Cranberry Pepper Jelly
Cranberry Pepper Jelly is an easy, sweet spicy jelly that is perfect as a glaze, as an addition to appetizers and is perfect for a unique gift for the holidays!
Don’t miss our complete step-by-step guide to canning.
Gifting jams and jellies is one of my favorite things to do for the holidays, for hostess gifts and for special occasions.
Everyone has their favorite so I keep track of that in a spreadsheet, so that I am sure to give my loved ones exactly what they like.
Can you substitute different peppers?
Yes, absolutely. If you would like to make a hotter jam, use habanero or scotch bonnet peppers or add 2-3 jalapenos. For a milder jam, use only one jalapeno, or substitute poblano.
What you need
- Whole cranberries (fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries): There is no need to thaw the cranberries if they’re frozen.
- Jalapeño peppers: Increase the number of peppers or substitute a hotter pepper if you’d like it spicier. Try to find red peppers. The jam will be a nicer color. Red Serranos are readily available.
- Vinegar: An acid is essential to make a shelf-safe product.
- Sugar: Sugar aids in inhibiting bacterial growth and adds a nice sweetness to the jelly.
- Low sugar pectin: We use a minimal amount of sugar in this recipe, so it’s essential to use low-sugar pectin.
How to make it
Sort & wash cranberries. Measure pectin and add ½ cup sugar to it.
Add vinegar and water to a large stock pot.
Split and remove the seeds and stem from jalapeños. One cup of jalapeños makes a relatively mild jelly. NOTE: We use ripe, red jalapeños. It makes the jelly a nicer red color.
Rough chop the peppers. They don’t need to be finely chopped since the mixture will be processed in a food processor until smooth.
PRO TIP: If you don’t grow your own peppers and you can’t find red jalapeños, substitute another red pepper like
Add the peppers and berries to the pan with the vinegar and water.
Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes until everything is soft.
Add the cranberries and pepper mixture to a food processor or blender.
Blend until very smooth. (You can add some of the liquid from the pan to help break up the cranberries and peppers, if you need to.)
Return to the saucepan when smooth.
Add the sugar/pectin mixture. Bring it to a rolling boil.
Add the remainder of the sugar. Bring it back to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
Fill the hot jars with the hot jelly.
Remove bubbles along the edge with a bubble tool. Wipe the lids with a damp paper towel to remove any debris.
Center the lids on the jars. Screw on the bands finger tip tight.
Process the jars for 15 minutes for pints, adjusting for altitude. See the recipe card below.
What Can You Do with Cranberry Pepper Jelly?
- I love making glazes for chicken, fish, or pork with sweet and spicy jellies.
- Use it in place of BBQ sauce when grilling. Add it in the last 10 minutes of cooking time so that it doesn’t burn.
- Use it for a festive holiday season appetizer. Top blocks of cream cheese with jelly and serve with crackers for an easy appetizer.
- Mix it with cream cheese and add mayonnaise to make it more spreadable for a festive holiday spread.
- Try it on a peanut butter sandwich for a fun new twist.
- Have it on an English muffin for a breakfast that is sure to wake you up.
- Top a leftover turkey sandwich with the jam for a nice kick.
- These jars make a great gift for the holidays or a hostess gift.
Other recipes featuring hot peppers
- Candied jalapenos
- Jalapeno pepper jelly
- Spicy jalapeno relish
- Spicy grilled cheese
- How to make chipotle peppers
- Chipotle in adobo sauce
- Chipotle aioli
- 5 easy ways to dry peppers
- Fermented peppers
- Fermented hot sauce
More jelly recipes
Tools I Use
That’s how easy it is to make this delicious cranberry pepper jelly.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Cranberry Pepper Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup jalapeno
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 4 cup Sugar
- 6 tbsp Ball RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Pectin
Instructions
- Sort & wash cranberries. Measure pectin and add 1/2 cup sugar to it.2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- Add vinegar and water to large stock pot.2 cups cider vinegar, 1 cup water
- Chop and remove seeds from jalapenos. 1 cup of jalapenos makes a fairly mild jelly.1 cup jalapeno
- Add peppers and cranberries to the vinegar and water to pan.
- Bring to boil.
- Reduce heat.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes until everything is soft.
- Strain out the cranberries and pepper mixture with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender.
- Blend until very smooth. (you can add some of the liquid from the pan to help break up the cranberries and peppers, if you need to)
- Return the cranberry mixture to the saucepan with the remaining vinegar mixture.
- Add sugar/pectin mixture. Bring to rolling boil.4 cup Sugar, 6 tbsp Ball RealFruit™ Low or No-Sugar Pectin
- Add the remainder of the sugar. (3½ cups)
- Bring back to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
- Fill hot jam into hot jars.
- Wipe rims.
- Attach lids. Tighten bands finger tip tight.
- Process in a water bath canning pot for 5 minutes for half-pints or 10 minutes for pint jars. Turn off the heat, and allow jars to sit in hot water for at least 5 minutes.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- I love making glazes for chicken fish or pork with sweet and spicy jellies.
- Use it in place of BBQ sauce when grilling. Add it the last 10 minutes of cooking time so that it doesn’t burn.
- Use it for a festive holiday appetizer. Top cream cheese with jelly for an easy appetizer.
- Mix it with cream cheese, adding mayonnaise to make it more spreadable for a festive spread for the holidays.
- Try it on a peanut butter sandwich for a fun new twist.
- Have it on an English muffin for a breakfast that is sure to wake you up.
- These jars make a great holiday or hostess gift.
Nutrition
Originally published October 16, 2022. Updated October 3, 2025.
confused about sugar pectin mix. first says mix pectin and half cup sugar. then when cooking add sugar pectin mix . then add rest of sugar. but highlighted 4 c of sugar first. so shouldn’t the 4cups be added last minus half cup???
Yes. That is correct. That is the recipe card that adds the ingredients to the step automatically. I can’t change that.
Easy recipe to follow! Taste wonderful. We used ghost peppers. I was wondering if it’s supposed to still have a strong smell of apple cider vinegar after a week of opening one?
We’re so glad that you like it. I hadn’t noticed an ACV smell. I think it was a bit more peppery. The one I have in the fridge now I smell peppers.
I found this recipe is too sweet with 4 cups of sugar for only 3 cups of fruit/veg. The recipe, as followed, produced 5.5 half pints (1 cup mason jars) and not 5.5 full pints (2 cup jars) as stated in the recipe. I have the calorie count over double per tbsp as it did not even come close to 176 tbsp.
The recipe was followed as written.
The sugar content is directly related to the liquid content. The liquid content is 6 cups, therefore, 4 cups is defined as low-sugar. You are right about the yield. It makes 5.5 half-pints. That was an editorial error and it’s been corrected.
Hi there, just wondering if using frozen berries, should you thaw them and strain excess liquid first, or just pop them in frozen?
You can just pop them in frozen!
Sorry this might have been answered but my certo pectin is powder but the packaging doesn’t say anything about it being low sugar . But the ingredients say it only has 1 gm sugar per serving . So I am assuming it is low sugar type
I can send photo
If it doesn’t say that it is specifically made for low sugar, then it isn’t. You don’t look at the sugar in the packet. It is how much sugar that it requires to set the jelly. You could increase the sugar in the recipe to make it full sugar. Just follow the directions on your package as to the sugar requirement in relation to the other ingredients.
I’ve made two matches of this! Love to give as gifts, but we love it with cheese and crackers or meat! Definitely recommend this recipe.
That’s great, Shirley. We’re so glad that you like it. We love it with cheese and crackers too!
I am not well versed with pectin varieties… I have a box of Pomona’s universal Pectin… should this be ok and have you any suggestions for modifying the recipe if needed in order to use it?? Also.. green versus red jalapeños… aside from a color change will heat be about the same do you think? Thank you in advance! I am anxious to try this.
I haven’t used Pomona’s universal pectin but from the name, it would suggest a full sugar pectin, not low sugar. You would need to increase the sugar in this recipe. You need to check the instructions on the pectin and adapt the recipe for the fruit in the jalapeño jelly. In other words, if the instructions say 2 cups of fruit and juice, then count the vinegar, peppers and cranberries as the fruit. Then add the appropriate amount of sugar and pectin. Does that make sense to you?
As far as red vs green peppers, red peppers are older and generally hotter than green peppers. If you don’t want hot jelly be sure to remove the seeds and maybe even reduce the quantity of peppers.
Pomona is a low sugar pectin
Ok. I’m just not familiar with it.
I felt the cider vinegar too harsh. Next time I’ll use regular vinegar. I wanted it chunky so didn’t make jelly.
White vinegar would work well too.
I dOnt have no or low sugar pectin. been having a hard time locating,but I do have 2 boxes of regular powered pectin,can I use?
If you use regular pectin, you have to increase the sugar content or it won’t set.