Holiday happiness right here that is sure to get you in the holiday spirit! Sweet and tangy with a POW of heat this Cranberry Jalapeño Hot Pepper Jelly is the perfect holiday appetizer, sandwich spread, or tasty glaze. Quick and easy, full of flavor, this twist on an old school classic is the perfect beginning for your holiday entertainment table. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi! Robin here!
Who remembers slapping down a block of cream cheese, then opening a jar of pepper jelly, pouring it over top and surrounding it with crackers for the perfect holiday appetizer? Back in the day, this simple and flavorful appetizer was all the rage.
In the 80s, this appetizer could be found on just about any holiday table or holiday office food day table. Like most large offices, food days are prevalent. Everyone volunteers to bring in food for special occasions or holidays and you could always count on see a block of cream cheese topped with various types of pepper jelly. My favorite was the Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly.
Whole Food Plant Based Conversion
This past week I was at the grocery store looking for almond butter and saw that someone had misplaced a jar of red pepper jelly in the nut butter section. I was instantly transported back to the day when pepper jelly was all the rage.
I smiled as I picked up the jar to read the ingredients and of course the first ingredient was sugar. LOL I immediately got to thinking “how can I make Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly Whole Food Plant Based compliant without using pectin?” My brain immediately went to cranberries which are full of natural pectin. “Hmmmm, Cranberry Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly, yes, yes, and yes!”
Monkey Madness
When I went home I told Monkey all about it and she was like “Mom, what? Cranberries with Hot Pepper Jelly?” You see Monkey had also enjoyed this delicious appetizer, but she thought I was a little crazy to add in cranberries. If you’ve have not heard about Pepper Jelly over a block of cream cheese as an appetizer then I can see how the whole concept could sound odd, but if you have ever tried pepper jelly in the past, then you just know what I am talking about, SO good!
Conversion Time
I looked through some of my ancient cookbooks and found a really old recipe for red pepper jelly which was super simple – basically red peppers, tons and tons and TONS of sugar, and pectin. Yup that simple. I wanted ours to have some pizzazz. We added cranberries, jalapenos, red onion, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and some red pepper flakes.
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Vegan Cream Cheese and Hummus
We put this loveliness over WFPB compliant cream cheese. You could use homemade or store bought vegan cream cheese. We love Kite Hill Cream Cheese (it’s WFPB compliant) and for giggles, we also put it over hummus too, and WOW, we fell in love with both. We simply couldn’t decide which one we loved more so we are showing you both versions. It’s delicious, and oh so pretty. I’ll let Monkey tell you more.
Ameera here!
When Mom first told me about developing this recipe, I was like “say what?” I simply could not wrap my brain around those cranberries, but wow, what I in for a treat! It took about 5 kitchen tests to get this one down just right. The beauty of this recipe is that you can increase or lower the maple syrup as well as increase or lower the heat by using a habanero pepper vs using jalapeno peppers. It is a crazy good Whole Food Plant Based appetizer.
Beautiful Presentation
What is so nice about this dish is that is makes for a beautiful presentation on your holiday appetizer table. We did the following:
Vegan Cream Cheese Presentation:
- We formed a round disk of Kite Hill Cream Cheese.
- We placed a generous amount of the Cranberry Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly over top and allowed it to gently fall over the edges.
- We topped with pomegranate seeds and chopped up some of the Cinnamon Maple Glazed Pecans and placed those on top.
Hummus Presentation:
- We plated some of our homemade hummus (or store bought) on a plate and smoothed it out, then we took a small spoon and created a deep circular swirl ridge in the hummus
- We then place the Cranberry Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly in the valley of the swirl
- We then topped with pomegranate seeds on one side only and chopped up some of the Cinnamon Maple Glazed Pecans and placed those on top (same side as the pomegranate seeds).
Both variations are amazing with crackers and assorted veggies. We would love for you to give it a try!
If you try this recipe, we would love to know if you love it as much as we do! Please leave us a review!
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Products Used:
- Medium stock pot
- High-speed blender
Cranberry Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 3 Cups 1x
- Category: Sauces, Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Holiday happiness right here that is sure to get you in the holiday spirit! Sweet and tangy with a POW of heat this Cranberry Jalapeño Hot Pepper Jelly is the perfect holiday appetizer, sandwich spread, or tasty glaze. Quick and easy, full of flavor, this twist on an old school classic is the perfect beginning for your holiday entertainment table. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, small dice * (see notes)
- 1 cup green bell peppers, small dice
- ½ cup yellow bell peppers, small dice
- ½ cup red bell peppers, small dice
- 2 Tablespoons red onion, minced
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons organic maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- pinch sea salt
Optional ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake *
Other Ingredients:
- Hummus
- WFPB Compliant Cream Cheese
- WFPB Compliant Crackers, Breads
- Veggies and Fruit
- Cinnamon Maple Glazed Pecans
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients (excluding the crushed red pepper flake) into a medium sized sauce pan and boil for 6 minutes on medium high heat stirring constantly until all the cranberries have popped, and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then place the mixture into a high-speed blender and blend on high for one minute until the mixture is smooth. Place a dish towel over the top of the blender when unscrewing the lid as steam pressure builds and can scald you when the pressure releases. Then return the mixture to the sauce pot, add the crushed red pepper flake, stir well, and cook over medium high heat for another 6 minutes (stirring occasionally). Taste test the sauce/jelly, add more maple syrup and/or crushed red pepper flake until the desire flavor has been reached. If adding more of any ingredients, cook for several more minutes.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Serve as a beautiful appetizer on top of hummus or vegan cream cheese with crackers, veggies, or breads.
Notes
*Color Variations: We have made this jelly 5 times, each time the color is slightly different, ranging from deep red to plum, to pink-red. The color variation in cranberries determines the final color. All are beautiful shades, we just want you to be aware that the shade of red varies. We have found that using a yellow pepper creates a truer red color.
*Jalapeño Heat: The heat from jalapeños vary greatly. You can check how hot it is by trying a small piece. Based on how hot it is, you can make the decision of how much (if any) crushed red pepper flake you want to use. If your jalapeños aren’t really hot or are generally not hot enough, you can look into kicking up the heat with a habanero pepper, serrano pepper or your other favorite hot pepper instead. Please be warned these peppers are hot! Pro-Tip: Wearing gloves is recommended.
*Jelly/Sauce/Jam: The texture and thickness of this jelly is more like a thick sauce rather than a true jelly. The cranberries have natural pectin which causes the mixture to thicken naturally.
*Crushed Red Pepper Flake: This is an optional ingredient, but it packs a nice little kick on the backend. Make sure you add it at the end and not in the high-speed blender as crushed red pepper flake can get bitter if crushed further in a high-speed blender.
*Servings: Makes approx. 3 cups.
*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 7 days.
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.
I just had to check out this recipe after seeing your gorgeous pic on Instagram yesterday. I can’t wait to make this! I recently bought some cute little jars at Target on a whim–and have been trying to figure out what to put in them. My son LOVES hot, spicy everything, so he’s definitely getting a jar (or 4!) for Christmas. Thanks for this beautiful and stunningly creative recipe!
Hi there Elizabeth 🙂
Yay! Thank you so much for your kind words! We just love this Cranberry Jalapeno Hot Pepper Jelly, and how you can really kick up the heat. What a fantastic gift for your son that is so sweet of you! Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, we truly appreciate you!
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This looks amazing! I look forward to trying it. How exactly did you round your cream cheese to look so perfect?
Hi there Jess 🙂
Thank you so much! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! You could take a small bowl in the shape you’d like, line it with plastic wrap, place your vegan cream cheese in it, refrigerate until firm, and then unmold. Afterwards, you can use a knife to clean up the edges.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I would love to make this for Christmas gifts. Are you able to freeze?
Hi there Suzanne 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We apologize for the late response. This would be a wonderful Christmas gift. We do not recommend freezing this jelly.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
This looks delicious and would be a great part of a vegan cheese plate! Do you think it would freeze?
Hi there Katarina 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We apologize for the late response. This would be a wonderful addition to a vegan cheese plate. We do not recommend freezing this jelly.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Curious? Can I ask why it would not freeze well? Not the cream cheese, just the jelly.
Wondering if I can can this jelly in a water bath? Has anyone tried that and also, has anyone actually MADE this? I would like to see a review of someone who has made it instead of just thinking about making it.
Hi there Lisa 🙂
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. This recipe is more of a “refrigerator” jelly. We are not sure how well canning would work as it doesn’t have the typical white sugar one would use in a traditional style canning jelly. As far as readers making it, most of our readers have posted to our facebook page about enjoying this recipe. We will leave two Facebook links that you can connect to in order to view their responses.
https://www.facebook.com/monkeyandmekitchenadventures/posts/949686162194505
https://www.facebook.com/monkeyandmekitchenadventures/posts/970280360135085
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
The photos look like there are pomegranate seeds seeds mixed in. Did I miss that in the recipe?
Hi there SuzG,
Thank you for your question. No, the pomegranate seeds are not mixed in. Pomegranate seeds were just used as a topper, similar to how you would with chopped parsley on a pasta dish. They are not an integral part of the recipe. We hope this helps.
-Ameera and Robin