This Raspberry Jalapeno Freezer Jam Recipe is an easy way to lengthen the shelf life of your raspberries. Plus, it’s a flavorful and delicious jam!
Raspberry Jalapeno Freezer Jam
Our raspberry patch is slowing down in its fruitfulness, but we saved up one of our last large pickings for a couple batches of freezer jam. Our girls shared the role of Head Jam Maker in our kitchen. Tessa made a simple raspberry jam, a variation of our favorite raspberry blackberry freezer jam. And Hatti headed up our experimenting with some heat, creating our very first batch of Raspberry Jalapeno Freezer Jam. It turned out fabulously, and definitely won’t be our last batch that includes hot peppers!
I never tire of the raspberry, for both its natural beauty and its amazing sweet tart flavor. Eaten simply one by one, preserved in jam, frozen in sorbet, swirled on a brownie in my favorite raspberry buttercream, or baked into coffee cake, scones, or cheesecake…I find raspberries hard to resist. But the fresh raspberry season is all too short. So jam is a wonderful way to preserve those berries and stash away some goodness for later.
This raspberry jalapeno freezer jam is an awesome little condiment to keep on hand. It’s especially lovely as an appetizer, served with crackers and cream cheese or goat cheese. Also try brushing the jam onto chicken breasts a couple minutes before taking them off the grill. So good!
Tips for Making Freezer Jam
- Use firm perfectly ripe fruit for best flavor and set. Inferior fruit (not ripe or over ripe) will produce inferior jam.
- Measure ingredients exactly. Altering recipes or ingredients could cause a set failure.
- Yes, this recipe calls for alot of sugar, but don’t alter the amount. If you want to use less sugar, look for SURE-JELL for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes in the pink box.
- When filling prepared containers with finished jam, leave ½” at top for expansion during freezing.
- The finished product will not be as firm as a processed jam. It will be more loose, with a very spreadable consistency.
- Because this jam is not cooked, it must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. It will be good for about a month in the refrigerator, so store your jam in smaller containers (1 to 2 cups are great sizes!) that will be used up faster. Keep one jar in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer for later.
Quick & Easy Raspberry Jalapeno Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 3 c. crushed ripe red raspberries from about 6 cups whole berries
- ¼ c. minced fresh jalapeno pepper for a mild jalapeno flavor – add more for a stronger jalapeno flavor
- 5-1/4 c. sugar
- 1 c. water
- 1 box 1.75 oz. SURE-JELL fruit pectin
Instructions
- Be sure to first read through my freezer jam tips in this post, right before the recipe. Then wash 8 half-pint (1 cup) plastic containers and lids with hot water and dish soap. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
- Add the sugar to a medium bowl. In a very large bowl, combine crushed raspberries, jalapeno, and sugar. Stir to combine. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
- In a small saucepan over high heat, stir together water and pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Add pectin mixture to raspberry jalapeno mixture and stir constantly for 3 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. If a few sugar crystals remain, that’s ok.
- Immediately fill containers to within 1/2” of container tops. With a damp paper towel, wipe off the edges of containers. Immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Jam can now be used, stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or frozen for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.
Awesome served with cream cheese and crackers with a sprig of rosemary on top. I give this as Christmas gifts.
Could I substitute strawberries for the raspberries? Would it be an even swap?
This sounds amazing! Did you just use the flesh of the pepper or did you use the seeds and membrane also?
I did try it without seeds using the Sure Jell less-sugar pectin recipe and it turned out amazing! Your ratio of raspberries to jalapenos was perfect — neither flavor dominates and they harmonize together! Since the Sure Jell less-sugar recipe uses 4 cups of berries instead of 3 cups, I calculated your ratio and came up with 4 cups berries and 1/3 cup jalapenos. And I also did a small batch using the seedless raspberry recipe I normally use with Ball freezer jam pectin and it tasted too sugary and had an almost granular texture. I didn’t know Sure Jell pectin could be use for freezer jam, so I learned two important things from your recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Have you tried this raspberry jalapeno recipe without raspberry seeds? Would the recipe be the same? I have read that some of the natural pectin in raspberries is in the fruit next to the seeds, so it seems to me that draining the raspberry juice (or as I call it, “pure raspberry goodness”) means less naturally occurring pectin.
Hi Vicki – no, I have not tried making this seedless. I happen to really like raspberry seeds! :)
Saving this recipe! I have about 5 different recipes for jalapeño jelly–from straight up jalapeño to cranberry jalapeño! I even made my first batch of strawberry jalapeño this spring. Cant wait to try your version! Makes an awesome hostess gift! By the way, I once read a post by Marisa at foodinjars where she said that she puts this kind or any smidge of jam she has lurking in her fridge on a grilled cheese. Let me tell you…it is amazing! My fave is marmalade on a grilled brie sandwich with apple. But I think some of yours would also be amazing!
Love the little kick in this freezer jam!
Raspberries are in short supply here, could I use frozen???
I have a bunch of little really, really hot peppers in my garden – think they would taste ok? Defintely could not use the same ratio of jalapenos vs these little guys as they are way hotter i think.
Yes, I’m sure they would work great. You’ll just have to adjust to your level of heat comfort!
Looks delicious. Do you suppose it would be good with blackberries or even blueberries?
Definitely. I like the blackberry idea!
Jalapenos… mmmmmm. This sounds so delish, I can’t stand it! Love the combo of raspberries with jalapenos. And, love the fact that it’s quick and easy. :)
Thanks, Lauren! :)