An easy and delicious peach and pepper jam, with peaches, jalapeño peppers and bell peppers. Use this sweet and spicy jam on cheese and crackers or try it as a glaze for chicken or shrimp.
There is possibly nothing finer than this peach and pepper 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.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Peaches – Start with fresh peaches. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen or canned peaches.
Powdered Pectin – such as Certo or Sure-Jell. The box in Canada is 57g (2oz), and you will need one box. I recommend using powdered pectin if at all possible, as it is what was used to test this recipe. I haven’t tested this recipe with liquid pectin, though it may be as simple as adding it at the end of cooking (per the package directions.
How to make peach and pepper jam
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making this recipe.
- Combine the peaches, jalapeño peppers, red bell pepper, lemon rind and pectin powder in a large pot (not aluminum or cast-iron).
- Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring regularly.
- Add the white sugar and stir in.
- If you like, you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of butter to the pot. This helps to reduce the foaming somewhat.
- Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil, then let it boil hard for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat, skim off and discard the foam and then ladle into jars.
Recipe tips!
- Unless you properly preserve this jam (sterilized jars and lids and a hot water bath), you will need to refrigerate this jam after making, for shorter-term use.
- 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 :)
- Jams need quite a bit of sugar to set properly, so I don’t suggest reducing the sugar from what is specified. If you are concerned about the sugar, you would need to use a low-sugar pectin and adapt this recipe accordingly.
Troubleshooting
If your jam has sat for 24 hours and has not set, all is not lost! Simply return the jam to a large pot and bring it back to a rolling boil. Boil at a full rolling boil for a couple of minutes more, then spoon back into the jars to set.
Canning guidance
If you’d like to can this jam for longer storage, be sure to use proper canning methods. The Bernadin Home Canning Guide is a great resource.
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Get the Recipe: Peach and Pepper Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 medium jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 oz box pectin powder, 57g *see Note 1
- 5 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon butter, optional, but will reduce foaming somewhat
Instructions
- Tip! Be sure to use a non-reactive pan to make jams. That means not using an aluminum or cast-iron pan.
- Tip! A full rolling boil is a boil that can't be stirred down. It's called a rolling boil because the liquid seems to boil up and roll over the top. Be sure the entire pot is at that level before you start timing the 1-minute hard boil!
- Place peaches, jalapeño pepper, red bell pepper, lemon rind, cider vinegar and powdered pectin into a large pot. Stir well to combine. Place on the stovetop over high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil.
- Stir in the sugar and the butter, if using and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Be patient, as this can take 5-10 minutes. Once the jam reaches a full, rolling boil, allow it to boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Skim off foam with a spoon and discard. Pour into clean, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4-inch of the rim. Place lids onto the jars and finger-tighten. If not canning, transfer to the refrigerator and let stand undisturbed for 24 hours. If canning, immediately process in the hot water bath as detailed below. Let stand for 24 hours undisturbed after canning.
- Refrigerate the jars for short-term use (up to 3 months) or process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (*up to 1000 feet above sea level or longer if higher elevation), to preserve this jam for longer storage.
- Troubleshooting! If your jam has sat for 24 hours and has not set, all is not lost! Simply return the jam to a large pot and bring it back to a rolling boil. Boil at a full rolling boil for a couple of minutes more, then spoon back into the jars to set.
Notes
More jam recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi,
Could you seal the jars and keep for longer?
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.
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.
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 :)
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!
So glad you are enjoying it, Leslie :) Thanks!
Hi, Can you use liquid pectin?
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.
Can you please tell me how long unopened jars last in the fridge?
Hi Cindy, it should keep very well for 2-3 months at least.
Can’t wait to make this! Since you don’t recommend canning ,will this freeze well?
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.
It says 6 Jars, i read through but i could be overlooking it. What size are the 6 jars
It should fill six of the small 4oz jars.
Thank you. Do you know if it doubles well? or would you recommend two seperate batches ?
I always do separate batches when it comes to jam. They can be tricky to double.
Will this work with canned peaches?
You could, though canned peaches will probably pretty much disintegrate. So you will have the flavour, but not the texture of fresh peaches.
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❤️
So glad to hear, Shirley! Thanks so much :)
Could you clarify the measurements for the peppers? Looking forward to making this for gifts . Also the canning information.Thanks.
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 :)
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!
So glad to hear, Christy :) Thanks!
Do you still use the full 57g of pectin for the small batch? Thanks
Hi Charles and yes, you would use the whole package. Enjoy :)
Can I make a lower sugar version of this recipe? Does that mean using less pectin?
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.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Live in Texas
Can anyone translate 57g to tablespoons? Thanks.
According to google, 1 Tablespoon equals 12 g, so it would be a just slightly less than 5 Tablespoons.
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!
Thanks Hailey! It’s always helpful when someone else does the math :)
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?
Hi Jan, I think a medium jalapeno is about 3 inches long, so maybe use that as a guide.
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
Hi Betty. I used used the regular (original) pectin here.