Jalapeno Jelly
A simple, easy-to-make recipe for jalapeno jelly with sugar, pectin, and fresh jalapeno peppers. Perfect for morning toast but also as a starter glaze or sauce.
It’s that time of year! I keep talking about how our garden is basically EXPLODING with chili peppers right now. It’s crazy, but I can’t help myself.
I plant so many peppers and the plants produce wildly, especially my jalapeno peppers. Not complaining! Really!
Because I have a LOT of ways to preserve my chili peppers so we can enjoy them throughout the year. Jalapeno Jelly is one of those ways.
This jelly is nice and sweet and works as a simple spread for crackers or breads or toasts. It’s a flavorful snack and pairs perfectly with cream cheese. It also works for me as a super quick sauce for grilled meats, like chicken or fish.
Seriously, sear up a chicken breast or some seasoned white fish and finish them off with a tablespoon of this.
You will love it!
You can also use your own homemade jalapeno jelly as the start of a glaze for those very same meals. So much of the work is already done!
I used to shy away from making jellies and jams. I always thought they were hard to make, but it is SO not true. It’s super easy once you give it a go, and it’s pretty foolproof.
Let me know how yours turns out.
One last thing – Jalapeno Jelly makes for a perfect gift. Housewarming party? Holidays coming up? Bring them a jar or two of this. They’ll love it!
Let’s talk about how we make this jalapeno jelly, shall we?
How to Make Jalapeno Jelly – The recipe Method
First, finely chop your jalapeno peppers. Start with a half pound of them.
Add the peppers to a large pot.
Next, add 4 cups of sugar. Yes, this is a sweet jelly recipe.
Pour in 1-1/4 cups apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup lime juice, and a teaspoon of salt.
Stir it all together.
Next, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer it for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.
After 10 minutes, pour the contents into a different pot, then strain it back into the original pot. Make sure all of the solids are removed.
Pour in 3 ounces of liquid fruit pectin.
Bring the liquid back to a boil, stirring a bit, and boil for 1 minute.
Pour or ladle the hot liquid into 4 clean 8-ounce jars, like so.
Screw on the caps and refrigerate overnight. The jalapeño jelly will set over night, though it could potentially take up to 2 weeks to fully gel.
I keep mine in the refrigerator and eat them within a month or 2, but if you’d like to keep them for longer and/or want to store them at room temperature, you can process them in a water bath. See information on that below.
Recipe Notes
Wear rubber gloves if you’re concerned with feeling the burning sensation peppers can cause. If you do feel the skin burn, see How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
You can also use a food processor to more finely chop the peppers. Just don’t over process them, or you’ll get a mush.
Serving Suggestions
A favorite is always crackers with cream cheese and jalapeno jelly. It’s just such a great flavor combination.
You can use it in place of just about any other jelly you might use. I personally love it as a glaze or starter glaze for both chicken and fish.
Just brush a bit on after grilling for a wonderful sweet and spicy flavor boost.
Recipe Notes and FAQ
Here are answers to some questions I get on making jellies and jams.
Sealing Jellies and Jams – The Water Bath Method
Properly sealing jellies and jams is important for longer keeping. To do this, use pint jars that have been cleaned with soap and water, then held in hot water until you’re ready for jarring.
Or, you can sterilize the jars by boiling them in hot water for 10 minutes. Add 1 minute of boiling time for every 1000 feet of altitude. Set them into hot water while you prepare your jelly or jam.
Wash and rinse the bands and lids.
Next, prepare the boiling water canner or pot with enough clean water to cover the jars by at least an inch or 2. Bring the water to 180 degrees F. Just under a boil.
Pour the hot pepper jelly or jam into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe the jar rims and screw on the cleaned rings bands and lids. Place them onto the canning rack, ensuring the jars are 1-2 inches below the water.
Bring the water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, or 10 minutes if you’re not using sterilized jars. Add an extra minute per 1000 feet elevation over 1000 feet.
Remove the jars and set them onto a protected surface.
Benefits of the Water Bath
Water bath processing super heats the air at the top of the jar, effectively killing any spores or yeast from the air, as you don’t want to seal those in with lower sugar jams.
The method also makes for a stronger seal than simply letting the jelly or jam cool and pop.
Storing Jellies and Jams
Don’t move the jellies or jams for at least 12 hours after you’ve made them, or you risk breaking the gel. After proper cooling, check the seals and store in a cool, dry place.
Your jellies and jams should last a year this way, but the flavor is still best if used within a few months.
Recommended Products
Here is a link to the jam/jelly 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
- Ghost Pepper Jelly
- Cranberry-Jalapeno Jelly
- Scotch Bonnet-Peach-Pepper Jam
- Pineapple-Mango Pepper Jam
- Kiwi-Jalapeno Jam
- Habanero Pepper Jam
- Pepper Jelly 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.
A simple, easy-to-make recipe for jalapeno jelly with sugar, pectin, and fresh jalapeno peppers. Perfect for morning toast but also as a starter glaze or sauce.
- 1/2 pound jalapeno peppers chopped
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces liquid fruit pectin
- 4 drops green food coloring if preferred - NOTE: I didn't use any and you can see the jelly is still pretty green
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Add the jalapeno 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.
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Scoop out the peppers and add to a large pan.
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Add sugar, vinegar, lime juice, and salt.
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Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
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Strain out the jalapeno peppers and return the mixture to the pan.
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Return heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Stir in pectin and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
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If using food coloring, add it now and stir.
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Ladle the hot liquid into clean jars and screw on the lids.
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Cool overnight in the refrigerator. The mixture will solidify into jelly.
Recipe Video
Yields about 4 half pint (8 ounce) jars.
This recipe was originally posted on 9/21/2015, updated on 10/2/18 to include new photos and a video.
39 comments
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Made your Cranberry-Jalapeño Jelly last week and it turned out great! Thank you! I left some of the pulp and made jam, which I finished with the water bath canning method. I want to make Jalapeño jelly this time, but wonder how do I adjust the ingredients to say double or triple the recipe. Your site is wonderful, keep up the good work!
Thanks, Ed! Doubling or tripling is easy by just multiplying each ingredient. I make large batches all the time. Glad you enjoyed it! Good luck!
Hi Mr Mike, I seen other jalapeno pepper jelly include green peppers. Have you seen or tried that? If so how many green peppers would I use for your recipe? Thanking you in advance
Jay, you can use green peppers here. I would just use a couple larger ones if you want to replace the jalapenos. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Hi Mike ~~
I like jalapeño jam with cream cheese. Since I have a very tender mouth, I remove the seeds before chopping the peppers, since the seeds carry most of the heat. Then I include the unstrained peppers in the jam. I would like to try the ghost pepper jelly, but I’m concerned about the heat. Do you think that if I removed the seeds before using the peppers, I might have similar results as with the jalapeños? Also, short of growing them myself, where can I buy ghost peppers?
Hi, Sheryl. Yes, I think the ghost pepper jam would be quite hot for you. Most of the heat from peppers is in the whitish pith (not the seeds), and coring them out does remove most of the heat. However, with superhot peppers, the capsaicin that makes peppers hot works its way into the skins more and more, so even if you core them, you’ll still get heat, and ghost peppers are about 1 Million SHU. Quite hot compared to a jalapeno. You might try to make a combination jam with one ghost pepper and the rest jalapenos. Something to try! I do grow mine and it is hard to find them in stores. You might find an online resource to order them. I hope this helps! Let me know what you wind up making. Curious to hear about it!
I made a triple batch with 2 pounds of peppers. I will try your other recipes too.
Excellent! Thanks, Sparkie!
Hi.I want to make this in England,but no liquid pectin anywhere!!.How much powered pectin should i use?Many Thanks.
David, usually it is 2 teaspoons of powder pectin for 1 tablespoon of liquid pectin, but check the instructions on the powder pectin label to make sure you are using the proper amounts. Some products can vary and have different recommendations. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Hi David, I don’t know what brands of pectin you have the U.K., but 1 pouch of Ball liquid pectin = 2 TBSP Ball Classic powdered pectin. However, when using powdered pectin, you have to add the pectin at the beginning and do not add the sugar until the end. I just made a batch of pepper jelly this way (because I couldn’t find any liquid pectin at the store) and it worked fine.
For pepper jelly, put the pepper puree, vinegar and juice (but NOT the sugar) into the pot on the stove, sprinkle in the powdered pectin and slowly bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for 10 minutes while continuing to stir, then pour in the sugar all at once. With heat on high, and stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn, bring to a boil that cannot be stirred down and then boil hard (keep stirring!) for 1 minutes. Remove from heat, immediately pack in jars and either process with a water bath canner, or let cool and then freeze.
Mike, make this for the first time last week. Outstanding recipe! I had one very full Jalapeno plant that had turned red so I was able to make a double batch of Red Jam with a couple tweaks. I rough chopped them & did the boil. I took the hot peppers and ran them through a food mill removing the seeds and skins but the flesh remained with the jam! Processed for 10 minutes as directed in 4 ounce jelly jars. I wound up with 12 of the 4 ounce jars and one pint jar. I took the pint jar & a bar of cream cheese with some Ritz crackers to the Vets Club I hang at and it was DEVOURED to rave reviews! Thanks for the recipe and the work you do here…glad I found this site, lots more recipes to delve into. Cheers…..Bill
Excellent, Bill! I’m super happy they enjoyed the jalapeno jelly, and that you’ve found the site! I greatly appreciate it!
Can the jelly be canned and shelf stable? Also how thick it it supposed to be when finished?
Robyn, yes, you can run the jars through a water bath to preserve them. The jelly will solidify later to a thick jammy consistency.
Just won Second place/red ribbon at the Queen Anne’s Co Fair, using your recipe for jelly
Got a First place/blue ribbon for my jalapeño jam!
Am aiming for blue ribbon for jelly next year. ( I didn’t use green food coloring, which the winning one had. Will make note on entry that I DO NOT add food coloring on next year’s entry & see if that changes their minds!
Outstanding! So glad to hear this! Congratulations on the win!!!
I would like to know if you can use powdered pectin if added before sugar?
Vel, yes, you can use powdered pectin. However, check the instructions on the package to make sure you are using the proper amounts. I have used powdered pectin and the process is basically the same. Enjoy.
Hi Mike,
What kind of vinegar white, cider or other also have you tried 3 cups of sugar since I use Pomona pectin the amount of sugar is not an issue
Jim
Jim, I used Apple Cider Vinegar, though any vinegar will do. Yes, you can reduce the sugar, but not by too much as the recipe could fail. Thanks for commenting!
I stem & seed the jalapenos, process them in a Cuisinart, and do not strain out the solids. I always use a water bath process per the Bell canning book. The stuff keeps in the basement virtually for ever. I recently used some from 2012 as part of a pork chop marinade and dipping sauce. Since I’m nearly out of jelly, I’m going to try using fresh Fresnos, fresh Poblanos, and frozen Jalapenos. I’ll be back with the results when I’m done.
That’s awesome, Jim! If you don’t strain, it is technically a “jam”, but who cares?! It’s delicious that way, too. I have a lot of jam recipes on the site. Looking forward to hearing your reaction.
Nobody who ever got a jar of it quibbled over what to call it! LOL
Seriously. I have considered using the Cuisinart on the goose berries in the freezer and straining them for the juice to make jelly. May have to do that, too.
Stay tuned
Haha, yes! I think your idea sounds perfect! Looking forward to the results!
OK, I had a pound of green Jalapenos, half pound of ripe fresnos and 2 habaneros (decided anagins the poblanos at the last minute since I had so much of the other peppers). Ended up with 12 half-pints that were cooked 10 minutes in a water bath plus a pint left over that went into the fridge. Did a double recipe for jalapeno jelly (that’s what they call it!) straight out of the Ball Blue Book. In retrospect, I wish I had used more habaneros, but after tasting the fresnos thought there was going to be plenty of heat. Turns out there wasn’t as much. There was enough, and it was the kind of heat I strive to get: Heat at the finish at the back of the mouth. Also got a bit of tingling on the lips. All in all, it was a success.
Outstanding!!!
Question – are the jalapeño peppers seeded?
Thanks
Danya, I usually don’t seed the jalapenos, as they are strained out anyway, and I like to retain the heat (not from the seeds, but from the innards). However, some people report some bitterness from seeds, so you can remove them if that is a concern. Bear in mind that scooping out the insides will remove most of the heat. FYI.
How long should the jars be in a water bath if canning?
REPLY: Cristina, 10 minutes is usually sufficient. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
This recipe is so good! I’ve made it twice now, and turned out perfect each time.
That’s awesome, Katie! Thanks!
About how much does this yield?
REPLY: Mike, this should yield you 3-4 half pint (8 ounce) jars. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
How much water to the pan
REPLY: Heather, the recipe doesn’t call for water. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Just a question:
1/2 pound of Jalapeños is approximately how many cups of chopped peppers?
REPLY: James, it’s about 1 cup. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
How long does it keep?
REPLY: Rita, jelly can last a year pretty easily in the fridge. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Not enough sun in the UK this year so my Chilli and Jalapeño peppers weren’t so good.
I pulled up the Jalapeño plant and stripped the peppers off it. Now what to do?
I found this recipe and gave it a go. Thank you very much. Love the jelly.
At 81 we can still find new things to do.
That’s great, Bob! Thanks!
This is the best recipe Ive seen by far. Thank you for this. 🙂
Once I make it then I will give more feedback.