Hot Datil Pepper Jelly Recipe (St Augustine Style)

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Hot datil pepper jelly recipe.

This datil pepper jelly recipe is made from the fiery datil pepper. If you love spicy foods then you will love datil pepper jelly. This isn’t the hottest pepper out there but they definitely bring some heat.

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Datil Pepper History

Datils are one of the most popular locally grown peppers of St Augustine, in St Johns County, Florida. St Augustinians take their hot peppers very seriously and you can often find an abundance of delicious datil pepper sauces and other products like hot sauce, and Minorcan datil pepper products at the local farmer’s market and festivals in the area. There is even a datil pepper festival that usually occurs in October. 

As mentioned, the datil peppers are grown in St Augustine and rarely found growing anywhere outside of the area. Naturally, we decided to grow them ourselves in our home garden here in St Johns County. Datil peppers are small peppers, orangeish-yellow in color, and have a similar heat level to habanero peppers with around 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units. Along with being hot, datils have a unique flavor because they are also sweet. The sweet heat combinations make datil peppers perfect for making the best jelly. Keep in mind, that this is more of a hot pepper jelly recipe and not a sweet fruity recipe. 

What You Need to Make Datil Pepper Jelly

To make this datil jelly you will only need a few simple ingredients: 

• 1 cup seeded and chopped fresh datil peppers
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Real Fruit Pectin (here)
• optional – 1/4 cup sugar or honey

You will also need a pretty jar or jelly jars. We are using 4 oz jelly jars.

How to Make Datil Pepper Jelly

Before you can even make this spicy jam you will need to sterilize the jelly jars. To do this, place the jars and the lids into a large pot of water and bring them to a rolling boil. Boil the jars in the hot water bath for 20 minutes. Then carefully remove the jars and lids and set them aside to dry. 

While you boil the jars go ahead and trim the ends off of the datil peppers, cut them, and remove the seeds. Keep the seeds to dry them out and use them for future planting in your garden to grow more datil pepper plants next season. 

Next, chop the datil peppers into small pieces. 

​Pour the filtered water into another pot on the stove. 

Add the chopped fresh peppers into the pot and stir over high heat. Bring to a boil.

Next, add the pectin to the pot by slowly sprinkling it in to avoid clumping. Keep in mind different types of pectin follow different rules. Sure Jell pectin will require a different measurement than the real fruit pectin that we are using here. Also, depending on the pectin that you use, the amount of sugar you use may also vary. We aren’t using any sugar in this recipe, but if you prefer to balance the heat of the peppers with more sweetness then you can add up to 1/4 cup of sugar at this stage of the recipe. Some jelly recipes call for multiple cups of sugar, but that felt a bit excessive to us. The sweetness level is really a personal preference. 

Boil for 1 minute. 

Jar the Datil Jelly

Remove the jelly mixture from the heat and carefully pour or scoop it into jelly jars. 

Leave a small amount of space at the top of the jar and then securely tighten the lids. You will need to place the jars back into a hot water bath and boil them again for 20 minutes to seal the lids. Unless of course if you are only making a small amount and plan to eat it right away. This datil jam recipe only makes two 4oz jars. Set the jars in a cool dark place to cool. 

Homemade Datil Pepper Jelly Recipe

Once cooled and set this datil pepper jelly is ready to enjoy. It pairs beautifully with cream cheese since the cream cheese adds a nice balance to the fiery flavor of this spicy treat. Spread it on crostini or homemade bread. This hot jelly is a perfect addition to charcuterie boards or cheese plates. It is truly a versatile condiment. You can make a few batches and share them with friends as holiday gifts. 

If you skipped the sugar like we did and feel it needs a touch of sweetness, it’s not too late! When serving your hot datil pepper jelly you can add a little honey, even after its set, and it will give just the right amount of sweetness to balance the heat.

If you aren’t local to the St Augustine area then you can still find datil pepper products in specialty food stores, and online. 

• Datil Pepper BBQ Sauces (here)
• Datil Pepper Sauces from St Augustine (here)
• Datil Pepper Chili Powder (here)

Make sure to check out our Homemade Datil Hot Sauce Recipe!

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