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This homemade Pepper Jelly is sweet and spicy. It’s spreadable, and perfect on a cheese plate or charcuterie board. It might just become one of your favorite appetizers ever!
It’s really easy to make, it just takes some time to cook. If you can chop and you can boil something, you can make this pepper jelly. And, it’s really budget friendly!
And, if you find yourself with some leftover pepper jelly, be sure to check out more Ways to Use Pepper Jelly!
This recipe comes from pepper jelly cheese balls via Take Two Tapas. I first shared it in 2020.
I make this pepper jelly recipe with no pectin all the time, and so do many of my readers, so I knew it had to have a space of its own. And it’s a perfect time to share it for Tailgating Snacks Month!
We appreciate your support
Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Tailgating Snacks Month
Happy October! If you’re new here, October is the month that we celebrate all that is yummy snacks!
This is our tenth year doing tailgating snacks month, and I love all the fun that we have doing this event with you guys!
Check out 2022’s tailgating snacks.
What is the difference between pepper jam and pepper jelly?
Ok, so a jam has fruit in it and a jelly is just made from the juice.
So, in all actuality, this should be called pepper jam. But let’s be honest, no one calls it that!
Different recipes will have different peppers, but this recipe calls for a combination of red bell pepper, green bell pepper, jalapeño peppers, as well as ground black pepper, and ground cayenne pepper.
But feel free to customize it to whatever peppers you have. Maybe your garden produced lots of yellow bell peppers or Serrano chilies.
I recommend staying with 2 sweet bell peppers and one or two hot peppers. Though, if you like it really spicy, feel free to up the heat!
I don’t usually can the things I make. We eat them, enjoying them when they’re made.
But if you would like to do so, please follow the instructions from the USDA’s National Center for Home Food Preservation or the official site from the makers of Ball jars.
I have heard from many readers that they can this using a water bath method with no problems.
If you’re the canning type, it will make fantastic holiday gifts.
So, you can make this pepper jelly recipe without canning it, or with canning it if you prefer.
How to serve
If you’re in need of serving inspiration, here are some great ideas:
Make pepper jelly shrimp for dinner. It’s an easy sweet and sour type shrimp.
I love it over roasted salmon! Here’s my recipe on how to roast salmon.
Have you checked out my Pepper jelly cream cheese pinwheels yet? So good!
Try pouring the pepper jelly over a block of softened cream cheese or goat cheese and serve some crackers with it. It makes a really easy appetizer that everyone loves! Kind of like this baked pepper jelly cheese dip recipe.
Serve the pepper jelly on a cheese plate or charcuterie board with some crackers and apple slices.
Spoon it over chicken or tofu for an easy and impressive dinner.
Serve it over ribs, pork roast, lamb burgers, or chicken for a sweet and spicy meaty meal.
I served it at a super bowl party once and it was the most popular thing. Everyone asked for the recipe!
Spread it on a sandwich, especially a grilled cheese sandwich or a burger.
It also makes a festive holiday appetizer.
How to make
Wash and trim the peppers. This includes the bell peppers as well as the jalapenos.
Try to cut off all the white ribs of the bell peppers. They just aren’t that pretty, and won’t add anything to the jelly. Remove all seeds.
Chop the peppers into fairly small pieces.
You can also chop the peppers in the food processor. To do so, give them a rough chop and pulse them in the food processor until finely chopped. You may want to do this in batches, so you don’t crowd the bowl; they will chop more evenly if you don’t crowd the bowl.
Pro tips about working with hot peppers:
First, you can adjust the heat to your preference. It’s easy to customize, just use more or less jalapenos. Use Serrano chiles for more heat. Or, go all out with ghost chiles!
Also, keep in mind that the same kinds of peppers are not always the same heat and spice level. There’s no real way to tell until you taste.
Much of the heat of peppers is in the membranes and seeds. You can keep the white membranes and the seeds of the spicy peppers in the jelly if you wish.
If you want a mild jelly, be sure to remove all the membranes and seeds.
Peppers get hotter as they get older. If the pepper has white lines on the outside and is a bit wrinkled, expect more heat because the pepper is most likely older.
Be sure to wash your hands after working with hot peppers. And don’t touch your nose or eyes after working with the peppers.
Continue making the jelly
Mix all pepper jelly ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until reduced by about ½, making about 2 cups of pepper jelly.
Words of wisdom: Don’t inhale the aromas of the pepper jelly as it cooks. You’ll burn your nose! Also, I like to make this on a day where I can open all the windows and let the vinegar and pepper smells dissipate.
The longer the jelly is allowed to simmer, the thicker it will be.
Allow jelly to cool completely. It will thicken as it cools.
Store the pepper jelly in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I find a {affiliate link} wide mouth canning funnel to be really useful in getting the jelly into the jars.
Troubleshooting: My jelly didn’t set properly
Different things can make a jelly come out differently each time. From the size of a pan to the fact that some peppers have more liquid in them than others. The altitude and the cooking time and heat under the pot will all have an effect.
If you find yourself with a jelly that doesn’t set up or is too thin, simply pop it back on the stove and cook it a bit longer. Even if you already placed it in the fridge.
If your jelly is too thick, stir in a bit of water. You may need to heat it back up to get it to all stir in properly.
I’ve tried to make this jelly in the crock pot, and it has never set properly for me. It seems fairly straight forward, low heat for a few hours. Or maybe high heat for a couple of hours.
But it’s never worked right for me and I always end up popping it back on the stove to finish cooking.
If you try it in the slow cooker and it works for you, please let me know the time and temp you cooked it at.
How to Store Pepper Jelly
Store the pepper jelly in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
For longer storage, keep it in the freezer.
To Freeze: Pour jelly into containers and apply lids securely. Be sure you leave some empty space at the top when filling your jars to allow to expansion in the freezer. Store in freezer for up to 4 months.
When properly canned, the pepper jelly should last for up to one year in a cool, dark place.
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Recipe
Pepper Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 jalapenos seeded, ribs removed, and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground
Instructions
- Mix all pepper jelly ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until reduced by about ½, making about 2 cups of pepper jelly.
- The longer the jelly is allowed to simmer, the thicker it will be.
- Allow jelly to cool completely. It will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Mary Beth (MB)
I love pepper jelly and thank you so much for the recipe. I will make it soon. I love all your recipes and the shrimp and pepper jelly sounds like a must make.
Jules
I’ve always wanted to make pepper jam (jelly) but never got around to it. Once I saw this one, I couldn’t wait and glad I didn’t we loved it. It’s so pretty and went perfectly with our charcuterie board. Thanks for so many helpful tips including not inhaling the aroma!
Kathleen
Wanted to make pepper jelly as neighbor gifts, I need to make another batch because we loved it so much!
Nikki
This pepper jelly is my favorite! I’m making another batch for gifts!