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.
This is not a jelly, it is a JAM – it has pieces in it. Jellies are made frontage juice and therefore are clear without pieces.
Your caption says Jelly
Instead of Jams maybe that’s why they are confused
Love pepper jelly, and my grandkids eat it with chicken nuggets. I send it to my grandson in the army, but his has to be hotter then what the rest of us like, so I use whatever really hot peppers I can find at the market, along with the jalapeno and bells. I’m about to make some right now and will try your recipe. I’m pretty excited about trying this. Thank you.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe, it has made me quite popular amongst my pepper jelly loving friends, they all say it is the best pepper jelly they’ve ever had. It’s so pretty, so easy and so tasty, I cannot make it fast enough.
This made my day Laura! We’re heading into hot pepper jam making season, so perfect timing.
Sue. I just made your wonderful jelly. You so deserve such wonderful comments!,
What a lovely way to end the day, thanks Wendy!
Thanks, Sue. I made this jelly and have so say I love it. I followed recipe to the “T” with the exception of the amount of jalapeno’s and it turned out perfect. I reduced it to four peppers and it was still pretty spicy. It could have just been the peppers. I believe next time, I will remove the seeds. This will be a future favorite.
You’re so welcome, John, I’m glad it was a hit!
I made 2 batches of this last night and can’t tell you how proud I am of the results!!! So very easy and I got 12 half pint jars. My husband is gone to the store now for more jalapenos and Sure Jell so that I can use up the rest of our late bell pepper harvest. I used a mixture of our bells and banana peppers along with the jalapenos. I put 1 jar in the refrigerator for us but I canned the rest and plan to use for Christmas gifts. Thanks again for such an easy, great tasting recipe!!!!
I’m so excited for you Laura, I think it makes it so much more special that you used your own peppers!
Can you use diced frozen peppers?
Hmmmm, I’m not sure. I mean, I guess there’s no reason why not.
I’ve always loved pepper jellies and cream cheese. This recipe was my first attempt at making it. Very easy and turned out fantastic! Very pretty also. Thank you!
I’m so glad Dee, I am a fanatic about hot pepper jellies, I make them all the time, and can’t resist a new one when I see it at the store, either.
I have about 10+ lbs of jalepenos, and a few misc sweet/hot peppers I picked before last frost. If I make this it’s going to be so much it will need to be canned. Do you have any additional info on hot water bath canning this recipe in jelly jars?
I’d really like to try your recipe but I’m confused about the measurements. Can you give the amount of peppers required in cups?
Thank you!
…Joanne
I just finished making a batch of this wonderful jelly! First time in all my years I have ever made pepper jelly. The recipe is perfect! I followed it exactly (other than I did add a pinch of kosher salt) and the jelly turned out perfect! I used 2 bell peppers, one red, one yellow. They were very big! And I did only use 4 large jalapenos since children would be eating this also. It thickened beautifully, and all the lovely pepper pieces are suspended in the jelly. I wish you could see it! The color is a beautiful deep orangish amber. I followed the advice of another commenter and after I processed my bell peppers I put them in a colander lined with paper towels and let them drain for a couple minutes and then squeezed a lot of the liquid out of them. I think this gave my jelly the beautiful color and the perfect jelly consistency. But who knows, could just be beginners luck! Either way, this is some delicious jelly that will grace a wheel of brie. BTW, I got exactly 5 cups from the recipe. One is in my fridge, and the other 4 went into the freezer. Love that I can freeze them. Thanks Sue for this wonderful, easy, delicious recipe!
Thank YOU Karen for your detailed feedback, it’s so helpful to everybody! I hope you’ve tried my newest hot pepper jelly, just out this week ~ my Rosé Wine Hot Pepper Jelly!
I made mine with equal parts jalapeño, hot cherry, and Hungarian hot peppers, and three ghost peppers thrown in for good measure 🙂 Ended up having to add more pectin to get it to gel, but soooo happy with the result!
Oh gosh, I’d love to try that Mike!