A recipe for sweet and spicy habanero pepper jam made with plenty of habanero peppers.
Habanero Pepper Jam Recipe
Habanero pepper jam coming your way! I used to shy away from making jams and jellies. I'm not sure why. Growing up, I was pretty boring, actually. All I ever ate was grape jelly.
Peanut butter and jelly was a daily thing, and if you served me grape jelly with seeds in it, forget about it!
And don't even get me started on strawberry jam.
Fast forward a few years - fine, MANY years - and here I am, making habanero jam. I mean, just look at it! Isn't it beautiful? I'm so happy my taste buds have evolved.
Habanero peppers are some of the best to work with. They are nice and spicy and have an inherent fruitiness and sweetness that lends them to spreads like jams or jellies.
A note about that - the biggest difference between a jelly and a jam is that a jam has the fruit bits in it.
A jelly typically uses only the juice or essence of your flavoring ingredient, like grape juice or strawberry juice. I prefer the actual habanero pepper inside the spread, so it is technically a jam.
Let's talk about how to make habanero jam, shall we?
How to Make Habanero Jam - The Recipe Method
- First, add your habanero peppers to a food processor and pulse them until they are very finely chopped. Do not overdo it or you’ll wind up with a puree.
- Next, scoop out the peppers and add them to a large pan along with your sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Return the heat to high and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Stir in the pectin and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- If using food coloring, add it now and stir.
- Ladle the liquid into sterilized jars and cover.
- Process the jars in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes. Detailed instructions are listed below the recipe card.
- Remove and let cool overnight. The liquid will thicken up into a nice habanero jam for you. So delicious!
Want a quicker, no-canning version? Try my Easy Habanero Pepper Jelly - it's ready in 20 minutes and sets up overnight in the fridge.
What is Habanero Jam Good For?
Use it as you would use any other jelly or jam, by spreading it over cream cheese on toast, over bread for sweeter sandwiches, but it is also great over fish. I like to serve it over salmon or white fish.
Spoon it when the fish is hot and it will melt over a bit. No need for a sauce.
It also makes for a good gift! Lastly, a quick note about the sugar content. Some recipes call for almost double the amount of sugar I've included here.
You can add more sugar, but really, you don't need that much. This is plenty, plenty sweet with the amount I've included.
Patty's Perspective
What is habanero jam good for, Mike asks? My answer - what ISN'T it good for? Well, maybe 8-year-old PB&J Mike would answer differently, but really, don't just think of it as a sweet jam.
If you think of it more as a sauce, it becomes very versatile. Instead of reaching for that bottle of sweet hot sauce, try this instead. I want to try this on hot wings. Can't wait for that!
Here is a link to the jam jars that I personally use and prefer. Highly recommended. Affiliate link - FYI: Ball Mason 8oz Quilted Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12
Try Some of My Other Popular Jelly and Jam Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Habanero Pepper Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound habanero peppers chopped (cored/innards removed if desired for less heat)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces liquid fruit pectin
- 4 drops food coloring if preferred
Instructions
- Add the habanero peppers to a food processor and pulse them until they are very finely chopped. Do not overdo it or you’ll wind up with a puree.
- Scoop out the peppers and add to a large pan.
- Add sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Return heat to high and bring mixture to a rolling boil. Stir in pectin and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- If using food coloring, add it now and stir.
- Ladle jam into sterilized jars and cover.
- Process jars in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove and let cool overnight.
Notes
Nutrition Information
How to Can Habanero Pepper Jam (Water Bath Method)
The refrigerator version of this recipe is ready to eat within 24 hours and will keep for 1-3 months. If you want shelf-stable jars you can store in the pantry and give as gifts, you can process them using a water bath canner.
What you'll need:
- Water bath canner or large stockpot with a rack
- Sterilized half-pint (8 oz) mason jars with new lids and bands
- Jar lifter and canning funnel (highly recommended)
Steps:
- Before you start making the jam, sterilize your jars. Place clean jars in a large pot, cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes. Keep them hot until you're ready to fill.
- Make the habanero jam following the recipe below. While the jam is cooking, keep a small saucepan of water simmering on low and place your lids in it to soften the sealing compound.
- Working quickly, ladle the hot jam into the hot sterilized jars, leaving exactly ¼ inch of headspace at the top. Wipe the jar rims clean with a damp paper towel - any residue can prevent a proper seal.
- Place the lids on and screw the bands to fingertip-tight (snug but not overtightened).
- Lower the jars onto the rack in your canner. Make sure they're covered by at least 1-2 inches of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil and process for 10 minutes at sea level.
- Turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing. Set them on a towel and leave undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You'll hear the satisfying ping of each lid as it seals.
- After 24 hours, check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. It should be concave and firm with no flex. Any unsealed jars should go in the refrigerator and be used within a month.
Altitude adjustments: If you're above 1,000 feet, increase the processing time. Add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level up to 3,000 feet, then an additional 2 minutes for every 1,000 feet above that.
Shelf life: Properly sealed jars will keep in a cool, dark pantry for up to 1 year. Once opened, refrigerate and use within 1 month.
A note on acidity: This recipe uses 1¼ cups of cider vinegar plus ¼ cup of lemon juice, which together provide sufficient acidity for safe water bath canning. If you significantly reduce the vinegar, aim for a pH of 4.0 or lower (3.5 preferred) before canning.
NOTE: This post was updated on 3/26/26 to include canning information. The recipe was not changed.
Celena says
Fresh lemon juice or bottled?
Mike Hultquist says
I prefer fresh, but bottled works just as well.
Christine says
This is a great recipe. I added two jalapeños which may have been two too many. Tastes great with whipped cream cheese on crackers. Took about an hour to get everything set and made and two hours total from start to finish with the kitchen cleaned up afterwards.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Christine!
Maria says
Quick question, how long do I need to boil it for to can?
Mike Hultquist says
10 minutes is usually fine, though up to 20 minutes at higher elevation.
Dave Bovio says
My favorite thing to do with this stuff is use it on breakfast sandwiches. Take a toasted English muffin or onion roll, fry an egg over easy with a nice runny yolk, add bacon, sharp cheddar, avocado, and some of this Habanero jam. Amazing!
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection!
Roo says
I had some habanero and didn't want a super hot jam. I did half habanero and half red bell pepper. It is still too hot for me. I did remove seeds and membrane. I can eat with cream cheese on a cracker. Did use in a wrap with sour cream. Nice taste but I guess I'm a heat wimp. It did gel --I read how the lemon juice is important for that in addition to the pectin.The bits are at the top. I canned four jars and did two jars as refrigerator/jam since I didn't have enough canning lids. Thanks for the recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing, Roo!
Scarlett says
Delicious! I made this jelly and it is so popular in my family. I eat it every day on a wrap with Smucker's peanut butter.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Sounds delicious to me, Scarlett!
Carolyn says
Looks delicious! At what point can I invert the jars so the habanero’s will mix? All floated to the top.
Mike Hultquist says
Carolyn, you can do so as it starts to cool, when still liquid.
Matt says
Can you use frozen peppers?
Mike Hultquist says
You sure can, Matt. Enjoy!
Ross Koehn says
Awesome recipe! Thanks, Mike! I love spicy food and the recipe as written is perfect!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Ross!
Rebecca says
Do you put the whole pepper in the food processor?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, Rebecca, stems removed. You can core them if you'd like.
Henry says
I am new at canning. I found your site and have used it to process my halbernero jam and salsa. They both turned out great. I enjoy hot foods and these really add flavor and heat. Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed them, Henry! Nice and spicy!
Ron Stake says
My wife and I made this recipe and are very pleased with the results. I did remove the seeds, and the heat/sweet balance is awesome. The jam turned out really well. I would say heat level is a bit more than medium, but we are very pleased with the results. Thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Ron! I appreciate it.
Karen Kemp says
This jam is delicious! I was accidentally given a small package of habanero peppers on my grocery pickup order so I googled what do I do with habanero peppers and found your site. We buy the "Something Special" red chili jam and enjoy it. And we do like spicy food so I thought we could handle this... well... 🙂 ... I should have clued in when I saw that the habanero was the 2nd from the top on the heat spice scale on the package! Although I could eat this, after a couple of crackers with just a drop of jam, my mouth was burning! My husband said "too spicy"... I had only made a quarter of the recipe because I only had 60 grams of peppers so after reading some of the comments, I made another batch with no peppers, and mixed the 2 batches together. I think we're going to able to handle it now although it's still quite spicy. I wouldn't cut the peppers back much more or you might lose out on flavour... you might be best just to try a less spicy pepper at this point... p.s. my jam came out very thick but I realize I put a little too much pectin (I used 1 ounce for 1/4 recipe), maybe the people who are having trouble with it not setting just need a little more pectin? Mine was so thick that I couldn't even stir it the next day... All and all, I love the taste and will likely try it again as a full recipe (but with half the peppers 😉 )
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing, Karen! I appreciate it, and glad you liked the jam! Great move mixing peppers to tame the heat.