My Homemade Pepper Jelly Recipe takes just 20 minutes to make. It's a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, and the gorgeous color makes this versatile jelly a popular home-crafted holiday gift. Pepper jelly is a classic addition to charcuterie boards over cream cheese or goat cheese.
Make it your way! This foolproof liquid-pectin recipe can be mild and sweet or as spicy as you like.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
I always grow a variety both hot peppers and sweet peppers in my garden, and I've been making this pepper jelly recipe for years, as well as my mango habanero hot sauce, and my cayenne pepper sauce. Family and friends always expect and look forward to receiving these sparkly, festive jars as holiday gifts.
Karen says ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I have made this the last 4 years, for quick Christmas gifts for co-workers. They all request it now!"
Jump to:
Why you'll love homemade pepper jelly
- Simple and quick. With just four ingredients and twenty minutes, this recipe is one that you'll want to make again and again.
- Versatile. Pepper jelly is a pantry staple that you'll love having on hand for entertaining, gifting, and so much more.
- Customizable. Use more hot peppers for a hot pepper jelly, or less for a sweeter version.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities and complete instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Peppers. Depending on what I have in the garden, I use three colors of peppers (green peppers, red peppers, and yellow peppers) if possible, to achieve the festive color of my homemade pepper jelly. However, feel free to use whatever garden peppers you have. You can stick with just one color, like red bell peppers if you want a red pepper jelly, or a green jalapeno jelly. Use a mix of sweet and hot peppers for a spicy jelly.
- Sugar. It might be tempting to decrease the amount of sugar in this recipe, but I don't recommend it. I have tested this recipe using less sugar and it didn't set properly. The sugar is needed for the pectin to form the gel which makes the jelly set. Sugar also supplies the sweetness to balance the spice. This homemade pepper jelly recipe has been made countless times exactly as written and turns out perfectly every time.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. I prefer to use this vinegar for this recipe, but you can also use white vinegar.
- Pectin. For this jelly recipe, I use liquid pectin. Powdered pectin and liquid pectin are not the same and can't be interchanged on a 1:1 ration. Cooking time will also be different. You can usually find liquid pectin in grocery stores or online.
How to make it, step by step
- In a large pot, combine the diced peppers, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a full boil while stirring constantly. Boil for one full minute. Stir in the liquid pectin, bring back to the boil and boil for another full minute.
- Ladle the hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars.
- Add lids and screw bands.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. You should hear the pop of the jars sealing and the jelly will set as it cools.
My top tips
- Spice level. I often make hot pepper jelly, too. If you would like your jelly to have a spicy kick, simply replace some of the peppers with jalapeno peppers or other spicy peppers, depending on your desired heat level. And if you don't have hot peppers, you can add a pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes in the cooking process.
- Dicing peppers. A food processor works great for this job. If you chop peppers by hand, be sure to wear gloves for the hot ones.
- Canning. This is a canning recipe, so you can make this jelly in the summer at harvest time, and have the jars on hand in your pantry all year round. If you prefer not to process the jelly in a hot water bath, you can keep it in air tight containers in the fridge, for up to a month. You can also freeze it. Just wait until the pectin is set and the jelly is completely cool to put the jars in the freezer. You can freeze for up to a year. Thaw in the fridge over night.
- Sterilize jars. It's important to sterilize your jars: Wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse well, and then boil for 10 minutes.
- Filling jars. Use a wide mouth canning funnel to fill the sterilized jars with a ladle. Wipe the rims clean with a damp paper towel before applying the lids. Lids should be new and cannot be used again for canning.
- Water bath. Keep the water that you used to sterilize the jars at a simmer while you make the jelly. Bring it back to a boil, then add the filled, sealed jars to the same water for processing.
- Use a timer. Use a timer when cooking the jelly in order to get the timing exact for perfectly set jelly.
- Processing time. Again, use a timer so the jars are processed for the full ten minutes.
- High altitude. You will need to increase the water bath processing time for high altitudes.
- 1,001- 3,000 feet Increase by 5 minutes
- 3,001- 6,000 feet Increase by 10 minutes
- 6,001- 8,000 feet Increase by 15 minutes
- 8,001-10,000 feet Increase by 20 minutes
Frequently Asked
The diced peppers in your jelly will float to the top of the jars. To keep this from happening and suspend them throughout the jelly, turn the jars upside down and then upright a few times during the cooling time. As the jelly cools and gels, the particles will stay suspended.
You should hear a popping noise from each jar as it cools and seals. The center of the lid should be concave and should not spring back when you press it with a finger. If it does, the jar isn't sealed and should be refrigerated.
First, check the expiry date on the pectin that you used. Expired pectin can result in runny jelly. To fix, wait 24 hours, then pour it into a pot and boil it again, adding pectin and continuing to boil as per the recipe. You will then need to process the jars again after filling.
I recommend making this recipe in two batches. Don't double the recipe because cooking time will change, and there's a good chance the jelly won't set properly.
How to Use Your Pepper Jelly
As I mentioned, these pretty jars make excellent homemade gifts, for holiday gifts or hostess gifts. This jelly is an easy appetizer served over a wheel of brie or a block of cream cheese, and a perfect addition to a charcuterie board. It's great to have on hand for impromptu entertaining. Cheese and crackers get an instant upgrade when you add some pepper jelly.
Some other ways to use Pepper Jelly:
- Glaze for grilled salmon, pork, or chicken or baked ham.
- Sauce for chicken wings or meatballs (toss the hot wings or meatballs in jelly for a restaurant-style appetizer).
- Spread on a turkey sandwich (so good!).
- Dip for egg rolls or spring rolls (Just heat in the microwave).
- Spread on toast or biscuits.
- Topping for pancakes or waffles.
- Shake with a little vinegar for a delicious, tangy salad dressing.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Homemade Pepper Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups sweet peppers preferably three colours, finely diced
- 3 cups sugar
- ¾ cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 pouch liquid pectin 85 ml
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the diced pepper mixture, sugar and vinegar.
- Over medium-high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, and boil for one full minute.
- Stir in liquid pectin, bring back to a boil, and boil hard for one full minute.
- Remove from heat and ladle into hot, sterilized jars.
- Put on lids and twist screw bands just finger tight.
- Process in boiling water bath (in a canning pot with a rack) for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool, in which time you should hear the pop of the sealing jars, and your jelly will thicken.
Notes
- Yield. This recipe makes 3 cups of pepper jelly, so you can use 3 half-pint jars (8 ounce), or 6 four ounce jars.
- Spice level. I often make hot pepper jelly, too. If you would like your jelly to pack some heat, simply replace some of the peppers with jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers, depending on your desired heat level. And if you don't have hot peppers, you can add a pinch or two of dried red pepper flakes in the cooking process.
- Dicing peppers. A food processor works great for this job. If you dice the peppers by hand, be sure to wear gloves for the hot ones.
- Canning. This is a canning recipe, so you can make this jelly in the summer at harvest time, and have the jars on hand in your pantry all year round. If you prefer not to process the jelly, you can keep it in air tight containers in the fridge, for up to a month. You can also freeze it. Just wait until the pectin is set and the jelly is completely cool to put the jars in the freezer. You can freeze for up to a year. Thaw in the fridge over night.
- Sterilize jars. It's important to sterilize your jars: Wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse well, and then boil for 10 minutes.
- Filling jars. Use a wide mouth canning funnel to fill the sterilized jars with a ladle. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel before applying the lids. Lids should be new and cannot be used again for canning.
- Water bath. Keep the water that you used to sterilize the jars at a simmer while you make the jelly. Bring it back to a boil, then add the filled, sealed jars to the same water for processing.
- Use a timer. Use a timer when cooking the jelly in order to get the timing exact for perfectly set jelly.
- Processing time. Again, use a timer so the jars are processed for the full ten minutes.
- High altitudes. You will need to increase the water bath processing time for high altitudes.
- 1,001- 3,000 feet Increase by 5 minutes
- 3,001- 6,000 feet Increase by 10 minutes
- 6,001- 8,000 feet Increase by 15 minutes
- 8,001-10,000 feet Increase by 20 minutes
- The diced peppers in your jelly will float to the top of the jars. To keep this from happening and suspend them throughout the jelly, turn the jars upside down and then upright a few times during the cooling time. As the jelly cools and gels, the particles will stay suspended.
M says
Thank you for this recipe, I doubled it with a pile of home grown yellow banana and green bell peppers, adding 1 store bought red bell pepper and some Arbol dried chiles. Yummy and colorful. To me this is a great way to use odd sized and imperfect peppers.
Colleen says
Hi M. Thanks for sharing! I agree that pepper jelly is a perfect use for odd or imperfect peppers. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe!
Janice says
Is your recipe 1.5 cups each of the 3 peppers or 1.5 combined?
Colleen says
Thanks for this question, Janice. It should be 1.5 cups combined.
Faye Santos says
Is it ok to double or triple the recipe, or should i make it in batches?
Colleen says
Hi Faye, Thanks for this question. I would definitely make the pepper jelly in batches. Doubling the recipe will lead to longer cooking time and could affect whether the jelly sets properly.
Robert Gregorski says
Just had a heart procedure, a week after I made dozen jars! Diet has now changed. Is there a substitute for the sugar? Stevia maybe?
Colleen says
Hi Robert. I've never tried to make this recipe without sugar, but you do usually need sugar to work with the pectin so the jelly will set. However, you can try using no sugar needed pectin, along with the Stevia. I (and other readers) would love to hear how it goes if you do. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Robert Gregorski says
I tried using the low sugar/no sugar pectin and stevia. Thank goodness I only made 2 jars. Sadly it did not set. I am going to make it following your recipe again. This will be part of my cheat day! Thank you !
Colleen says
You're welcome, Robert! Thanks so much for sharing your result!
Rachel says
Making my first batch now. The flavor taste great and I hope they set up correctly. I’m curious why I only got 3 x 8oz jars when it says it makes approximately 6. I was a little short on my peppers but not enough to stretch the recipe to fill 6 jars. I want to make another batch once I have more peppers but I would love to get more jars than just 3.
Colleen says
Hi Rachel. Thank you for this question. This recipe was updated and the quantities did not get changed. Your yield is correct and I have corrected the recipe notes. I really appreciate your bringing this to my attention. Happy jelly making!
Janet says
I love the simplicity of this recipe! Not a ton of ingredients but wonderful flavour! I did run into one snag & I am totally mystified. Not all of the jars set up…some set up perfectly & some not. How can this be?
Colleen says
Hi Janet! I'm so glad you liked the jelly, but I'm sorry to hear that some of your jars didn't set. I'm mystified as well. If you followed the recipe exactly and didn't try to double it, it's very strange that some jars set up fine and some did not. I wish I could be of more help on this!
Gigi says
Hi, I’m new to canning and this came out wonderful! Thank you for the simple and thorough instructions! One question, how long will these remain shelf stable? Thank you, again!!
Colleen says
Hi Gigi! I'm so happy to hear that your pepper jelly turned out well for you. I'm glad you found the instructions helpful. Thanks for this question. I usually use these jars up within a year. (Just in time to make a new batch with the pepper harvest). But you can probably keep them for up to 18 months. After that, the seal isn't guaranteed. Enjoy your jelly and happy canning!
Celia says
Can you please give an approximate time table for turning the jelly upside down to disperse peppers ? My first batch is just not gift-able with all the peppers clumped at top.
Colleen says
Hi Celia, turn the jars as needed to achieve particle suspension. You need to do it several times as the jelly cools and it would depend on how fast it cools and sets. The particles will stay suspended once the jelly is set. Sorry, I don't have a time table, you just need to keep checking. Good luck with your next batch!
Robin says
I don't know what i am doing wrong. The flavour is fabulous but my jelly wont set and I have done everything exactly as the recipe states. Also, I didn't get 6 half pint jars from a recipe. i got 3.5. Any help would be appreciated, as I have spent two days at this going into my third trying to trouble shoot after making 8 batches for gifts. Phew!
Colleen says
Hi Robin, I'm so sorry that your jelly didn't set. There are many variables that come into play for homemade jelly to set. The recipe should always be followed exactly, a timer should be used, and the pectin used should not be expired. But sometimes, it isn't about anything that you did wrong. Sometimes, it's about the fruit itself, its water content, its ripeness, the growing conditions, and the variety. Sometimes, in spite of doing everything right, it just doesn't set. It happens to us all. However, You can reprocess jelly that failed to set. You can find instructions to do it here: http://www.pickyourown.org/how_to_fix_runny_jam.htm. Keep going, wishing you jelly success!❤
Lisa says
Hi. I too made my moms recipe for sweet jalapeño jelly. I made 4doz jars for holiday gifting. One cooked batch did not set. Made the same. I traced back my steps. I had unknowingly purchased and used an expired box of liquid pectin purchased at a local mom and pop grocery store in town. So furious !!
Kathy says
I’m so thankful my garden produced a Big Bunch of peppers ! This jelly recipe is so GOOD ! I’ve already used it for such a variety of foods , even put some in a p-nut butter sandwich. I added some jalapeños to spice it up . My family loves it , so I’m making 2 more batches today ! Thank you !
Colleen says
Hi Kathy. You're very welcome. This is wonderful to hear! My family loves this pepper jelly too, and I've been busy making batch after bath with our garden peppers. Must try on a PB sandwich, that sounds yummy.
Jude says
Although I've made pickles and other preserves before, this was my first time making jelly and I admit I was a bit apprehensive about it. I followed this recipe adding in some of our spicy garden peppers and am so pleased how it turned out. It is both beautiful and delicious! This recipe will definitely be a regular in our kitchen!
Colleen says
Hi Jude! I'm so happy that you overcame you apprehensions and the jelly was a success! This recipe is a regular in our kitchen, too. Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out. Enjoy!
Emma says
Do I have to use apple cider vinegar for preserving purposes? I just made grape juice and plan to use that.
Colleen says
Hi Emma, you could use juice, but it would be an entirely different recipe and wouldn't taste at all the same. The vinegar brings a tang to the pepper jelly that balances the hot and sweet peppers.
Bonnnie says
Do you turn jars upside down after they seal?
Colleen says
Hi Bonnie, yes, wait until they seal before turning the jars.
Pat says
How long does it take for the jelly to turn thick into actual jelly. Mine is still alittle watery after cooking it and in the water bath?
Btw, I used mostly jalapeños and some sweet peppers and it tastes sooooo good.
Colleen says
Hi Pat, your jelly will "gel" or thicken as it cools. I'm glad it tastes great!
Pat says
My jelly has already cooled and it’s still watery. Do I start over?
Colleen says
Hi Pat. First I would check the date on your pectin to be sure it hasn't expired. Also be sure that you used the correct amount of sugar. There are a lot of reasons for the jelly not to set. But you can recook it. Check this article for instructions for that as well as other ways to save it. https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-fix-jam-or-jelly-that-didnt-set/#Reasons_Why_Jam_Or_Jelly_Doesnt_Set
Kris says
Would it still be shelf stable if it is like syrup but sealed?
Colleen says
Hi Kris! So disappointing that your jelly didn't set! But yes, the syrup will still be shelf stable if you properly follow safe canning proceedures and your jars did seal!
Kathi says
What if i dont have liquid pectin but the powder kind? How/can i substitute?
Colleen says
Hi Kathi! There is a link that answers this question in the recipe post. Good luck with your jelly!
Katie Morgan says
Hey there! I know this isn’t a brand new recipe but I’m giving it a go! Any reason I came up with only 4 1/2 8oz jars? Will the half filled jar be okay only having half of the jelly in it?
Also when I put one of my tops on, it popped almost immediately. Will that make a difference as far as the deal process goes?
Colleen says
Hi Katie, I'm so glad you're giving it a go because it's an awesome recipe! I'm thinking the difference in quantity may be that your peppers contained less water than mine. This recipe was written for freshly picked peppers, and when I have made it with peppers that have been in the fridge for a few days they are less "juicy". For the half jar, you won't be able to seal it, and you should keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks. And it's a good sign if your lids pop right away. Exactly what you want to happen. I hope it works out well for you and I would love to hear back. Cheers!
Katie Morgan says
We tried the half jar last night and it was GREAT! I did use peppers straight off of the pepper bush. So that’s interesting that i got less than ones that would have had more water. But I’m making another batch now and I will see how my quantities vary! I got the 4oz jars to put some up for teachers gifts!
My husband even called me the pepper queen last night so I’ll take what I can get!
Colleen says
Yay! So happy it worked out. THANK YOU for letting me know! You rock, Pepper Queen! 👑
Andrea McAvoy says
Same exact things here