Sugar-free Hot Pepper Onion Jam

A recipe for sweet and spicy Sugar-Free Hot Chili Pepper and Onion jam made with plenty of serrano chili peppers combined with Habanero peppers and the sweet taste of shallots. Beautiful in color and sweet with heat, this easy sugar-free homemade hot pepper jelly recipe is perfect for entertaining or when you want to add a little spice to any keto dish!

This Hot Pepper Jam recipe was created by the sheer abundance of serrano chili peppers that my garden was continuing to produce this year. This bumper crop of peppers was something I was not expecting.

So, what is a girl going to do with chili peppers that were coming out of her ears?

That's right...make jam!

I used to shy away from making jams and jellies.

I’m not sure why.

Growing up, I remember watching my Mum make jams with whatever fruit we had at the time. From strawberry to 3-berry, if she had a surplus, she made a jam!

Fast forward a few years and here I am with WAY TOO MANY serrano chili peppers and remembering my childhood memories, I decided to try and make a sweet and spicy jam. And am I ever glad I did!

I mean, just look at it! Isn’t it beautiful?

And let me tell you just how happy my taste buds are as well!

Serrano chili peppers and Habanero peppers are some of the best to work with. They are nice and spicy and have an inherent fruitiness and sweetness that lends them to spreads like jams or jellies.

Jam vs. Jelly vs. Preserve vs. Marmalade

The biggest difference between a jelly, a jam, and a preserve is the size of the pieces that each contains.

Jam is made with mashed fruit whereas jelly is made with strained fruit juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly. Preserves, on the other hand, have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit.

Lastly, marmalades are usually made of citrus fruits and contain pieces of the peel suspended in a transparent jelly.

Hot Pepper Jam Ingredients:

Serrano chili peppers and Habanero peppers: These two varieties of chili peppers are some of the best to work with. They are nice and spicy and have an inherent fruitiness and sweetness that lends them to spreads like jams or jellies.

Shallots: Shallots are a little sweeter than regular onions and have a more subtle flavour. They are good used in raw applications where you want an oniony flavor without too much punch. They are on the sweeter side as opposed to regular onions and contain less water content than regular onions which helps to not water down the jam. You can replace the shallots with other onion variety but they will bring a more intense heat and sharpness to the jam.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar is a fairly mild vinegar and is used mainly to offset the sweetness of the sugar. The acid in the vinegar also helps the pectin in the jam sugar to set. You may be able to replace apple cider vinegar with lemon juice but only use ½ of the required amount. I have not tried this substitution so if you do, let me know how it goes!

Allulose: Allulose is a low calorie sugar with the same clean, sweet taste you expect from sugar. Allulose is one of many different sugars that exist in nature in very small quantities. It was initially identified from wheat and has since been found in certain fruits including jackfruit, figs and raisins. A monosaccharide, or simple sugar, allulose is absorbed by the body, but not metabolized so it is nearly calorie-free. You can replace allulose with monkfruit but not with any erythritol based sweetener as the erythritol will crystallize when the jam is stored in the fridge and create a gritty texture.

Pomano's Pectin for Sugar-Free Jam: Pomano's Pectin contains the calcium and pectin you need for this recipe. You can try to use another type of gelatin to set the jam but this is the one that I used and my jam turned out beautifully. If you want to try Sure-Jell, make sure that you buy the one in the pink box which is used for sugar-free recipes.

Pomano's Pectin

Pomona is a brand name of low methoxyl pectin. The difference between Pomano's and many other brands of pectin is that instead of needing sugar and acid to cause a gel reaction, it uses calcium.

Most other “no-sugar-needed pectins” contain other ingredients in addition to the pectin. For instance, Ball and Bernardin’s “No sugar needed” pectin contains added sugar in the form of dextrose and added citric acid. 

Pomona instead is 100% pure citrus pectin extracted from the dried peel of lemon, lime, and orange. It’s kosher certified at the factory. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, and GMO-free, though it’s not certified organic at this time.

In each box, you will find a large packet of pectin as well as a small packet of calcium powder. You will first need to make the calcium water by mixing 3 grams of calcium powder into 125 ml (½ cup) of cold water.  You can store this in a jar or sealed container in the fridge as it will last for many months and many uses. You can also freeze it then thaw as needed (and re-freeze.) Just make sure to shake the calcium water before using it.

HOW TO MAKE HOT PEPPER JAM

• in a bowl, whisk together the allulose and pectin - set the bowl to the side
• remove the stems, slice the peppers in half and remove some of the seeds (it is fine to leave some seeds - the more seeds you use the spicier the jam!)
• pell and cut the shallot into large sections
• add the peppers, onions and apple cider vinegar to a high speed blender and blend until the desired consistency is reached (don't blend it too much or you will end up with a puree instead of a jam!)
• pour the mixture into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil
• once the mixture boils, add the required amount of calcium water and whisk until it dissolves
• whisk in the pectin/allulose mixture and return the mixture to a rolling boil
• boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat

Canning the pepper jam

You have two options when it comes to storing the jam.

You can either simply ladle the jam into sterilized jars and place the jars in the fridge or you can use a canning technique to allow the jam to be stored at room temperature.

I have made this jam both ways. If I am only going to making a small batch of jam, I usually will simply store it in the fridge for the sake of saving time.

However, if I make a larger batch of jam or if you want to give the jam as a gift, I suggest you use the canning technique.

Don't freak out as canning jam is the EASIEST thing in the world!

How to can jam

• sterizile the jars and lids by either pouring boiling water into the jar and over the lids or run them through your dish washer
• take a large stock pot (the pot has to be large enough to completley submerge the jars in water) and bring the water to a boil
• while you are waiting for the water to boil, ladle the jam into the jars
• use a paper towel to clean any drippings or jam from the top part of the jar - seal the jar with the lid
• Carefully place the jars in the boiling water and process the jars for 10 minutes
• Remove the jars from the water and set them on the counter
• As the jam cools, you will hear a "pop" noise when the jar seals - any jar that does not seal needs to be stored in the fridge

WHAT IS HOT PEPPER JAM GOOD FOR?

Use it as you would use any other jelly or jam, by spreading it over cream cheese on Almond Flax Seed Crackers (Whole30, LC, GF), over bread for sweeter sandwiches, but it is also great stirred into creamy salads like my 3-Ingredient Keto Salmon Salad. You can also simply spoon it over chicken or eggs while they are still hot and it will melt just enough to create a nice thick sauce.

Canned homemade jam also makes for a good gift!

If you think of it more as a sauce, it becomes very versatile. Instead of reaching for that bottle of sweet hot sauce, try this instead. Try adding this jam to your next batch of freshly baked wings. Can’t wait for that!

Here are some recipe ideas to add this sugar-free hot pepper jam to:

• Extra-Crispy Keto Chicken Quarters - Air Fryer or Oven
• Parmesan Chili Roasted Cauliflower - Air Fryer or Oven
• Keto Fried Green Tomato Hushpuppies
• Moist Dill Pickle-Brined Chicken
• Easy Keto Cucumber Dill Salad

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