Pineapple Jalapeno Jam
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This sweet and spicy pineapple jalapeño jam is one of those recipes you’ll find excuses to put on everything. I’ve made it more times than I can count, and I’m sharing all the tips and little tweaks I rely on so you get a perfectly set, flavorful jar every time — even if this is your first time making jam.
If you love making your own jam, try my delicious one jar strawberry jam or my incredibly flavorful mixed berry jam.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect consistency. It’s pourable enough to spoon over chicken, a block of cream cheese, or a wedge of baked brie, but thick enough to be scoopable with tortilla chips. And, you can see all the peppers and pineapple right in the jar.
- Adjustable heat. Just spicy enough to be interesting, and easy to dial up or down so it doesn’t overpower.
- Easy to preserve. Works beautifully as a freezer jam or for water bath canning, depending on what you’re comfortable with.
Ingredients:
Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine’s Pineapple Habanero Jelly
- Jalapeño peppers: Jalapeño peppers add the spice to this jam. I leave the seeds, but you can remove the seeds and membranes to reduce the spice. I love using fresh jalapenos, but have used pickled slices in a pinch.
- Red bell pepper: the red bell pepper adds a nice pop of color, and it also adds a sweet pepper flavor, without adding spice.
- Pineapple chunks: Any pineapple (except crushed) works for this recipe. I’ve made this recipe so many times with fresh, canned, or frozen pineapple chunks, and they all work great. Fresh or frozen are my favorites.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: this is optional, but it adds a different type of spice. Leave it out if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Rice vinegar: The rice vinegar is here to offset the sweetness. I prefer rice vinegar because it doesn’t have the aggressive bite that white vinegar has. Make sure to get the unseasoned variety. Rice vinegar can be found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store, but you can use red wine, apple cider, or white distilled if that’s all you have!
- Powdered pectin: I use traditional powdered pectin for this recipe. I do not use instant or pectin for reduced sugar.
- Granulated sugar: This adds sweetness to the jam, but more importantly works with the pectin to thicken the jam.
How To Make Pineapple Pepper Jam:
Step 1:
Finely dice the pineapple, red bell pepper, and jalapenos.
Step 2:
Add the diced fruit, peppers, and vinegar to a 2-quart saucepan with the red pepper flakes and pectin. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes.
Step 3:
Stir in the sugar and cook for another two minutes.
Ladle into jars. Let the jam cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge or freezer.
Tip: (see the recipe notes if you plan to preserve this jam)
Recipe Notes For Canning
If you’re water bath canning your jam, make sure to follow the prep and cleaning instructions before ladling your jam into the jars.
When I want to store this jam long term, these are the water bath canning instructions I use:
- Ladle the jam into the washed and sterilized jars. Wipe the edges of each jar clean with a paper towel.
- Top the jars with a fresh lid and screw on the metal ring, just finger tight.
- Carefully lower the jars into a large pot of boiling water so that the water covers the jars by one inch. Cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid of the pot. Let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars of jam and let them sit on a towel to cool. You’ll hear the lids pop and seal as they sit. Store in the pantry for up to 1 year.
Important Tips
- Consistency: the jam will be looser than a typical fruit jam. It is meant to be a little pourable.
- You may notice the fruits rise to the top. If that happens, make sure the lid is on tight and just flip the jar over to distribute the fruit as the jars cool. I do this once or twice before I store it in the fridge or pantry.
- Jam vs Jelly: This is a jam and not a pineapple pepper jelly because we keep the chunks of fruit. To make this a jelly, you’d need to puree everything or use just fruit juice!
Serving Suggestions
To be honest, you can serve this stuff with just about anything! Here are some of my favorite serving suggestions:
- Pour over a block of room temperature cream cheese (you’ll find this at any pot luck in New England) and serve with multigrain crackers.
- Serve as a sauce with chicken fajitas
- It’s great on chicken tacos and black bean burgers
- As a spicy dip for tortilla chips
- Slather it on fried fish or sliced ham
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Fresh Pineapple Jalapeno Jam
Ingredients
- 2 large jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 red bell pepper (medium sized)
- 2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh, canned, or frozen
- 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups of granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons powdered pectin. Do not use instant or low sugar pectin.
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar, unseasoned
Instructions
- Finely dice the pineapple, red bell pepper, and jalapenos.
- Add diced fruit, peppers, and rice vinegar to a 2 quart saucepan with the red pepper flakes and pectin.
- Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in sugar and cook for another two minutes.
- Ladle into jars (see note)
- Let cool before storing in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Notes
- If you’re canning your jam, make sure to wash and sterilize your jars before filling. Find the water bath canning instructions I use under “recipe notes” in the post.
- To reduce the spice, remove the seeds and membrane of the jalapeno, and omit the crushed red pepper.
- This is a loose jam; it will be pourable rather than spreadable. So don’t worry, you didn’t do it wrong!
Love this. I have just made my 3rd batch. I do have a problem with the solids rising to the top, although it doesn’t affect the taste.
I’m so glad you love it!! Sometimes when I’m canning this jam or if I’m just waiting for the jam to cool, I’ll pop a lid on the jar or container and flip it over halfway through cooling. That seems to help!
Can you use liquid pectin?
Hi Kate!
I’ve never used liquid pectin, but I read that you can use 1 packet of liquid pectin for every 2 tablespoons of powdered pectin. And you would add the liquid pectin at the end of the cooking process. Hope this helps!
Is using just white or apple vinegar ok?
Yes! Both are totally fine!
Can you substitute rise vinegar with just would just regular vinegar
Yes! Regular vinegar will work just fine!
If actually can Ed this recipe how long in the water bath
I boil the jars for about 10-15 minutes covered. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let jars stand 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the pot and sit on a towel. Allow jars to cool completely. These are the instructions I use:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/blog?cid=pepper-jelly-recipe
Do you drain the canned pineapple?
yes!
This looks so good!! I’m going to make it!! I was wondering what would be a good meal to serve it with? Could this be served with plain tortilla chips?
Hi! I hope you love it! So there are a few different ways to serve this. I definitely eat it straight with tortilla chips. That’s one of my favorite snacks.
I also like to take a block of softened cream cheese and pour this jam over the top and serve it with a hearty cracker-like Triscuits, Wheat Thins or stone wheat crackers.
For main dishes, I like it on the side as a condiment for grilled or roasted chicken, baked white fish, or even pork tenderloin. I hope this helps!
I spread spicy pepper jam/jelly on bread when making a spicy apple cheddar grilled cheese sandwich. It’s so good! But I’m sure it would be wonderful on chips, crackers and main dishes. Normally I’ve purchased this jam at the store, but now that I’ve found this recipe I’ll try making my own!
OH WOW! Spread on a grilled cheese? GENIUS!
….after bringing to a boil for 2 minutes then adding sugar and cooking for 2 minutes longer .. 2 minutes from the time I add sugar or does the sugar need to come to a boil with the pectin and then start 2 minute count ?
Thanks for the quick reply back .., sorry I misstated the question.. but I still got the answer. It should have been more along the line of … says to cook 2 minutes longer .. wasn’t sure if that was a full two minute hard boil after adding sugar .. or just start the 2 minutes immediately after adding the sugar .
I just made this and it’s delicious but it was way too liquidy! I don’t think I did anything wrong but I guess the fresh pineapple that I used released a ton of liquid. Any suggestions for what I can do next time to avoid that problem? thanks
Hi! I would recommend adding more pectin! I use the powdered kind and adding extra seemed to help with fruits and veggies with extra moisture. You can also boil the fruit a little longer to reduce the liquid, that way you’ll get a lovely concentrated flavor and a thicker jam. This is a “looser” jam anyway, so it’s not super spreadable like other jams. It’s more of a dippy jam. Hope that helps!!
Thank you! I’m Making another batch today. I will try adding more pectin. Jars of this jam will make a nice little Christmas gifts!
The flavor is awesome: I used one pouch of liquid pectin, boiled for eight minutes and it is still watery 24 hours later. I want to make more but I want it to look like you finished proudct.
Hi! This jam will be a little looser than a spreadable berry jam, but will still thicken to be spoonable. I only use powdered pectin, so I’m not sure liquid pectin would work without modifying the cooking process.
Making for the first time
I did not see that this was horrible jam wondering if there’s a way to make it more jelly like
Would like to use it as a spread for crackers
To make it more jelly like, you would just need to puree the fruits and veggies before cooking!