Habanero Peach Jam
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.
Habanero Peach Jam
Ingredients
- 2 lbs diced peaches about 5 ½ cups
- 2 lbs white sugar about 5 cups
- 3 habaneros very finely diced (remove the seeds for less heat)
- juice of 1 lemon about ¼ cup juice
Instructions
- 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.
- Pour immediately into sterile canning jars. Fill the jars to ¼ inch from the top. Seal them and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Sue/the view from great island says
I want this now! You know we also made a pink grapefruit habanero jam that was really great. I'm just addicted to the sweet/hot thing.
Lisa @ The Meaning of Me says
I love a good pepper jelly. This was timely – I have far too many peppers from our CSA box and this may be just the thing to solve that problem!
Jenn S says
Oh, wow, Mary, this sounds incredible!! I love using habaneros… although hot, they do lend a nice sweetness to everything! I've never made jam before… maybe this should be my first try!!!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
I just got my case of Colorado peaches. I've never made jam/jelly without pectin. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.
Kelly Irby says
I make james in this method all the time. The secret to no pectin is cooking till it gets real thick. When you think it is thick enough cook it longer!
Chris says
This on grilled pork chops…yes.
justin fiddler says
how long will this last in the cubbard? I just started canning and it seen as if most canned goods are good for a year.
Mary says
At least a year, although I still use several jams that I canned over 2 years ago without any problems at all.
justin fiddler says
Thank you Mary. Recipe is coming to a boil as i type.
Barclay Berberian says
Awesome! Made this today, and it is a new favorite for my wife and me!
Downtown Foodie of Richmond says
Omg, I remember trying this for the first time at the Charlottesville, VA farmer's market and falling in love! I just made your recipe, and it was even better than I remembered! Thank you so much! I will definitely be sharing this yumminess with everyone at my husband's birthday party tomorrow! I can't wait!
Debbie S, says
No pectin in this? I have peaches and need to make jam today and so want to do this, but now am unsure?? And will 3 habanero's be a good amount of heat?
Mary says
No pectin is needed at all! The longer cooking time thickens it perfectly. For my tastes, 3 habaneros was a great balance of sweetness and heat. It you want a substantial amount of heat, you can definitely add more!
Anonymous says
Just found this recipe – too late in the season but still had to try it. Bought beautiful peaches that were hard as rocks; "ripened" them in brown bags & they turned out mostly flavorless & some were mealy. Habaneros aren't easy to find, but I got lucky. Decided to make a batch anyway. Cooked the batch long & slow. Well . . . WOW! Can hardly wait for tree-ripened peaches next summer & I'll even grow my own habaneros, if necessary. This recipe is a winner!
Anonymous says
I made this jam tonight and I'm afraid it didn't come out correctly. I followed all instructions to the letter. The jam is a dark amber color like it is burned. The peels on the peaches are still chewy. I only spent $7.50 on supplies so I'm not out a lot of money but I really wanted the jam. I live in Houston and our humidity is 100% most every day during the summer. I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it. I'm think the medium high setting on my oven was too much too 🙁
Mary says
What a bummer! Did you taste it? Sometimes, for no reason I can explain, I'll have a batch turn out darker than usual. I just made this jam again last week though and it turned out perfectly. Without being in your kitchen with you, it's hard to guess what might have gone wrong. I wish I could provide more help!
Anonymous says
I've always dipped my peaches in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then into an ice bath to loosen the skins. I've always removed the skins for canning. Perhaps that's what changed the color?
Anonymous says
Mine came out dark amber too. I think I overt cooked it. Still tastes good but it's more like taffy in consistency.
Mary says
I've never had jam turn out that thick, so I'm guessing you're right that it overcooked. I'm glad that it still turned out tasty!
Roman K says
The same thing happened to me. We followed the instructions, but medium high is misleading. We boiled the mixture for the 20 min you suggested. The water all boiled off and we ended up boiling the syrup to soft ball stage. The sugar carmalized, and we now have jars full of peach habanero toffee candy. Useless for jam. It tastes great, but it is caramel candy, not jam. I may follow the recipe again but add pectin and cook it the normal way.
Mary says
I appreciate your feedback on this recipe, Roman. I'm glad it tastes great as toffee candy but sorry to hear that the jam didn't turn out for you. I've added a few notes to the recipe to hopefully clarify the cooking time on different stoves.
The Tempestuous Writer says
I made this "jam" a few weeks ago, and it smelled and looked great. Unfortunately, when it cooled down, it turned into the consistency of what I can only describe as melted Jolly Ranchers that have semi-solidified! Don't know what went wrong here, but I can't even get it out of the jar without fear of bending my butter knife. It tastes great, like candy. But it's no good as a jam, as far as spreading it on ANYTHING.
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://barefeetinthekitchen.com/2013/07/strawberry-jalapeno-salsa-recipe.html There's a killer pineapple jalapeno salsa here on the blog too. Enjoy!