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.
Remove and let cool overnight. The liquid will thicken up into a nice habanero jam for you. So delicious!
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
- 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
Niki says
Made this several times. Husband loves it!
One question: how do you get the bits of pepper to distribute evenly in the jar? Ours always settles at the top and we end up having to stir the jam before using.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Niki. I sometimes turn it when hardening, or just stir it after I open it. Glad you enjoyed it!
Chris Coble says
I found this issue as well..What I did was after the water bath I waited about ten minutes then inverted the jars..I let them sit for about ten to fifteen minutes then turned them upright..As it was setting up the majority of pulp distributed more evenly..
Chelsea says
Thank you for this tip!! Just tried it with my batch and it worked amazingly, much better distribution! Purely aesthetics but very pleasing 🙂
Mike H. says
Happy to help. Thank you, Chelsea!
Maureen Herrell says
This was delicious! didn't have enough habaneros so also used some jalapeños. Added a bit more sugar as I was worried about it setting up. Next time I'll strain some of the jars, it was a bit too hot for my husband.
Mike H. says
That's great to hear you are on top of it, Maureen. Enjoy!
Helene Morris says
Do you remove the seeds
Mike Hultquist says
You can if you'd like, Helene. Core them out for milder heat. I usually leave it all in. Enjoy!
Jo says
My husband dehydrated our prolific Habaneros. Do you think i can use them to make the Jelly?
Thanks Jo
Mike Hultquist says
Jo, yes, you can do that. I would rehydrate them first in hot water, then you can proceed with the recipe. Let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Christaljw says
Made this for this for the first time after growing an abundance of haberanos. It was delicious. Ate it with cream cheese and crackers. Will be making a few more batches. Recipe was easy to follow. Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much for sharing! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lauren says
Is this recipe shelf stable since it is water bathed?
Mike Hultquist says
Lauren, if you process in a water bath, yes, it will be shelf stable until you open it.
Carlie says
How do you store these once in jars? Do they need to be refrigerated if unopened?
Mike Hultquist says
Carlie, I keep mine in cleaned jars in the refrigerator with the cap screwed on. It will last many months typically.
Bethany says
I am making this recipe but only have powdered pectin. Can you tell me how to substitute powdered pectin for liquid pectin? Thanks!!
Mike Hultquist says
Bethany, the best way is to refer to the packaging instructions for the amount of powdered pectin. Let me know how it goes.
Eddie says
Two double the recipe do you just double all the ingredients?
Mike H. says
Eddie, I have a handy tool in the recipe card that allows you to double the recipe - it will automatically show you the amounts you will need to work it. Just hover over the "Servings" number to scale. Let me know if you have any difficulties finding it.
Steve says
What color food coloring do you recommend and why would it be used
Mike Hultquist says
Some people like to use it to make the color more vibrant. With this, orange or red would be used. I didn't use any, though.
Lex says
Do you de seed the peppers or leave the seeds?
Mike H. says
Well, I like to leave the seeds in, but the choice is totally yours, Lex!
Magdalena says
hi i made this recipe last year from fresh habanero peppers from my garden, and i have whole bag of frozen from last year do you think ots going to work if i use frozen peppers?
Mike H. says
Absolutely! Using frozen habanero peppers should work just fine. Simply thaw them out before incorporating into the cooking process. Also, you may notice a slightly different texture compared to fresh peppers, but the flavor should remain intact. Just ensure that you adjust the quantity of peppers according to your taste preferences, as frozen peppers may have a slightly different potency compared to fresh ones. Enjoy!