Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
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This Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish recipe is my copycat version of Harry & David’s popular treat. It’s delightful mixed with cream cheese and spread on crackers or used as a glaze for pork and chicken. And it makes a fabulous gift!
I always enjoy receiving homemade gifts. When someone takes the time to make something for you, whether it’s a simple plate of cookies or some elaborate craft, it says a lot. It makes you feel all the more unique, special, appreciated and loved. Cooking happens to be one of my biggest passions, and so naturally I particularly enjoy making gifts for people that are edible. This Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish makes the perfect gift and has always been a hit with everyone.
If you’ve ever tried the popular Harry and David Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish you know how delicious it is. It’s also quite pricey and you get such a small amount – which is pure torture because you want enough of it so that you can eating it without worrying about running out! Well this homemade version solves that problem. It yields 12 half pint jars and at a fraction of the cost! And I promise you, it tastes AMAZING! Slather this relish on chicken or pork before baking for a marvelous glaze or mix it with cream cheese and serve it with crackers – it’s fabulous!
Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish Recipe
Let’s get started!
Combine all the ingredients, except for the pectin, in a large stock pot.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Be sure to simmer it uncovered so that some of the liquid evaporates. Now it’s time to add the pectin. You won’t need much because most of the liquid will have evaporated by now.
Add the pectin. For this recipe I use and recommend Ball’s Realfruit Classic Pectin. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Immediately ladle the hot relish into hot sterilized canning jars with sealable canning lids.
Process in a water bath canner with the water covering the top of the jars by least 3 inches and process for 20 minutes.
Remove the jars from the canner and let them rest for 24 hours undisturbed before moving. This Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish will keep up to a year.
This recipe makes about a dozen 1/2 pint jars. For the ones you want to give away as gifts, just tie a ribbon around them with a little label. Are they cute or what?
Enjoy this relish mixed with cream cheese and spread on crackers, as a glaze for chicken or pork, or however else your imagination inspires!
For more delicious homemade relishes be sure to try our:
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Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish (Harry and David Copycat)
Ingredients
- 6 cups skinned, seeded and diced tomatoes , first blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds for easy peeling (a few readers have reported success using the equivalent of canned tomatoes; drain first)
- 6 cups seeded and diced red bell peppers
- 4 cups diced yellow onion
- 4 jalapenos , seeded and diced
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon cayenne
- 6 tablespoons Ball Classic Realfruit Pectin , or equivalent (I have only used and tested this recipe with the Ball product)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients, except for the pectin, in a large stock pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add more cayenne to taste if desired. Add the pectin and quickly bring to a boil for 1 minute. ***See NOTE below.Remove from heat and ladle the hot mixture into hot, sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process the jars in a water bath canner with the water at least three inches above the jars, for 20 minutes. Remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Store in a dark, cool place. This relish will keep for up to a year.Makes about 6 pints or 12 half pint jars.
Notes
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet November 21, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
THIS would be so amazing on just about anything! I love a good relish.
What a delicious gift! I bet this was amazing on the chicken recipe!
I think this would make an amazing gift. Say, for a food blogger. Someone who visits your blog a lot. Who happens to like relish such as this one. And her name might happen to be Kim. Just saying’.
Ha, I absolutely love this. Nothing beats homemade condiments. My sister cans like a fiend. I’ve done it before but I get so nervous I’m not doing it right. Silly, I know.
LOL, Kim! If we were neighbors I’d more than happily hook you up :) I know what you mean, I was pretty intimidated at the thought of canning, especially pressure canning, before I got started with it but after the first time you it’s all a breeze.
I love making food gifts and this relish looks fantastic! Canning is on my foodie bucket list of techniques to try.
I love the color in these photos! This looks fantastic!
this is interesting so different from anything I’ve ever tried before.
Maybe I missed it, but can this be made with a sugar substitute?
Hi David, the sugar is a natural preservative and is essential for storing the relish long-term.
Thanks for figuring this out! I had this at the office yesterday and FELL IN LOVE! I’m making this tonight….wish me luck!
I know, it’s such good stuff, Carey, I simply HAD to try and replicate it! Let us know how it goes!
Thank you for this great recipe Kimberly and thanks everyone for all the good tips . I’m on my second batch. It is so delicious . I’ve used Roma tomatoes and peeled seeded them. It’s a lot of work but well Worth the trouble.
Wonderful, I’m so thrilled to hear that, Jeannette, thank you! It does take some time to make but fortunately it makes a huge batch. I’m getting ready to make another batch myself for some gifts!
I tried this recipe and it turned out great. However, I had my mother-in-law ask me if the recipe was tested for safety…something about the acidity level and botulism when canning. Apparently if you are using a hot water bath the foods need to have a certain pH level.
Hi Julie, the water bath is simply an extra precaution. Most people in Western Europe don’t even use the water bath method because botulism is so extremely rare and if your cans are affected you’ll know because the lids will have popped, in which case you discard them. The water bath just takes that extra precaution to boil and eliminate any potential bacteria that might already be inside the can. I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for the feedback!
I have read all the comments and have a question. Can this relish be frozen instead of canned?
Hi Carole, that’s a great question! I’ve never tried that and really don’t know how it would turn out. My first instinct was “no” but then there is such a thing as freezer jam… If you end up trying it, let us know how it turns out!
Hi, I’m anxious to try this recipe, but was wondering how things turned out freezing the relish. The garden is overflowing with tomatoes and my kids think that Harry and David’s is a major food group, so this would be a win -win for me
That’s hilarious! :) I haven’t gotten any feedback about freezing this nor have I tried it. But because it contains pectin I wouldn’t recommend it. You’d need to try a freezer jam type version without pectin and I haven’t experimented with that. If you pioneer the way on this let us know how it turns out! If not, just can it like I do in this recipe. It will last at least a year.
So I ended up following your suggestions, in spite of my fear of canning food and killing my family through my ineptitude. I did put two jars in the freezer as a test and the rest properly canned in my pantry. When they started to seal down and pop, I got a little freaked out but then realized that was a good thing! Long story short, my hungry children have already wolfed through three jars and it seems I need to make another batch because they are looking greedily at the pantry…
Haha, awesomeness!! Thanks so much for the feedback and I am THRILLED it was such a hit!
I have a quick question: If I am canning these in pint jars would it still be the same process time? Also, I am not using the ball brand pectin I am using SureJell brand…results should be the same, right?
Hi Sandra! Yes, processing time is the same. Results can vary from brand to brand, unfortunately. After the mixture is done boiling, do the plate test – put a dab of the hot mixture on a plate and wait a couple of minutes. Turn the plate and see if it’s “set.” If not, if it’s too runny (keep in mind this is relish though, not jam, so it will be runnier than jam), then add a little more pectin and boil. Let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
I finally made this yesterday. I actually live in southern Oregon so I’ve eaten this relish from Harry & David’s store many times. It’s been awhile since I’ve gone in there because it’s a pretty expensive store but they always used to mix the relish with cream cheese and make a dip that they’d put on tortilla chips as samples. There was always a line for THAT sample!! Though it’s been awhile since I’ve eaten theirs, I think your recipe is every bit as good. I had a little bit leftover yesterday so after it cooled down we had some with cream cheese and tortilla chips!!! VERY GOOD!! I will definitely make this again.
Mine did come out a little runnier than I would like. I read through all the comments before making and decided to use 4 tbs pectin…just in case. I am a relatively new canner and honestly, while I love the end results, I do NOT love the process. I find it to be a lot of work and pretty time consuming and something I’d much rather do with a friend. Anyway, it is still runny but I’m not going to re-can it. It will be fine no matter how we use it and next time I’ll either add more pectin or maybe try the liquid because I made jalapeno jelly with the liquid pectin a few weeks ago and it’s pretty stiff!! I’ve got lots to learn but as long as it tastes good, that’s fine with me. Too much work for a “do over”!
The only other change I made is I didn’t peel or seed the tomatoes. I never do. I don’t mind the peels and again, guess I’m just a lazy canner!
So glad you posted this recipe. I love this stuff and got to the point where I could no longer afford to buy it. Now I can eat it all year long with no guilt about the expense!!!! And now I might even share!!
Hi Beth, I’m so glad you enjoyed this and really appreciate your feedback! I agree, the bought stuff is expensive, and for such a small jar. I hear you about the effort that goes into canning. The good thing though is that you only have to make it once and it will last you a loooooong time! And it’s such a rewarding feeling reaching for a jar of relish you know you made yourself. I’m not an expert canner either, not by a long shot. I need to do some experimenting too with liquid versus powdered pectin as well as brands because there does appear to be quite a lot of inconsistencies in results. I’m always very careful that the recipes I develop and post and are tried and tested and fool-proof. The tricky thing with a recipe like this is that there will always be varying results to some extent depending on the ingredients used – for example, some tomatoes are much juicer than others and so the end result will require more pectin than another batch using less juicy tomatoes will. And for that reason it’s a good thing that the mixture can be brought back to a boil again and have more pectin added if it’s a little too runny. Like you, a little runny works for me, too, because my favorite way to use this relish is mixed with cream cheese for crackers and added to marinades for meats, or spread on chicken and pork and baked. Thanks again, Beth, and enjoy the fruit of your labors! :)
Nice to hear back from you, Kimberly! I just want to make sure that first and foremost others know this recipe is AMAZING!! You did a magnificent job of duplicating this relish. It is delicious and one of those things that virtually everyone will love! I know because it is a STAPLE in the Harry and David store in Medford, OR. And I agree…nothing feels better than reaching into the pantry and grabbing a jar of something you made yourself…something you know is free from additives and poisons!! And in my case, I’m extra thrilled because the tomatoes, peppers….even the onions were grown in my own garden with no pesticides!! I love that!! Finally, I hope you know I don’t blame you or the recipe for being runny. I’m pretty sure it was perhaps because of the tomatoes…didn’t seed them, etc….and as you said, some tomatoes are very juicy. I just want to get across that THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!!! Next year when I can this (and I no doubt will because it WILL be gone by then), I will make more and I will not even bother with the jalapeno jelly because this is FAR, FAR BETTER!! Thank you!!!
I really appreciate that, Beth, thank you!! :)
You indicated: Recipe for a glazed chicken dish using this Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish coming soon! ——- when can we see that recipe??? I’m waiting!!!
Ah yes, thanks for reminding me, Sharon! With so many back-logged recipes still waiting to be published it’s hard to keep track sometimes :) The recipe is ridiculously simple: Sprinkle some chicken breasts or tenders with some salt and pepper and generously slather them down with the relish. Place them in a baking dish with sliced onions and red and green bell peppers, cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour if you’re using chicken breasts or less if using tenders (adjust length of time according to thickness of chicken and check for doneness.) The chicken is deliciously tender and the flavor is wunderbar! Serve with steamed rice or potatoes and any other sides of choice.
Thank you! Sounds great! I’ll be trying it.
I am so looking forward to trying this! Thanks for sharing your recipe, and thanks for all the helpful tips.
Thanks, Trish! There’s a lot of info in the comments, too, if you run into any problems. Enjoy!