Jalapeno Grape Jelly – Sweet & Spicy
Homemade jalapeno grape jelly is a delicious sweet and spicy jelly that is a must have for every pantry. It does quadruple duty – it works on morning toast, a quick appetizer when guests come over, a beautiful homemade gift or as a tasty ingredient in sauces and dressings. You can make it as hot or mild as you’d like. You can use your own homegrown grapes and hot peppers – or buy the juice and hot peppers from the store.
Read more: Hot Pepper Jelly, Sweet Grape Jelly, Finishing Salt, Intro to Jams and Jellies
Infusing Grape Juice with Hot Peppers
Jalapeno grape jelly is a beautiful smooth jelly without any hot pepper bits because the heat from the hot peppers is infused into the grape juice. It’s like steeping a cup of tea. Hot peppers are pureed with grape juice and after steeping briefly, they’re strained out. You’re left with a beautiful, hot grape juice.
There are three key ways you can adjust the heat level of your jelly:
1. Choose Your Peppers
It’s called jalapeno grape jelly – but you can use whatever hot peppers you have access to and love the most. This year, I used a combination of jalapeno, cayenne and habanero peppers to give my hot pepper grape jelly a little more intensity.
Generally 10-12 jalapenos roughly chopped will give you 1 cup of roughly chopped hot peppers as called for in the recipe. Jalapenos are on the lower end of heat level and usually 10-12 jalapenos provide a nice noticeable bit of heat that isn’t too intense for most people. But taste test your jalapenos as they can vary greatly in heat level from one batch to the next.
Adding more jalapenos or mixing in hotter peppers like serrano, cayenne, habanero, ghost peppers, etc will greatly add to the heat level of this jelly. And of course, using fewer hot peppers will make it milder.
Pro Tip: After infusing your grape juice, give it a taste test to see how hot it is. If it’s too mild, add more hot peppers and infuse longer. If it’s too intense, add grape or apple juice to tone it down.
2. Add or Remove the Pith and Seeds
The hottest part of a hot pepper is the pith or the white membranes inside a pepper. This is where the capsaicin that produces the heat is produced. It rubs off on the seeds, so they too are a little hotter than the flesh of hot peppers.
The more pith and seeds you leave in your pepper mix, the hotter the infusion will be.
3. Length of Infusion
Just like tea – the longer you leave the peppers in to infuse the grape juice, the hotter it will become (up to a point). Ideally, let the pureed mixture rest and infuse for 5 minutes before straining and making the jelly.
Using Jalapeno Grape Jelly
Shortly after I made a batch of jalapeno grape jelly, friends came over for dinner with a loaf of homemade sourdough to have with dinner. My timing for dinner was off and supper was delayed – so while we were waiting, we gathered around the counter, brought out some cream cheese, sliced the sourdough, opened a jar of hot pepper grape jelly and chowed down. It was phenomenal! A big hit for sure and we were all happy supper was a little delayed!
Here are some other ways to use jalapeno grape jelly. It pays to have some on hand at all times!
- Use as an instant appetizer with cheese and crackers (use cream cheese, goat cheese, brie, etc).
- Serve with roast meat.
- Use as a spread on sandwiches.
- Use as a glaze for roasted vegetables.
- Use it in dressings or marinades to add a little heat.
- Use in sweet and sour sauces.
Can You Freeze This Jelly?
Yes, you can freeze this jelly if you really don’t want to can it. You may notice a little weeping or separation after freezing, but after stirring well, it should be ready to use. Freezing is a great option if you want to keep it for an extended period without worrying about canning. Here’s how:
- Cool the Jelly Completely: Make sure the jelly is fully cooled before freezing to avoid excess moisture or condensation.
- Use Freezer-Safe Containers: Pour the jelly into airtight, freezer-safe containers, leaving about half an inch of headspace to allow for expansion. You can even use jam jars, just remember to leave 1/2 inch of space at the top.
- Label and Freeze: Label the containers with the date and freeze. The jelly can last up to a year in the freezer without losing its texture or flavor.
- Thawing: When you’re ready to use it, thaw the jelly in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, give it a good stir, as it may separate a bit.
Using Powdered Pectin for Jalapeno Grape Jelly
Liquid pectin is a little more forgiving when it comes to making jelly with high acid jellies – like this one where we’re using vinegar. It’s easy to incorporate and results are fairly consistent. But it’s more expensive and can be hard to find – especially since Bernardin/Ball pectin has been discontinued.
You can make this jelly using powdered pectin but there are some important differences.
- Add powder pectin at the beginning of cooking.
- Stir VERY WELL as powder pectin has a tendency to clump. Consider mixing a tablespoon of the sugar with the pectin before adding to pot.
- Powder pectin is more precise – don’t mess with the fruit to sugar to acid ratio.
Here are the steps:
- Add juice and vinegar to large stainless steel pot.
- Add powdered pectin and stir very well until well distributed.
- Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1-2 minutes, ensuring a strong, rapid boil to activate the pectin.
- Remove from heat and ladle into jars.
How Long does Homemade Jelly Last
Homemade jelly varies in how long it will last depending on the amount of sugar used and how it was processed. The more sugar used, the longer it will last – on the shelf and once opened. For a full sugar jelly like this jalapeno grape jelly, here’s what to expect:
- Processed with Hot Water Bath Sealed – 12-18 months (or more) on pantry shelf
- Processed with Hot Water Bath Opened – 1- 3 months in fridge
- Not Processed Sealed or Opened – 1 month in fridge
- Not Processed Sealed in Freezer – 12 months
Recipe for Jalapeno Grape Jelly
Jalapeno Grape Jelly – Sweet & Spicy
Ingredients
- 10-15 jalapenos or blend of hot pepper varieties
- 3 cups grape juice homemade or store bought
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1/2 tsp butter optional
- 7 cups sugar
- 1 pouch Certo liquid pectin
Instructions
Prepare Hot Peppers
- Vary the heat in this jelly by varying the variety of peppers, the amount and how much of the white inner membrane (pith) and seeds you keep in. 1 cup of chopped jalapenos (~12 jalapenos) with some seeds and white membrane will give you a spicy flavour that's not overly hot. Replace some of the jalapenos with spicier peppers like serranos, cayenne or habanero peppers for more intense heat.
- Wash, remove stem and cut hot peppers in half or quarters, removing some of the seeds and pith if desired.
Infuse Grape Juice
- Combine hot peppers and grape juice in blender and process until peppers are diced finely. Let rest for 5 minutes to allow heat to infuse into the juice.
- Strain mixture through fine sieve, jelly bag or double thickness of cheesecloth.
Make Jelly
- Pour juice and vinegar into a large pot. Stir in sugar and butter (to reduce foaming). Bring to full rolling boil.
- Stir in pectin. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.
- Pour into hot jars leaving a ¼ inch (6 mm) headspace.
- Wipe rim with clean cloth and seal with sealing lid.
- Screw band on top and tighten finger tight.
- Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove jars. Cool undisturbed for 24 hours and check seal.
- Enjoy right away or store without outer rim for a year.
Freezing
- Fill freezer containers or glass jars leaving minimum of 1/2 inch space.
- Let cool completely before sealing and transferring to freezer.
- To thaw place in fridge overnight and stir well as it may seep or separate slightly.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Other Savoury Options
Check out this Tomato Jam or this Hot Pepper Jelly, two other great savoury options for cheese and crackers.
What about the leftover jalapeno puree?
You can compost it or you can dehydrate it for beautiful purple hot pepper or jalapeno grape finishing salt.
I spread the puree on a lined dehydrator tray and dried it at 135°F (57°C). Once it was dry and crumbly ~6 hours for me, I blended it with coarse salt to make this lovely finishing salt that I use to finish off whatever needs a little salt and mild heat.
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