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
Linda Pelino says
I just made the relish using caned tomatoes because fresh aren’t great now. Can hardly wait for summer for the fresh homegrown produce. It was great and really simple. Than you so much for giving us this great recipe!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Linda, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Anonymous says
I was curious to know how many ounces of drained diced tomatoes did you use to equal 6 cups of fresh tomatoes? Thank you!
Lesley Hicken says
How many canned tomatoes did you use. Thanks
CR says
Liquid pectin is always added to the boiling mixture near the end of the cooking process while powdered pectin is stirred into the raw fruit at the beginning. For a recipe that calls for liquid pectin a powdered version is not interchangeable.
Since this recipe is with powdered pectin, should you be adding it in the beginning and the sugar at the end? This may solve the gelling problem so many are having. Garden season is over so I will have to wait until next year to try this recipe. It sounds delish!
Cynthia Tucker says
My relish turned out completely watery. I am going to reprocess. Should I boil it down first? I added 5 TBLS of pectin, waited 24 hours and it was way too watery. Should I add tomato paste? I don’t want to distort the taste. Thanks
Stephanie Radtke says
I’m making this now for a second time. I am doubling the recipe though. Does this effect the time needed to cook down? I thought I maybe would need to cook longer, but unsure. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stephanie, I haven’t tried doubling it but you may need to cook it longer since there’s more liquid but the same surface area.
Anne Hart says
Thank you so much for such a lovely, delicious recipe!!
Anne Hart says
So very good :) !! I am from Medford Oregon and I moved to Kansas about 4 years ago. My daughter was missing Harry & David’s sweet pepper onion relish (6.99 for a 10 oz.jar plus shipping) so I thought I would give this a try. I started out making only 1/2 the recipe and I am sorry I did not make the full recipe and I should not have bothered canning it (as we ate it so fast :) my daughter LOVES this even more than H&D’S she says it tastes like home:) !! Next time I will make the full recipe (it is so good with chicken, pork, with cream cheese of course and just on rice). The only change I made was that for 1/2 recipe I used 1/2 Tsp. cayenne pepper and for the full recipe I will only use 1 Tsp. cayenne pepper (not a TBSP.)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I am absolutely thrilled to hear that, Anne, thanks so much for the feedback!
Rhonda J says
We are from Ashland but now luve in Portland and MISS this relish. I just finuahed the last har my mom mailed so I’ll give this recipe a try!
Anonymous says
PS. I’m not using Meyer lemons. the ones I have are large with thick skins/white.
Connie says
This looks really good! I’ve been looking for a lemon relish recipe on this order, do you think I could substitute lemons for the tomatoes? I’m not sure if it would be too runny. Do you have a lemon relish recipe? :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Connie! I don’t have a lemon relish recipe, sorry, but sounds delicious!
Max N Banning says
We have not tried your recipe yet but will very soon. We were in Harry and David today and their price for this relish is now $6 a bottle if you buy 3. We usually buy a case because I love it on almost everything. But at $72 a case, we are thrilled to get your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Max, I look forward to hearing what you think!
Pat Maravola says
My mother used to make a tomato peppers relish that everyone loved. No one has the recipe so I have been searching for one that closely matched. I’m going to try this one and see how close I can get. I will use Hungarian peppers instead of the green and cut by at least half. Also will add garlic and cut sugar. Will let you know how it goes.
Melody A Towslee says
Pat, How did the Harry & David recipe pair up to your search for the lost family recipe?
Melody Towslee
Robyn Taylor says
I have made this recipe twice and am fixing to go for a third! I was amazed at the results – no one could tell the difference between this recipe and the original recipe from Harry & David’s! The only thing I did differently was to use canned diced tomatoes instead of boiling and dicing my own. I placed my diced tomatoes in a salad spinner to get rid of all the extra juice and it really worked, lol! This step saved an awful lot of time and it made no difference in the final results. Thank you for posting this recipe – it’s perfect!!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Robyn, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback!
Tim Cosby says
What size canned tomatoes and how many did you use?
Debbie says
What brand, how many cans and what size ( ounces) did you use? Great idea to save time!!!!
Lyla says
When you pour back into pan, bringing it to a boil, adding more pectin. Then you need to reprocess for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lyla, yes that’s correct.
Marlene says
If I try this recipe and plan to freeze it, would I just thicken with cornstarch instead of pectin?
Rob w says
Kimberly,
Thank you so much for developing this recipe. I received the H&D relish in a gift basket, and since I wasn’t familiar with it, it sat for quite a while. I opened it in a moment of desperation for guests, and I polished it off after they left. Two comments to add for others who try this dish. One, I used canned tomatoes, which I drained well, but I also chopped them because they seemed like bigger pieces then I wanted in the final product. Secondly, I purchased sweet peppers from Costco in the big six pack. They are red, yellow, and orange, so no green. Since these are a bit sweeter than green peppers, I cut the sugar down by a quarter cup. (By the way, the drained tomato juice made a fabulous scratch Bloody Mary while I waited for the cook time.). Unfortunately I forgot about the thickness test, and I really needed to add more pectin to firm it up before canning. It’s still delicious, and the little 4 ounce quilted jelly jars will make perfect holiday gifts for friends and family. I’ll have a better idea of what it should look like next time, and sure to check the thickness on the next batch. As I think about it, that second bloody Mary may have contributed to missing the step… Thanks again for developing this fantastic recipe.
Rob.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
LOL! :) That’s wonderful, Rob! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and really appreciate the feedback, thank you! Perfect holiday gifts indeed, your family and friends will be thrilled. Thanks again!
Rob says
Hi Kimberly, going to make another batch this season. I was wondering if you have ever tried to adapt this recipe to mimic the H&D Original Pepper Relish rather than the Sweet?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rob, I haven’t, but if you do let us know how it goes!
Kelly R Carter says
I have made this twice now and absolutely love it! Thank you for such an amazing recipe to add to my favorites! Delish!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Kelly, thank you!
Kelly R Carter says
Kimberly, I also just bought all the spices to make Sag wat. So excited to try that this weekend! I think I need to check out all of your recipes! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome! That’s a great one to make, Kelly, and I hope you enjoy everything you try! :)