Is pepper jelly safe to can, and can I sell it?
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Pepper jelly is safe to can at home when you follow a tested recipe exactly, because the recipe's vinegar brings the low-acid peppers down to a safe acidity. USDA publishes one, Golden Pepper Jelly, and it is given in full below. Change the amount of peppers or vinegar, or add onion or garlic, and it is no longer tested. Selling is harder. Federal rules exclude jellies from the acidified food regulation, but at least one state agency treats pepper jelly as an acidified food and several cottage food laws bar it. Until a process authority or your state says otherwise, treat pepper jelly you sell as an acidified food.
Why peppers change the safety picture
Fruit is acidic; peppers are not. Sweet and hot peppers are low-acid vegetables, and the federal definition of acidified foods names peppers among the low-acid foods that become "acidified" when acid is added to them [1]. Low-acid foods are those with a finished pH above 4.6 [1], the line above which botulism becomes possible.
A pepper jelly works because the recipe's vinegar is measured against the peppers so the finished jelly sits safely below that line. Penn State Extension's commercial primer lists pepper jellies among products made with low-acid ingredients and tells makers to use a pH meter to confirm the finished product is well below pH 4.6 [2]. At home, a tested recipe does that work for you.
USDA's Golden Pepper Jelly
This recipe is from USDA and NCHFP's Guide 7 on jams and jellies (rev. July 2015) [3]. It makes about 5 half-pint jars.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Chopped yellow bell peppers | 5 cups (about 4 large fleshy peppers) |
| Chopped Serrano chile peppers | 1/2 cup (about 5 peppers) |
| White distilled vinegar, 5 percent acidity | 1 1/2 cups |
| Sugar | 5 cups |
| Liquid pectin | 1 pouch (3 ounces) |
Steps
- Protect your hands. Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes [3].
- Prepare the peppers. Wash all the peppers and remove stems and seeds. Leave the membrane in the hot peppers; that is where the remaining heat is [3].
- Puree. Put the sweet and hot peppers in a blender or food processor, add enough of the vinegar to puree them, and puree [3].
- Extract. Combine the puree and the rest of the vinegar in an 8 or 10 quart saucepan. Heat to a boil and boil 10 minutes to extract flavor and color [3].
- Strain. Take the pan off the heat and strain through a jelly bag into a bowl. A jelly bag is preferred; several layers of cheesecloth also work [3].
- Measure. Measure 2 1/4 cups of the strained pepper-vinegar juice back into the saucepan [3]. This is the number that matters most. Measure it; do not guess.
- Add sugar. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves and return to a boil [3].
- Add pectin. Add the liquid pectin, return to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly [3].
- Skim and fill. Remove from heat, skim off foam quickly and fill sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims and put on lids [3].
- Process in a boiling water canner for half-pints or pints: 5 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet, 10 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet and 15 minutes above 6,000 feet [3]. In Boise, that is 10 minutes in sterilized jars.
The recipe notes that a properly made jelly has a mildly firm set and that half-pint jars are best [3]. The 5 minute time at low elevation depends on sterilized jars; NCHFP says jars processed for less than 10 minutes must be sterilized first [4].
NCHFP also lists a tested Mayhaw-Pepper Jelly made with pectin [5].
What you may change in it, and what you may not
| You want to | Allowed? | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Use red, orange or green bell peppers instead of yellow | Yes. The jelly color changes | Guide 7 allows other colored sweet peppers [3] |
| Use jalapeños, habaneros or another hot pepper instead of Serranos | Yes, in the same 1/2 cup measure | Guide 7 allows other hot peppers [3] |
| Make it hotter or milder | Yes, by choosing hotter or milder peppers, not by adding more | Guide 7 suggests starting with a mild hot pepper and increasing it to taste [3] |
| Add more total peppers than 5 1/2 cups | No | Changes the pepper to vinegar ratio |
| Use less vinegar, or a vinegar weaker than 5 percent | No | The vinegar is the acid that makes it safe |
| Use more than 2 1/4 cups of strained juice | No | Changes the acid, sugar and pectin balance |
| Add onion, garlic, cilantro or other vegetables and herbs | No | More low-acid ingredients |
| Swap in fruit (pineapple, mango, peach pepper jelly) | Only from a recipe tested for that fruit | Fruit pepper jellies are different formulas |
| Use powdered pectin instead of liquid | No | They are not interchangeable; see liquid or powdered pectin |
| Leave pepper pieces suspended in the jelly | Not in this recipe | The recipe strains the solids out; pieces add low-acid bulk |
Many popular pepper jellies leave chopped pepper confetti in the jar and use cider vinegar, apple juice or fruit. Some come from pectin manufacturers' leaflets and are tested; many blog versions are not. If a recipe does not name a tested source, make it as a refrigerator jelly. What you can change in a tested recipe covers the same rules for every kind of jam.
Selling pepper jelly: where the acidified food line falls
This is the part of the question with no single answer, so here is what each source says.
The federal text. The acidified food regulation, 21 CFR 114.3(b), lists "jams, jellies, preserves" among the products excluded from its coverage [1]. Read literally, a pepper jelly is a jelly and is excluded.
Penn State. Penn State's commercial primer groups pepper jellies with products made with low-acid ingredients and advises verifying with a pH meter that the finished product is well below the 4.6 limit for acidified foods [2].
Michigan. Michigan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development names "pepper (or other herb and vegetable) jellies" as examples of acidified foods, and requires processors of such foods to have the process reviewed and classified by a process authority, complete an approved acidified foods course such as Better Process Control School, and complete FDA registration and process filing [6].
FDA. FDA has published no written answer on whether pepper jelly falls inside the 114.3(b) exclusion. Treat the federal question as open, and if it matters to your plans, confirm with FDA at LACF@FDA.HHS.GOV.
This page's position. When the text and a state agency disagree and the stakes are botulism, follow the cautious reading. Treat pepper jelly you sell as an acidified food: get the recipe and process reviewed by a process authority, verify pH, and follow what that review and your state require. If your state agency tells you in writing that pepper jelly is not an acidified food under its rules, keep that letter.
What a process authority review involves
A process authority is a qualified food scientist who decides whether your recipe and product are low-acid or acidified and sets the process for making it safely [6]. University food science programs do most of this work for small makers and publish their fees, which ran from about $75 to $300 per product when checked in October 2026: $75 at Washington State University for makers in Washington, Idaho and Montana, and $300 at Kansas State for makers outside Kansas [12][13]. The full picture, including current fees, how to find a reviewer, what to send and what the letter covers, is on process authorities and scheduled processes.
Two federal questions remain open with no written FDA answer: whether sellers of acidified foods who sell only at farmers markets must file FDA Forms 2541 and 2541e, and whose filing covers a copacked product. Do not rely on anyone's claim either way. Ask FDA directly at LACF@FDA.HHS.GOV.
How states treat pepper jelly under cottage food
State home food laws decide what you can sell from your own kitchen, and pepper jelly is one of the products they most often name. Examples checked in October 2026:
| State | What its rules say about pepper or vegetable jellies |
|---|---|
| Colorado | Jams, jellies and preserves are eligible; jams or pepper jelly made with fresh or homemade dehydrated peppers are not [7] |
| Michigan | No vegetable or non-fruit jams [8]; the state agency lists pepper jellies as acidified foods [6] |
| New Mexico | Standard high-sugar fruit jams and jellies are allowed; vegetable jams such as hot pepper jelly are not [9] |
| Kentucky | Low-acid, low-sugar and savory jams and jellies should go through the University of Kentucky microprocessing program [10] |
| Virginia | The state's July 2026 home food processing FAQ names pepper jelly among the products that may not be allowed, in both its jam and jelly section and its acidified vegetable section [14] |
Other states allow acidified foods under conditions such as a pH test or recipe approval, and a few food freedom states allow most home-made foods. Your state's rule is on its page in selling jam in your state, and the pattern across states is on preserves cottage food laws often exclude.
What to call it on the label
Penn State's primer gives "Hot Pepper Jelly" as the model name: the word "jelly" may be used when the 45 to 55 fruit-to-sugar proportion is followed, with the name of the nonstandard ingredient before or after it [2]. FDA's compliance policy for nonstandardized jellies says the word "jelly" should be preceded or followed by the name of the fruit or flavor source, that nonstandardized non-fruit jellies should reach 65 percent soluble solids, and that every ingredient must be listed by its common name in descending order by weight [11]. So "Golden Pepper Jelly" or "Jalapeño Pepper Jelly" is the right shape of name. The broader rules are on what you can call your jam.
Before you take pepper jelly to market
Make it from a tested recipe, keep a batch record, and start the process authority review well before the season, since a review takes time and some states require the result before your first sale. The next step for most sellers is process authorities and scheduled processes.
References
- Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 114.3, Definitions (Cornell LII), current. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/114.3
- Penn State Extension, LaBorde, Food for Profit: Commercial Production of Jams, Jellies and Fruit Butters, updated May 24, 2024. https://extension.psu.edu/food-for-profit-commercial-production-of-jams-jellies-and-fruit-butters
- USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation, Guide 7: Preparing and Canning Jams and Jellies (Golden Pepper Jelly), rev. July 2015. https://nchfp.uga.edu/papers/guide/GUIDE07_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, Do I need to pre-sterilize my jars before canning?, May 21, 2014. https://nchfp.uga.edu/blog/do-i-need-to-pre-sterilize-my-jars-before-canning
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, Jams and Jellies (recipe index), accessed October 2026. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/make-jam-jelly
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Low acid foods and acidified foods, undated (viewed October 2026). https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/food-dairy/wholesale-industry-resources/wholesale-manufactured-foods-new-business-guide/food-operations-with-special-requirements/low-acid-foods-and-acidified-foods
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Cottage Foods Act, undated (viewed October 2026). https://cdphe.colorado.gov/cottage-foods-act
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, What Can I Make? (cottage food), undated (viewed October 2026). https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/food-dairy/cottage-food/what-can-i-make
- New Mexico Environment Department, Homemade Food Act FAQ, August 16, 2021. https://www.env.nm.gov/foodprogram/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Homemade-Food-Act-FAQ.pdf
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Food Safety Branch, Summary of Updates to Home-Based Processing, March 2021. https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/dphps/fsb/FSDocs/hbpupdates.pdf
- US Food and Drug Administration, CPG Sec. 550.475 Jellies, Nonstandardized, rev. May 2005, updated November 29, 2005. https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/cpg-sec-550475-jellies-nonstandardized
- Washington State University Food Processing Extension and Research, Product Evaluation, accessed October 22, 2026. https://foodprocessing.wsu.edu/extension/product-eval/
- Kansas State University Research and Extension, Getty and Gaikwad, Working with a Process Authority (MF3731), March 2026. https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/working-with-a-process-authority_MF3731
- Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia's Home Food Processing Exemptions FAQ (VDACS-FSP-EXFAQ-REVJUL2026), July 2026 (hosted by the Virginia Department of Health). https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/126/Virginias-Home-Food-Processing-Exemptions-FAQ-July-2026-1.pdf
