Name: Mary's Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 20 to 25 medium sweet red and/or yellow bell peppers (seeded and finely chopped); 4 to 6 large sweet white onions (finely chopped); 3 to 4 jalapeño peppers (finely chopped, or more to taste); 4 cups granulated sugar; 3 cups apple cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons salt

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Years ago, a Harry & David gourmet food gift showed up with a small jar of Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish inside. My husband and I spooned it over cream cheese, piled it on crackers and finished the jar fast. Then I saw what a replacement would cost. So I spent a couple of days in the kitchen working out my own. Here’s the recipe, plus everything I’d want to know before making it.

Have you ever tasted something from a fancy little jar and immediately thought, I need more of this? That was me with sweet pepper and onion relish.

Years ago, I received a beautiful Harry & David gift filled with gourmet goodies. Tucked among them was a small jar of Sweet Pepper & Onion Relish. I didn’t think much of it at first. Then we opened it.

My husband and I spooned it over cream cheese, piled it onto crackers and proceeded to make that little jar disappear at a speed that was frankly embarrassing.

No problem, I thought. I’ll just order more. And that’s where this story took a turn.

Delicious, but not that delicious

I went online to order another jar and found out it would cost far more delivered than I was willing to pay for a small jar of relish.

Was it good? Oh, yes.

Was I willing to keep paying gourmet-gift prices every time we inhaled another jar? Absolutely not.

So I did what any reasonably determined cheapskate with a kitchen would do. I studied the ingredient label and decided to make my own.

It took some experimenting the following summer, but eventually I came up with a sweet pepper and onion relish my husband declared every bit as good. I’ll take that.

What it tastes like

Sweet first, tangy second, with a little warmth from the jalapeños. It’s thick and glossy and spoons easily.

Spoon it over cream cheese and suddenly you’ve made an appetizer. Serve it alongside grilled chicken or beef and dinner gets more interesting. Put it into small jars and you’ve got a homemade food gift people will actually use.

It also makes a lot. About 5 quarts, so you’re not rationing it by the teaspoon.

What you’ll need

Sweet red and yellow peppers

You need 20 to 25 medium sweet peppers, red, yellow or a mix. That sounds like a lot because it is. Make this when peppers are plentiful and cheap. Red and yellow give you the color and the sweetness. Green peppers are more bitter and the finished relish gets muddy, so I’d skip them.

Sweet white onions

Sweet white onions cook down soft and almost jammy. They’re milder than regular onions, which keeps them from bossing the peppers around.

Jalapeño peppers

Three or four jalapeños gives it some zip without drowning out the peppers and onions. Much of the heat is concentrated in the white ribs inside the pepper, so scrape those out, along with the seeds, for less kick.

Remember that individual jalapeños can vary quite a bit in heat. Taste and proceed accordingly.

Granulated sugar

Four cups looks alarming. But it’s balancing 3 cups of vinegar and a very large pot of vegetables, so leave it alone.

Apple cider vinegar

Use apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity on the label. The vinegar is doing real work in here, so measure it and don’t cut it back.

Salt

Two tablespoons season a very large pot of vegetables and help bring all those flavors together.

Chop it fine

I’m not going to mislead you: there’s some chopping involved here. Twenty-plus peppers and several onions don’t chop themselves, much as I wish they did.

Aim for pieces about pea-sized or smaller so you get a little of everything in each spoonful, not one giant chunk of onion.

A vegetable chopper or food processor helps. Pulse in batches and stop while you can still see individual pieces. You want relish, not pepper soup. Any juice that collects goes in the pot with everything else.

MORE: Confessions of a Compulsive Chopper (Shopper)

How to make sweet pepper and onion relish

Put everything in a very large pot

And when I say very large, I mean it. Combine the chopped sweet peppers, onions and jalapeños with the sugar, apple cider vinegar and salt. Give everything a thorough stir.

At first it may look as though there isn’t enough liquid. Don’t panic. As the vegetables heat, they’ll release moisture and the whole mixture will settle down considerably.

Bring it to a gentle boil

Heat the mixture until it reaches a low boil, stirring occasionally.

Once it’s bubbling, reduce the heat and let it simmer. This isn’t something you want furiously boiling all over your stove. Gentle is good.

Let it cook down

Once it’s simmered for 30 to 40 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and shiny, the onions slightly translucent and the liquid thick and syrupy. It’ll look looser while it’s hot and thicken more as it cools.

Drag a spoon across the bottom of the pot. If the trail holds for a second before it closes, you’re there. If it still looks like vegetables swimming in vinegar, keep simmering a few more minutes and stir more often so the bottom doesn’t scorch.

Spoon into clean jars

Carefully ladle the hot relish into clean jars. Let it cool, cover and refrigerate.

And now comes the difficult part. Trying not to eat it all.

MORE: The Best Easy Bacon Jam Recipe for Homemade Gifts

The easiest appetizer I know

Set a block of cream cheese on a plate. Spoon relish over the top. Put out crackers. That’s it. It looks pretty, it tastes great and it takes about as much skill as opening a package.

Once you’ve got a jar in the refrigerator, you’ll start finding excuses to use it.

Spoon it alongside grilled chicken, pork or beef. Add a little to a turkey or roast beef sandwich. Put it on a burger or grilled sausage.

It’s also surprisingly good added to a cheese board because the sweet-tangy flavor cuts through rich cheeses beautifully.

And yes, eating it directly from the jar while standing in front of the refrigerator remains an option. I’ve done the research.

Give a jar away

I’ve always liked gifts people can use up. Nobody has to figure out where to display relish, and it’s always the right size and color.

A full batch fills roughly 20 half-pint jars. Label each one with the date you made it and “Keep refrigerated, use within a month.” If you’re delivering locally, tuck in a box of crackers and a block of cream cheese, and keep the cream cheese cold.

MORE: Festive Holiday Baking Recipes for Delicious Homemade Gifts

Want a smaller batch?

Cut everything in half: 10 to 12 peppers, 2 to 3 onions, 2 jalapeños, 2 cups sugar, 1½ cups vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt. Use a smaller pot and start checking for doneness a little earlier.

Sweet pepper and onion relish in a white bowl with crackers and fresh red bell peppers

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Mary's Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish

Sweet red and yellow peppers, onions and jalapeños simmer with apple cider vinegar and sugar to make a sweet, tangy relish with just a little kick. Spoon it over cream cheese and crackers, serve it with grilled meats or tuck a jar in the refrigerator for sandwiches, burgers and snacking.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Servings: pints (about 5 quarts)

Calories: 428kcal

Ingredients

20 to 25 medium sweet red and/or yellow bell peppers seeded and finely chopped
4 to 6 large sweet white onions finely chopped
3 to 4 jalapeño peppers finely chopped, or more to taste
4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

Add the chopped bell peppers, onions and jalapeños to a very large stockpot.
Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar and salt. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and glistening and the liquid has reduced and thickened.
Carefully ladle the hot relish into clean jars. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate.
Serve over cream cheese with crackers, alongside beef, pork or poultry, or use it on sandwiches, burgers and sausages.

Notes

Three to four jalapeños give the relish some zip. For a milder batch, use fewer jalapeños and remove the seeds and membranes. For more heat, add another pepper or two.

A food processor makes quick work of the peppers and onions. Work in batches and use short pulses. You want the vegetables finely chopped, not puréed.

Want to make a smaller batch? This is intentionally a big-batch recipe, yielding about 5 quarts. The ingredients can be halved if you don't need quite so much relish.

Place a block of cream cheese on a serving plate, spoon the relish generously over the top and add crackers.

Important storage note: This is a refrigerator relish, not a shelf-stable canned relish. Filling jars with the hot mixture does not make them safe for pantry storage. Keep refrigerated and use within one month.

Nutrition

Question: What’s one store-bought favorite you’ve figured out how to make at home? Share it in the comments below.

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Sweet Pepper Onion Relish (Perfect Over Cream Cheese)

Delicious, but not that delicious

What it tastes like