Go Back

Cranberry Pepper Jelly

Cranberry pepper jelly with ruby-red, translucent gel and visible pepper flecks—made by boiling cranberries, then finishing with liquid pectin for a quick set. Serve it spooned over cream cheese for a sweet-tangy bite with a gentle kick.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberries
  • 2 cup fresh cranberries
Peppers
  • 1 red bell pepper finely diced
  • 3 jalapenos seeded and finely diced
Vinegar and water
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 water
Sugar and pectin
  • 5 cup sugar
  • 1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook the cranberry-pepper base
  1. Combine fresh cranberries, finely diced red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced jalapenos, apple cider vinegar, and water in a large Dutch oven.
  2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the cranberries burst and the peppers soften.
Boil with sugar and set with pectin
  1. Stir in sugar and return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
  2. Add the liquid pectin, then boil hard for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
  3. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
Jar and chill
  1. Ladle the hot jelly into clean jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
  2. Cool the jars, then refrigerate until set.
Serve
  1. Serve the cranberry pepper jelly over cream cheese with crackers.

Notes

For the clearest jelly, keep stirring when the pectin goes in and boil to a true rolling boil that won’t be stirred down. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks in sealed jars; freeze for up to 6 months for best quality. If you want it less sweet, use a reduced-sugar liquid pectin that measures cup-for-cup (regular pectin won’t set correctly with less sugar).