Jalapeño Jelly {a.k.a. Hot Pepper Jelly}
Get this delicious and simple recipe for jalapeño jelly (a.k.a. hot pepper jelly) plus a helpful step-by-step tutorial on canning the jelly.
This jalapeño jelly is is incredible. Sweet and spicy (the heat level is totally in your control), it is heavenly over cream cheese and served on crackers.
How to Make Jalapeño Jelly
The process for making hot pepper or jalapeño jelly at home is simple!
First, start with peppers.
For this recipe, you can use any combination of bell peppers and jalapeños to equal 3 cups (about 18-20 ounces) of finely chopped peppers.
My preferred combination of peppers is:
- 1 to 2 medium or 1 very large red bell pepper (weighing about 9 to 10 ounces before coring and seeding)
- 1 to 2 medium or 1 very large green bell pepper (weighting about 9 to 10 ounces before coring and seeding)
- 10 medium jalapeños (weighing about 12 to 13 ounces before coring and seeding)
How to Adjust the Spiciness of Jalapeño Jelly
The number of jalapeños and whether the seeds/membranes are removed will affect the spiciness of the jelly.
I leave the seeds/membranes in 3 to 4 of the jalapeño peppers for medium heat. Adjust as needed for spicy/less spicy jelly.
Finely chop all the peppers and then measure. I use a food processor fitted with the blade or fine shredder attachment. It makes the chopping super quick and easy!
Using Liquid Pectin vs. Powdered Pectin
The original recipe for this jalapeño jelly called for liquid pectin (those instructions are still included below!).
However, after a decade of making this jelly and reading hundreds of your comments, I have also included directions for using powdered pectin in place of the liquid pectin.
Many reports, including my own experience, conclude that the jelly sets up better and more consistently using powdered pectin.
In my experience, using two full boxes of powdered pectin results in a firm set jelly. For a softer set jelly, experiment with using less powdered pectin (1 1/2 boxes or less). Do NOT use low sugar or sugar free pectin.
The cooking method varies slightly for liquid pectin vs powdered pectin, so make sure to read through the recipe thoroughly to understand which method you should use.
How to Process and Can Jalapeño Jelly
After the jelly has cooked, fill each jar within 1/4-inch of the top. Wipe around the rim of the jar to clean off any jelly and then top with a canning lid and ring.
Jalapeño jelly can be processed and canned with a water bath canner or a steam bath canner.
Below the recipe, you’ll see a full tutorial for water bath canning.
These days I always use a steam bath canner (approved by the NCHFP).
Process the jelly for 10 minutes, adding additional time for elevation, if needed (it is recommended to add an additional 5 minutes for every 3,000 feet elevation).
Once the jelly has processed, carefully remove to the counter to cool completely and allow the lids to pop/seal.
How to Serve Jalapeño Jelly
This jalapeño jelly (or hot pepper jelly, whatever you want to call it) is sweet, spicy and tangy, and is delicious served over cream cheese and spread on crackers.
It also makes a tasty topping for panini or other sandwiches, and is delicious on a charcuterie board.
We always serve it on New Year’s Eve for our traditional appetizer spread, and it is often the first thing devoured.
Commonly Asked Questions About Jalapeno Jelly
You can alter the ingredients of the jelly if you are planning to refrigerate or freeze the jelly. However, if you want to can the jelly so it is shelf stable, it is recommended not to alter the ingredients as it can affect the acidity levels and possibly make it unsafe for canning.
Yes, other types of peppers can be subbed in for the bell peppers and jalapeños, such as anaheim, habanero and serrano peppers.
It is not recommended to pressure can jalapeño jelly – the texture and taste can be affected because of the longer heating time/higher pressure.
Home Canning Resources and Tips
I almost always can this jalapeno jelly in small batches using a steam canner (which is approved by the NCHFP). It’s so easy and the cleanup is a breeze!
Other Helpful Comments
Diana: I make this every year and gift it for Christmas. My entire family loves it. ❤️ Thank you for taking the guess work out of holiday shopping! Every year I have to add more jalapeño plants. If you like it a little hotter, try adding a couple of Serrano peppers, but not too many, they bring the heat.
Dave: I have made this recipe about 5 times. On a scale of one to ten I would give it a 15. I went with the chop the peppers pretty small with a knife and did not use a blender. The only problem I have with making this recipe is the jars of Jam (not Jelly) go very fast. Everybody who has tried it wants more. I have about 35 pepper plants in my garden, so I use a variety of peppers along with the Jalapenos. I am very happy with the results and plan on making more in the future. Thanks Mel!
Deb: I used 1/2 pint jars and each batch made about 5-6 jars. I also used red and yellow/orange peppers, as either the store didn’t have green or I had a brain malfunction!! I made this last year and gave away many jars. People loved it and so do I! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Leslie: Delicious and super easy to make! I have been making this recipe for the last four years and friends and family rave about it. It is delicious and soooo addicting! I’ve shared this recipe over and over. I like more texture to the jelly, so I chop up 4.5 red and orange bell peppers (rather than the two peppers in the recipe). Because we grow habanero and jalapeño peppers, I’ve used this recipe to make both both versions and combined the peppers to make jalapeño-habanero pepper jelly too. This recipe is the best, thank you so much for your work on this and sharing it!
Jalapeño Jelly {a.k.a. Hot Pepper Jelly}
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper (see note)
- 1 large green bell pepper (see note)
- 10 jalapeños (see note)
- 1 ½ cups white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5-6 cups granulated sugar
- 3-ounce pouch liquid fruit pectin or two boxes (1.75 ounces each) powdered pectin – NOT low sugar or sugar free pectin
Instructions
- Clean and sterilize canning jars according to manufacturer's directions.
- Finely chop the bell peppers and jalapeños in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or using the fine shredder attachment, or finely chop the peppers by hand. Drain excess liquid from the peppers before proceeding (this helps ensure the jelly will set up).
- For liquid pectin: to a 5- or 6-quart pot, add the peppers, vinegar, salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the liquid pectin and boil at a rolling boil (that can't be stirred down) for 1 more minute. Remove the pot from the heat.
- For powdered pectin: to a 5- or 6-quart pot, add the peppers, vinegar, salt and powdered pectin. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Boil at a rolling boil (that can't be stirred down) for 1 full minute. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Pour jelly to within 1/4-inch of the top of prepared canning jars. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean rag. Place a lid and ring on each jar.
- Process in a water bath or steam bath canner for 10 minutes adding additional time for elevation, if needed (see note).
- Remove from the canner and let sit on the counter until fully cooled and lids have popped/sealed.
Notes
-1 to 2 medium or 1 very large red bell pepper (weighing about 9 to 10 ounces before coring and seeding)
-1 to 2 medium or 1 very large green bell pepper (weighting about 9 to 10 ounces before coring and seeding)
-10 medium jalapeños (weighing about 12 to 13 ounces before coring and seeding) I leave the seeds/membranes in 3 to 4 of the jalapeño peppers for medium heat. Adjust as needed for spicy/less spicy jelly. Finely chop the peppers and then measure 3 medium-packed cups (weighing 18 to 20 ounces). Setting Up: if jelly isn’t setting up, it could be due to several issues including pectin (type or not enough) and water content in the peppers. Liquid: After the peppers are shredded in step #1, drain off any extra liquid before adding the peppers to the pot. Pectin: the original recipe called for liquid pectin (and the recipe still includes details to use liquid pectin). However, I’ve also included instructions for using powdered pectin – many reports, including my own experience, conclude that the jelly sets up better and more consistently using powdered pectin. In my experience, using two full boxes of powdered pectin results in a firm set jelly. For a softer set jelly, experiment with using less powdered pectin (1 1/2 boxes or less).
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Recipe Source: from my Aunt Marilyn
Recipe originally posted July 2014; updated August 2023 with new recipe notes/photos/tutorial, etc.
How to Make Jalapeno Jelly
Make sure to check out the notes in the recipe about draining excess liquid from the peppers before using in order to help the jelly set up properly!
Canning Jalapeno Jelly
Below is a step-by-step guide for water bath canning this jalapeno jelly. More recently, I use a steam bath canner, but the basic principles are the same for the jars and timing.
It made 9 1/2 pint jars. I used liquid pectin, which gives it the perfect jam consistency. Thank you for helping me use up an overabundance of garden jalapenos.
Incredibly easy and delicious recipe, a fan favorite. I have so many peppers and have made this jelly a few times this season. Tried it first leaving seeds in half of the peppers and the next batches left them all in. Easily blended them, instead of chopping, lots of liquid to remove, along with a couple bell peppers and each batch has been tasty. Thank you for all the tips along the way, too. I didn’t see much difference between the liquid pectin and powdered pectin, but used powdered for most of it. Cheers!
Thanks, Patricia!
Can I double or triple this recipe ?
Yes, but often canning recipes (especially jams and jellies) have issues setting up if they are increased too much (I’ve doubled it before but never tripled).
Instead of canning….what about freezing?? Thoughts? Concerns? Discuss.
Yes, freezing works great. Upon thawing, the sauce is slightly grainy/liquidy, but after reheating and/or stirring, it comes together fine.
What if low sugar pectin is all you have?
I haven’t made this recipe with low sugar pectin, so I don’t know how it would work out – sorry!
I have made this before and loved it. However, I had a senior moment and confused which pectin needed sugar before or after and I put the sugar in first and the powdered pectin after. I have it ready to reprocess. Should I use powered or liquid to reprocess since the sugar is in already? I have both available. How much should I use? I made two separate batches initially and all of it i is now one pot. I can divide if necessary. Thank you for your site and any advice you can give.
Hi Linda, sorry for the delay in responding. Did you end up reprocessing? I usually reprocess with liquid pectin, but I think you can use either.
Delicious, set nice and firm. Next time I’ll use 1 1/2 boxes of pectin, and a little more jalapeño. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello! I made the jelly last night. How much should it shift in the jar when the jar is tilted? Trying to gauge if it is setting up correctly.
A soft set jelly will have some movement as the jar is tipped while a firmer set jelly won’t move at all when tipped.
I’ve made this for years. I use 2-3 green bells and 12+ jaleps. I cook it for 30-40 minutes, depending on the water content of the peppers. I also don’t water bath these, I sterilize the jars and ladle the SCALDING mixture into the hot jars. I’ve never had a problem, and I’ve literally been making this for over 15 years.
Patricia continued:
I also only used 5 cups sugar. Could that be a problem too?
Easy to make but did not set during canning process. Used liquid pectin, have powdered, how much should I add if I boil it all again? Or should I wait to see if it sets as it cools?
Thank you for the recipe, lost my original one, so first time using yours.
You can wait to see if it sets up after it rests a bit. Otherwise, you can reprocess with powdered pectin using the amount of powdered pectin in the ingredients list.
What brand of liquid pectin do you use? And is one pouch equal to 3 ounces?
Certo brand, and yes, one pouch is 3 ounces.
Perfect everytime, thank you for including the powdered pectin. I also don’t drain my peppers an i use all jalapeno. If color isn’t green enough I will drop some green food color in. Always sets up perfect. Thanks again
I made this jelly this year 2024 , but I wanted a little more heat. So I added from my garden about
3-4 ghost peppers, boy did those ghosts heat it up, but oh so delicious and definitely hot, hot , hot.
What great instructions, helpful even to a novice! I made this last year and gave away so many jars that I ran out of it for our family! Now, THAT was a crisis! It is so good that I don’t know why, but I could just eat a whole jar with a spoon, and I’m not a sweet freak. I used 5 c sugar, no ribs or seeds from jalapeños, but some seeds from the bell peppers for interest. It is the perfect balance of hot and sweet. Oh, and I didn’t note your site (just figured I’d remember🤪) so it took me awhile to find the recipe again—YUMMMM!!!
The first batch I made was perfection! It set perfectly and flavor was perfect.
The second batch I made did not set, can I reprocess it and add more pectin? If so how do I do it and how much pectin?
I used I liquid pectin for both batches btw but I do have powder at home
Yes, generally speaking, jelly that doesn’t set can be reprocessed. Usually it involves bringing the jelly back to a boil and adding more pectin (following package directions on the amount of time it needs to boil after adding the new pectin).
So I messed up and added the pectin with the sugar ugg. HELP. it is not setting up can I salvage it? Thank you very much!
It may take quite a while for it to set up, so you may try letting it sit after canning to see if it works. If not, you can reprocess the jelly with additional pectin (don’t add more sugar) and see if that helps it set up.
I doubled this recipe and it only made 5.5 pints….I did squeeze the juice out REALLY WELL – perhaps too well, that’s why it made so little? I also used jalapenos, habaneros, shishitos, fresnos and hot banana, and cajun bells instead of green and red bells. I will try another batch and leave some of the liquid in. This tastes great!
I have never made jalapeño jelly before, but this recipe was straight forward and delicious! Thank you, we are loving it!
I made this and followed the recipe exactly for using the Certo liquid pectin. I canned eight 8 ounce jars. It never turned to jelly, totally liquid. Can I do anything to save them?
You can try reprocessing using powdered pectin. It really depends on the type of peppers used and the water content in the peppers.
My third year following your recipe and tips! I never knew how much I would jalapeno jam! Thank you! (I love your salsa recipes too!)
Hi! Can I use a baking sugar substitute such as Splenda instead of regular sugar?
I haven’t tried that – not sure how well splenda works in canning. Might be worth a google search to check for reliable info.
Excellent and super easy! I can make it in less than an hour including prepping the jars and lids.
On the list to make this week.
I love this recipe❤️
I would like to make jalapeno jam with honey. 1 lb jalapenos and 2 cups berries, apple cider vinegar and honey with pectin. Will it set good?
Hi Denice, I haven’t tried subbing honey and making those other adjustments. Changing the recipe can alter canning safety, so it isn’t recommended unless it is a tested recipe.
Cooked it exactly like I was told and my jelly was as runny as could be. Had to put it all back into the pot and recook it to salvage it.
The jelly is tasty. A few questions though:
1. I have made this recipe at least 4 times now, making only half the recipe, as I’m a one-person household in a small space with no room to store a lot of jars. (I make other things too.) The yield is a tad over 1 pint–every time. Is there a misprint online? Half of 4 pints is 2 pints…
2. How do you get the pepper bits distributed evenly in the jar? All the pepper bits float to the top, and virtually none in the bottom half. I ‘m reluctant to open and stir as the jars cool, because it would break the air-tight “seal”. I assume this would be unsafe for cupboard storage?!
Thanks for your reply.
This recipe yields right at 4 pint jars when I make it (which is consistent with the total cups of ingredients in the recipe – 3 cups peppers, 1 1/2 cups vinegar, 5 cups sugar). If your yield is less for a half batch, it might be due to using less peppers? Are you using liquid or powdered pectin? Also the mixture could reduce a bit if left to simmer longer than stated in the recipe. My peppers often also float to the top. I usually just give the jelly a good stir after opening before serving.
Although I haven’t made this recipe yet, it is very similar to a recipe I have made. In that recipe they recommended turning the jar upside down for 30 minutes to prevent the peppers floating to the top. The tip worked perfectly. Hope this helps!
I will love to know what can I do, because my jelly become to much thick, I follow the recipe with a powder pectin… is there anyway to make all my jars less thick? I have around 20 jalapeño jelly made, I don’t want to lose all this jalapeños. Thank you in advance!
Hi Mimi – are you wanting to reprocess the current jars of jelly? If so, you could try cooking it again and thinning with a bit of water. I don’t know how much to suggest as I haven’t tried it – googling “how to fix too thick jam” might turn up some helpful suggestions.
My first time making it. I followed the recipe exactly. I gave them away for Christmas presents and had many requests for more! I used Certo pectin in my first batch and it was very good. I used Sure Jell powdered pectin in my second batch and I thought it was prettier using the same peppers. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
If I am planning to make refrigerator jelly and not can it, do I just put the lids on, wait for the jelly to cool down in the jars on the counter and then refrigerate?
Please advise.
Thank you!
Natasha
Yes, I think that should work just fine! I haven’t tried it that way myself to know how it will set up, but it’s worth experimenting to see.
Can you use apple cider vinegar instead?
It will change the flavor, but yes, you can sub in another kind of vinegar.