This mango jalapeno jam uses less sugar and no store-bought pectin. Mango jalapeno jam is sweet with a little bit of spice to it. It’s a great ingredient to have on hand and a great way to preserve both mangos and jalapenos.
I came by mango jam by accident… I was looking for a fruit to make jam with and mangoes were on sale. I had never heard of mango jam, never seen it in the store, but I decided to try to make mango jam and see what happened. That was a couple of years ago and since then mango jam has become one of my favorite jams to make, it’s so tasty and relatively quick to put together, and easy to can and store at room temperature for long-term storage.
Last year, a friend at the market had strawberry jalapeno jam for sale and for people to try. I am not a fan of hot peppers (although I often make these candied jalapenos but mostly for others…), but I gave it a try anyway. It was delicious and, of course, inspired me to start using jalapenos in my jams too. I’ve made peach jalapeno jam that turned out amazing, and now mango jalapeno jam as well.
Simple Mango Jalapeno Jam Recipe…
The jalapenos add a little kick to all the sweetness. The jam is not really spicy (although you can use more jalapenos if you want it spicier) yet has a little tasty, hot, peppery twist to it. We all love it, even the kids, and I hope that you’ll love it too.
Ingredients…
- Mangoes – you can find a few different varieties in the grocery store and they are all great for making jam with. Just make sure that you choose ripe fruit (a little soft) yet not overripe. I started with 8 large mangoes that weighed 7.5 pounds. After peeling and removing the pit, I was left with 4 pounds of fruit. This was a perfect since I usually recommend not to process more than 4 pounds of fruit at a time (a larger batch makes it hard for the jam to gel).
- Jalapenos – choose fresh, firm peppers. I used five large jalapenos in this jam.
- Sugar – just good old white sugar. In traditional jams, the ratio is one part fruit to one part sugar. For me, it’s just too sweet so I cut the sugar in half and use one part fruit to one-half part sugar. I used about 2 pounds of sugar in this jam.
- Lemon juice and seeds – lemon juice and seeds have a lot of natural pectin in them so instead of using store-bought pectin I add lemon juice and a few seeds to my jams. No matter what fruit I use, it always works well. I used the juice of half a lemon and about 5 seeds in this jam.
Kitchen Tools…
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Kitchen gloves – for handling the jalapenos.
- Deep pan
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Immersion blender – or you can use a potato masher if you like large chunks of fruit in your jam.
- Half-pint jars with lids – this is my favorite size jars to use when canning jam but you can also use a pint.
- Canning utensils
- Ladle
- Paper towel
- Water bath canner
How to Make Mango Jalapeno Jam Step By Step…
Step one – prep the ingredients. Peel the mangoes, cut the flesh off of the pit, and dice the mangoes. Set the diced mangoes aside. Wear your kitchen gloves before you start handling the peppers. Cut the top of each pepper, then half each pepper. Remove the seeds and some of the pith and dice the peppers. If you’d like to weight your fruit so you know how much sugar to add, this is the time to do it.
Step two – cook the jam. Add the fruit and peppers to a deep pan and add half of the weight of the fruit and peppers in sugar. Turn the heat to medium-high and start cooking the jam. Use the spatula to stir frequently. It will take a few minutes until the sugar melts and the juices are released from the fruit. Keep stirring and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for five minutes before lowering the heat to medium-low for the rest of the cooking. Keep cooking, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes. At this point, the fruit should be soft and you can blend it with an immersion blender or mash it with a potato masher.
Step three – add lemon juice and seeds. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon right into the pan and throw in about 5 seeds. Stir them in.
Step four – check for thickness. After adding the lemon seeds keep cooking for about 20 minutes or so. Watch your jam as you stir it to measure its thickness. If you are not sure if it’s ready you can do the spoon test. Scoop some jam on a spoon and set it on the kitchen counter to cool for five minutes or so. Then add it back into the pot and as it leaves the spoon you will be able to measure its thickness. Just remember that the jam will keep on thickening in the jars as it cools completely.
Canning Mango Jalapeno Jam…
Step five – prep the jam for processing. Fill the water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by about an inch. Set it on the stovetop, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Wash your jars, lids, and bands well with hot water and soap (since we will be processing the jars for 10 minutes, there is no need to sterilize them first).
Use a ladle and the canning funnel to fill the jars, make sure to leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to scrape the inside of the jar and remove air bubbles. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before centering the lid and closing the jar with the band.
Step six – process the jars. Place the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower the jars into the boiling water. Cover the canner and process the jars for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, uncover the canner and let the jars rest in the hot water for five minutes or so. Then, use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them on a kitchen towel to cool completely overnight.
Always remember to adjust the processing time if you live over 1000 feet in elevation. Follow the table above to make any adjustments.
How to Store Mango Jalapeno Jam…
When the jars are completely cool, check that they are all sealed by pressing the center of each lid. If there is no movement there it means that your jars are sealed and ready for storage. If you find that one of the jars didn’t seal, just store it in the fridge and use it first (or you can also try to process it again. Usually I recommend changing the lid if you are going to do that).
Wipe the jars and remove the band. It sometimes rusts in storage and makes it hard to open the jar down the road. And, you can also reuse it for canning something else. Store your mango jalapeno jam in a cool place like a pantry or a kitchen cabinet. It should last for 18 months or so.
How to Serve Homemade Mango Jalapeno Jam…
- As a snack – we love spreading cream cheese on crackers (or a bagel) and adding some jam on top. It’s an awesome mid day snack for the whole family.
- On a toast – I always drink coffee in the morning and toast with some jam on it is the perfect companion.
- In cookies – I make these thumbprint cookies and add jam in the center. They melt in your mouth and are absolutely addictive!
- On yogurt – homemade yogurt (made with either raw milk or store-bought) with homemade granola and a tablespoon or so of jam is my go-to meal when I have no energy to cook a “real” one.
- Add it to baked goods – if it’s a filled, baked puff pastry, a turnover, jam filled bars, or any other baked good, this jam will work great!
Frequently Asked Questions…
I don’t. I leave the seeds in the mango jalapeno jam. They don’t break down, don’t change the taste of the jam no matter how long it stays on the shelf and once you stop cooking the jam they don’t keep thickening it. You can, however, fish them out when the jam is ready if you’d like, they are usually easy to find.
Honestly… Any fruit! If you find yourself with plums, apricot, grapes, kiwi, oranges… Follow this recipe and it should work every time. Just take into consideration that cooking times will probably change depending on how juicy your fruit is, and, I don’t always add jalapenos but I think that they should work great with almost any fruit.
Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit/peppers to one-half part sugar. So if you have 2 pounds of fruit, use one pound of sugar. The only thing that is going to change is the cooking time. And if you make a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge, it should last for weeks.
You can always leave more of the white pith and even some of the jalapeno pepper seeds on the flesh of the pepper and add them to the jam. They are where all the heat is. You can also season this jam with cayenne pepper or add a few extra dry jalapenos or dry jalapeno powder in there.
Yes you can, however, I personally think that it’s tastier with fresh fruit. It’s a bit more work to use fresh fruit but totally worth it. If you do want to save yourself some prep work, yes, you can use frozen mangoes.
Mango and jalapenos marry very well together! The sweetness of the mangoes and the spiciness of the jalapenos complement each other perfectly. If you like a combination of sweet and spicy I’m sure you’d love this recipe!
More Jam Recipes…
- Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Mango Jam Recipe
- Low Sugar Cantaloupe Jam
- Pineapple Jam Recipe
- Low Sugar Fig Jam
- Chia Blueberry Jam Recipe
- Find a list of all of my jam recipes on this page.
Mango Jalapeno Jam Recipe
This mango jalapeno jam uses less sugar and no store bought pectin. It's simple and delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of diced mango (I started with 7.5 pounds of mangos which were 8 mangos)
- 5 jalapenos, cleaned and diced
- 2 pounds of sugar
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 5 lemon seeds
Instructions
- Step one – Add the fruit, peppers, and sugar into a deep pan and set on the stovetop. Turn the heat to medium-high and start cooking the jam. Use a spatula to stir frequently. It will take a few minutes until the sugar melts and the juices are released from the fruit. Keep stirring and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for five minutes before lowering the heat to medium-low for the rest of the cooking. Keep cooking, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes. At this point, the fruit should be soft and you can blend it with an immersion blender or mash it with a potato masher.
- Step two – Squeeze the juice of half a lemon right into the pan and throw in about 5 seeds. Stir them in.
- Step three – After adding the lemon seeds keep cooking for about 20 minutes or so. Watch your jam as you stir it to measure its thickness. If you are not sure if it’s ready you can do the spoon test. Scoop some jam on a spoon and set it on the kitchen counter to cool for five minutes or so. Then add it back into the pot and as it leaves the spoon you will be able to measure its thickness. Just remember that the jam will keep on thickening in the jars as it cools completely.
- Step four – Fill the water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by about an inch. Set it on the stovetop, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Wash your jars, lids, and bands well with hot water and soap (since we will be processing the jars for 10 minutes, there is no need to sterilize them first).
- Step five - Use a ladle and the canning funnel to fill the jars, make sure to leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to scrape the inside of the jar and remove air bubbles. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before centering the lid and closing the jar with the band.
- Step six – Place the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower the jars into the boiling water. Cover the canner and process the jars for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, uncover the canner and let the jars rest in the hot water for five minutes or so. Then, use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them on a kitchen towel to cool completely overnight. Always remember to adjust the processing time if you live over 1000 feet in elevation. Follow the table in the notes below to make any adjustments.
- Step Seven - When the jars are completely cool, check that they are all sealed by pressing the center of each lid. If there is no movement there it means that your jars are sealed and ready for storage. Wipe the jars and remove the band. It sometimes rusts in storage and makes it hard to open the jar down the road. And, you can also reuse it for canning something else. Store your mango jalapeno jam in a cool place like a pantry or a kitchen cabinet. It should last for 18 months or so.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Do you remove the lemon seeds before canning the jam?
I don’t. I leave the seeds in the mango jalapeno jam. They don’t break down, don’t change the taste of the jam no matter how long it stays on the shelf and once you stop cooking the jam they don’t keep thickening it. You can, however, fish them out when the jam is ready if you’d like, they are usually easy to find. - Can I follow this recipe with other fruit?
Honestly… Any fruit! If you find yourself with plums, strawberries, blueberries, apricot, grapes, kiwi, oranges… Follow this recipe and it should work every time. Just take into consideration that cooking times will probably change depending on how juicy your fruit is, and, I don’t always add jalapenos but I think that they should work great with almost any fruit. - Can I adjust the quantities of the ingredients?
Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit/peppers to one-half part sugar. So if you have 2 pounds of fruit, use one pound of sugar. The only thing that is going to change is the cooking time. And if you make a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge, it should last for weeks. - How can I make this jam even spicier?
You can always leave more of the white pith and even some of the jalapeno pepper seeds on the flesh of the pepper and add them to the jam. They are where all the heat is. You can also season this jam with cayenne pepper or add a few extra dry jalapenos or dry jalapeno powder in there. - Can I make this jam with frozen mangoes?
Yes you can, however, I personally think that it's tastier with fresh fruit. It's a bit more work to use fresh fruit but totally worth it. If you do want to save yourself some prep work, yes, you can use frozen mangoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 half-pint jarAmount Per Serving: Calories: 542Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 140gFiber: 5gSugar: 133gProtein: 2g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.