How to Make Homemade Red Pepper Jelly

Canning season is in full swing and whether you grow your own vegetables or just want an easy spread to serve over the holidays this Red Pepper Jelly is perfect! It only takes a few ingredients and makes beautiful gifts that everyone is sure to love.

Every year my mom gives us a couple jars of her pepper jelly and this year I finally said it was time to make my own! Let me tell you, this will officially be an annual staple for me. It is incredibly easy to make, it is affordable, absolutely delicious and loved by everyone. The perfect sweet and flavourful spread to enjoy with charcuterie.

To make homemade Red Pepper Jelly, you simply start by chopping bell peppers and a few ht peppers nice and fine. Then, you add those to a pot with vinegar and sugar and bring that to a boil. Reduce the heat, then stir in some liquid pectin and that is it! Once the jelly is all made, simply add it to your canning jars then water bath it and you have the most delicious homemade Red Pepper Jelly.

I love this recipe because it is a beginner friendly canning recipe and isn’t season dependant. Because it only takes a few peppers, you can whip this jelly up at any time of year and it is great enjoyed year round. We love to enjoy it with cheese and crackers, charcuterie, baked brie, on jalapeno poppers, burgers and so much more. You need to try this one!

Tips For Making Perfect Homemade Red Pepper Jelly

1. To get the peppers chopped really nice and small, I recommend throwing them in a food processor. It saves a ton of time and gives you nice uniform pieces.
2. Be sure to use a pot much bigger than the amount of ingredients you have. As the jelly boils, it will foam a lot and can over flow if done in too small of a pot.
3. Anytime you are canning something sweet and sticky like this, be sure to wipe the rims well with vinegar before adding the lids. This removes any excess jelly on the rim and ensures a nice tight seal.

Homemade Red Pepper Jelly Ingredients

Bell Peppers- You need a combination of both green and red bell peppers for this recipe.

Hot Peppers– I love a combination of some chili peppers and jalapeños. You could use almost any hot peppers you have.

Apple Cider Vinegar– This is a nice mild vinegar that adds great flavour.

Sugar– Granulated sugar is all you need.

Pectin– Liquid pectin is what you want for this recipe. It incorporates beautifully and gives the perfect texture.

The Steps

1. Start by adding all of the chopped peppers and hot peppers to a large pot, along with the apple cider vinegar and the sugar.
2. Place the pot on the stove over medium high heat, and bring the mixture to a bowl, stirring fairly often.
3. Once the mixture has come to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. It will foam, that is totally fine.

1. Remove the pot from the heat, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
2. Then, place the pot back over medium low heat and stir in the liquid pectin.
3. Allow the mixture to continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. It will still seem a bit thinner than jelly, but it will set as it cools. During this time, you can skim off any bit of foam with a spoon if you like.
4. Next, take the jelly and ladle it into clean and sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. I like quarter pints best for this, but half pints are good too.
5. Take a piece of paper towel and dip it in a bit of vinegar, then wipe all the rims of the jars.
6. Place sterilized lids on top of each jar, then screw on the rings finger tip tight.
7. Place the filled jars in a water bath canner of boiling water, and boil for 10 minutes. Making sure the water stays boiling the whole time.
8. Remove the jars from the canner and allow them to cool completely before checking seals and storing. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below!

Looking for more tasty caning recipes to try?

https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-no-pectin-homemade-strawberry-jam/

https://cmbarndominium.com/hot-to-make-sweet-n-spicy-cowboy-candy/