Easy Sweet Chili Jam (30 Minutes)

Name: Easy Sweet Chili Jam (30 Minutes)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled; 60g/2oz fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (or use 2 tablespoons of crushed ginger/ginger paste); 6 long red chilies, de-seeded and roughly chopped (keep the seeds for a spicier jam); Zest of 2 limes; 1 1/4 cups (250g) caster sugar; ½ cup rice vinegar; 1/3 cup water; 3 tablespoons of fish sauce (or vegan alternative); 1 teaspoon of soy sauce (or tamari); Food processor, chopper or blender; Glass jars to store

This easy sweet chili jam recipe is one you NEED in your repertoire. It takes just 30 minutes, is sweet, spicy and so versatile. Watch it spice up salads, sandwiches, and cheese boards or use it as a dipping sauce. Plus, it keeps for months and makes a wonderful gift.

Close up, over head shot of chilli jam in a glass jar, with a gold spoon picking up some jam.

Jam can feel intimidating. Often it needs to cook down for hours, then cool, then be properly stored and sealed in jars. The whole process can take a literal day and I don’t know about you, but I just don’t have time for that!

But this insanely delicious and easy sweet chili jam recipe solves that problem. It takes 30 minutes at most to make, from start to finish. It’s as simple as throwing chili, ginger and garlic in a food processor and then cooking that with all the other ingredients for 20 minutes. No long boiling time here.

And I can’t even explain how often I use this chilli jam. It’s seriously DELICIOUS and an unbeatable way to jazz up any dish. I use it in salad dressings, drizzle it over grilled chicken or veggies, as a gorgeous dipping sauce for dumplings or spring rolls, or I throw it in a sandwich with cheese for the most unreal grilled cheese you’ve ever had…the possibilities are endless with this. It also makes a great gift and the recipe is easily scaled up.

Jump To

In this post – everything you need to make this sweet chilli jam

Ingredients you’ll need
A step-by-step guide
How to sterilize glass jars
Five delicious ways to use the jam
Your frequently asked questions

Ingredients

Long red chillis. Try to use longer chilies in this recipe because they tend to be milder than the smaller ones. If in doubt, give the chili a little taste before you use it. I do de-seed the chilies in this recipe, but for ease, you could keep them in. Just be aware that it will make the jam spicier.
Fish sauce. I ADORE the savory depth fish sauce brings to literally anything, so use quite a bit here. It smells a little scary, but I promise it doesn’t taste fishy at all in the jam. You just get a wonderful salty, deep flavor coming through that you can’t really replicate with salt alone. But, you can use a vegan alternative if you want to keep it vegan, or use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (or tamari) and 1 tablespoon of lime juice instead.
Rice vinegar. This recipe uses Asian-style flavors which is why I love using rice vinegar. It works perfectly here, but you could use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any.

There are also two pieces of essential equipment you’ll need for this recipe:

Food processor. This is to blitz the chilies, garlic and ginger into a paste. It just makes it a lot easier (and quicker) to do it this way, but if you don’t have one you can chop everything finely with a knife.
Sterilized glass jars. These are essential if you’re looking to store your chili jam for a long period. You can use a plastic container if you don’t have anything, but you’ll need to store this in the fridge straight away. I’ll show you how to do this a little further down the page if you’re unsure! I also have a full post all about how to sterilize jars if you’d like more information.

How to make the chilli jam

Start by de-seeding and roughly chopping your chilies (you can leave the seeds in if you like, for a spicier jam) along with the ginger and garlic. Get them in a food processor and blitz until it starts to form a paste.

Hand holding a long red chilli with a knife cutting the seeds out of the middle.

Slicing ginger on a wooden board with a large knife.

Then it’s as simple as adding the paste to a pot along with all the other ingredients.

Stir everything until the sugar dissolves, then reduce the heat and let the jam simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

All other chilli jam ingredients being added to the chilli, ginger, garlic paste in a large black pot.

Chilli jam being stirred with a large red spatula.

It will be bubbling up and should reduce by about a third. And it will be looking deeply red and sticky. At this point, it’s done!

Chilli jam bubbling up in large black pot.

Reduced and bubbling chilli jam being stirred with a red spatula.

Spoon into sterilized glass jars and seal.

Sticky chilli jam being spooned into a sterilised glass jar.

Chilli jam falling off small gold spoon into glass jar.

How to sterilize glass jars

This is a key component of making any kind of preserve. Sterilizing your storage jars means the jam will be shelf stable at room temperature – until you open it when it needs to go in the fridge.

Luckily, it’s easy to do. Wash your jars and lids with hot soapy water, then stand upright on an oven tray (don’t dry them). Get them in the oven at 320F/160C fan and leave them for 20 minutes. And that’s it! I like doing this while the chili jam is simmering on the stove, so they’re ready for filling once the jam is done. If you’d like more information, I have a whole post about how to sterilize jars that shares more detail.

PRO TIP: If your jars have a rubber ring around the lids, remember to take them off before putting them in the oven!

REMEMBER: Glass reacts to sudden temperature changes so make sure you’re not adding hot jam to cold jars, or cold jam to jars straight out of the oven as they can shatter. I discovered this the hard way…

Soapy glass jars standing upright on a lined oven tray.

Glass jars standing upside down on a lined oven tray.

Five ways to use chili jam

Got a question?

Is chili jam spicy?

I think it has the perfect level of heat! It’s softened with the sugar so it’s really quite mild. If you’re worried, you can take 2 chilies out and add one roughly chopped red pepper instead.

How long will this keep?

When stored in sterilized jars, chili jam will last for months at room temperature, unopened. Once you open it, store it in the fridge and it will still last for months. Just make sure you’re always using a clean spoon when you’re getting anything out of it to prevent cross-contamination.

Can I reduce the sugar in the chili jam?

This recipe actually doesn’t use that much sugar for the quantity you end up with, but you can try to reduce the sugar if you like. Just be aware that the jam’s consistency will change and won’t be as sticky and ‘jam-like’ as you’d expect. This comes from sugar. It will be more liquidy and the sugar also helps the jam keep as long as it does.

Do I have to use fish sauce in this recipe?

I definitely recommend using the fish sauce for the amazing depth of flavor you get from it, but if you really don’t like it or are vegan, replace the fish sauce with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce/tamari and 1 tablespoon of lime juice.