Spice up your life with this Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs recipe. Get the recipe for them and candied jalapeños in this post.

For more ideas of what to serve with this, check out all of our recipes.

I love Instagram. It’s a fun place to see what my friends are eating for dinner. I really don’t know when Instagram became synonymous with “post your food,” but I’m glad it did.

Not too long ago, my friend Sheryl posted photos of beautiful bright green jalapeño peppers. I asked her what she was doing with them and she gave me her recipe for candied jalapeños. They take four weeks to finish, and my taste buds just can’t wait that long. So I started using the leftover brine for Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs.

They’re amazing. They have a little sweetness and a lot of spice.

Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs Recipe

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Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh jalapeños
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.25 cups cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 package frozen meatballs

How To Make Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs:

This recipe is actually a two-parter. You’ll be making candied jalapeños (also known as cowboy candy), then using the leftover brine from it to make the jalapeño jelly meatballs. You can make the candied jalapeños ahead of time, then save the liquid for when you’re ready for the meatballs. Or you can make them both on the same day.

Now, the recipes …

Wash an 8 oz. mason jar and set it aside.

One pound of jalapeños fits in an 8 oz. mason jar. I know it doesn’t seem like it will, but once they wilt, jalapeños don’t take up that much room.

Combine the apple cider vinegar, sugar, the celery and mustard seeds, and the turmeric in a saucepan. Heat them to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for seven minutes. Stir often.

While that’s simmering, chop off the jalapeño stems and throw them away. Cut the jalapeños into 1/8-inch slices.

Add the sliced jalapeños to the liquid in the saucepan.

Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for seven minutes.

Spoon the jalapeños from the saucepan into your mason jar.

Heat the liquid back up and boil it for 5 minutes.

Fill the mason jar with the liquid. There will be leftover liquid, and that’s what you want for the meatballs, so don’t throw it out.

Seal the mason jar tight. Wait for it to cool completely, then set it in the fridge for four weeks.

Store the leftover liquid in a glass container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the meatballs.

Add your frozen meatballs to the liquid and heat, uncovered, until the liquid starts to bubble. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Stir frequently so that the sugar in the liquid doesn’t burn.

Now, you can use bagged frozen meatballs for this or, when you’re making meatballs, you can make extras and freeze them. Either works for this recipe.

Serve warm over rice.

Now … before you eat, but after you have spooned out all the meatballs, quickly dump the liquid into a used can (from canned vegetables) and put the pan in the sink with dish soap. The sugar in the liquid will caramelize quickly and it will get very sticky. So don’t let it sit and cool in the pan at all.

These are a really good to bring to a potluck or to serve as a party appetizer (without the rice) or are great for dinner (if you serve over rice).

Would you make this Jalapeño Jelly Meatballs recipe? Let us know in the comments.