Use this sweet and spicy peach and pepper jam on cheese and crackers or try it as a glaze for chicken or shrimp.
I am seriously addicted to the flavours of this peach and pepper jam. Sweet peaches pair with red and jalapeno peppers, to make a jam that is both sweet and spicy, delicious and versatile.
There is possibly nothing finer than this jam on top of a round of melted brie. I've also enjoyed it with crackers and cream cheese. Or aged cheddar. If you're adventurous, enjoy it on toast or a scone. And that's not all! It makes a great and flavourful glaze for chicken or shrimp. Or serve it on the side as a sweet and spicy condiment.
This jam makes great hostess or Christmas gifts. If you decide to make lots, make some small jars and have them ready for gifts any time.
Cook's Notes
I recommend refrigerating this jam after making, for shorter term use. For canning/longer term storage, please seek out a safe-canning resource for guidance.
You can make a half-batch if you don't think you can use it all in the short term, or just hand out out to friends and family to enjoy, as they'll surely appreciate it, too :)
Peach and Pepper Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups peaches, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 medium jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
- 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 oz box pectin powder, 57g *see notes
- 5 cups white sugar
Instructions
- Place peaches in a large, non-reactive pan. Combine peppers, lemon rind, cider vinegar and pectin powder with fruit in pan. Stir well to combine. Place on the stove-top over high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil. Stir in sugar and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with a spoon and discard. Pour into clean warm, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4-inch of rim.
- Refrigerate in jars for short-term use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Aubree says
Just made this tonight! It’s delicious, but a little too sweet and not quite spicy enough for me. I think next time I would try reducing the sugar by a cup like a previous commenter said and possibly doubling the jalapeño.
As is, the recipe made about 7 half pint (8 oz) jars, which is twice as much as I expected. But not complaining! This with cream cheese on a bagel is my new favorite!
Jennifer says
Hi Aubree and yes, you can certainly increase the jalapeno to your taste. That said, you want to be careful reducing the sugar in a jam. It can not only affect the set, but also compromise the shelf-life if you plan to can it. At the very least, switch to a low-sugar pectin to try it.
Karen Maza says
Hi, just wondering if you have to use a pan or a pot? I’m gonna cook this tomorrow morning:)
Jennifer says
Hi Karen, I use a good-sized, heavier bottom pot (prevents scorching on the bottom of the pan).
Joanne says
HI Jennifer: I have liquid pectin, each pouch is 85 ml. Can I use this instead of powder??
Jennifer says
Hi Joanne, liquid pectin is not directly interchangeable for powdered. You would have to do some adjustments to the recipe to adapt to liquid, but I can't advise on that, as I haven't tried it myself.
Joanne says
Hi Jennifer: I just made your Peach and Pepper Jam. I did buy a box of powdered pectin and was happy to see it was 57g. Will let you know how it is! I am just processing it now.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear! Enjoy :)
Kristi Honaker says
Simply put, incredible recipe. Coming back for the secind year in a row. Thanks for sharing this with us!!
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it, Kristi :) Thanks!
Anne says
We had a lot of peaches and I’d been searching for a peach pepper jam recipe. This is wonderful! We’ve put it over cream cheese, on chicken, and mixed it into BBQ sauce. All were amazing! A friend of mine even made her own batch. I canned them. I may give them out as gifts for Christmas if we don’t eat all of them first.
All of the recipes I looked up used the new size pectin boxes so that’s what I did. It set. I was worried about that after reading the comments. I was sure to boil everything before adding the sugar and then I only boiled that for 1 minutes as stated in the instructions. I also only used raw peppers not jarred. I don’t know if that helped or not. This recipe is worth the try. We love it! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it, Anne! It's one of my favourites :) Thanks.
Haley says
I canned this recipe last year and they are still good. They have been sitting on my shelf for 365 days.
Rebecca says
Hi,
Could you seal the jars and keep for longer?
Jennifer says
Hi Rebecca, I am not a master canner, so I can't give canning advice. My understanding though is that it is not acidic enough to can.
Haley says
I canned the recipe last year like you would any jam and its worked. I still have a stash under my stairs from last year.
Jennifer says
That is my experience as well. I just can't give canning advice directly, as I'm not a canning expert. It's just a liability thing :)
Leslie says
I made several jars of this a few weeks ago, and we loved it so much that even though we still have jars left (I canned them) I am making a second batch today before peaches are no longer in season. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it, Leslie :) Thanks!
Gary Holzer says
Hi, Can you use liquid pectin?
Jennifer says
Hi Gary, I'm sure you can, but you'll have to figure out how to swap it in. I don't think it's a straight switch.
Cindy says
Can you please tell me how long unopened jars last in the fridge?
Jennifer says
Hi Cindy, it should keep very well for 2-3 months at least.
Cathy says
Can’t wait to make this! Since you don’t recommend canning ,will this freeze well?
Jennifer says
Hi Cathy, as far as preservation for longer storage, you can freeze, but I haven't tried it myself, so I don't know if the texture may change a bit after freezing.
Ashley says
It says 6 Jars, i read through but i could be overlooking it. What size are the 6 jars
Jennifer says
It should fill six of the small 4oz jars.
Ashley Adkins says
Thank you. Do you know if it doubles well? or would you recommend two seperate batches ?
Jennifer says
I always do separate batches when it comes to jam. They can be tricky to double.
mike says
Will this work with canned peaches?
Jennifer says
You could, though canned peaches will probably pretty much disintegrate. So you will have the flavour, but not the texture of fresh peaches.
Shirley says
This recipe is amazing! I reduced the sugar to 4 cups and used jalapeño peppers. So delicious. I used a canner so that I could store it on s shelf and that worked very well also. The colour combinations are so pretty❤️
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Shirley! Thanks so much :)
Nan says
Could you clarify the measurements for the peppers? Looking forward to making this for gifts . Also the canning information.Thanks.
Jennifer says
Hi Nan, As far as the peppers go, the precise measurement isn't critical here, which is why they're quantified as "medium". It's the peaches and it's juices together with the sugar that actually makes the jam. The peppers are just what's floating around in it. So exactly how many little pieces are floating around isn't going to affect the jam. For jalapenos, I think about 3 inches long is in the medium range. For bell peppers, probably in the 5-inch tall range. As for canning, there is some thought that this particular jam is too low in acid/ph to can (hot water bath) for shelf storage. As such, I'm not going to "recommend" that myself. Instead, I suggest that people do their own research on that and decide for themselves :)
Christy says
This recipe is amazing! My husband can’t wait to have toasted bagels with cream cheese and this jam.
The only dilemma I had was my jam was super chunky even though I finely diced everything. It also didn’t set up even after being in the fridge overnight. I was able to fix it this morning by puréeing it in a blender for just a few seconds (or use an immersion blender in your pan) and bringing it to a boil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Yum!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Christy :) Thanks!
Charles says
Do you still use the full 57g of pectin for the small batch? Thanks
Jennifer says
Hi Charles and yes, you would use the whole package. Enjoy :)
Sue says
Can I make a lower sugar version of this recipe? Does that mean using less pectin?
Jennifer says
Hi Sue, you always need to be very careful when reducing the amount of sugar in a jam recipe. The sugar serves a purpose in terms of the set and shelf life of the finished jam. You can use a bit less sugar and just cook it a little longer (same amount of pectin). Your finished jam may be darker and have a shorter shelf life however. You can use "low sugar" pectin, in which case you would want to refer to the specific instructions included with that type of pectin in order to adapt this recipe with less sugar.
One thing I try to keep in mind though, is that while it's always a bit shocking when you look at the amount of sugar in jam, I always remind myself that jam is a condiment. It's not like we're sitting down and consuming the whole jar in one sitting :) As such, unless you have a specific reason to reduce the sugar (health reason), I always recommend sticking with the recipe as written.
Jan Kuehn says
Thank you so much for the quick reply. Can't wait to try this recipe. Live in Texas
Joanne says
Can anyone translate 57g to tablespoons? Thanks.
Jennifer says
According to google, 1 Tablespoon equals 12 g, so it would be a just slightly less than 5 Tablespoons.
Hailey says
I did the math, it would be 4 tbsp (56.7g) and 1/4 tsp (1.25g) to make it as close as one can get to 57g,; it actually equals 57.95g. Hope that helps!
Jennifer says
Thanks Hailey! It's always helpful when someone else does the math :)
Jan Kuehn says
I'm anxious to try this recipe. Do you know approx measurement for 3 medium jalapenos? The sizes of fresh jalapenos are not consistent. Thought I would use 1 cup of chopped red bell pepper. Would you use 1 cup of jalapenos?
Jennifer says
Hi Jan, I think a medium jalapeno is about 3 inches long, so maybe use that as a guide.
Betty says
Did you use the original formula of pectin or the formula for less or no sugar? The pectin I am referring to is Sure Jell. b
Jennifer says
Hi Betty. I used used the regular (original) pectin here.
Robin says
I was searching for a peach-pepper jam recipe and found yours. I made a batch and it was deliciously perfect! I invited some friends to try some with cream cheese and crackers. They raved about it being the best peach-pepper jam they have ever tasted and even said they liked it better than a well known expensive brand. I am now on my 5th batch as my friends will be getting Christmas baskets containing several jars so that they can share this delectable delight at their holiday gatherings. Thank YOU for sharing this recipe!!!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much :) Glad you enjoyed it!
Laura Merritt says
I made this delicious jam last night, it has still not set up, not even the jar I put in the refrigerator. I'm starting to panic. How long do I wait before I try something different and what should I do to correct it, if need be?
Jennifer says
Hi Laura and sorry to hear that! If the jam doesn't set, it means it didn't fully reach the temperature required for it to set, which is 221F on a candy thermometer. You can try to salvage it though by pouring it back into the pot and boiling it again. It won't be ideal, as the peaches will start to caramelize a bit, but at least it may then set.
carrie says
do you know whether poblano or anaheim peppers would work (ph wise) to swap in for the jalapeño? flavor wise, i think it will be equally delicious and i have those in my garden, ripening at the same pace as my peach tree.
Jennifer says
Hi Carrie, both the poblano and the anaheim peppers would be milder in flavour and heat than the jalapeno, which would be fine if you aren't looking for any heat. If you are, maybe use some of the other peppers, but include 1 jalapeno.
Michael says
What is the yield on this recipe? Six half pints or six pints? Just saying “jars” is not accurate,
Keri Selwyn says
Michael, she said they are 8 to 10 oz jars in a previous comment.
Chris says
I just made it and filled 12 4oz jars, with just a bit to spare. Twice as much as I intended making. Just realized I used low/no sugar pectin so I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. First time making jam.
Jennifer says
Hope it works for you! Let me know :)
Tadria says
This recipe is AMAZING!! I make it every year with fresh jalapeños from our garden. There is nothing better than this on top of cheese and crackers. Delicious. So easy to make too.
Jennifer says
Thanks Tadria! So glad you are enjoying it :)