Pepper jelly is an ingredient pretty readily available in grocery stores and it’s exactly what it sounds like- jelly made from peppers! It’s a great ingredient to use in all sorts of dishes in the kitchen. We love it slathered over brie or spread over cream cheese with crackers. It’s great in sauces and glazes on pork and chicken. And its sweet, spicy, tangy flavor is amazing in a salad dressing. Look for pepper jelly near the other jams and jellies, but you can also try places like farmer’s markets and local grocers for hometown specialties. There are a wide variety of peppers (including different colors) used in pepper jellies so your dressing will taste (and look) different according to the one you use! In addition to the vinaigrette recipe, I’m also including a great salad to try it on, but feel free to be creative and make any type of salad you like.
Ingredients Needed
- Pepper Jelly
- Apple Cider Vinegar – I recommend Braggs, it really does make a difference
- Coarse grain mustard – or dijon
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh garlic
- Onion Powder
- Olive oil – I’ve also made this with avocado oil with success
How to Make Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
- Place all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth.
- While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream.
- Allow to stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
Make it a Salad!
I first had a pepper jelly vinaigrette at a restaurant and this is a recreation of some of those flavors, but feel free to be creative! In my salad I have:
- Spinach
- Sliced red onion
- Diced avocado
- Orange segments (I was out of oranges so I used cuties!)
- Feta cheese
- Candied walnuts – you can candy your own, or just buy a bag of glazed walnuts
Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ½ cup pepper jelly
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar preferably Bragg's
- ¾ teaspoon coarse grain mustard or dijon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- a few cracks black pepper
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or pressed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅓ cup olive oil or vegetable oil of choice
Optional Salad
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 1 avocado diced
- 1-2 navel oranges segmented
- thinly sliced red onion to taste
- ½ cup candied walnuts
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- grilled steak, shrimp or chicken optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth.
- While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Allow to stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
Salad
- Toss salad ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette to taste!
Questions & Reviews
I use pepper jelly as a finishing glaze on ribs and chicken, trust me it’s delicious. I also add it to BBQ sauce to “kick it up”. I always use Texas Pepper Jelly. It’s only available online and there are several flavors as well as heat levels. I will definitely try your vinaigrette out!!!!
Thanks, Kate. Now I’m gonna have “I’m so fancy” in my head all day.