Peach and habanero pepper jam

A sweet and fiery jam that pairs beautifully with cheeses and cured meats. This jam made with peaches, habanero chili peppers, the perfect amount of sugar, some lemon juice and pectin will delight everyone who tries it. Make this recipe and enjoy the flavour of peaches all year long!

Bring on the heat!! I love to combine sweet and spicy, fresh and fiery, and this jam does all of that.  For the past several years I have been planting habanero chili peppers in the garden along with my usual jalapenos.  So many habaneros meant I had to get creative, and so I decided to make a jam which combines the summer fresh taste of peaches, with the fiery heat of habaneros.  And it’s delicious!

I got into canning long before Mia Kouppa, and have always enjoyed putting new spins on classic flavour combinations.  Once you get the hang of canning, the possibilities are endless.  Canning is a wonderful way to preserve the bounty of summer, and also a great way to let your creativity soar.

Why this recipe works

Clear canning instructions
This recipe is full of detail, to make sure that even first time canners are able to make this jam and preserve it safely.

The jam is amazing
Truly, the flavour, colour and texture of this jam is spot on!

Really versatile
We often think of jam as something to spread on toast, but it can be so much more than that! I love to serve this jam with cheese, cured meat and fancy crackers. It does go well on toast too however!

Key ingredients

Peaches I use the best peaches I can find. If they are good enough to eat, they are used in this jam! I look for peaches that have no bruises and which are perfectly ripe.

Habanero chili peppers I grow these peppers in my garden but you can also find them in any well stocked grocery store. They are very hot!

Fruit pectin This is what will allow your jam to thicken. You can find it easily anywhere you find canning products.

Lemon juice You need the lemon juice to help balance out the pH of your jam. Don’t skip it, and use fresh lemon juice because it is so much better!

Sugar I use plain white granulated sugar in this recipe. It sweetens the jam, and helps with the consistency as well.

How to make

Preparation

The first step it so make sure that you have sterilized canning jars. Make sure that your jars are intact and wash them with warm soapy water. Then, fill your large canning pot with water and add your jars (without lids). Be sure that they are submerged in the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce heat to medium. Leave jars in there until you are ready to fill them.

Instructions

Step 1
Wash peaches and cut them in half to remove pits. Once the pits are removed, if the area around where the pit was is especially dark, cut it away with a sharp knife. Cut your peaches into chunks.

Step 2
Wash habanero peppers and then, wearing your disposable or dish washing gloves, cut off the stem. Cut the pepper in half and discards the seeds and inner ribbing. Cut the peppers into smaller pieces.

Step 3
Blend the peaches and habanero peppers in a blender until smooth and no chunks remain. This will likely have to be done in batches.

Step 4
Pour the pureed fruit into a large pot and add the lemon juice and fruit pectin. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Step 5
Add the sugar to the fruit and stir well to combine. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir constantly (I like to use a large whisk at this point). Once you have achieved a rolling boil that does not go away even as you are stirring, continue to cook for one more minute.

Step 6
Remove fruit from heat. You will notice that you have some foam which has developed on the surface, at the edges of the pot. Using a spoon, skim off the foam.

Step 7 – Begin canning
Remove your canning jars from the hot water, lifting them carefully using the jar lifter. At this point, place your canning snap lids and bands in a bowl of hot water. We like to transfer some of the water from the large pot into a smaller bowl for this as it makes it easier to then remove the snap lids and bands.

Step 8
Place the canning funnel into the jars, one at a time, and use a ladle to fill the jars with the jam (which is still quite liquid at this point). Fill, leaving 1/4 inch space on the top. Repeat with the rest of the jars.

Step 9
Once all of the jars are filled, use a non-metallic spoon (I like to use a wooden coffee stir stick) to remove any air bubbles in your jars. I do this by gently stirring my spoon or stick around in the jar. If doing so leaves me with more than 1/4 inch of head space on the top, I add more jam.<

Step 10
Carefully remove the snap lids and bands from the hot water. Cover your jars with these two pieces and be careful not to over tighten your bands.

Step 11
Using your jar lifter, transfer the jars to the large pot which is still filled with hot water. Be careful to keep jars upright. Cover the pot and boil for 20 minutes.

Step 12
Remove the pot from the heat and remove jars carefully using jar lifter. Allow them to rest on a flat surface, undisturbed, for 24 hours. You will hear the popping sound of your jars being sealed. If any of the jars do not seal (meaning you can still press down on the snap lid and feel some give), simply store your jam in the fridge to be used within several weeks.

Recipe substitutions

Instead of habanero chili peppers you can use jalapenos. The jam will be less hot, and the colour will be a little different, but it will still be fantastic!

Helpful hints

Canning is not hard, but there is a science behind it.  Do your research if you are going to be coming up with your own recipes; processing times, sugar amounts etc… vary depending upon whether you are dealing with an acidic or alkaline food.  This recipe is detailed enough to get you safely canning this peach and habanero pepper jam.

It is important to use the best quality and freshest ingredients when making jam.  Be sure that your peaches are ripe, unblemished and delicious.  The better the fruit, the better the jam will be.

Habanero peppers are super hot.  For a while they were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest pepper, although that distinction has now gone to a new pepper.  I used 3 habaneros for this jam; it gives a very fiery spread.  If you’re not sure that you will like that much heat, simply add fewer peppers.

It is always a good idea to wear disposable gloves when handling hot peppers, and to cut them on a paper towel which you will also use to collect the seeds. Keep in mind that the seeds and inner ribbing of the chili contain a lot of heat – it is best to discard them. Even with gloves, it is important to wash your hands well when you are done, as well as the knife you used to cut your habaneros.

You may find that you have only completely filled 5 of your jars and that you have some jam left over, but not enough to completely fill a 6th jar. If this is the case, simply put your excess jam in any container and store it in the refrigerator without processing it. Use the refrigerated jam within a week or two.

Recipe variations

Make this jam as a freezer jam instead. Purchase pectin that is made especially for freezer jam, and follow the instructions of the recipe. The consistency will be different (I find freezer jams tend to be a little looser), but it will be great.

Instead of canning the jam, make it in a smaller quantity and simply keep the jam in the fridge.

How to store

Properly processed jars will keep for months, and up to a year, at room temperature. Refrigerate jam after opening.

Related recipes

Peaches are great just as they are, but they can also be included in some amazing recipes like these:

Peach cobbler

Pancakes and peach sauce

Peach galette

Pin this recipe if you like it

How to serve

Serve this amazing jam as part of a charcuterie and cheese board. I love to add it to an array of fancy cheeses. I also love using this jam on top of brie that I then bake until soft and creamy.

Thanks for sharing!