Strawberry Jalapeno Jam Recipe (For Canning)
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This strawberry jalapeno jam is not too sweet and not too spicy! It’s easy to make and can be preserved for months with a short processing.
Lady Lee’s Note…
Every spring, I try to make and preserve a new strawberry goodness. This time, it’s this strawberry jalapeno jam. I tried it years ago at the farmer’s market. One of the vendors made it and it was delicious.
Since then, I have made mango jalapeno jam and peach jalapeno jam, which turned out amazing! When strawberry season arrived, I figured it was time to make my own strawberry jalapeno jam.
Video Tutorial…
Ingredients…
- Strawberries (fresh, canned strawberries, or frozen strawberries should all work).
- Jalapenos
- 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.
- Lemon juice and seeds – lemon juice and lemon 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.
Kitchen Tools…
- Cutting board
- Knife
- 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 of jars to use when canning jam, but you can also use a pint.
- Canning utensils
- Ladle
- Paper towel
- Water bath canner
Step-by-Step Instructions…
Step one – prep the ingredients. Wash and rinse the strawberries, then hull and dice the fruit. Next, cut the stems off of the peppers and remove the seeds and some of the white membrane, the placenta, before dicing the peppers. Add the strawberries, peppers, and sugar to the pot.
Note – the heat of the pepper is in the seeds and the placenta. If you want your jam really hot, leave more of those parts. If you want it less spicy, remove more of those parts.
Step two – cook the jam. Turn the heat to medium-high and start cooking the fruit. 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. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or so, then squeeze the juice of half a lemon right into the pan and throw in about 5-7 lemon seeds. Stir them in.
Step four – check for thickness. After adding the lemon seeds, keep cooking for about 15 minutes or so. Watch your jam as you stir it to measure its thickness.
If you are not sure if the jam is 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 Strawberry 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, making 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 10-15 minutes.
When time is up, 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…
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 bands. It sometimes rusts in storage, making it hard to open the jar down the road. And you can also reuse it for canning something else. Store your strawberry jalapeno jam in a cool place like a pantry or a kitchen cabinet. It should last for 18 months or so.
How to Serve…
- As a snack – we love spreading cream cheese on crackers or a bagel and adding some jam on top. It’s an awesome midday snack for the whole family.
- On a toast – I always drink coffee in the morning, and a toast (preferably made with challah bread or this artisan bread!) 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 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 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! Whether you choose to add jalapenos or not is up to you, but if you find yourself with plums, apricots, grapes, kiwi, oranges… Follow this recipe, and it should work every time (one part fruit to one-half part sugar). Just take into consideration that cooking times will probably change depending on how juicy your fruit is.
Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit 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, mainly because of the different amounts of juice each fruit has.
A note here – I don’t recommend processing more than 4 pounds of fruit at a time. Simply because it makes it hard for the jam to thicken properly.
Absolutely! You don’t have to can this jam. If you are making a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge. It will last for a few weeks.
I am telling you, adding jalapenos to any fruit jam takes it to the next level! This is one jam that I am going to try and make every spring from now on. The combination of strawberries and jalapenos is just amazing! I sure hope that you’ll give it a try!
More Strawberry Recipes…
- Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Honey Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry Mango Jam
- Easy Strawberry Bread
- Find a list of all of my jam recipes on this page.
Strawberry Jalapeno Jam
Delicious and easy to make strawberry Jalapeno jam recipe (plus canning instructions).
Ingredients
- (Note - if you prefer not canning the jam, cut the recipe in half and store your jam in the fridge)
- 4 lb strawberries, hulled, and diced
- 4 large jalapenos, stem, placenta and seeds removed (see note below), and diced
- 1.5 lb sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 5-7 lemon seeds
Instructions
- Add the strawberries, peppers, and sugar to the pot.
- Set the pot on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high and start cooking the fruit. 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.
- Blend the fruit with an immersion blender or mash it with a potato masher.
- Cook for another 15-20 minutes or so (stirring frequently), then squeeze the juice of half a lemon right into the pan and throw in about 5 lemon seeds. Stir them in.
- Keep cooking for about 15 minutes or so. Watch your jam as you stir it to measure its thickness. When the jam reaches your desired thickness, turn off the heat (if you aren't sure if the jam has thickened enough, you can do the spoon test. more on this in the notes below).
- Canning instructions: 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.
- 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 10-15 minutes. Always remember to adjust the processing time if you live over 1000 feet in elevation. Follow the table in the post above to make any adjustments.
- When time is up, 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.
- Check that the jars have sealed, remove the rings, wipe the jars, and store in the pantry for up to 18 months.
Notes
Note about heat – the heat of the pepper is in the seeds and the placenta. If you want your jam really hot, leave more of those parts. If you want it less spicy, remove more of those parts.
Spoon thickness test - If you are not sure if the jam is 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.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Do you remove the lemon seeds before canning the jam?
I don’t. I leave the seeds in the 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 adjust the quantities of the ingredients?
Yes, and it’s very easy. Just follow a ratio of one part fruit 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, mainly because of the different amounts of juice each fruit has.
A note here – I don’t recommend processing more than 4 pounds of fruit at a time. Simply because it makes it hard for the jam to thicken properly. - Can I keep this jam in the fridge?
Absolutely! You don’t have to can this jam. If you are making a smaller batch, you can simply keep it in the fridge. It will last for a few weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 half pint jarAmount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 101gFiber: 6gSugar: 91gProtein: 2g
