This easy cranberry pepper jelly can be made with fresh or frozen cranberries, making it a naturally-red pepper jelly recipe. It's perfect for enjoying as a slightly spicy jam with biscuits, an appetizer over cream cheese or brie, or a food gift for friends at Christmas.
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This is a small batch canning recipe that makes almost 7 cups jelly. I also give you directions to make it a freezer cranberry pepper jelly.
I love spreading this spicy jelly over some of my homemade 2 Ingredient Biscuits. The tangy cranberries mixed with the spicy jalapenos just gives the biscuits so much flavor.
Slathered on cornbread muffins is one of my favorite ways to eat Peach Pepper Jelly.
It also works great as an appetizer. The classic way is to serve it on top of cream cheese with crackers. The combination creates a sweet and tangy flavor with just a touch of heat at the end.
That crimson red color is perfect for holiday parties any way you want to serve it!
You can gift a jar of this homemade hot pepper jelly on its own by adding some personalized gift tags and ribbons to the jar. Add it to a gift basket with some Blackberry Pepper Jelly, Slow Cooker Apple Butter, and Freezer Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.
No matter which way you go they will love it!
Cranberry Pepper Jelly SAUCE or GLAZE
Make a ONE ingredient Cranberry Pepper Jelly Sauce by melting this jelly slightly in the microwave. Done! Drizzle over pork chops, glaze a whole ham, stir into baked beans, or add to slow cooker meatballs to make pepper jelly meatballs.
Shortcuts
- Using a food processor to chop the peppers and cranberries is a time saver.
- A water bath process instead of pressure canning is a huge time and trouble saver. Plus you can just use a large pot you already have.
- Small batch canning can be finished quickly. This recipe makes about 9 cups.
- By using the entire bag of cranberries, it doesn't waste food and you don't have to think about what to do with leftover cranberries or have to measure them!
Although it's made with jalapeno peppers, this spicy jelly is really not very hot. Scroll down to substitutions and variations to see how to turn on the heat!
Ingredients
What you will need to make this jalapeno cranberry jelly.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Jalapeno Peppers - The peppers will help make the cranberry jelly spicy. If you want more or less spiciness, I've shared a few variations below to help lower or increase the heat.
- Cranberries - Fresh or frozen.
- Sure-Jell Powdered Pectin (Original) - See the NOTES in the printable recipe below about using liquid Certo pectin.
- Apple Cider Vinegar or white distilled. Just make sure the acidity is 5%.
Since the whole cranberry and pieces of jalapeno pepper are used in this recipe and not just the juice or liquid, this is technically a Cranberry Jalapeno Jam recipe, too!
How to make Cranberry Pepper Jelly
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- If processing in a water bath for shelf-stable jelly, put on a very large pot (21-quarts) of water to boil. This is not necessary if storing the jelly in the fridge or freezer.
- Wash jars with hot soapy water. Sterilize the jars (Boil 10 minutes).
- Remove stems and seeds from jalapeno peppers. Coarsely chop the peppers with a knife or pulse in a food processor in batches. (I wear disposable gloves to protect my hands from the hot peppers.)
- Coarsely chop the cranberries. I also use the food processor for the cranberries!
- Combine the peppers, cranberries, sugar, vinegar and 1 cup water in a large pan no smaller than 6- to 8-quarts. Bring to a boil, gently stirring occasionally and watching it closely so it doesn't boil over. Boil at a rolling boil for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together powdered pectin and water. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim off the foam, and pour into the jars.
This recipe makes almost 7 cups.
How to Preserve the Pepper Jelly
Depending on how long you plan to store and where you are going to store the jelly, here are two options: freezer jelly or shelf-stable method, water bath canning.
For Refrigerator or Freezer Jelly
- Let stand 24 hours to cool and completely set up. The jalapeno cranberry jelly is ready to eat as soon as it sets up. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freezer up to 1 year. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, not on the countertop.
For Shelf Stable Jelly (Water Bath Canning Method)
- Place a canning rack or small round cookie cooling rack in the bottom of the very large pot. Bring the water up to a boil, covered. Lower the jars slowly into the boiling water with a canning jar lifter. They grip the jars much better than regular tongs.
- There should be 1 inch of water above the jars.
- Place the lid on the pot to bring it back to a boil faster. Once boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes for half pint jars and 10 minutes for pint jars.
- Remove the jars carefully with canning tongs. Place jars on a kitchen towel to cool and set up completely.
You will know the jars have sealed when you hear a distinct pop and the lid is flat, not raised on top. Wait at least 24 hours up to 2 days for the jelly to completely set.
Pro Tips
I love using the entire package of cranberries and not having any left over. But this recipe also works if you only have 1 ½ to 2 cups of cranberries!
Stock up on bags of cranberries when they go on sale in December so you are ready to make this jelly the next fall for gifts when they aren't available yet!
Can I use liquid pectin?
Certo liquid pectin can also be used: Instead of boiling a (1.75-ounce) box of powdered pectin and water together for 1 minute, just stir in one (3-ounce) pouch of liquid pectin to the cranberry mixture after it has boiled 5 minutes. Bring the mixture back to a boil and boil for 1 minute before pouring into the jars. The liquid pectin saves a step but costs a little more.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this cranberry jalapeno jelly recipe.
- If you aren’t fond of ANY heat at all, you can substitute red or green bell peppers for the jalapenos to make a sweet pepper jelly.
- If you want MORE heat to make hot cranberry pepper jelly, trade out equal amount of serrano peppers. For even more heat, don’t seed the peppers or use 2 habanero or datil peppers.
- Apple and Cranberry Jam- Omit the peppers (or leave them in) and substitute apple juice for the 1 cup of water.
- Cranberry Jelly- Omit the peppers altogether and you have a Cranberry Jelly or Cranberry Jam recipe!
- Pecan Pepper Jelly- I'm always looking for ways to add pecans to my recipes and was thrilled to see pecans in a store-bought pepper jelly recently. Just stir in ½ cup chopped pecans when you add the pectin.
Cranberry Pepper Jelly Uses
- Spooned over cream cheese or brie cheese with crackers.
- As a glaze for Slow Cooker Ham or Instant Pot Pepper Jelly Ham
- 2 Ingredient Biscuits
- Pork Chops
- Spooned over Pimento Cheese with Fire Roasted Peppers with crackers.
- Brushed on grilled chicken
- Served alongside Crockpot Cornbread Dressing or stuffing instead of traditional cranberry sauce.
How to Store
- Store opened jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- Store in the freezer up to 1 year.
- If processed in a water bath, store in a cool dark place like a cabinet away from the stove.
Leave a comment below the printable recipe if you have questions or tell me how you liked the recipe. Don't forget to rate it 5 stars if you love it!
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More Jam and Preserves recipes you will love
Cranberry Pepper Jelly
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
- Half pint jars (Recipe makes almost 7 cups)
- 21 quart stock pot (for water bath canning)
Ingredients
- 2 cups seeded and coarsely chopped jalapeno peppers (8 large or about 10-12 ounces)
- 1 (12 ounce) package of fresh or frozen cranberries (about 2 ½ cups when chopped)
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar (5 % acidity)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1.75-ounce box Sure-Jell powdered pectin (Original) *See note about liquid pectin
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Wearing kitchen gloves, remove stems and seeds from jalapeno peppers. Coarsely chop the peppers with a knife or pulse in a food processor in batches.
- Coarsely chop the cranberries. I use the food processor for the cranberries, too!
- Combine peppers, cranberries, sugar, vinegar and 1 cup water in a large pan no smaller than 6- to 8-quarts. (Once it boils, it can boil over, so keep a close watch on it.) Bring to a boil, gently stirring occasionally. Boil at a rolling boil for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir together powdered pectin and water. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. (Try to time this so it is ready when the cranberry mixture has boiled 5 minutes.)
- Stir the cooked pectin mixture into the cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil and boil 1 full minute.
- Remove the cranberry-pepper mixture from the heat and skim off any foam that may appear. Sometimes, I’ll skim off the cranberry seeds that rise to the top.
- Fill jars with hot jelly mixture. Wipe rims of jars clean. Seal lids with jar rings.
For Refrigerator or Freezer Jelly
- Let stand 24 hours to cool and completely set up. Jelly is ready to eat as soon as it sets up. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freezer up to 1 year. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, not on the countertop.
For Shelf Stable Jelly (Water Bath Canning Method)
- Place a canning rack or small round cookie cooling rack in the bottom of the very large pot. Bring the water up to a boil, covered. Lower the jars slowly into the boiling water with a canning jar lifter. They grip the jars much better than regular tongs.
- There should be 1 inch of water above the jars.
- Place the lid on the pot to bring it back to a boil faster. Once boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes for half pint jars and 10 minutes for pint jars.
- Remove the jars carefully with canning tongs. They grip the jars much better than regular tongs. Place jars on a kitchen towel to cool and set up completely.
- You will know the jars have sealed when you hear a distinct pop and the lid is flat, not raised on top. Wait at least 24 hours up to 2 days for the jelly to completely set.
- Yield: almost 7 cups
Notes
-
- If you aren’t fond of ANY heat at all, you can substitute red or green bell peppers for the jalapenos to make a sweet pepper jelly.
-
- If you want MORE heat to make hot cranberry pepper jelly, trade out equal amount of serrano peppers. For even more heat, don’t seed the peppers or use 2 habanero or datil peppers.
-
- Apple and Cranberry Jam- Omit the peppers (or leave them in) and substitute apple juice for the 1 cup of water.
-
- Cranberry Jelly- Omit the peppers altogether and you have a Cranberry Jelly or Cranberry Jam recipe!
-
- Pecan Pepper Jelly- I'm always looking for ways to add pecans to my recipes and was thrilled to see pecans in a store-bought pepper jelly recently. Just stir in ½ cup chopped pecans when you add the pectin.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
This recipe was updated 12/24/24 to include the cup yield.
Anita
Could you sub some of the jalapenos for either a cubanelle or serrano peppers? As long as it's 2 cups?
Kathleen
I'm not sure about a cubanelle pepper, but a serrano pepper can be even hotter than a jalapeno pepper. So, if you wanted to use serrano peppers, you might try reducing the amount of of pepper to just one cup. Even with 1 cup of serrano peppers, it may be hotter than just jalapeno peppers. You don't have to use 2 cups to make it work, but you do not need more than 2 cups of jalapeno peppers, for sure. I'd love to know how it turns out if you try it with 1 cup of serrano peppers!
Courtney Dollar
I loved this recipe. Very easy and SO good over my pimento cheese!! Thank you!
Kathleen
Yes! Over pimento cheese sounds devine! So glad you made it!
Brenda
How do you get the seeds out of the cranberries
Kathleen
The cranberry seeds are so tiny, it's labor intensive to cut them in have and remove the seeds completelybut can be done if you really wanted to get rid of them. They are edible both raw and cooked, though. Some berries like raspberries and blackerries can be mashed and pushed through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds, but that's harder to do with cranberries. When you skim the foam off the hot jelly mixture, the seeds tend to rise to the top and mix in with the foam. This is the best time to try and remove as many seeds as possible.
Greta
I freeze my jalapeño harvest whole. Would frozen chopped peppers work fine in this recipe?
Thanks,
Greta
Kathleen
I have not tried frozen, whole jalapenos but I do think it will work. Just be aware that the whole peppers will have lots of seeds in them, making the pepper hotter and you may not want that many seeds to see showing in your jelly. I'd love to know if you try this, though!
Piper
So glad I found this recipe! Our pepper plants were prolific this year and I’ve been making regular pepper jelly but was looking to mix it up, this was the perfect way to do it. This recipe made more than I thought it would and I’m not mad about it - followed the instructions and ingredients exactly and it’s delicious! Thank you!
Kathleen
It does make the best gifts! So glad you loved it. It’s one of my favorite Christmas food gifts to give away!
Kayleigh Benoit
Can this be made in low sugar form?
Kathleen
I have not tried it using the Sure Jell low-sugar or no-sugar pectin versions (pink box). I would love to know how it turns out if you try it. If it works, I will add it to the blog post to help others that want to make it low-sugar.
Brooke
One of my best friends made this for me and gave it to me as a gift. It is delicious! I really can just eat it off of the spoon! Great recipe!
Kathleen
That friend must love you lots! I bet it would be good slathered on some of your sourdough bread!
Pam Bivens
I’ve been making jams since the seventies and this is my very favorite!!! By the way if you add 1/2 teaspoon butter with your fruit it will greatly decrease foam and won’t affect taste or setting. Surejell added this to its instructions many years ago. It really works!!
Scott Phillips
I love this with cream cheese on crackers
Kathleen
Me too! The color is a showstopper at parties!
Patty Henry
Oh my word! I'm going to have a lot of happy gift recipients this Christmas! This won't help my diabetes at all!! Lol!
Kathleen
Everyone loves to receive a jar of this for Christmas! You can guild the lily by giving them some homemade biscuits or bread along with it!
Melissa
Assuming this will be really good but haven't made the recipe yet, look forward to trying. I'm new to canning and it would be helpful if you included the amount this yields so I have an idea of how many jars I need to prep, 5 stars if you add that helpful piece of info, and if this info is already included somewhere, my apologies, thank you!
Kathleen
I'm so glad you are going to make the cranberry pepper jelly! You are right! It looks like the yield is not showing up in the printable recipe at the bottom of the recipe. While I get that fixed, I was able to add the yield in the NOTES. It makes about 7 cups!