Forget complicated canning & preserving, this easy recipe creates a thick, glossy chilli jam that transforms sandwiches, burgers, and snack boards instantly. 

Homemade Smutty Sweet Chilli Jam (easy recipe)

Why smutty, you might ask?

This chilli jam is spicy, fragrant, lusciously thick and indecently easy to make. 

It knows it's tasty, and it knows you think so too. 

It's definitely smutty! 

It luxuriates wantonly in the fridge until you need it. It knows it won't be there long. 

Not a traditional preserving recipe

With a traditional preserved jam, you want to fully sterilise the jam jars and any of the equipment you use.

Canning, or preserving in this way, produces a jam, pickle or chutney that can be kept in a dark cupboard for years, then up to a month in the fridge once opened.

This is more of a make it and use it type of jam.

I still like to run the jam jar through the dishwasher before adding the chilli jam, but it won't be going near a dark cupboard; it will be going straight in the fridge to be used.

You don't need fancy equipment

You don't need any preserving or canning equipment to make this sweet chilli jam either.

All you need is:

1. A clean jam jar - other airtight container.
2. Food processor - blender or pestle and mortar to blend the chilli paste.
3. A pan - and wooden spoon or spatula to stir the mixture as it cooks.

That's it, simple and nothing special needed.

Anyone could make this spicy jam.

What you need to make this sweet chilli sauce

Making sweet chilli jam, might sound intimidating, but as you see you need basic kitchen equipment to make it and a few simple ingredients.

You probably have most of them in the kitchen already.

• Red chillies (I use the bigger red chillies that supermarkets sell as standard, but you can go hotter if you like)
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger - ginger root
• Chopped tomatoes - tinned tomatoes, also known as canned tomatoes
• Sugar - I use caster sugar, but any all-purpose sugar
• Vinegar - I use white wine vinegar, but you could use red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

That's it, just 6 basic ingredients.

No pectin, no preserving or canning equipment, no speciality pans. 

Just a few simple ingredients that transform into something really special.

Chillies - the smaller you go, the hotter they get

Standard supermarket chillies are a bit bigger and quite plump.

They must know we are mostly wusses when it comes to heat, so these have a low to medium heat.

Chillies are rated on something called the Scoville heat scale, which goes from 0 for the mildest and then numbers increase rapidly as the chillies increase in heat.

Mostly, the smaller they get, the hotter they get, too.

Here's a wee look at some of the better-known chillies on the scale and how hot they are.

Scoville heat scale

• 0                                     No Heat              Red Bell Peppers
• 100 - 2,500                     Mild  Heat          Poblano, Anaheim Pepper, Banana Pepper
• 2,500 - 30,000                Medium Heat     Jalapeno, Serrano, Chipotle 
• 30,000 - 100,000            Hot                     Cayenne, Thai Bird's Eye, Tabasco, Piri Piri
• 100,000 - 350,000          Very Hot             Habanero, Scotch Bonnets, African Bird's Eye
• 750,000 - 1,500, 000      Fiery Hot            Ghost Pepper, Naga Viper, Trinidad Scorpion
• 1,500,000 - 3,000,000    The Hottest         Pepper X, Carolina Reaper, Apollo

I say go fairly mild, but if you are a chilli head, then go hotter. I take no responsibility!

Remove the seeds

Whichever chilli you go with, you have another decision to make.

Leave the seeds in, and you get more heat.

Remove the seeds, and the heat lessens.

For goodness sake, don't touch your eyes

You have to be careful when handling chillies.

Many people wear gloves when handling them.

If you are just using your hands, make sure you wash them well with soapy water as soon as you finish preparing the chillies.

And whatever you do, don't touch your eyes or any other delicate area before washing your hands or you will experience the burn.

Love a recipe with chillies? Try this amazing no-chop penne arrabbiata sauce, my family chilli recipe or this slow cooker chilli.

pin it for later

The 30 Minute Method

Here's where it gets easy, making this hot chilli jam.

Most jam recipes can be intimidating with precise temperatures, setting points and all that stuff, but with this one, you blend a paste, pop it all in a pan and let it do its thing.

1. Blitz the aromatics - whizz up the chillies, garlic and ginger in a food processor, blender or pestle and mortar until you have a paste
2. Dump everything into a saucepan - add the paste and other ingredients into a pan.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer - increase the heat and bring to a boil (bubbling rapidly), then reduce to a simmer.
4. Watch it thicken - it should coat the back of a spoon thickly.
5. Jar, cool and store - pour in a clean jam jar, add the lid tightly, then let cool, before popping in the fridge.

That's it, no jam thermometer, no water bath and no stress.

The hardest part is waiting for it to cool so you can slather it on everything and eat it.

How to serve it

Here are a few ideas for serving this easy sweet chilli jam other than eating this smutty stuff with a spoon.

1. Add it to sandwiches and wraps, top your bean burger or hot dog with it.
2. It's also good dolloped over whipped feta and used as the most amazing layered dip.
3. Drizzle some on your pizza to szoosh it up.
4. Add it to bruschetta and top with crumbled feta.

I'm sure you will have some fabulous ideas for serving this spicy condiment too.

It really is the best chilli jam recipe.

Storage & Shelf Life

Now let's talk fridge life.

This isn't a store-cuboard preserve.

The vinegar and sugar do preserve it, but you are working with fresh ingredients that need to be in the fridge. 

• Always use a clean jar  - I like to run it through the dishwasher or a really hot soapy wash and be careful not to touch inside the jar or lid to keep it as sterile as possible.
• Two weeks in the fridge - Mark the date you make it on the jar or your calendar and use it within 2 weeks while it's still at its best.
• Clean spoon every time - No double dipping  (using the spoon elsewhere first) or having a taste, then dipping the spoon back in or you will introduce bacteria.

You could make a bigger batch and freeze portions for 3-4 months, but the texture can change a bit when defrosted.

So give it a good stir to mix it before using it. 

The flavour will be just as good though.

This is such a great recipe, it makes such a good chilli jam and you can decide the heat level. 

I hope you try it.

jam, sweet chilli jam, chilli jam, hot chilli jam, hot chilli sauce

Condiments, Dips. Preserves

British, Plant-based, Vegan

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Homemade Smutty Sweet Chilli Jam (easy recipe)

Forget complicated canning & preserving, this easy recipe creates a thick, glossy chilli jam that transforms sandwiches, burgers, and snack boards instantly. 

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

• 4 red chillies (I use mild and keep the seeds in, but you can use hotter chillies)
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• a chunk of fresh ginger (approx 3 cm (just over an inch) cube)
• 1 x 400g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 200g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 50ml (1/5 cup) white wine vinegar

Instructions

1. Make a paste with the chillies, ginger and garlic. You can do this in a pestle and mortar, a food processor or blender.
2. Add the paste to a pan with all the other ingredients and stir well.
3. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture for 25-30 minutes until thick and glossy.
4. Pour into a clean jar, add the lid tightly, then leave to cool.
5. Pop it in the fridge and keep it there until you are ready to use it.
6. The jam will keep happily in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It's never lasted longer than that so far!
7. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can use hotter chilli peppers if you like.
• Removing the seeds will remove some heat.
• Wash your hands with hot soapy water after touching or preparing the chillies and be careful not to touch your eyes when prepping chillies.
• You could make a bigger batch and freeze portions for 3-4 months, but the texture can change a bit when defrosted, so give it a good stir to mix it before using it. The flavour will be just as good though.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

19

Fat (grams)

0 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

21 g

Fiber (grams)

1 g

Net carbs

20 g

Sugar (grams)

2 g

Protein (grams)

1 g

Sodium (milligrams)

46 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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