Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly (2024)

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This sweet, spicy Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jellymakes a lovely gift and is a fabulous appetizer served with crackers and spooned over goat or cream cheese. Check out our post for so many other ways to use it!

There's nothing like a perfectly ripe mango with its deep golden hue, creamy, velvety texture and delicious, sweet-as-honey flavor. We love to eat them as a snack, in salads, with yogurt, in salad dressings, on pizza, with curry... But when a sweet neighbor (Thanks Sue!) gave me a bagful of beautiful mangos recently, I decided to try something new and came up with this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly. It's sweet, spicy and so... delicious!

Mangoes available all year long

It's officially "mango season" right now and mangoes are super cheap at lots of local stores. I noticed that Aldi is selling them this week for $.79 each! But mango season is actually all year long, here in the United States? Mango.org.says that although mangos are most plentiful from March through July, there are actually six varieties of mangoes and their availability is spread throughout the year.

That means you can make this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly any time of year you get a hankering for it or your supply runs out. And once you take the first taste of this wonderfully sweet and spicy condiment I think you're going to want to keep a stash of it all year long!

What to do with pepper jelly?

I'm so glad you asked that question! In addition to spooning pepper jelly over cream cheese or goat cheese and serving with crackers (as pictured above), there are so many other delicious ways to use it. Here are just a few:

• It's also delicious on an appetizer tray with an assortment of slices or wedges of cheese. We love it with cheddars of all varieties, Havarti, Gouda, Manchego, Bleu, Roquefort and Gorgonzola.
• Spread a bit of this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly in between layers of cheese in a grilled sandwich.
• Make a salad dressing with it.
• Use it as a glaze for grilled or roasted meats. It's also fabulous on salmon.
• Add a spoonful of pepper jelly when roasting veggies (a few minutes before they're done). You could sub this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly for the honey in these Honey Ginger Glazed Carrots - delish!
• Use as a topping for baked brie.
• For a high-protein, super delicious snack, sauté sliced chicken sausages until golden. Serve with a small bowl of this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly for dipping.
• This pepper jelly makes a fabulous glaze on baked ham.
• Add a splash of rice vinegar and you've got a wonderful dipping sauce for egg rolls or wontons.
• Serve on these Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits... oh my!
• This jelly makes a very gourmet, very delicious PB&J!
• As an excellent wall paper removal solution. (Not really, just checking to see if you're reading! Made ya look!)
• For a savory treat, make thumbprint cookies with pepper jelly!
• Use it as a topping for ice cream and serve with Irish Shortbread Cookies!

I'm sure you'll come up with ways to use it that I haven't thought about!

Oh, and did I tell you what a lovely gift this jelly makes? Find a pretty bag, a box of nice crackers and a log of creamy goat cheese or a block of cream cheese. Add a jar of this beautiful, sweet-spicy jelly, with a pretty little label, and you’ll be sure to bring smiles (and maybe squeals) of delight. You might want to include a link for the recipe because when they find out you made it, they’ll be sure to request it! (Just leave me a comment below this post if you'd like a printable PDF for the labels.)

If you've never made pepper jelly, you'll be happy to know it's super easy. The only thing that takes a bit of time is chopping up the mango and veggies. I use an amazing tool called theVidalia Chop Wizard, one of my favorite (and most used) kitchen tools, to make fast work of the chopping. I've been using this beloved little kitchen workhorse for years now and it still surprises me how quickly I can chop up peppers, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, apples, etc.

When Scott hears the "whack", "whack", "whack" sound of the chopper coming from my kitchen, he knows that he's either: A.) Probably in trouble or B.) There's something delicious coming his way soon! (Editor's note: more of the latter than the former!)

Café Tips for making this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly

• You might wonder why there is some chopped apple in this Mango Jalapeño Pepper Jelly. Mangoes are super low in pectin which is, according to healthline.com "a soluble fiber found in fruits and vegetables, especially apples and citrus peels." It's a strong gelling agent that's responsible for helping jams and jellies to thicken. Even though this recipe calls for liquid pectin (Certo) there can still be setting problems when jams or jellies are made with fruits having little of their own natural pectin. A small amount of chopped apple (high in pectin) and a splash of fresh lemon juice (which also has lots of natural pectin) helps this pepper jelly set up nicely every time.
• As mentioned above, Certo is a liquid pectin used to help thicken jams and jellies. Most grocery stores carry it in the same area that you find mason jars and lids. If you can't find it, just check with the front desk at the grocery, as sometimes stores stock these items in unusual places.
• Use a large pot when making this pepper jelly. The fruit and sugar mixture is boiled vigorously for 10 minutes before adding the pectin. An overflow of the sweet/spicy mixture will make a BIG mess on your stovetop.
• There is a half teaspoon of butter in this recipe. The butter helps reduce foaming that can occur as the jam boils.
• I don't put this pepper jelly through a hot water bath, so it needs to be stored in the refrigerator (will keep well for several weeks) or in the freezer (keeps well for several months). If you prefer, you can use the hot water bath method which will make this jam shelf-stable.
• If you're giving this jam as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient how to store it before it's opened and in between uses.
• Jalapeñoscan vary greatly in intensity of heat. The seeds and the inner membranes are the hottest parts of the pepper. I like to start with 1 medium-size jalapeño and include the seeds and membranes. Right before adding the pectin, I take a little spoonful, allow it to cool a bit and take a taste. If it needs more heat, I'll add a second pepper.
• You might be tempted to cut back on the sugar. Don't! Making this type of jam/jelly is an exact science and you can mess up the setting properties by changing the proportions of fruit and sugar.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.

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