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. Â Now it’s time to add the pectin. Â You won’t need much because most of the liquid will have evaporated by now.
Add the pectin (I used and recommend Ball’s Realfruit Classic Pectin), bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil for 1 minute. Â 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. Â This Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish will keep up to a year.
This recipe makes about a dozen 1/2 pint jars. Â For the ones you want to give away as gifts, just tie a ribbon around them with a little label. Â 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:
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 of our readers have reported success using canned tomatoes: use five 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes)
- 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
- 4 tablespoons powdered pectin , I use and recommend Ball's Classic Realfruit Pectin
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
Rebecca Osting says
Can this pectin,I assume is a dry powder,be substituted with any brand of dry pectin?? I have used the liquid pectin before and did not really like the out come.Would Sure Gel work??
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rebecca, yes, you can use another pectin but the amount varies according to brand and I’ve only used Ball for this.
Kim says
Hi Kimberly! Mine is not nearly as colorful as yours is, but tastes wonderful prior to canning and processing… Only changes I made was to omit the cayenne and drop the Jalapenos from 4 to 1 (am a pepper wimp!) chopped VERY small. Actually got 12 pint jars from the recipe. Am processing now, in batches… Cheers and thanks! Kim
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds great, Kim, thanks so much for the feedback!
lou says
This is my 2nd season making this relish – last time with fresh tomatoes and this time with canned. I could not tell any difference in taste whatsoever so due to the amount of labor saved I will use canned, well drained tomatoes from now on. I will splurge for organic next time for this once a season event. I did use 5 good sized jalapenos as 2 aren’t quite spicy enough for me and cut back a bit on the cayenne pepper – a shake of nutmeg and turmeric is good too. This is an excellent recipe unlike some that call for an unbelievable amount of sugar :( I always use SureJell and it works great but just realized that I used 4T for the 1/2 batch I made and should have only used 2 but it turned out to a perfect consistency so will continue to double the pectin next time. This is every bit as good and maybe even better than Harry and David which I always bought before. I won’t look for another recipe – this one is perfect! – Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Lou, thank you! Thanks also for the feedback on the taste comparison of fresh versus canned tomatoes. Have a wonderful rest of the Summer! Best, Kimberly
Robyn Taylor says
USE A SALAD SPINNER TO REMOVE THE EXTRA JUICE FROM CANNED, DICED TOMATOES! Kim, this is my third time to make your recipe and as I have stated in a previous post, it is absolutely delicious. But I’d like to add a tip if I may. Like a few others that I’ve read, I too have used diced, canned tomatoes instead of fresh. I’ve used both and I can assure you, I cannot tell a difference with the diced tomatoes and the fresh. However I did something this year that I’ve never done before and it has really made a difference in how well my mixture firms up …….. Before I add my diced canned tomatoes, I drain them but then I put them in a salad spinner and remove any additional juice from the tomatoes. It absolutely works like a charm! I thought you might want to share this with others, hopefully it will make the difference in their mixture, as well. Thanks again for a recipe that is on point!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Robyn, I appreciate those tips as I’m sure our readers will. Thanks so much for taking the time to update us!
Robyn Taylor says
It’s my pleasure! Can I ask you a question? If you find that your recipe is still a little too watery, even though you have followed strictly by the instructions, it’s OK to ladel out some of the extra juice? I had a friend who made this and she followed right by the recipe but hers seemed a little watery. Your advice?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Robyn, there’s a note at the end of the recipe addressing this. I recommend using Ball’s Classic Real Fruit Pectin. But yes, rather than do that you can also ladle out some of the liquid.
David Duell says
I have reduced this sauce down to one fourth. I use one can of diced tomatoes, I thicken the relish with cornstarch, I do not add the cay pepper. I split the relish when it is done and add a scorpion sauce to half. This way I have a sweet and a hot relish. This freezes well.
Maria Fe Balta says
this sounds amazing… just a question… con much cream cheese do i need for the deep with one of this jars… thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Maria, that’s purely personal preference but I’d recommend trying it with one 8-ounce package of cream cheese and give it a taste to determine if you want to add more cream cheese. Alternatively, you can serve it by spreading a bit of cream cheese on a cracker and then placing a small dollop of the relish on top. That also makes for a pretty presentation.
Cori Landon says
Absolutely A++. This tastes exactly like the relish from Harry & David, maybe even better :) This is the second year I’ve made this and I always make enough to give away to friends and family. It’s always a hit when I use it for entertaining. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Cori, thanks so much!
Corra Ward says
Instead of canning, has anyone put this into small plastic containers and store them in the freezer. Just take them out as needed?
Deb Baker says
Hello! I made this yesterday but used Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona’s comes in two parts, the Pectin and the calcium water. I used a tablespoon of each. It turned out perfect!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Deb, I’m so glad you enjoyed, thanks for the feedback!
Deb Baker says
Hi, Kim! Just made another batch yesterday! When you initially taste test, it’s too “puckers” and a little spicy, but it all calms down 😀 This time, I had peppers and no fresh tomatoes. I did a comparison between first batch and this new batch, same flavor, using fresh tomatoes or canned (which saves a ton of time using canned!) thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the tip on the canned tomatoes, Deb, that’s great to know!
Brooke says
Thank you for posting about Pomona’s, I was wondering if it could be used and how much! :)
Chris Brown says
This recipe is exactly what I get from H&D’s. No tweaking required. I was quite the skeptic as every other copycat recipe needs to be tweaked. A food chopper save so much time, I cant imagine how time it would take to hand dice it all. Quite pleased1
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Chris, thank you so much for the feedback!
Karalinda says
I am making this tonight. I am using tomato paste as well per an internet search. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Karalinda! I just used some of this relish again two nights ago to make some pork chops – it continues to be a family favorite.
Robyn Taylor says
I have less than 40 minutes to go and it still seems very watery. Is it advisable to ladle off some of the liquid?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s normal, Robyn, let it simmer the full amount of time. The pectin will firm it up.
Laura Overmoen says
Hello, this recipe looks delicious and is exactly what I am looking for, but i do have a question: have you ever had the ph tested? It sounds like you creates the recipe, and the basic preservation ingredients like sugar and vinegar are there, but are they enough? I have no idea! I just want to make sure it’s safe to consume after a year or even a few months (more than just the look and smell test) before I feed it to my family. Thank you in advance!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Laura, yes, the sugar and vinegar content (i.e., pH level) are more than adequate to keep anything unwanted from growing in it :) I actually just pulled out a jar from 2013 last week and used it for some baked chicken. For added peace of mind you can also get pH test strips to use in any canning recipes.
L B says
Hi! I don’t have a canner so was just going to use stock pot as u suggested. My question is: after I bring cans to boil for twenty minutes and remove them, do I put them is ice water immediately after? Or just leave them on counter at room temperature?? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi LB, just leave them on the counter at room temp for 24 hours, then store them in a dark, cool place. Also, when using a regular stock pot I’d recommend crumpling some aluminum foil and placing it on the bottom so that the jars aren’t in direct contact with the bottom of the pan (which can result in the bottles breaking).
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I just love homemade gifts like this! I just think they mean so much more than something bought at the store!
Brenda says
I’m ashamed to say I have never canned anything!! It’s always intimidated me but your directions seem easier than I thought!