bit. Stir in the pectin and boil for 2-4 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool slightly (only about 5 minutes).
Transfer the jelly into one clean quart-sized or two pint-sized jars (it can be helpful to use a canning funnel for this) or any other clean airtight containers that you have. Cool the jelly to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge. Note that this jelly is not shelf-stable.
Serve the jelly with crackers and the cheese of your choice. I prefer it with soft cheeses like cream cheese, goat cheese, or Boursin. Store any leftover jelly in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
How do I know when my jelly (or jam) is done?
A good strategy to test your jelly is to put 3-4 spoons into the freezer when you start prepping your jelly. When you think your jelly might be ready, dip one of the cold spoons quickly into the jelly. Let the jelly chill on the cold spoon for 5-10 seconds, then turn the spoon vertically so the jelly can run down the spoon. If it remains thick and runs slowly or continues to coat the spoon, it’s ready. If it remains thin and watery, it needs to boil a little longer. Test again with a second cold spoon in about 5 minutes and repeat this process until the jelly coats the spoon.
Note that if you forget to put spoons in the freezer at the start of the cooking process, you can spoon a little jelly (like ½ teaspoon) onto an unchilled spoon, then place the spoon containing the jelly into the freezer for about 5 minutes before checking the consistency.
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly Ingredients
- Jalapeño peppers – You can use either green or red jalapeños, or a mix of the two. I recommend tasting one or two of the peppers you plan to use to gauge how spicy they are before deciding whether/how many of the seeds and ribs to remove from the peppers before adding the peppers to the jelly.
- Red or green bell peppers – It’s probably best to choose whichever color matches that of the jalapeños you’re using to avoid your jelly from coming out a muddy brownish color.
- Garlic – When I was researching jalapeño pepper jelly recipes and store-bought jelly ingredients to develop my recipe, I found that almost none of them contained garlic. I wasn’t sure why, and thought it would be a good addition. I didn’t want the garlic flavor to be overwhelming, so I kept the amount small, but noticeable. I think it was a delicious addition.
- Granulated sugar – There is a lot of sugar in this recipe, but it is a jelly after all. I recommend using regular white granulated sugar to ensure you’re only getting sweetness from the sugar, not competing flavors like molasses.
- White vinegar – You could also use a little bit of apple cider vinegar if you wish. I used about half and half.
- Kosher salt – If you only have table salt on hand, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.
- Liquid pectin – Liquid pectin is used to thicken jams, jellies, and some candies. It typically comes in pouches (often sold in boxes of two pouches per box), and can be found in well-stocked grocery stores in the baking aisle or with canning supplies.
Want more jalapeño recipes?
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for approximately ¼ cup of Jalapeño Pepper Jelly. Note that the nutrition information includes the jelly only, and does not include any extras that you might serve with it, like crackers.
This Jalapeño Pepper Jelly recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan as written.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put on a pair of food-safe nitrile gloves to protect your hands. Cut off the stems of 1 pound (454 g) jalapeño peppers. Decide how spicy you want your jelly to be (tasting the peppers at this point might help you decide). If you want your jelly to be very mild, remove all of the seeds and ribs from the jalapeños and discard them. For medium jelly, remove approximately half of the seeds and ribs, and for spicy jelly, leave the seeds and ribs on the jalapeños. Cut the jalapeños into chunks.
- Remove the stems, seeds, and pith (the white parts inside the pepper) of ½ pound (227 g) red or green bell peppers, and cut the pepper into chunks.
- Place both the jalapeño and bell pepper chunks into your food processor and pulse the processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the peppers are finely minced (make sure you don't over-process and turn them into a paste).
- Remove the minced pepper from the food processor and place it onto a clean dish towel (or 2-4 layers of cheesecloth). Gather the edges of the towel and squeeze the excess liquid from the peppers. Transfer the minced peppers to a large saucepan.
- Stir 5 cups (1,000 g) granulated sugar, 1½ cups (383 g) white vinegar, 1½ teaspoons (4.5 g) kosher salt, and the minced garlic into the saucepan with the peppers. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to boil, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes. You should see that the pepper pieces become candied (they will look clearish), and the liquid reduces slightly. Stir in 3 ounces (85 g) liquid pectin and continue to stir and boil for 2-4 minutes.
- Let the jelly cool slightly in the pot for about 5 minutes, but not so much that it starts to set. Carefully pour the jelly into 2 pint-sized or 1 quart-sized jar (or any other airtight containers of your preference). It might be helpful to have a canning funnel for this. Put the lids on the jars and let them cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, place the jars in the fridge. Note that since we didn't use sterilized jars, the jelly is not safe to store at room temperature, but it should store nicely in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Serve the jelly with charcuterie boards or crackers. I especially like it with soft cheeses like goat cheese, brie, or cream cheese. This makes a great appetizer during the holidays.
Nutrition Information
Tried this recipe?
Please Consider Leaving a Review!