Name: Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pepper Jelly
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3.5 cups bell peppers, finely diced ((any combo of red, orange, yellow or green - you'll need about 3-5 medium to large peppers)); 1.5 cups jalapeño peppers or other hot chilis of choice ((about 7-9 peppers, see notes to adjust spice level*)); 1.25 cups apple cider vinegar or white vinegar ((5% acidity for canning, I like ACV)); 3 Tbsp lime juice; 1/2 tsp sea salt, pickling or canning salt; 1.75 oz package of Sure-Gell powdered pectin or about 6 Tbsp of Ball classic real fruit pectin; 5 cups sugar ((see low-sugar notes below))

Recipe Print

Come learn how to make a classic hot pepper jelly with my quick and easy recipe. Made with a combination of colorful bell peppers and jalapeños, it strikes the perfect balance of sweet and spicy! I’ve included tips on how to adjust the spice level to your liking, and how to make it low-sugar too.

Enjoy delicious homemade pepper jelly with crackers and cream cheese (or goat cheese), charcuterie boards, and more. I also love to gift jars to family, friends and neighbors around the holidays. See more of my favorite ways to use it at the end of this post!

Four half pint jars of pepper jelly stacked on top of each other in two rows.

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RELATED: Looking for more ways to preserve peppers? Don’t miss our popular cowboy candy recipe, easy refrigerator pickled peppers, or fermented hot sauce! You’ll also love our sweet ‘n spicy zucchini relish.

Making hot pepper jelly is fantastic way to preserve homegrown peppers from the summer garden. This recipe is safe for canning or easy freezer storage, though it lasts for several months in the refrigerator too!

Supplies

Large saucepan or pot (at least 6 quart)
Cutting board and knife OR food processor
Canning supplies including jars, lids, a canning pot, etc OR freezer storage containers
Recommended: food-safe gloves for prepping jalapeños

Ingredients

YIELD: This recipe makes six 8-ounce jars of hot pepper jelly (or about 48 ounces)

3.5 cups finely chopped bell peppers (you’ll need about 3-5 medium to large peppers). I love the look of red and orange bell peppers mixed with jalapeños, though you can use yellow or green bells too.
1.5 cups finely chopped jalapeños peppers or other hot chili peppers of choice* (about 7-9 peppers)
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (5% acid). I recommend using ACV.
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, pickling or kosher salt
1.75 oz package of Sure-Gell powdered pectin or about 6 Tbsp of Ball classic real fruit pectin. See notes about using liquid pectin below.
5 cups sugar*

*See modification notes below. Do not change the amount of peppers, vinegar, or lime juice if you’re canning!

A variety of chilis, pectin, sugar, lime juice and apple cider vinegar are arranged on a counter.

Tips and Modifications

Adjusting the Heat

This recipe makes a mild to medium-hot pepper jelly. To adjust the level of heat, you can add more or less jalapeños and bell peppers to your personal preference, as long as it still equals about 5 cups combined (e.g. 3 cups of bells and 2 cups of jalapeños to make it hotter, or 4 cups of bells and 1 cup jalapeños to make it more mild).

Using Less Sugar

You can safely reduce the sugar in this recipe by up to 2 cups (e.g. use 3 cups of sugar instead of 5), but if you do, be sure to use low or no-sugar pectin instead of regular pectin (otherwise it will not set up properly). I personally haven’t tried making pepper jelly with Pomona’s pectin – which also allows you to use less sugar but requires a different cooking process.

Using Liquid Pectin

You can also make this pepper jelly recipe using 3 ounces of liquid fruit pectin instead of powdered pectin, but it needs to be added at a different time. Powered pectin is typically added at the start, boiled with the bell peppers and vinegar (before sugar is added). To use liquid pectin, simply reverse the process: mix the bell peppers, vinegar and sugar first, bring to a hard boil, and then add the liquid pectin and hard boil again.

A small slice of bread with a cream cheese smear has a dollop of pepper jelly on top of it. Below on a wood cutting board is the rest of the loaf of bread along with cream cheese topped with pepper jelly.

Instructions

Since this hot pepper jelly recipe has a very short cooking time, I usually get all my canning supplies ready (including pre-heating my canning pot) before I start prepping or cooking the peppers. Since we’ll be processing the jelly for 10 minutes, you don’t need to sterilize your canning jars in advance.

1) Dice the Peppers

Wash the peppers well and then remove the stems, cores, and seeds. (Or if you want it extra spicy, you can include some of the jalapeño membrane/seeds in the pepper jelly.)
Finely dice the peppers, measuring as you go until you have 5 cups total – 3.5 cups of bells and 1.5 cups of jalapeños. (TIP: avoid overpacking the cups when measuring.)
You can use a good food processor to make the job easier, but be careful not to puree the peppers! In my experience, my food processor tends to mash and bruise my peppers so I tend to chop by hand.
Be careful! You may want to wear gloves while preparing the jalapeños.

PRO TIP: To help ensure your pepper jelly sets, I suggest blotting or gently squeezing the peppers with cheesecloth, paper towels, or a clean lint-free towel to remove excess moisture before cooking.

Chopped red, yellow, and jalapeño chilis are inside of a large ceramic bowl.

2) Cook the Pepper Jelly

Add the finely chopped peppers to a large pot along with powdered pectin and stir well to combine (while the peppers are still cold or room temp). Then mix in the vinegar, lime juice, and salt.
Heat the pepper mixture over high heat, stirring often, until it reaches a full rolling boil for 1 minute.
Next, stir in the sugar and return the mixture to a boil. Bring to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly (it will get very tall and frothy at this stage) and then immediately remove it from the heat. Do not overcook.
Allow the pepper jelly to cool for just a few minutes, stir, and skim off foam if needed.
Ladle the hot pepper jelly into clean canning jars (see canning instructions below) OR allow it to cool more before transferring into freezer storage containers.
Pepper jelly will continue to gel and set as it cools.

PRO TIP: Since the peppers will naturally float some, take care to stir and ladle the pepper jelly to evenly distribute the peppers between the jars.

A spoonful of chili jam is held above a large pot of the jam.

A metal ladle is spooning hot pepper jelly into half pint mason jars on a wire cooling rack via a canning funnel.

Canning Instructions

If you’re new to canning, please read up on the basics here. Or skip to the freezing and refrigerator tips below.

Once it’s finished cooking, transfer the still-hot pepper jelly into clean warm canning jars with the assistance of a canning funnel. Leave 1/4-inch of headroom.
Use a clean damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars clean before adding clean canning lids. Screw on rings to fingertip-tight only.
Use a jar lifter to carefully transfer the jars to your pre-heated water bath canning pot, cover with a lid. The jars should be covered by 2 inches of water. Add more boiling water if needed.
Once the canner returns to a rolling boil, process for 10 minutes. To adjust for altitude, process 15 minutes at 1000-6000 feet above sea level, and 20 minutes at 6000+ feet.
When the time is up, remove the lid and turn off the heat, but let the jars sit in the canner for another 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. Leave jars undisturbed for at least 12 hours before checking seals. (Do not stack or press on the top of the lids.)
See storage tips and the best ways to use pepper jelly below!

A jar lifter is holding a full half pint mason jar in front of a large canning pot on the stove.

Freezing Pepper Jelly

To freeze pepper jelly, allow it to cool to lukewarm in the pot before transferring it into freezer-safe containers of choice.
We love these durable, reusable BPA-free freezer containers that come in a variety of sizes. You can also freeze it in wide mouth pint or half-pint glass jars (not regular mouth, as jars with “shoulders” are prone to cracking in the freezer).
Leave at least a half-inch to an inch of head space to allow for expansion as it freezes!
For the best results, allow the containers of jelly to fully cool in the refrigerator overnight before transferring to the freezer.
Defrost frozen pepper jelly in the refrigerator overnight before use.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store canned, sealed jars of pepper jelly in a cool dark location for up to 18 months – such as a pantry, cellar, or kitchen cabinets. For the best quality, use within one year. Once opened, canned pepper jelly should stay good in the refrigerator for several months (up to 6 months or longer).
Unprocessed jars of pepper jelly (not canned) will last in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 months (or longer) though low-sugar batches may not last as long.
Frozen pepper jelly will stay good in the freezer for about a year, though it’s best quality if used within 6 months.
Signs of spoilage include mold growth, off odors or taste. Discard immediately if you suspect it has spoiled.

A spoonful of pepper jelly is held above a half pint mason jar. In the background are four half pint jars of pepper jelly.

Pepper Jelly Didn’t Set? (Troubleshooting Tips)

To help ensure your hot pepper jelly sets up properly, follow these tips:

Purchase fresh pectin each year. Old or expired fruit pectin may result in poor gels.
Be sure to add your chosen pectin at the right time in the cooking process (e.g. powdered pectin before sugar, vs liquid pectin after sugar – see notes in pectin section above).
Do not overcook the pepper jelly since it can ruin the pectin.
Remove excess moisture from the chopped peppers before cooking as I suggested in the prep instructions above.
Doubling the recipe could cause issues with the texture, so you may want to cook it in two separate pots or batches.
Pepper jelly will naturally thicken up when it’s cold, such as when served straight from the refrigerator.
Still runny? See these tips to fix jelly that didn’t set.

Ways to Use Hot Pepper Jelly

Pepper jelly is most commonly served with crackers and cream cheese – an irresistibly delicious combo! Simply pour or spoon a generous serving of hot pepper jelly right over a block of cream cheese.
It also pairs well with a variety of breads and other cheeses such as oven baked brie, goat cheese, on a bagel, biscuit, scone, sourdough focaccia or toast. I love it drizzled over pizza!
A small bowl of pepper jelly is the perfect addition to a holiday charcuterie board or dinner party cheese platter – served alongside a variety of cheeses, fruits, nuts, crackers, veggies, and sliced cured meats.
Pepper jelly can also be mixed into dressings, marinades, barbecue sauce, or brushed over meat as a glaze.
A jar of homemade pepper jelly also makes a sweet little gift to share with friends and family around the holidays!

A block of cream cheese sits on a small ceramic plate with pepper jelly poured over the top of it, spilling out over the sides. Surrounding the plate are slices of a baguette with cream cheese and pepper jelly on top of them.

Enjoy!

I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If so, please come back to leave a review once you give it a try! Also feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below.

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