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spoon in a jar of hot pepper jelly with fresh peppers

Sweet & Spicy Homemade Pepper Jelly

Hot Pepper Jelly is a delicious condiment or topping for vegetables and meat. Serve it over cream cheese for an easy appetizer. You'll love the spicy-sweet flavor profile. A great canning recipe for beginners.
4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Preserves
Cuisine American
Servings 48 servings (2 TBS each)
Calories 108 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup chopped hot peppers
  • cups chopped sweet peppers
  • cups sugar
  • cups vinegar
  • 3 ounces liquid pectin

Instructions
 

  • Wash peppers well. Wearing gloves, coarsely chop the peppers.
  • Grind the chopped peppers in the food processor. You may want to wear a mask to avoid breathing in the fumes.
  • Combine ground peppers, vinegar and sugar in a large, nonreactive stockpot. Bring to a brisk boil, and boil for 3 minutes.
  • Add the liquid pectin to the pan and and boil for 1 minute, stirring so the mixture does not boil over.
  • Remove the pan from heat and skim off any foam. Let pepper jelly set for 5 minutes.
  • Ladle into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a half-inch of head space. Run a chopstick, small spatula or debubbling tool around the inside of each jar to remove any air bubbles.
  • Wipe down the rims of jars before adding lids and rings. Adjust rings to fingertip tight.
  • Transfer jars to a rack in a water bath canner. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
  • Turn off the canner, uncover and the let jars sit for 5 minutes before using a jar lifter to move them to a cooling rack or baking sheet lined with kitchen towels.

Video

Notes

Makes six half-pint jars.

 

Variations

  • To make spicier: Change the ratio of hot peppers to mild peppers, or use hotter peppers.
  • To make milder: Omit the hot peppers altogether or use fewer hot peppers.
  • Red or green pepper jelly: After removing the pepper jelly from the heat, add six drops of red or green food coloring. 
 

Storage

Sealed, unopened jars of homemade pepper jelly can be store in the pantry for up to two years.
After opening, store pepper jelly in the refrigerator and use within three months.
 

High Altitude Adjustments:

If you live at a high altitude, increase processing time by the appropriate amount:  
  • 1001-3000 feet above sea level - increase by 5 minutes
  • 3001-6000 feet above sea level - increase by 10 minutes
  • 6,001- 8,000 feet above sea level increase by 15 minutes
  • 8,001- 10,000 feet above sea level increase by 20 minutes
Adapted from Southern Living

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcalCarbohydrates: 27gPotassium: 12mgSugar: 27gVitamin A: 155IUVitamin C: 7.1mgCalcium: 1mg
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