Easy Hot Pepper Jelly is a colorful sweet-hot pepper jelly with no canning required ~ just make it, chill it, and keep it in the refrigerator. It’s incredible with cheese and crackers, on charcuterie boards, and in sandwiches.
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Hot pepper jelly is a sweet-hot refrigerator jelly packed with colorful peppers and jalapeños. Spoon it over cream cheese or goat cheese and you’ve got one of the easiest appetizers I know.
What readers are saying
🌶️ I give it as gifts to my friends and they love it! It’s great on wings and pork. I also use it with fried fish and shrimp. Yum!!
🌶️ Amazing jelly with crackers and cream cheese!
🌶️ Super easy to make and Delicious! I also froze about 10 jars to pull out later and it still tasted amazing!
🌶️ Everyone wants a jar after posting on social media!
Why I love this hot pepper jelly
The peppers stay colorful and fresh because they aren’t cooked to death. Once the mixture boils, the final cook is just a minute after adding the pectin.
I use both jalapeños and sweet bell peppers, so you get plenty of pepper flavor along with the heat. Choose a mix of red, yellow, orange, or green bells ~ the more colorful the peppers, the prettier your jelly.
Best of all, a jar in the fridge means you’re always about two minutes away from an appetizer: spoon it over a block of cream cheese or soft goat cheese and add crackers.
How hot do you want your pepper jelly?
Jalapeños can vary quite a bit in heat, so every batch will be a little different. My recipe uses plenty of colorful sweet bell peppers along with the jalapeños, which gives the jelly its pretty confetti look and keeps the heat from being overwhelming.
For a milder jelly, remove the seeds along with the pale inner ribs and membranes before chopping your jalapeños. For more heat, leave them in.
You can also experiment with hotter peppers like serranos or habaneros, but remember ~ a little habanero goes a long way.
Wear gloves when working with hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes or face.
A note about the pectin
Pectin isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different types are formulated to work with different amounts of sugar and different methods, so use the exact type of pectin called for in the recipe rather than substituting another variety.
Use SURE-JELL Less or No Sugar Needed Pectin for this recipe. This jelly uses considerably less sugar than most traditional pepper jellies, and I find this pectin gives me the most reliable set.
To stop those pesky pepper bits from floating
You just need to work around the gel setting and keep them from bobbing to the top. Big brands use fancy industrial chillers to freeze everything in place, but you can get that same perfect, store-bought look at home with two quick tricks:
The Jar Flip: About 20 to 30 minutes after your jars come out of the water bath, gently flip them upside down for 10 minutes, then turn them right-side up again. This mixes the peppers back through the jar right as the gel sets up for good.
Cool & Stir: After pulling your pot off the stove, let the jelly sit for 5 to 7 minutes. Give it a gentle stir right before ladling into jars. This lets the pectin start thickening up in the pot so it catches the peppers before they ever hit the jar.
My favorite ways to serve hot pepper jelly
The classic is still my favorite: hot pepper jelly + cream cheese + crackers.
I love to place a small jar of it on a charcuterie board, cheese plate, or antipasto platter, next to some soft goat cheese, Brie, or sharp cheddar.
It wakes up a plain turkey sandwich, and if you haven’t had a grilled cheese and hot pepper, you’re missing out.
Don’t overlook it as a gift ~ the jewel-like color makes a jar of pepper jelly especially pretty.
Refrigerator and freezer storage
This is a refrigerator jelly, not a water-bath canning recipe. Let the jelly cool, cap the jars, and store them in the refrigerator. It will last 2-3 weeks.
For longer storage, freeze the jelly, leaving some room at the top of the container for expansion.
If you’re looking for shelf-stable pepper jelly, use a recipe that has been specifically tested for water-bath canning.
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Easy Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 8 jalapeño peppers
- 12 oz assorted colorful bell peppers, weighed after trimming
- 2 cups white vinegar (or cider vinegar)
- 3 cups sugar
- 1.75 ounce box SURE-JELL Less or No Sugar Needed Pectin
Instructions
- Wash the jalapenos and trim the stem end off. For a milder jelly, remove the seeds and pale inner ribs. I recommend using the whole peppers, seeds and all. Give them a rough chop and then pulse them in the food processor until they are finely minced. Be careful, the fumes will be strong, and make sure to wash your hands well after working with hot peppers. Put the peppers into a heavy bottomed pot.
- Wash and trim the bell peppers, and remove the inner ribs and seeds. Give them a rough chop and pulse them in a food processor until finely minced. You may want to do this in batches, because I find you get a more even chop if you don’t crowd the bowl. Add the bell peppers to the pot with the jalapenos.
- Add the vinegar and sugar to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a full rolling boil, then add the pectin. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Ladle the hot jelly into clean jars and let cool. Cap and refrigerate. The jelly will thicken as it cools and even more as it chills.”
- If your pepper bits float to the top, you can give the jelly an occasional stir as it cools to distribute them more evenly.
- Serve with plenty of creamy goat or cream cheese, and crackers or grilled slices of baguette.
- Your jelly will last 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, and can be frozen for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
More hot pepper jellies to try
Apple Hot Pepper Jelly
Sweet and spicy apple pepper jelly is irresistible with cream cheese and crackers, and makes a thoughtful host gift, too!
Extra Hot Pepper Jelly
Extra hot pepper jelly is a versatile condiment for hot pepper lovers, it livens up everything from charcuterie platters to grilled cheese!
Rosé Wine Hot Pepper Jelly
Rosé Wine Hot Pepper Jelly ~ a simple sweet/hot wine jelly that turns cheese and crackers into a gourmet experience. This pretty homemade hot pepper jelly makes a unique host gift!
My Favorite Hot Pepper Jelly Recipes
Summer is hot pepper jelly making season, and there’s a jackpot of hot peppers in the farmers markets and grocery stores right now ~ maybe your garden is exploding with them! Cook up some of these sweet and spicy hot pepper jellies to enjoy now, and stash some away for fall and holiday entertaining.
Sweet Hot Red Pepper Jam
My easy red pepper jam is everybody's favorite appetizer. Perfect as a condiment or glaze, this festive jam also makes a great holiday gift.
Does this jelly need to be refrigerated until it is served OR
just until it is fully set?
Unless you can it, the jelly needs to be kept in the refrigerator Rosaline.
I am iced in and can get to store. I want to make this jelly but only have aapple cider vinegar. Will that work?
Yes, that should work fine Teresa, enjoy!
Hello! I’m excited to try this recipe, I have huge mixture of hot peppers from my garden this year. Just wondering how long it is good for in the refrigerator? I plan on giving with gifts this holiday season and want to make sure it stays good. Thanks!
Conservatively it should be good for 2 weeks, or more, Adrien, but it does freeze well, and you can can it if you like.
Thanks! I’ve never really been a canning person either. Would you suggest I wait for the jelly to completely cool before capping and then seal by canning? Or cap and seal right away then allow to cool?
If you boil the filled jelly jars “a bath” once they are all filled and closed well, put them in a deep pot, fill water to about 1″ over the jars, boil 10 min. take them out and let them sit on counter if the center of the jars pop in and stay in then you can keep them in your pantry like regular jelly from the store.
Place a dish towel on bottom of pot when water bath and look up water bath times to get a feel for times. I use and water bath mine for 35 minutes. Have fun and good luck
LOVE your recipe! I made a double batch today to use up the orange and green peppers we had in the garden. I am making a few more batches tomorrow it turned out so well and easy! I had seen recipes before for pepper jelly and thought it was intimidating and passed them all over. These are going to make cute holiday gifts for friends, family & my son’s teachers.
Thank you SO much for coming back to let me (us!) know, Michelle. I felt the same way about all the intimidating instructions on some jelly recipes, and I’m really glad this one worked for you.
2 things…Can I use honey instead of sugar or the pectin? and Do I have to do a have to the hot water bath? I am an advisor to a childrens Garden Club at our school and we have an hour to get things done. After reading though the comments and seeing other recipes, if I made a peach hot pepper jam with honey and the fruit it might do well. Ive seen recipes that use apples instead of the pectin.
What are your thoughts?
I’m really not sure, Edith, I’ve never used honey in a jelly like this before. You definitely need the pectin in order for the whole thing to jell, and you will need the low sugar pectin, in the pink box. Not sure about the apples, I know they have natural pectin, but maybe not enough to create a jelly like this.
I tried this and the jelly never set….. It has been in the fridge nearly 24 hours. Any suggestions?
Hi Greg — did you use the pectin in the pink box, made for low sugar? That’s essential.
Yellow box
Can this be salvaged?
I’ve heard you can reheat the jelly up to a boil and add more pectin and it will jell. Food in Jars says: Open all the jars back up. Set heat to high and begin to bring the jam to temperature. Whisk in one tablespoon of powdered pectin as it heats. Cook vigorously until jam appears visibly thickened
Too late now, I’m sure, but I used the Ball low/no sugar pectin which is also different (oops) and managed to remake mine successfully. Experience at: http://artofnaturalliving.com/2017/03/19/hot-pepper-jelly-plus-surprise-syrup-oops/
I made this tonight using the correct pectin. Mine is not setting either.
Sometimes this happens with all jams and jellies, Beth ~ try removing it from the jars, reheating it to a full boil, and stirring in a little more pectin.
Sue. Can I use liquid pectin?
I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure, Nicki. I have the best and most foolproof success with the powdered low sugar pectin in the pink box. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful there, but I know that jelly can be tricky and little alterations can cause it to fail. I don’t want you to be disappointed. Maybe another reader will chime in if they’ve tried this with liquid pectin.
This looks great and i’d love to make it! However I have very limited refrigerator room so I was wondering if any one tried canning this in a water bath. If so, how long in the bath and do you wait for the jelly to cool before putting in the bath or do you put it in the bath immediately after putting in the jars? Thanks!
I’ve never made jelly/jam/preserves/anything of that sort, but I was looking for a way to use up lots of jalepenos in a hurry and found your recipe. I probably used more than 12 oz. of the other peppers, as I threw in a few banana peppers along with the red & orange, but it still turned out great! And I love the golden color (a nice change from the bright green pepper jelly of my Southern childhood). Now to try it out on my supper club tonight …
Thanks for letting me know, Catherine, I love banana peppers, they’re delicious and pretty! Hope your supper club approves…
I made one batch and went by the same recipe and it turned out very good. Sooo I made a second batch and it will nt jell. I don’t know what to do. Can someone help.
water bath with water over jars about 1″ or so for ten minutes, I do 15 minutes. take out and listen for the ping that means lids have sealed.
Can i freeze this jelly?
Yes, it freezes well, Katina.
Perfect! Made 2 batches today! We love it:)
Found this on Pinterest while roaming around looking for something to make and give my friends as gifts for Christmas and I am totally excited to try this!! After reading some of the comments I’m going to try one of those bags of little peppers and use 1/2&1/2 vinegar. I am totally excited to try this!! I will let you know how it turns out. Going shopping tomorrow!! Wheeeeeeeee 🙂
I put the pectin I the boiling mixture but it lumped up. Is there a certain technique? It still jelled well but there were a few lumps of pectin.
Sprinkle the pectin in while stirring, Antoinette, like you might add flour to a gravy. Hope that helps!