Quick and Easy Freezer Hot Pepper Jelly – No Canning Required

Are you a fan of Hot Pepper Jelly? We enjoy it over cream cheese for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, as an easy glaze for cocktail meatballs or wings for game day, mixed in to add some sweet heat and kick to a vinaigrette or syrup, or paired with pimento cheese on a cracker!

Are you familiar with freezer jams? Instead of being processed in a water bath that keeps traditional jams and jellies shelf-stable, ‘freezer jam’ as the name implies, is kept in the freezer for long-term storage.

It will keep in the freezer for up to a year and in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. This recipe makes 8 half-pint jars, for about the price of one jar of hot pepper / jalapeno jelly at a specialty food store, and with much more flavor!

You can adjust this jelly to your heat tolerance and preference, removing seeds and ribs for a minimal heat or leave them for more of a kick. Bump up the heat further by substituting a serrano or a cayenne pepper or two for jalapeno.

To start you’ll need some peppers:

8 jalapenos and an assortment of mini sweet peppers (about three fourths of 16 oz. bag). Jalapenos vary in heat, as a general rule if they have striations, they will be hotter than smoother, even-colored peppers.

This is a low-sugar jelly, so it’s important to use a less or no sugar needed pectin for it to set up properly and jell. You’ll want  the pink box of Sure Jell.

In addition to your pectin, you’ll need 3 cups of sugar and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar.

Coarsely chop your peppers, then add them to a bowl of your food processor or mini chopper and pulse until they are finely diced.

 You may need to do this in batches so as not to overcrowd bowl of processor.

Place your peppers in a medium sized heavy bottom pot and add your vinegar and sugar and stir to combine. Bring the pot to a boil, then add the low sugar pectin. Boil, stirring, for one minute. The short cook time keeps your peppers fresh tasting and bright in color!

Ladle the hot liquid into clean freezer safe jars, leaving 1-inch head space for expansion. Allow to cool completely before capping and refrigerating or freezing. If your pepper bits float to the top, you can give the jelly an occasional stir as it cools to help distribute them more evenly. When the jelly is cool, cap and refrigerate or freeze jars. To use frozen jam, allow it to thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Find an easy 5-minute appetizer with just two ingredients, ideal for holiday entertaining: Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly Christmas Tree.