No Fail Red Pepper Jelly Recipe
Red pepper jelly! It’s sweet, spicy, and as hot as you want it to be. When you make it yourself, you get to decide how much of a kick to give it. It’s easier than you may think!
Where did the idea for this spicy-sweet treat come from? Not surprisingly, pepper jelly started in Texas–Lake Jackson, specifically–where jalapeños are bountiful. Texans love a little or a lot of heat in just about everything they eat.
What is Pepper Jelly Made Of?
Pepper jelly first hit the stores in Texas in 1978 and became quite popular in the 1980s. The ingredients were simple: vinegar, pectin, sugar, and of course, the peppers for flavoring. Although the original recipes started with jalapeño, a variety of versions with different types of peppers followed.
If you’ve never tried hot pepper jelly, you might think it’s super spicy. The great thing about making your own pepper jelly is that you control the outcome. It doesn’t have to be spicy-hot at all.
Because its flavor can be intense, this red pepper jelly isn’t meant to be slathered on things in the same way as other fruit jellies.
It’s fantastic dabbed onto Brie and other soft cheeses and served on crackers. It also has the perfect consistency for glazes, sauces–and yes, the center of thumbprint cookies, my favorite use of this recipe.
Why Make Your Own Red Pepper Jelly?
Pepper jelly enjoys popularity not only in Texas but in most parts of the United States. Most likely you can buy a red pepper jelly similar to this one in your local grocery store.
However, I highly recommend making your own. It’s really not as hard as you might think! And by making it at home, you get to adjust the heat exactly to your taste.
I have been making this red pepper jelly for years and have never had this recipe fail. Watch me make it for the Outdoor Channel here, or watch my video on this page.
How Do You Adjust the Pepper Heat and Flavor?
Remove all the seeds from the peppers to get great flavor without the heat. Leave half the seeds and get 3 out of 5 star heat. Leave them all in – like my husband likes it – and get a 5 star heat!
You can use green jalapeños or red for the jelly. I like the flavor and color of the red peppers just a hair more than the green, but both are amazing.
Growing the peppers at home is pretty easy, too! Follow this link for tips and tricks for growing your own peppers (hot or otherwise) from seed.
How Do You Make the Jelly Set?
As far as red pepper jelly setting, just add the pectin packet and it should be good to go. If it doesn’t set the first time, don’t worry! You have room for a do-over. It is fine to pour the mixture back into the dutch oven or stock pot, bring it to a boil, and add more pectin. Then follow the canning instructions as you would normally.
Get the cookbook with this recipe here: Stacy Lyn’s Harvest Cookbook
Tips for Preparing Red Pepper Jelly
Here are some tips that I’ve learned from experience.
- Wear gloves when deseeding and and chopping the peppers.
- Control the heat by controlling the amount of seeds that go into the jelly.
- Plant extra peppers to make extra jelly for unexpected guests!
No Fail Red Pepper Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound red jalapeño red peppers
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 6 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 3 ounces liquid pectin one packet
- pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions
- Remove stems from all the peppers. Cut half of the peppers in half and remove the seeds by scraping them out with a small spoon. Place the peppers into a food processor and pulse 7 to 8 times to roughly chop peppers.
- Transfer peppers to a large pot and add the vinegar. Bring mixture to a boil then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add sugar to the pepper mixture and bring to a boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, allow to continue boiling for 1 minute. Add butter to keep the mixture from foaming. Add liquid pectin and stir to mix. Allow mixture to boil for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- Ladle mixture into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Place hot lids on the jars and screw rims firmly. Proceed canning in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Refrigerate after opening.
red pepper jelly is delish on top of a cracker with havarti cheese.
It really is! One of my favorite ways to eat it.
Having a hard time finding red jalapeños. Could this be made with red fresno peppers for the color and a couple of green jalapeños with seeds for the heat?
Yes! Just so long as you keep the ingredients in the same amounts, you can certainly use different peppers. Let me know how it turns out!
Can I use green jalapeno peppers instead of red ones?
Hi again!
I am using green Jalapeno peppers because I could not find red ones. Just wondering if I could add some green coloring to maybe make it a little brighter
It’s me again…
Wanted to ask about how many jars this recipe will make. Sorry for all my questions.
Absolutely you can use green food coloring and the green jalapeño peppers. It’s going to be beautiful and delicious.
I’ve had 2 failed attempts making pepper jelly. This recipe worked for me!
I am so glad to hear that!!! Hurray!! Thanks for letting me know.
Can I use a sugar substitute like swerve?
I don’t think that would work for preservation or consistency in this recipe. I would normally say yes, but in canning the sugar and acid are pretty vital.
never heard of red jalepeno peppers?
Darlene, the become red as they stay on the vine. I love them!
How much jelly does this make?
It makes about 4 to 5 pints depending on the size of your peppers. Hope you love the recipe!
can you use powered pectin?
You can. Just follow the instructions on the package. I think it will turn out nicely.
I haven’t made this pepper jelly yet but I am going too but I have a question : can you make like raspberry pepper jelly ?
You absolutely can!! Make the jelly as a traditional jelly or jam recipe and add a few seeded chopped peppers to it. Here’s a good jam recipe to use. Replace the plums with raspberries. https://stacylynharris.com/plum-jam/
Add equal parts sugar and fruit per pound and add 3 jalapeños per pound (seeded) and allow to simmer until it reaches 220. If you are making jelly, you’ll have to boil the fruit first, then put it through a cheesecloth to strain. After it has strained, you’ll equal parts by volume of sugar and boil, then proceed as you would any other jelly.
I saw this recipe while my peppers were still on the vine so I left them until they turned red. I froze them as they ripened and just today got them out of the freezer and made a double batch and OH MY…. It is absolutely perfect and deliciously spicy!! I will be leaving my jalapeños on the vine every year!!
I also want to try it on the thumb print cookies, do a have a recipe for them?
I am writing a recipe for the cookies as we speak! I’ve wanted to get one up for the past few years. I am so glad the jelly turned out great. I’m so excited!!