Jalapeno Jelly with cream cheese and crackers. (2024)

Love the sweet and spicy flavor of pepper jelly?

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly is so good. It is my favorite canning recipe. My favorite way to serve this sweet pepper jelly is as an appetizer.

A dollop of jalapeno jelly on a cracker with cream cheese is always a hit.

It is also a great dip for chicken wings, jalapeno poppers and and can also be used as a meat glaze.

This recipe was originally published on June 20, 2010 but has been updated July 1, 2021 with new photos and info.

Basic Canning Supplies Needed

• You will need basic canning supplies such ashalf pint canning jarswith flat lids and rings.
• A large pot to use to hot water bath process the jelly in.
• A large pot to cook the jelly in. I use a 5 quart stainless steel pot.
• Aladleto fill the jars with hot jelly.
• Awide mouth funnelis very helpful and helps keep a mess at bay.
• A wet paper towel to wipe the jar rims clean before placing the flat lid on.
• A jar lifter to place the hot filled jars into the processing pot and to lift the hot jars from the pot after processing.
• A soft dish towel to place the jars on throughout the canning process.

Prep before starting

Always prepare your canning jars and equipment before you start canning.

• Prepare your jars, lids, and hot water bath canner before starting the recipe.
• Heat the half pint jars in a pot of hot water.
• Cut the cap off each jalapeno pepper. Chop the jalapeno peppers finely. A food processor is recommended. Measure the chopped jalapenos and set aside.

Safely handling hot peppers

Always protect your hands, eyes and skin when working with hot peppers.

Gloves should always be worn when cutting or chopping a large number of hot peppers.

• Cut the top off the pouch of pectin and stand it up in a glass within reach of the stove.

Ingredients Needed

You only need four ingredients to make jalapeno pepper jelly. Scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient amounts.

• fresh jalapeno peppers
• whitegranulated sugar
• 5% apple cider vinegar
• Certoliquid pectin
• butter or margarine (optional)

Step by step recipe instructions

The step by step directions to make spicy pepper jelly is below.

Step 1: Measure the sugar and apple cider vinegar and pour into a non reactive canning pot.

Step 2: Add the diced jalapeno peppers to the pot and stir.

Step 3: Heat the ingredients on medium until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Step 4: Increase the heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Step 5: Once the ingredients have come to a rolling boil that can not be stirred down add the liquid pectin to the pot. Stir to mix the pectin in completely. Bring to a rolling boil again.

Step 6: Bring to a rolling boil again and boil for 1 minute exactly.

Step 7: Carefully remove the hot pot of jelly from the burner. Use a spoon to skim any foam off the top of the jelly.

Step 8: Use a large ladle to fill each hot jar with the jam leaving a ¼ inch headspace.

Step 9: Use a damp paper towel to wipe the edge of the jar and treads clean.

Step 10: Place a flat lid on and twist on the band on each jar as you fill it. Put the jar back into the hot water bath pot. Repeat filling all of the jars.

Step 11: Place a lid on the hot water bath canning pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a full boil.

Step 12: Process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.

Step 13: Once done remove the lid and cool for 5 minutes before lifting the jars from the canner and transferring them to a towel on the counter. Cool the jars for 24 hours.

Step 14: Check the lids to make sure you have gotten a proper seal before removing the bands, washing the jars and storing.

Makes 7 half pints of jelly.

Recipe FAQS

Recipe Expert Tips

• Use Caution!!: Always wear gloves when chopping jalapeno peppers. If using a food processor to chop the peppers twist the lid off away from your face and eyes. Or a big puff of capsaicin fumes will get in your eyes and will take your breath away if your face is near the opening.
• How many jalapeno peppers?: It depends on the size of the peppers. About 1 lb. of jalapeno peppers will yield 3 cups of chopped. If you are removing the seeds and spicy membrane you will need about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound of hot peppers.
• Chopping the hot peppers: For years I chopped the hot peppers by hand. If you have afood processoruse it to chop the peppers. It literally takes 2 minutes to chop them using the appliance.
• Hot pepper jelly: The variety of jalapeno peppers you use will determine the spicy heat of the jelly. Leave the jalapeno seeds and membrane in the sliced peppers when you chop them if you like pepper jelly extra hot. If you don't like the extra heat from the peppers remove all the seeds and membrane.
• How to cut down on the foaming: A tablespoon of margarine or butter added to the canning pot will cut down on the amount of foam that will float on top of the jelly. The amount of foam is never the same so if you see alot of foam forming add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of butter to the canning pot. It does not leave any flavor and it really keeps the jelly foam to a minimum.
• What kind of pectin for pepper jelly?: Certoliquid pectinis the recommended pectin for this recipe. I have been making this jelly recipe and using thisliquid pectinfor over 10 years. I have never canned a batch thatdid not set up and gel.

More pepper jelly recipes you'll want to try

If you love sweet hot pepper jelly you can try some of the other pepper jelly recipes I have shared below.

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Check out the Flour On My Face Canning recipe page for all my canning recipes.

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