If you’ve ever had one of those years where your garden just explodes with produce, you’ll know the feeling. For me, it was chillies and peppers. I’d always wanted to try growing them, but that year I was so successful I didn’t know what to do with it all. There are only so many curries, spag bols, and stir-fries you can make before you start drowning in fresh chillies!

And that’s when I discovered chilli jam. Not only did it save my harvest from going to waste, but it also turned into the recipe that kickstarted my whole preserving journey. Sweet, sticky, spicy, and ridiculously versatile — it’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to keep jars of on standby.

Why Make Chilli Jam?

Chilli jam is one of those magical preserves. Spread it on toast with cheese, glaze it over chicken wings, stir it into a stir-fry, or spoon it over roasted veggies. It’s like ketchup’s grown-up cousin — sweet, tangy, with a fiery kick.

Best of all, it’s beginner-friendly. You only need a handful of ingredients, and if you can stir a pan, you can make this jam!

Instructions:

Step 1 – Prepare the produce
Roughly chop the chillies and peppers (remove seeds if you prefer less heat). Peel the garlic and ginger.

Step 2 – Blitz into a paste
Pop the chillies, peppers, garlic, and ginger into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Step 3 – Cook it down
In a large preserving pan, combine the chilli mixture with sugar and vinegar. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for 40–50 minutes until thickened and sticky. Stir often to prevent burning.

Step 4 – Jar it up
Spoon the jam into sterilised jars using a funnel, seal, and leave to cool. It will thicken more as it sets.

Want a detailed breakdown? See the video here, save it to your watch later and make along with me!

Serving Suggestions

Chilli jam is endlessly versatile. Try it:

• Spread on toast with cream cheese
• Glazed over sausages or chicken wings
• Stirred into noodles or stir-fries
• Dolloped onto burgers or veggie fritters
• Paired with cheese on a cracker

Trust me — once you’ve made your first batch, you’ll be adding it to everything.

This chilli jam recipe is where my whole preserving journey began, and I can’t recommend it enough. Simple ingredients, a straightforward method, and a jar that turns everyday meals into something special.

If you give it a go, let me know how you used your chilli jam — I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the YouTube video embedded above for a full walkthrough!