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This homemade Jalapeño Jelly is so flavorful! It tastes like a fancy jelly you would find at Williams-Sonoma or Harry and David.
Jalapeño Jelly
I know this sounds strange but hear me out, this Jalapeño Jelly is AMAZING! It tastes like a fancy jelly you would find at Williams-Sonoma or Harry and David or Trader Joes. When you hear the word jalapeno, you probably imagine something super hot, but I promise it’s not. It is perfectly sweet with just a tiny little kick. My Mom loves this and she hates anything much spicier than ketchup.
My sister gave me this recipe and it has quickly become a favorite in our household especially when we have it with cream cheese and Triscuits. We have made these as an appetizer many times and EVERYONE who has tried them has absolutely loved them! A friend of mine also suggested putting this over steak for a fancy twist. The possibilities are endless. You are going to love this stuff!
Health Benefits Of Jalapeño
Spicing up foods with jalapeños can be really good for you. Did you know that jalapeños can help prevent colds and headaches? Jalapeños contain a natural plant compound called capsaicin. Capsaicin helps boost metabolism, prevents bacteria growth, can help migraine headaches, and may even help fight cancer. Jalapeños also contain vitamin C and vitamin A.
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly With Cream Cheese And Crackers
We love pouring this jalapeño pepper jelly over a block of cream cheese and serving it as an appetizer. It is so simple and always a huge hit. The smooth, tangy cream cheese combined with the sweet pepper and salty crackers is a winning combination that everyone will love! It takes 30 seconds to throw together (if that) and it will be polished just as quickly! Once you start to dip, you won’t be able to stop!
More Ways To Enjoy Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
There are so many ways you can enjoy this delicious jalapeño jelly. Use it as a glaze over your favorite grilled meats or veggies. Just brush it over chicken, steak, pork, fish, kabobs, or veggies as they are being grilled. You won’t be sorry! You can also use it as a dip for jalapeño poppers, chicken nuggets, or coconut shrimp (the latter being my VERY favorite).
Why Is My Jelly Runny?
There could be several reasons for this. It could be anywhere from the liquid amounts to the jelly-pectin ratio, to the jelly not boiling long enough, to it just not setting long enough (it can take a few days). The good news is, all is not lost! You can use it as-is as a glaze or marinade, You can wait a few more days for it to set, or you can follow this super helpful guide we found online to fix it.
FAQs
If it is processed correctly, it can last up to 2 years in a cool, dry place. After opening, it can last 2-3 months in the refrigerator.
In this recipe you use pectin for the thickener. If you like a thicker jelly, you can always add a little extra pectin. Use the pectin package instructions as a guide for thickening and re-thickening.
We like to chop them pretty fine. It is helpful to use a food processor to get them chopped small.
You did nothing wrong. The color you got is right. Like the pictures above. The green colored jalapeño jellies that you find in the store are an unnatural color. Food dyes are added to get the green color.
No, the jelly should be acidic enough as it is.
More Jalapeño Recipes
- Strawberry Jalapeño Beef Polska Kielbasa Bites – A tasty appetizer that is sweet and savory, with a little kick.
- Copycat Skotidakis Jalapeño Greek Yogurt Dip – This is a copycat of a Costco dip that we loved, but it’s no longer available. It is a creamy and flavorful yogurt dip. It is delicious on veggies, chips, crackers, and Naan bread.
- Cheesy Grilled Jalapeños – These are a great side dish or appetizer for a BBQ. Jalapeño halves are filled with cream cheese, Colby Jack cheese, and bacon and dipped in BBQ sauce or Ranch dressing.
- Strawberry Jalapeño Cheese Ball – This is a festive holiday appetizer. The sweetness of the strawberries and the spice of the jalapeño give in the perfect blend of sweet and heat.
If you’re in the mood for jelly, but still not convinced that Jalapeño is for you, check out this delicious fresh and easy strawberry jam.
Homemade Jalapeño Jelly
Video
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 10 jalapeños mild to medium (see recipe notes)
- 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 cup sugar
- 1 pouch Certo liquid fruit pectin (usually by the Jell-O in grocery stores)
Instructions
- In food processor, finely chop peppers.
- Place peppers in large pot with vinegar, salt and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes stirring often.
- Add Certo pouch and boil 1 more minute.
- Fill canning jars. Add to a water bath for 10 minutes. Wait a day or so before serving so the jelly has a chance to 'gel' or set.
- Serve on crackers with cream cheese. This jelly is also delicious as a dipping sauce for steak or chicken nuggets.
Notes
- UPDATE – We have had some people comment saying their jelly turned out hotter than they like it. Be sure to use milder jalapeños if you don’t like it hot. You may use hot jalapeños but remove most or all of the seeds depending on if you want your jelly spicy or not. How can you tell the hotness level of your jalapenos? Click HERE!
Nutrition Information
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hi i was wondering on the recipe for the jalapeno jelly if i can use a 12 oz jar already caned for the jelly or how much will it take to makw uo the 10 peppers thank you
We haven’t tried it with canned jalapenos so I am not sure.
If I seed half of the jalapenos will jelly turn out the same?
Yep!
This turned out great. I doubled the recipe and subbed an orange bell pepper for a red one because that is all I had. I also subbed 1/2 cup of white vinegar for apple cider as I ran out of white. I used 2 pouches of liquid certo, and it set up very quickly. We ended up digging into a jar within an hour and it was lip smacking good!
This turned out so flavorful and easy! Even I could do it
What’s the head space suggested?
Or did I miss it?
I went with 1 inch
It was fun trying to make the this recipe but it came out VERY RUNNY, almost like water. Even after waiting 24hrs it did not thicken. Gonna get another pack of pectin to see if that’ll work.
I made this recipe as directed and it is perfect, it set up perfectly! I have tried several pepper jelly recipes and this one will be my favorite!
Hi newbie to all this. A pouch of liquid pectin? As state in the recipe. Question is how many oz per recipe? Thank you
Each pouch has 3 ounces of liquid pectin.
This recipe turned out absolutely amazing! I did use powdered pectin/sure jel, and I know there’s a conversion ratio, but due to comments about it being runny, I just used the whole box. The consistency is perfect!
What size box is that?
You will want to use one of the 6 ounce pouches for this recipe. You can find boxes with 2, 4, and 6 pouches per box. Does that answer your question?
Yes thank you so much.
I made this recipe today and was short a jalapeño. I added a serrano pepper and it is divine! Thank you for the lovely recipe; it is going in the box.
Devine
divine
How much pectin would you use if you have a jar of Ball brand pectin?
1 pouch of certo liquid pectin contains about 3 ounces.
5 stars
If I double the recipe, do I double the cook time?
No, the cooking time should stay the same.
Love the flavor but mine didn’t set up can I re can it using more pectin. I doubled my recipe and used 2 pouches (1box)
We haven’t tried that so I am not sure if it would work!
The first batch I made set up right away but the second batch look about a month and it set. This recipe is wonderful and a keeper!!!!
You can reheat the jelly on low until it becomes liquidy. You can either add more pectin and cook again or you can add vinegar and thin it out if it ever sets up too stiff. I’ve had to do both over the years while making my own jellies so I know it’s an easy fix.
Hi Erica.
I used your jalapeño jelly recipe for making jalapeño jelly for the first time. Woke up this morning to find runny jelly! There is a lot of different recipes online to fix runny jelly, wondering if all jellies are created equal, i.e. strawberry, jalapeño, date etc.? Should I wait longer to let it set, or should I try adding more sugar, water and pectin cooking and re-processing?
Thank you!
I would wait a couple days to see if it sets. It might take a few days. If it doesn’t set, you will want to do as you said, add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin per quart of jelly. Then bring to a boil and allow to boil on high heat for 30 seconds, then re-process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes. Hope this helps! Make sure your pectin is fresh… bad pectin will prevent the jelly from setting correctly. Hope this helps!
For anyone who had their jelly turn out runny, did waiting work or did you inevitably have to reprocess?
Yes! I waited to see what happened and it did finally set up after several days. Not quite as firm as I wanted, but did change. I also read somewhere that you should never double a batch, that this can affect how it sets up.
Do you know the cups or ratio of the peppers after they are chopped up? We received a bunch of peppers and diced them all up and froze them in gallon bags. Any suggestions on if we can use them? If is so, how many cups or measurements to equal the amount of peppers in the recipe? TIA!
If the jalapeños have been frozen, there will probably be ice crystals that have formed and might throw off the consistency. I would try a very small batch to test of I would make sure the jalapeños are thawed and dried before adding them to the recipe. For the amounts, one regular sized jalapeño is equal to about 2 tablespoons of chopped jalapeños. Hope this helps!
What is the purpose of the bell peppers in this jalapeño jelly?
It’s just for a different flavor profile. You can do all jalapeños if you prefer and if you like it extra hot.