I am a huge fan of pepper jelly. I like to add it to marinades and sauces, to add a little sweet heat.  I also like to eat it straight up in Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches.  Not to mention it is great with a little cream cheese on crackers. Pepper jelly is a pretty universal ingredient.  I have tried almost all of the different commercially available Pepper Jelly’s but they just are not hot enough or they are way too sweet.  So like any red blooded American, I decided that I could do it better myself.  Wow, I was right.  This pepper jelly is the best I have have ever eaten.  It is not too sweet, but has enough heat to let you know that it contains Habaneros.
Peach Habanero Pepper Jelly
In a large pot of boiling water, sanitize four ball half pint jars, lids, bands and all filling equipment. Â Keep the jars in the hot water bath until you are ready to fill.
Cut the habanero peppers, disposing of the seeds and stems. Â I would totally recommend doing this with a pair of rubber gloves on. Â Dice up half a bell pepper removing the seeds, pulp and stem.
Place the peppers and drained peaches in a food processor and puree.
In a medium sauce pan add the pureed peppers, sugar and vinegar. Â Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pectin, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and fill the prepared jars making sure to remove bubbles and leave a proper amount of head space.
Place the lids on and tighten the rings. Â Place into a boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes. Â Turn off the heat and allow the jars to cool in the bath for 5 minutes before removing.
Remove the jars from the bath and allow them to sit upright on a towel for 24 hours. Â Once the 24 hours is up check each lid to see if the lids have created a seal. Â If not the jars should be immediately reprocessed or refrigerated. Â If the seal is good you can store them in a cool dry place for up to a year. Â Don’t forget to label your jelly to make sure you know what you have on hand.
- 2 - 15 oz cans of peach halves drained
- 5 habanero peppers
- ½ orange bell pepper seeds and pulp removed
- 2½ cups sugar
- ½ cup vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. fruit pectin
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In a large pot of boiling water, sanitize four ball half pint jars, lids, rings and all filling equipment. Keep the jars in the hot water bath until you are ready to fill.
-
Cut the habanero peppers, disposing of the seeds and stems. Dice up half a bell pepper removing the seeds, pulp and stem.
-
Place the peppers and peaches in a food processor and puree.
-
In a medium sauce pan add the pureed peppers, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
-
Add the pectin, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
-
Remove from the heat and fill the prepared jars making sure to remove bubbles and leave a proper amount of head space.
-
Place the lids on and tighten the rings. Place into a boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to cool in the bath for 5 minutes before removing.
-
Remove the jars from the bath and allow them to sit upright on a towel for 24 hours. Once the 24 hours is up check each lid to see if the lids have created a seal. If not the jars should be immediately reprocessed or refrigerated. If the seal is good you can store them in a cool dry place for up to a year. Don't forget to label your jelly to make sure you know what you have on hand.
This jelly was the perfect amount of sweet and heat. Â You have to try this.
Excellent post. I’m a big fan of habanero but not so much peach so maybe I’ll try it with mango or pineapple.
How many jars does this recipe fill?
Is the fruit pectin powder or liquid?
JB, The recipe fills 4 pint jars. I also used a powdered fruit pectin.
Hi,
My jelly looks and tastes great, however it didn’t jell up like it should have. It’s been 24 hours, the jars are definitely sealed, but the jelly is still not set up…..??? Any suggestions?
My first thought is that there might not be enough pectin or it wasn’t boiled long enough. However as long as it is sealed, place it into the fridge right before you use it and it will set up. It needs to be refrigerated after opening so it will taste and have the right texture. Hope this helps.
So I followed the instructions and I only got 4 1/2pint jars
Jason,
You are correct. It makes 4 1/2 pint jars.
Rex
I was worried there, it said 4 pint jars. Thanks for the correction.
Can you use fresh peaches
Kathy,
You can, but you will need to cook them longer and add a tad more sugar to adjust the sweetness.
Rex
I modified the recipe a bit. 8 habaneros, 4 scotch bonnets and 2 Naga peppers. No bells because they’re gross lol.
I added more sugar than you call for and an entire packet of sure jell. It did not set and is runny. I’ll use this as a glaze because it’s delicious as is, but next time I’ll be using more sugar.
Would receive a 5 star if this recipe had set up.
Jeff,
I am sorry that your modifications didn’t work. In the future I would use a little more pectin for your modifications to get it to solidify. I am unsure how much pectin is in 1 packet. I would try 1.25 to 1.5 packets next time.
Rex
First a question, what purpose does the vinegar serve in the recipe?
I used red bell pepper and one jalapeno pepper to give the jam some contrasting color.
Dave,
The vinegar is a replacement for the acid in recipe. Classic recipes usually use lemon juice. I like to use vinegr as it all has the same percentage of acid. Lemons have variable acidity and sweetness. Vinegar is always the same. It gives you a more repeatable recipe.
For those that have trouble getting it to set up, try using the low or no sugar pectin. I always use the low sugar pectin for better results.
Is this liquid or powder pectin?
I used powder pectin.