habanero-mango jam

A few weeks ago I posted about my cherry chipotle firecracker jam and someone asked in the comments if I'd tried habanero-mango. I said I was thinking about it. A few people said they were curious. So I made it — and I want to report back properly because it went differently than I expected.

Recipe as promised!

Ingredients (makes ~4–5 half-pint jars):

2 cups fresh mango, finely diced

1½ cups fresh or canned pineapple, finely diced

1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced (wear gloves)

3 cups granulated sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 pouch liquid pectin

Method: Combine mango, pineapple, habanero, and lemon juice in pot → cook on medium 5 minutes before anything else (deactivates bromelain in the pineapple — skipping this risks a soft set) → add sugar → bring to full rolling boil → add liquid pectin → hard boil exactly 1 minute → skim foam → ladle into sterilized jars at ¼" headspace → water bath 10 minutes.

Heat scale: 1 habanero seeded = bright medium heat. 1 habanero with seeds = hot. 2 habaneros = bring a friend and sign a waiver.

The bromelain tip is the most important line in this recipe. Cook the fruit first, before sugar and pectin. Five minutes on medium heat. That's all it takes.

Full write-up with heat guide, chipotle vs habanero comparison, and serving ideas: pineapple mango habanero jam