It’s pepper season, but if you planted some earlier this spring, you already knew that. Much like tomatoes, I’m having a hard time keeping up with my pepper plants, but that’s OK: Lots of peppers means lots of pepper jelly. Not only is this Southern spread easy to make, it cans like a dream. (It was, in fact, the first thing I ever canned.)
What is pepper jelly?
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Pepper jelly is exactly what it sounds like—a mixture or jelly, sugar (a lot of sugar), and pectin that’s been boiled down to make a sweet, tangy, and spicy jelly. It’s a Southern delicacy, most commonly served on crackers with cream cheese, but it can also be used to add flair to coleslaw, or mixed with mustard to make a glaze for all sorts of meats. (Try it on a ham.)
What kind of peppers do you need to make pepper jelly?
That’s the best part: Pretty much any peppers will work. When I made pepper jelly earlier this week with my stepmom, we raided her garden and ended up with a mix of bell peppers, serrano peppers, Thai hot peppers, hot banana peppers, and a few poblano peppers. Everybody went into the pot, and the resulting jelly was delicious, tangy, and slightly spicy.
You can adjust the spice level by adjusting your peppers. Want a mild jelly? Use mostly bell peppers. Crave something with a bit of authority? Omit the bells entirely and load up on jalapeños. Be careful, however, when chasing the dragon, and limit super hot peppers, like habanero, to small amounts until you’ve got a good handle on the ratios, and their correlating heat levels. Chop them finely, either by hand or in the food processor, though be aware that processing them too finely could result in an overly spicy jam. (Plus I think it just looks prettier when you do it by hand.)
Will I need any special equipment to can it?
Not a whole lot. This guide has everything you need to start canning, but for this recipe, you’ll just need a big pot for the water bath, six eight-ounce canning jars (with lids and rings), maybe a towel (to keep the jars from jostling), a canning funnel (for easy filling) and tongs (for taking the jars in and out of the water bath).
Easy Pepper Jelly for Canning
Ingredients:
- 4 cups finely chopped peppers of your choice (Start with a mixture of half bell peppers and half “interesting” peppers.)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 (1 3/4-ounce packet) powdered pectin
- 5 cups white sugar
Sterilize your jars according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and wash your rings and (new, never used) lids in hot soapy water, then dry and set aside. Wash and dry a spoon and set aside. Fill a water canner or large, deep pot at least halfway with water. Place a clean dish towel in the bottom of the pot.
Heat water to 180℉ (a simmer), and preheat the jars in the water bath. (This will prevent the glass from cracking due sudden changes in temperature.) Leave the lids and bands at room-temperature.
Place the peppers, vinegar, and pectin in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and bring back to a boil stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 1 minute without stirring, then remove from the heat and remove any foam with your clean spoon.
Remove pre-heated jars from the bath, one at a time, with canning tongs (or regular tongs if that’s all you have; you can give them more grip with a couple of thick rubber bands). Using a canning funnel, ladle hot pepper jelly into the hot jar, filling a 1/4-inch from the top. Cover with a lid and secure with a ring. Repeat until all jars are full.
Return the jars to the water bath and ensure they are completely submerged. The water should be hot, but not boiling. Bring the water to a boil, cover, then process for 5 minutes. After processing, remove the jars from the bath with tongs, and let cool to room temperature, then leave the jars alone for 24 hours. The jars should make a popping sound to indicate they’re sealed, but the easiest way to check is to remove the ring. If the lid stays on without the ring, even when you try lift it off with your fingers, it’s sealed. If not, transfer to the fridge immediately (the jelly will still be safe to eat, but not shelf-stable).
Enjoy the rewards of your labor with crackers and cream cheese, then smear it on a ham sandwich. Pepper jelly is surprisingly versatile, though the cream cheese and cracker combination is a the most popular configuration for a reason.