Jalapeño Jelly: A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Make and Can Jars

A helpful step-by-step guide on how to make and can jalapeno jelly using water bath canning. This sweet and spicy jelly is a wow factor for appetizer trays!

The three-year-old jalapeño plant I named “José Jalapeño on zee deck” has been producing a mass amount of jalapeños this summer. I have been seeking new recipe ideas to use up all of the wonderful jalapeños he’s been producing. This recipe for jalapeño jelly is by far the most versatile recipe I have come up with.

With José being the fertile turtle he is, I took the opportunity to make and preserve my very first jelly. 

If you like spicy foods, you will love this recipe for jalapeño jelly. If you don’t like spicy foods, please hear me out before clicking away from this blog post. It’s ok to be a little skeptical about this jelly recipe, but allow me to convince you otherwise.

Firstly, this sweet and spicy jalapeño jelly is not just a spreading jelly you put on toast in the morning. Jalapeño jelly is very versatile! 

Secondly, yes, there are jalapeños involved, and they are known to be a bit spicy, but the best part about this recipe is that you can control the heat when making it. Yes, that’s right, simply removing the stems and seeds will drastically reduce the heat of this jalapeño jelly. Add in as many as you want. The more you add, the spicier it will be.

Furthermore, if you are new to the whole canning scene like me, believe me when I say: if I can do this, you can do this! I just started water bath canning this summer; this recipe uses the same process used to preserve the Sweet Pickles.

Jalapeño Jelly: A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Make and Can Jars

Recipe adapted from BallFreshPreserving.com.

Preserving Method:

Water bath Canning | Yield: 5 (8-ounce) half-pint jars | 1 serving of jelly is about a tablespoon.

Things Needed:

• Canner pot with a rack
• 5 8-ounce half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands
• A large non-reactive pot (do not use aluminum)
• Ball® Canning Utensil Set (includes jar lifter and lid lifter canning funnel and headspace tool)
• Ladle
• Kitchen towel

Ingredients:

• 12 medium jalapeño peppers 
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided
• 6 cups sugar
• (2) 3-ounce pouches liquid pectin
• Green food coloring, optional – (I did not use any)

Directions:

• Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. (Do not boil.)  Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
• Remove the stems of the jalapeños. Make the jalapeño jelly as spicy or mild as you want, by removing some or all of the seeds and veins.

For this batch, José’s jalapeños are tiny, so I doubled the count and kept the seeds since these were pretty mild jalapeños. You may want to use half and half to start. 

I encourage you to wear rubber gloves when working with this many spicy peppers to avoid accidentally rubbing the capsicum juice onto your face and skin. Pain from spicy peppers hurts almost as bad as a liquid burn. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience!

• Using a food processor or blender, puree the jalapeños with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, until smooth. (Do not strain)
• Combine the puree, remaining 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, and sugar in a large nonreactive pot, over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently with a spoon. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes.

CAUTION WATCH OUT FOR BOILING FOAM!!! Make sure you stir the mixture with a spoon and do not stir it constantly. If the mixture starts to foam stop stirring and back off the heat a bit.

I made the mistake of stirring constantly with a whisk. The mixture foamed up and started to rise to the top of the pot. I picked up the pot to take it away from the heat, but it didn’t stop rising as I thought. I tried to get the pot over the sink only a few feet away but didn’t make it. This sticky syrupy jalapeño juice got all over the stove, the floor, the cabinet, and God knows where else. Talk about learning as you go… I had to stop everything for emergency clean up. I’m still finding sticky spots on the cabinets!

• Cut pectin pouches open; place the pouches into empty glasses or mugs to hold, until needed.
• Add both pouches of pectin as quickly as possible. Squeeze entire contents from each of the two pouches. Continue to boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly, but watching for foam.
• Remove from heat. Add food coloring, if using. Using a spoon, skim the foam if necessary. Surprisingly the foam almost peels away onto the spoon.
• Using a ladle and canning funnel, ladle the hot jalapeño jelly into the prepared hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rim; center lid on the jar and apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
• Carefully place the jars into the boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed.

How to Use Jalapeño Jelly

My favorite way to enjoy this jelly is with a little dab of cream cheese atop a cracker or baguette. You could also put this jelly on a grilled cheese sandwich. The possibilities are endless as I have discovered ways I never even thought of enjoying this jalapeño jelly at SeriousEats.com and over at ArmadilloPeppers.com.

We had some friends over this past weekend and almost ate a whole jar of jalapeño jelly with appetizers! I also sent them home with their own jar. I’m excited to experiment more with this jelly, especially now that I have David on board with me. He was somewhat skeptical about the amount of heat but has been convinced after trying it in different ways with meats and cheeses.

I know canning seems intimidating, but I promise it’s not hard. Believe me; this jalapeño jelly is amazing enough to try canning for!

Please give José a BIG round of applause for the inspiration!