Have you tasted a hot pepper jam? There is really nothing else like it. The balance of sweet and spice is unforgettable. I tried a pepper jam for the first time a few years ago and fell for the unique flavor combination immediately. I’ve been making my family’s Peach Jam recipe for years now, but this time I wanted to try my hand at a spicy version.
There isn’t enough hyperbole in my life to adequately express just how much I am enjoying this jam. I made it late at night about a week ago and in the time since, I’ve eaten it in lieu of a meal at least once each day. I’m already down a jar and a half! I like it best on crackers or a thinly sliced baguette with a smear of brie, goat cheese or whipped cream cheese and then topped with a dollop of jam. I really could eat this breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I didn’t peel the peaches for this batch of jam. I was short on time and I wanted to see how it would work. I imagined that the longer cooking time in this recipe would soften the peels enough they would hardly be noticeable and I was right. The peels cooked down to almost nothing after 20 minutes on the stove. The random peels that made it through the process were completely softened and they were barely noticeable.
- 2 lbs diced peaches about 5 1/2 cups
- 2 lbs white sugar about 5 cups
- 3 habaneros very finely diced (remove the seeds for less heat)
- juice of 1 lemon about 1/4 cup juice
- Combine all ingredients in a large heavy bottomed pot. Stir and let the mixture rest at room temperature for an hour. The peaches will release their juices as the sugar starts to dissolve. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium high to maintain a boiling temperature for about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently, as the mixture thickens.
- The mixture will initially foam constantly, then the foam will reduce as the jam is finishing it's cooking time. Test the jam by dropping a teaspoon's worth onto a plate. When it thickens and doesn't run, it is done. Remove from the heat and pour into sterile jars. Process in a hot water bath and then store in a cool dark place; or store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month or alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 6 months. Enjoy!
On my stove, this recipe cooks for 20 minutes while set at Medium-High. However, as several readers have confirmed, that is not true for all stoves. Lower the cooking temperature as low as possible, while still maintaining a constant boil. When the jam stops foaming, test the jam by dropping a teaspoon's worth onto a plate. When it thickens and doesn't run, it is done. This may take as little as 10 minutes, or as long as 20 minutes, depending on your stove.
Anonymous says
Mary, this looks absolutely yummy! As a novice in the area of jam making, can you clarify what is meant by "process in a hot water bath" in the directions? Thank you so much!
Mary says
Here's a link to a beginner's guide to hot water bath canning:
http://foodinjars.com/2013/07/new-to-canning-start-here-boiling-water-bath-canning/ I hope that helps!
Anonymous says
Thanks so much, Mary! That site helped me to understand the water bath canning process. At that site it says to "follow recipe for processing time", so how long did you process your jars in the boiling water bath?
Mary says
Process jams in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes if jars are pre-sterilized. Clean hot jars that are not pre- sterilized may also be used; in that case, process jams in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
I hope that helps!
Unknown says
Hi Mary – Have you ever had an issue with the "heat" (capsaicin) from the habaneros being "cooked out" of the jam? I'm running into an issue where on the stove, the jam is a perfect mixture of sweet with the heat providing a great "kick" as an aftertaste. However, after cooling and canning the "heat" from the habaneros is barely noticeable. I'm wondering if I should add the peppers immediately after I take the jam off the stove, add more, or cook at a lower temperature. Any guidance or advise on this?
Mary says
I would let it mellow. The heat may resurface. (You do not want raw peppers of any sort in something you're going to can. That is a botchulism risk.) You might be able to add one more minced pepper to the mix safely. And test your peppers before hand for spice. I hope that helps!
Anonymous says
Can you do this method with any fruit? I did the peach and it was DELISH!! Thinking about maybe trying strawberry/habanero (only because I have a ton of habaneros and not having any luck finding peaches anymore) …??? Have you done any other fruit other then peaches?
Mary says
As long as the fruit amounts are the same, it should work fine. Strawberry Habanero salsa is one of our favorites. It would be awesome as a jam too.
Anonymous says
Well I tried it. Canning some now and putting one in fridge. I'll let you know. Ohhhhh… hadn't thought of strawberry/habanero salsa…..thanks for that idea! Do you have a particular recipe for that one? If not I can look some up. My neighbors and family are begging me to make more of your Peach recipe… it was sooooo good. Thank you for sharing it.
Mary says
Here's my recipe, just swap habaneros for jalapenos if that is more your style: https://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2013/07/strawberry-jalapeno-salsa-recipe.html There's a killer pineapple jalapeno salsa here on the blog too. Enjoy!
Roberta says
How long did you process the 1/2 pints in a hot water bath? I live over 6,000 feet so I will need to increase the processsing time 10-15 minutes.
Carla says
Hi really love this jam but need to make it sugar free or with agape, do you know the conversion and how it effect the results of the jam.
Sharyn says
I love jam – this sounds really good! I have a question: why is it that on-line food bloggers can’t bother with the etiquette to tell how much a recipe makes, how many jars to sterilize, etc.? I think this information would be so helpful to your readers that they would be more likely to come back. Not having this information can make it very difficult to plan.
Mary says
Hi Sharyn,
There are a number of reasons why a recipe might not include yield results. In this case, I switched the program that I use for the recipe cards on my site and unfortunately, not all of the information transferred properly. This recipe typically yields 3 – 3 1/2 pints of jam. I’ve corrected the recipe to include that information.
All the best,
Mary
Sharyn Guthrie says
Thank you! That helps a lot. 🙂
Glenda says
Why is it necessary to put in the freeze to keep for 6 months? Doesn’t putting the jam in a water bath for 10 minutes seal the jam so it has a longer shelf life?
Cindy says
I made this following recipe and it turned out rock hard and super sweet. I’ve managed to get it out if the jars and back onto stove with 4 more peaches and lemon juice. My question is do I need to rebuild or will simmer be fine. And it still is super sweet???
Mary says
I can’t even fathom what happened here. I make this jam all the time. Are you saying that it hardened after pouring it into the jars? How long did you boil it? How many half pint jars did you get from the batch? My only guess here is that it was boiled for too long and it reduced a lot, resulting in a much thicker and sweeter consistency.
Terri says
Made this it is delicious but I lost heat also.. not sure how.
Marilyn Sobiech says
This recipe sounds so good but I’m questioning the amount of sugar and lemon juice. I’ve never made peach jam but am going to make some this year. I’ve compared several recipes and most say about 11 pounds of peaches and 5 cups of sugar. I notice your recipe calls for about 2 pounds of peaches and about 5 cups of sugar. Is that a misprint or just very sweet jam? Secondly the recipe calls for fresh lemon juice or about 1/4 cup. Can I use lemon juice from a bottle? sometimes there are different amounts when using lemon juice?
Mary Younkin says
I’ve made this exactly as written many times and it doesn’t taste overly sugary to me, but the heat from the peppers balances it too. I use more sugar than traditional recipes, as I’m not adding Pectin.
Mama L says
This jam is amazing. I just made a 3rd batch due to popular demand. I also made a version with caramelized pineapple that is soooo good. I added a couple of extra peppers for some extra heat and it does not disappoint. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome, super easy recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you love the jam so much!
Marianne says
Our first batch turned out great, so we decided to make a second batch. Unfortunately, at the time, we could not find more habanero peppers so we used ‘ring of fire’ peppers instead. But, the jam turned out way too mild. So, I would like to open the jars, re-heat the jam, and add one or two habanaros for some heat (finally found some). I would cook it until the habaneros were cooked. Then , I would re-jar, using new lids, and process in the canner again. Is this okay? Any other suggestions? Thanks.
Mary Younkin says
Hi Marianne, unfortunately, reheating the jam will destroy the pectin and it won’t set a second time. In order to make it spicier, I’d just stir in a bit of minced fresh (uncooked) hot pepper when you open a jar. I hope that helps!