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 try my:
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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!
If I try this recipe and plan to freeze it, would I just thicken with cornstarch instead of pectin?
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.
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!
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?
Hi Rob, I haven’t, but if you do let us know how it goes!
I have made this twice now and absolutely love it! Thank you for such an amazing recipe to add to my favorites! Delish!
I’m so happy to hear that, Kelly, thank you!
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! :)
Awesome! That’s a great one to make, Kelly, and I hope you enjoy everything you try! :)
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??
Hi Rebecca, yes, you can use another pectin but the amount varies according to brand and I’ve only used Ball for this.
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
That sounds great, Kim, thanks so much for the feedback!
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.
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
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!
Hi Robyn, I appreciate those tips as I’m sure our readers will. Thanks so much for taking the time to update us!
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?
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.
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.
this sounds amazing… just a question… con much cream cheese do i need for the deep with one of this jars… thank you
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.