Sweet Hot Red Pepper Jam

Hot pepper jams and jellies have a cult following, and I’m a card carrying member 🙂

I love hot pepper jelly with crackers and cheese, slathered on a turkey sandwich, as part of a luxe grilled cheese, topping a burger, as a glaze for chicken and fish…the possibilities are boundless. This festive red pepper jam makes the cutest darned holiday gift, too, especially when you put it in pretty Weck jars.

An important difference between making jam and canning jam…

Canning jam can sometimes be tricky, but making jams and jellies is definitely not. People often confuse the two and avoid it entirely, which is such a shame, especially in summer when there is so much fabulous produce out there just begging to be made into jellies and jam.

Making jam

• Making jam is the simple process of cooking down fruit until it becomes thick. It can be done with or without the aid of pectin.
• Pectin is simply a natural substance in fruit that aids thickening. Some fruit, like apples, have more of it. Some fruit, like strawberries, have less. Commercial pectin is a concentrated fruit pectin in a powder or liquid form.
• If you don’t want to use pectin, simply cook down your fruit mixture with whatever sweetener and flavorings you like, until it becomes thick. This happens through evaporation. If you want to be precise, jam sets at 220F, so you can check with a candy making thermometer. (If you live above sea level, subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 feet.)
• Once any  jam is made, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or frozen for up to a year. I make lots of small batch refrigerator jams and I love it because it allows me to experiment with all kinds of flavors and ingredients.
• When you make small batch jam you can experiment at will without worrying about whether it is safe to can.
• For the simplest of all jam making, try my 3 Minute Microwave Jam!

Canning jam

• Canning jam is the process of making it shelf stable through water bath or pressure canning. To safely can jam it has to have a specific ph balance that is acidic enough for safe preservation, so you can’t can all recipes. You should follow recipes from reputable sources, and follow them exactly.
• You need to have all the equipment necessary to do the actual canning, and you need to be able to sterilize your equipment.
• You cannot change or adjust canning recipes, so if you like to get creative with yours, plan to make small batch refrigerator or freezer jams and jellies.

red pepper jam can be made from start to finish in 30 minutes!

A food processor makes quick work of the chopping for this recipe. Pulse your machine rather than running it continuously; this give you control over exactly how fine you want your peppers. Scrape down the sides to get everything evenly chopped. Using all red peppers, both sweet and hot, gives this jam its glorious color.

The combination of both sweet and hot peppers is key to red pepper jam, and it’s that combination, along with the tang of the vinegar, that makes this pepper jam so irresistible.

The hard science of it all: the sugar in the jam triggers the brain’s reward system, while the capsaicin in the peppers creates a mild heat that stimulates pleasure and endorphin release. This balance of sweet and spicy creates a sensory experience that keeps people wanting more!

What you’ll need to make sweet and spicy red pepper jam

• You’ll need a food processor to process the peppers finely and evenly, I love my classic Cuisinart Food Processor, it’s been a workhorse for me.
• A large pot for cooking your jam. The larger the pot the shorter the cooking process will be. I use an enameled cast iron pot for this. The surface doesn’t stick, and is non reactive.
• Jars for your jam, I love Weck jars.

How to serve sweet hot red pepper jam

Now that you’ve got your jars of crimson jam there are so many ways you can use it. But first you’ve got to try it the old fashioned way…on top of a block of cream cheese with your favorite crackers. If you’re feeling flush, spoon it on top of Brie or Camembert. Any soft, spreadable mild flavored soft cheese works beautifully with this jam.

Provide plain crackers, I like Water Crackers. (Anything with too much flavor will compete with the jam.)

more hot pepper jams and jellies

• Super Easy Hot Pepper Jelly is one of the most popular recipes on the blog, and lives up to its name, it’s quick and foolproof.
• Habanero Nectarine Jam  and Habanero Peach Jam ~ make one of them before the summer’s out!
• Apricot Jalapeño Jam ~ jalapeños make this jam a little milder than the above.
• Hot Pepper Cranberry Jam is perfect for the winter season.
• Rosé Wine Hot Pepper Jelly when you’re feeling posh. This is a great one for holiday parties.

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Red Pepper Jam

3.83 from 47 votes

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.

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Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes minutes

Total Time:30 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 cups

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Equipment

• large non-reactive Dutch oven or similar pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 3 large red bell peppers
• 2 hot red peppers such as cayenne or red jalapeño
• 1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 4 Tbsp powdered pectin
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar

Instructions

• Whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar with the pectin and set aside.
• Seed and rough chop the red bell peppers. Trim and cut the hot peppers in large slices. Put all the peppers in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. I scrape down the side of the bowl once. Transfer to a large pot with a wide bottom, such as a soup pot or enameled cast iron pot.
• Add the red pepper flakes, butter, salt, vinegar, and the rest of the sugar to the pot with the peppers, stir to combine.
• Bring the pot to a full boil over high heat, stirring often. Once the whole contents of the pot have come to a full rolling boil, set a timer and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
• Slowly add in the pectin/sugar while stirring. When the mixture has come back to a full boil, boil for another 4 minutes, or until it is starting to thicken. You’ll notice the foaming will start to subside and the mixture will turn slightly darker and glossy. This will not be it’s final consistency, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Fill clean jars with the jam and let cool before refrigerating.
• Refrigerated jam will last up to 3 weeks, and up to a year in the freezer.
• Makes 3 cups of jam.

Notes

If you cannot find fresh red hot peppers, use more chili pepper flakes for heat.

Double or triple the recipe if you like, but be aware that the cooking times will be longer.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: appetizer, cheese and crackers, hot pepper, jam, peppers, preserves

Nutrition

Calories: 37 kcal · Carbohydrates: 9 g · Protein: 0.1 g · Fat: 0.3 g · Saturated Fat: 0.2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 1 mg · Sodium: 28 mg · Potassium: 19 mg · Fiber: 0.3 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 253 IU · Vitamin C: 10 mg · Calcium: 1 mg · Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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