Beautiful in color and sweet with heat; this homemade hot pepper jelly recipe is perfect for entertaining when served on the top of cream or goat cheese.
Follow these easy steps and tips to make it homemade!
My family loves this hot pepper jelly recipe. We have it over cream cheese at all of our gatherings.
It also makes a great glaze for a pork tenderloin, hot wings, or salmon.
Homemade is the best. I hate it when we run out of our homemade jars and have to put out the store-bought stuff. It is never as good.
While there are a few steps and it is a little time consuming, the Hot Pepper Jelly is pretty easy to make.
Follow these steps and to learn how to make your own homemade hot pepper jelly. Be sure to make extra, this Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly is great for gifts.
*This post contains affiliate links.
What canning supplies do you need?
To make this pepper jelly, you need the following canning supplies:
- A canning pot. If you do not have a canning pot, you can order: Roots & Branches VKP1130 Harvest Stainless Steel Multi-Use Canner with Temperature Indicator, Holds 7 Quart Jars, 20 Quart Liquid Capacity
- A canning set: jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, wide mouth funnel, and bubble measurer. If you do not have a set, you can order: Norpro Canning Set (6 Pieces), Green
- Jars, screw bands, and lids. You can find these in the canning section of your grocery store, or order here: Ball Mason 8oz Quilted Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12
Step by Step Tutorial
Follow these steps to make delicious pepper jelly!
- Wash your jars and screw bands.
- Next, sterilize jars and screw bands in boiling water to kill off any germs and bacteria.
- Set your jars and screw bands to dry in a clean area.
- Finely chop your peppers.
- Add your peppers to a large pan over high heat.
- Mix in vinegar and fruit pectin.
- Stir constantly and let it reach to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove from heat.
- At this point, you want to add sugar. Stir well and put it back on high heat, continually stirring. Let it reach to a rolling boil and boil one minute.
- Remove from heat. Skim off all foam.
- Ladle jelly into 8oz jars filling to ¼in from the top.
- Cover with flat lids and screw on screw bands tightly.
- Place jars into canner. Water should cover jars completely. Water should be hot, but not boiling.
- Bring water to boil and process 5 minutes. Pull jars out and cool. *NOTE* If you live in a high altitude, you will need to adjust processing time. Here is a chart.
- You will start hearing a popping noise as the jars seal. When jars are completely cooled, check seals by pressing centers of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
Pepper Jelly Tips
Cooking Tip: Scoop one ladle of pepper jelly in each jar to evenly distribute peppers before completely filling each jar. The peppers rise to the top. If you do not evenly distribute them, you will have no peppers left for the last jars.
Cooking Tip: If you do not want your Pepper Jelly hot, substitute jalapeños with red bell peppers. If you want a spicier jelly, use a hotter pepper. I used red jalapeños for this batch.
How do you know if your jelly is set?
Try the "Plate Test." Put a plate in a freezer for 15 minutes or more. When you think your jelly is ready, remove it from the heat. Drop a spoonful of the jelly on the plate.
Let it cool for a few minutes. Using a dry, clean finger, run your finger down the center of the jelly. If it remains divided, it is set! If it forms back together, it needs to cook a few minutes longer. Here are some more tips to ensure a set jelly.
How to Save a Runny Jelly
You can make a jelly the same exact way and have one batch that is perfect, while another batch is a runny mess.
Different factors can mess up a jelly from the size of a pan, altitude, more liquid in the peppers....
This Pepper jelly will not have the same firmness or texture as a store bought "Welches" jelly. It will be more soft and a little runny. However it should set and firm. If yours does not, read these tips on how to save a runny jelly.
How long is the Shelf Life?
Stored pepper jelly in a cool, dark space such as a pantry will have an 18 month to 2 year shelf life.
Once your pepper jelly is opened, it should last 6 months to a year in the refrigerator.
If you like this recipe, check out:
- Pickled Hot Serrano Peppers
- Fire and Ice Pickles
- Homemade Jalapeno Salt
- Fresh Hot Jalapeño and Garlic Relish
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce
*Disclosure: I held the jar lifter upside down when I was videoing. I did not know at the time I was doing it incorrectly. That was a mistake on my part. Do not grip the jar lifter on the same side I was using.
Leave a comment and tell me what you think!
Please leave me a comment below if you make this pepper jelly and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your jelly on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Deliciously Easy Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped and seeded Red Bell Pepper
- 1 cup finely chopped and seeded Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 ¼ cup finely chopped and seeded Green Bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped and seeded Jalapeño
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1.75 oz package powdered pectin
- 5 cups sugar
- 6 8oz canning jars
Instructions
- Sterilize six 8oz canning jars and lids in boiling water.
- Place 1 ½ cup finely chopped and seeded Red Bell Pepper, 1 cup finely chopped and seeded Yellow Bell Pepper, 1 ¼ cup finely chopped and seeded Green Bell pepper, and ¼ cup finely chopped and seeded Jalapeño in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Mix in 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1.75 oz powder fruit pectin.
- Stir constantly. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat.
- Add 5 cups of sugar and place back on high heat. Return to a rolling boil for one minute.
- Remove from heat. Skim off any foam from top.
- Ladle jelly evenly into sterile jars, filling to ¼ inch from top of jar. Cover with flat lids and screw on screw bands tight.
- Place jars into canner with hot water that is not boiling. Water should completely cover jar. Cook on high heat to reach a boil. Process for 5 minutes,
- Remove from heat.
- When jars are completely cooled, check seals by pressing centers of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
Don
Ive made this recipe twice now and I have to say its absolutely the BEST jelly I have ever eat.! Hands down.!! When it comes to the pectin, I use the liquid surgel & it turns out just fine.! I usually follow directions to a T all but the pectin. I use 2 pouches per 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, the peppers, & sugar. Comes out BOMB every single time. (:
Lisa
Love, love and a simple recipe as well
Judy
I made this today super easy and turned out perfect. I used 6 Tablespoons of Hoosier Hill Farm fruit pectin instead of the more expensive SJell worked great. We love pepper jelly to dip our egg rolls in it and it is good in meatloaf.
Lisa Linton-Jaasund
Excellent recipe. I’ve made it a bunch of times. Once I added cranberries for cranberry-pepper jelly! Delish!!!
Chef Martin
Great recipe! but I like a little more bite to it. So I used habanaros instead of jalapenos . Highly recommended this perfectly balanced recipe.
Shannon Link
Absolutely delicious! Easy and so pretty and good
Katie Crenshaw
I honestly don't know. I only make it this way.
Grace
Amazing flavour!!!!!! Friends and family keep on asking for more. Great on everything.
Marjorie
How would this taste if I add another fruit such as cherries? Any other ideas for added ingredients?
Mackenzie
Is this recipe for a low or high sugar powdered pectin? I have a package of sure gel low sugar and some pamonas pectin, wondering if either of these will work?
Michael Healan
I have made this recipe several times and added 6 ghost peppers. It is hot but not too hot. People love it. I have made 5 batches this year and it is almost gone!!
Pat
This recipe was super easy great for beginners. The flavor is out of this world it literally is the best tasting jam I have made yet. My only problem was I like super hot food and I even substituted with some habanero’s and it still wasn’t hot enough for me but that is a personal preference.so I will definitely be using this recipe again because I absolutely loved it thank you for sharing.I highly recommend this recipe.
Tasha
Has anyone made it with honey and not sugar? Wondering if it will set differently and how much honey to add?
Katie Crenshaw
I would think it would turn out hot. If you like hot, go for it. If you do not, I would not add them.
Betty Warren
I have an abundance of the red Chile peppers. Can I de-seed a cup of these chopped and use them? Will they be too hot?
Linda
I made 3 batches! This year was my first attempt and the recipe was easy to follow. I’m experimenting with turning my jars upside down as they cool to distribute the peppers as they jelly sets. I also used 4 oz jars to give as gifts.
Jenifer Linthicum
This recipe is delicious! I only made one change and that was using 1/2 cup of jalepeno peppers and only 1 cup of green peppers. I wanted it to have a bit more heat. It tastes like what my grandma used to make so it's going in the canning binder for future use. Thanks for a great recipe!
Katie Crenshaw
I have never seen pectin crystals at my local stores. However, from what I can find online, you would use it the same as powdered pectin.