Pineapple-Mango-Hot Pepper Jam
Make your own sweet (but not TOO sweet) spreadable hot pepper jam at home with this recipe that incorporates tropical pineapple and mango for just the right flavor. This is one of my favorite jam recipes. It is low sugar.
If you’ve never made your own jam at home, I encourage you to start. If you have a pepper garden like me that is exploding around this time of year, homemade jellies and jams are great ways to use up some of that harvest.
A good pepper jam uses only the freshest peppers, and a yield of 4 cups of hot pepper jam uses about 1 cup of finely chopped hot peppers.
That’s a lot of peppers!
This year I grew a HUGE variety of chili peppers, including a range of peppers from sweet to superhot. I have a number of peppers classified in the HOT range, though you are free to use any variety of hot pepper you’d like for this recipe.
Truly, if you feel you’d like to include a couple scorpion peppers, maybe a reaper or 2, go for it. The resulting hot pepper jam won’t turn out as hot as you might think.
Sure, you’ll get a good heat level, depending on what peppers you’re starting with, but the sugars help temper the pepper heat a bit, as well as the sweetness of the fruits.
For this recipe, I chose a mixture of very bright yellow cayenne peppers and aji habanero peppers. The colors are fantastically vibrant, such a vivid, stark yellow.
I paired them with mango and pineapple partially because I knew the colors would match so perfectly, but because I love the tates of smooth mango and chunky pineapple, particularly when they’re partying together.
They give the jam a good amount of substance, exploding with flavor in each spoonful.
I love to have a good hot pepper jam in the fridge for any number of recipes. They’re good for a quick spread on toast for a morning bite, as a glaze starter for fish or chicken, as a finisher for grilled meats, even spooned over ice cream for a dessert change up.
The recipe also scales nicely, so measure and adapt accordingly. This particular recipe makes 4 cups or so.
Low Sugar Pepper Jam
Most pepper jam recipes call for 4-6 cups of sugar, but this recipe only calls for 1 cup. You can reduce that to 1/2 cup if you’d like even less sugar.
Give jams away as gifts to your friends and neighbors. They’ll love you for it!
I hope you enjoy them!
Check out our Chili Pepper Jelly and Jam Recipes for more ideas. Don’t let those peppers go to waste! And hey, just keep some of this jam around. You’ll be glad you did.
Try Some of My Other Popular Jelly and Jam Recipes
- Scotch Bonnet-Peach-Pepper Jam
- Pineapple-Mango Pepper Jam
- Kiwi-Jalapeno Jam
- Habanero Pepper Jelly
- Jalapeno Jelly
- 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.
- 1 cup finely chopped mango
- 1 cup finely chopped pineapple
- 2/3 to 1 cup chopped hot peppers I used a mixture of yellow cayennes and aji habanero peppers
- 2/3 cup water
- Juice from 1 small lemon
- 3 tablespoon low-sugar pectin
- 1 cup sugar
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Add mango, pineapple, chili peppers, water, lemon juice and pectin to a pot. Bring to a quick roiling boil, stirring constantly.
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Stir in sugar and bring back to a boil. Stir constantly as it boils for 1 minute.
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Remove from heat, cool slightly and pour into sterilized jars.
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Cap and refrigerate.
Makes about 3 cups.
30 comments
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I love the looks of this jam, especially as you use just one cup of sugar! I’m fairly new to canning, but want to gift this for Christmas. Your comments about ph level are enlightening, but I don’t have any way of measuring that. Is there something I can add to the jam to assure the ph is adequate for safe water bath processing? And could this be why some jam recipes call for upwards of 1 1/2 cups of vinegar?? (You’ve made me realize I probably need to learn a little bit more about the science behind safe food preserving before going all willy nilly!) Thank you
Thanks, Tami. pH is best measured with a good pH meter. I am an affiliate at Thermoworks and recommend theirs, though look for one with good ratings and reviews. Sugar is a preservative, so if you make low sugar jelly or jam, add in some vinegar to help it keep. It can be canned, though check the pH first and follow best canning procedures. I hope this helps!
Hello Mike
I live in Tahiti so fresh mangoes and pineapples are no problem, however low-sugar pectin is not available. I do have regular pectin (not liquid) that a friend brings me whenever she comes to visit. My question is can I use this same pectin but maybe increase the quantity a little? By the way, I love your site and have made several recipes with lots of success.
thanks
Hella
Hi, Hella. Usually it is 2 teaspoons of powder pectin for 1 tablespoon of liquid pectin (or 2 tablespoons of powder pectin per pouch 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. I’m glad you like the site!
Wow, what an easy recipe! I read the reviews and used 3 heaping TBSP of low sugar pectin, it’s starting to set by the time I got the last jar filled. I used 2 red jalapenos, 1/2 of an orange habanero, and 1/4 of a sweet orange bell pepper, and threw in a few red pepper flakes. I was afraid of it being too hot to be honest on my first batch, so next time I will use more hot peppers. I did reduce the sugar to slightly less than a cup. Tastes great! Bringing to work to put over cream cheese and serve with crackers.
PERFECT, Robin! I love it! Enjoy.
Hi Mike,
I’m new to canning. I’d like to make and can this recipe shelf safe for Christmas. I only have a water bath canning system. How do I make this safe for that canning process without having to purchase a pressure cooker? ACV perhaps ? I tried to find another recipe using WBC, but couldn’t find one and came across warnings not to test for ph yourself. Your recipe looks so great, please help . . .
Elise, you can water bath this sauce, but check the pH first. It should be 3.5 or below for home canning. The best way to properly check pH is with a good pH meter. I became an affiliate for Thermoworks because I trust their pH meter and meat thermometers. Here is a link to their pH meter: https://www.thermoworks.com/pH-Humidity/pH?tw=CPM. If the pH is not low enough, yes, you can add an acid, such as vinegar and/or citrus. Please let me know how it goes for you. Be sure to use best canning practices and safety. Enjoy!
A wee bit hot for me, but great flavor! I didn’t have mango, so I used mandarin orange and pineapple .
Without vinegar, can I can it for storage outside the refrigerator?
J
Thanks, J. Yes you can water bath it, but check the pH of your finished jam. It is best at 3.5 or below for home canning purposes. Or use a pressure canner.
Dear Mike, Thanks for your recipe. Can you puree the boiled mixture to have a more jelly consistency? Then do you have to put the puree back into the pot and boil again? Also, what do you think the sub for homemade pectin made with tart apples is for the pectin you use? Is it the same? Okay, another ?…lol…Do you also have a pepper tomato jam recipe made with cayenne peppers only?
Hi, Karen. To answer your questions:
Can you puree the boiled mixture to have a more jelly consistency? Then do you have to put the puree back into the pot and boil again? Yes, you can puree the mixture before jarring, or before even starting the process. For more of a jelly consistency, strain the solids out and only use the liquid. It will solidify into a jelly for you. See this recipe as a starter: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/jellies/jalapeno-jelly/
Also, what do you think the sub for homemade pectin made with tart apples is for the pectin you use? Is it the same? I’m not sure about that pectin, but it should be usable. Just be sure to follow the ratios recommended by that particular pectin product.
Do you also have a pepper tomato jam recipe made with cayenne peppers only? I do not have a recipe for that specifically, but check out my other jelly and jam recipes for ways to adapt. Also see my tomato chutney recipe for another idea: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/tomato-chutney/
Good luck!
I have a couple of questions. For starters so glad to have found this site several pepper jelly recipes in searches most lean on more fruit and hardly any peppers but yours is just what I have been looking for an equal balance.
I want to do a pineapple & habanero jam, can I just leave off the mango? If so do I add more pineapple & peppers? Would the same apply for just mango & habanero? I have 6 bushes producing Habaneros soon will have 4 more. Your page provides a variety of recipes excited to try many of them.
Hi, Linda. Thanks, and YES, you can leave out the mango. Just increase the peppers and pineapple. And yes, same applies for just mango and habanero. Let me know how your jam turns out! Super curious!
amazing, i used aji limon and a habanero. ended up using 2 cups of mango.great heat, super sweet, i’m glad i didn’t use one of those recipes with 10 cups of sugar. really happy, should have made 3 or 4 times as much. i know for next year. used the last of the fresh peppers.
That’s GREAT, Matt! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Mike
I saw your reply to Rita about canning this jam and you said to follow proper pressure canning procedures. Can this jam be canned using the water bath method. Thanks
Mike, yes, you can use the water bath method. If you’re going to keep it out of the fridge, check the ph first. It should be 4.0 or below for longer keeping.
Thanks Mike.
I will let you know how it turns out. I made my very first jelly today…ghost pepper/habanero with pineapple. I’m excited to try it.
Thanks again
Sounds great, Mike! Just did a big batch of jellies this weekend myself – Ghost, Sweet and Jalapeno Jelly. On the site soon!
I was hoping I didn’t screw this up . lol. It is wonderful , Mike! Mine serves on chickpea pancakes with root vegetable breakfast and crackers if i want . Thanks! First batch of this kind for me. I usually make red hot pepper jam for my son and I. Happy camper. Good recipe folks!
Thanks, Kim! Glad it turned out. It’s definitely a good one!
My heart is in chilli I also make a pineapple ;mango ,peach w/ jalapeno jelly use same receipy
Excellent!
Just made this. I used Banana chillies. Superb
I just made this jam using lemon drop peppers. Love it!
Do you remove the seeds from the peppers?
REPLY: Karen, you can if you’d like, but you don’t have to. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Wow! Thanks for your recipe! I have been growing a lot of chilies this season. I did not think I would be that successful and now I have so many fruits to deal with. I have making a couple of chili sauces but I never thought of doing a jam with chili! I’ll look around your blog for more recipes, for sure. Great work! Keep it up.
/Erik
Can you can this recipe with such a low sugar content? It looks wonderful and I would love to give it as Christmas gifts. Thanks for sharing!
REPLY: Rita, yes, you should be able to do so. Just be sure to follow proper pressure canning procedures. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Pineapple, mango, chilli peppers jam …yum. Will definitely make. Thank you!