Red Pepper Jelly Makes the Best Homemade Holiday Gift
Sounds fancy, but we promise this simple red pepper jelly recipe is worth the bit of effort.
This sweet, spicy red pepper jelly is a tasty topper for sliced meats and cheese, making it a wonderful gift for everyone this holiday season. Imagine a glass mason jar of red pepper jelly tied with a twine bow. Package it with some seedy crackers and local cheese for the ultimate hostess gift.
Now that you know how to make red pepper jelly for the holidays, check out our gift guide for more gift ideas.
| Servings |
| 2cups |
| Servings |
| 2cups |
- 1.1 kg red peppers (about 7 large)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried chili flakes
- 1 pouch fruit pectin such as Certo
|
Ingredients
Servings: cups
Units:
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- Wash and dry peppers. Remove and discard the core, seeds and white pith. Cut peppers into 1-in. (2.5-cm) pieces, and set aside roughly 2 cups (500 ml). Load the rest into a food processor and, using the pulse button, chop, almost to a coarse purée. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour in pepper mash to drain.
- Meanwhile, add reserved peppers to processor and use pulse button to chop to a medium-fine, uniform consistency. Transfer these chopped peppers to a saucepan. Take the puréed peppers and press solids in strainer with the back of a spoon to release their liquid. Add liquid to pan and discard solids in strainer.
- Stir sugar, vinegar, salt and chili flakes into pan and heat to a boil. Add pectin and boil for one minute longer. Remove from heat, skim foam from top and pour while hot into clean glass containers with a tight-fitting lid. Jelly will keep in the fridge two to three weeks, or longer.
Best Health tip: If you want a larger batch, make the recipe below twice, instead of doubling it, to ensure the jelly sets properly.
Nutrients per 1-tbsp (15-ml) serving of red pepper jelly: 65 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g fibre, 0 mg cholesterol,78 mg sodium
Bonnie Reichert is a writer and editor, chef, food journalist, recipe developer, food stylist and photographer. She develops content for newspaper and magazine, websites, blogs, newsletters, social media and more. Her clients range from media brands to independent grocers to multi-national companies, but her approach is consistently thoughtful, sincere and deeply committed to promoting joyful cooking and eating. For more about her go to bonniereichert.com.
