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Three glass jars of Cranberry Pepper Jelly on a light pink background, one har with two spoons.

Cranberry Pepper Jelly

Sweet and spicy, festive and fruity, this cranberry pepper jelly makes a perfect holiday appetizer.
Yield: 14 fluid ounces (1 3/4 cup)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup / 130 g finely chopped red peppers, a mix of sweet and hot peppers to taste
  • ½ cup / 58 g whole cranberries, finely chopped (can be fresh or frozen)
  • ¾ cups / 180 g apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 ¾ cups / 250 g granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin
  • 1 teaspoon calcium water*

Instructions

  • To prepare peppers, remove stems and seeds and chop finely in a food processor. You can vary the proportion of sweet and spicy peppers, or even use entirely sweet peppers, as long as you have a total of 3/4 cups of finely chopped pepper. Pulse cranberries in the food processor as well until finely chopped.
  • In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and pectin until evenly incorporated.
  • Combine peppers, cranberries, orange zest and cider vinegar in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to soften the peppers.
  • Add calcium water and increase heat to medium-high; bring to a full rolling boil, then whisk in sugar/pectin mixture, stirring vigorously until completely dissolved and mixture returns to a boil.
  • Stir in remaining sugar and return to a full boil. It should be noticeably thickened.
  • At this point the jelly can transferred to washed and sterilized jars, and either water-bath processed if desired (
    see here for full instructions). Otherwise, keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

Notes

  • Calcium powder to make calcium water is included with the Pomona’s brand pectin.