The Garlic Buffalo Sauce recipe I’m sharing here will have you singing “The Bills Make me Wanna Shout!”. And if you just can’t do that, it will -at the very least- have you extremely glad that Buffalo and their magical wings exist.

Why make Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe when you can purchase one from just about any store? Simply put, this is infinitely tastier.

Homemade Buffalo Sauce

When I trundle through the grocery store, I walk straight past the bottled Buffalo sauce. How to make Buffalo sauce from scratch is not as big a mystery as you may think!

Please note, I said I walk past the Buffalo Sauce in the grocery store. Why?

Well, in short, because the homemade one just tastes so very much better. I challenge you to compare them if you’re ever given the chance.

Homemade Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe is robust with the round flavour of garlic, not just heat and vinegar like the store bought counterpart. It’s not hard to make, either.

When you combine a simple process with a delicious outcome, I think making your own Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe is a no-brainer! This post will teach you how to make Buffalo sauce with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

We love this sauce everywhere you’d use a classic Buffalo wing sauce. Chicken, of course, but also as a sauce for these divine vegetarian Cauliflower Wings.

Heck- we even like Buffalo sauce on grilled burgers, be they beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or veggie.

Buffalo Wing Sauce

Buffalo sauce isn’t just for wings. Nothing says “Game Day” like Buffalo wing sauce flavors on everything. I’ve already shared our new favourite bread basket addition; Buffalo Garlic Knots which works perfectly with this recipe.

You can make a double batch of this Buffalo sauce recipe and still have some left for spreading on sandwiches, dipping chicken tenders into, making Buffalo Chicken Meatball Subs, Boneless Buffalo Wings and Buffalo Chicken Baked Potatoes.

While you’re at it you might as well whip up Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip. But don’t think this is just for game time munchies.

It’s the perfect way to liven up a weeknight meal or snack. Buffalo sauce is a year round, any occasion condiment at our house.

Let’s go Buffalo! Both sports and sauce-wise!

What is Buffalo Sauce?

Buffalo sauce is a spicy and vinegary sauce usually tossed on chicken wings. Legend has it that it was first created at a the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY by whisking together Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and clarified butter.

That being said, this sauce is just that much better that it justifies the diversion from tradition while still being completely identifiable as Buffalo sauce.

Frank’s Buffalo Sauce

Every region has their own favorite hot sauce, in my experience, and in Western New York Frank’s is king. While this recipe diverges a little from that original simple blend of Frank’s Red Hot and butter, that signature Frank’s flavor is still key.

I do NOT advise subbing in another hot sauce if you want the true Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe experience. That being said, if you have a hot sauce you love to slather on foods, feel free to take the liberty! (I’m looking at you, Cholula!)

You can even order Frank’s Red Hot Sauce via amazon by the gallon. Yes. We regularly go through a gallon of Frank’s. Who doesn’t?

When you learn how to make homemade Buffalo sauce, you’ll never reach for the store bought sauce! 

Buffalo Sauce Recipe

You do not need exotic ingredients for the ultimate garlic buffalo sauce. All of these items should be easy to find in the most basic grocery stores.

It’s so easy to make Buffalo sauce right in your own kitchen. Here’s a list of ingredients in Buffalo Sauce to gather.

Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• Whole cloves of garlic
• Apple cider vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• Cayenne pepper

If you love Buffalo Sauce, but can’t quite handle the spice, the printable recipe includes notes on how to adjust it for Mild Buffalo Sauce and Medium Buffalo Sauce Recipes. If you like it even hotter, the recipe also includes an alternative “extra spicy” version.

People. USE UNSALTED BUTTER IN THIS GARLIC BUFFALO SAUCE RECIPE.

I am sorry to type-scream, but it is seriously important to the final outcome. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is salty enough without added salt from butter.

While it might not be problematic if you are simply dunking food into the finished Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe, if you’re brushing it onto something and baking it, or further cooking it, you’ll evaporate the liquid, leaving behind a far saltier end product.

Just trust me. Please.

How to make Buffalo Sauce

You don’t actually need more than the whisk, saucepan, and something to store your sauce in, but the stick blender does make life easier.

• Good Grips 9-inch whisk
• Cuisinart Stick Blender
• 2 quart stainless steel saucepan
• 1 quart regular mouth mason jars

I choose to use a stick blender for making our Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe the sake of ease. It’s not strictly necessary.

You could toss the contents into a blender, vent the lid, lay a couple layers of paper towel or a hand towel over the top and let ‘er rip. A food processor would probably do the job, too.

If you don’t have either of those, you can smash the softened garlic cloves with a fork or potato masher for a more rustic sauce. A word to the wise, though… a stick blender is a dead handy thing to have around for pureeing hot soups in pots and other jobs where you’d have to try to transfer boiling liquids to blenders or somesuch.

This stick blender is my favourite and I’ve worked it like it is in a real high-stress test-lab for the past 4 years. It has held up flawlessly to the beating I give it.

The best storage for Garlic Buffalo Sauce is a plain old mason jar; they don’t stain or absorb odours, so they’re perfect for the job. I prefer the regular mouth because it’s a little easier to pour the finished sauce from neatly.

How long is the sauce good after it’s made? You can store homemade Garlic Buffalo Sauce in the refrigerator for up to a month without the quality deteriorating.

If you’re going to store longer than that, though, you should freeze it. And if you have Garlic Buffalo Sauce in the house for longer than a month, you may want to rethink the lack of snack food in your life. I say this because I love you.

Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe

This is the only Buffalo wing sauce you’ll ever need. Use this spicy, tangy sauce on everything from chicken to cauliflower wings!

Melt the butter with the garlic cloves over low heat. Let the mixture bubble gently until the garlic cloves become very tender, about 10 minutes. Take care not to “toast” the butter or garlic cloves, removing from heat as needed to prevent browning.

Whisk together all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before blending until smooth with a stick blender or a regular blender. Transfer to a jar to refrigerate. It may separate as it cools, so whisk it together before using.

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Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe

Homemade Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe is robust with the round flavour of garlic, not just heat and vinegar like the store bought counterpart. It’s not hard to make, either. When you combine a simple process with a delicious outcome, I think making your own Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe is a no-brainer!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 143kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 1/3 cups Frank’s RedHot
• 10 cloves garlic peeled and lightly smacked to release oils
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Melt the butter with the garlic cloves over low heat. Let the mixture bubble gently until the garlic cloves become tender, about 10 minutes. Take care not to “toast” the butter or garlic cloves, removing from heat as needed to prevent browning.
• Whisk together all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before blending until smooth with a stick blender or a regular blender. Transfer to a jar to refrigerate. It may separate as it cools, so whisk it together before using.

Notes

For MILD Garlic Buffalo Sauce, change the quantity of butter to 1 2/3 cups and the Frank’s RedHot Sauce to 2/3 cup. For MEDIUM Garlic Buffalo Sauce, change the quantity of butter to 1 1/3 cups and the Frank’s RedHot Sauce to 1 cup. For EXTRA SPICY Garlic Buffalo Sauce, change the quantity of butter to 2/3 cup and the Frank’s RedHot Sauce to 1 2/3 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 717mg | Potassium: 60mg | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 20.9mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.2mg

You can also use our Garlic Buffalo Sauce Recipe to make these great dishes:

Ultimate Buffalo Chicken Meatball Subs

Buffalo Chicken Flatbreads

Creamy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Oven Fried Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Boneless Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Garlic Knots

This recipe was originally posted in January of 2017 and republished in April of 2023 with improved instructions and recipe notes.

This simple berry compote recipe is about to make your favourite breakfast foods and desserts even more spectacular. Spoon this easy fruit compote over angel food cake, ice cream, profiteroles, pancakes, waffles, regular or baked oatmeal, French toast, or more! 

Homemade berry compote is the perfect topping for nearly every dessert. Whether you’re ladling it over vanilla ice cream or onto pound cake, you’re going to be thrilled. Nobody needs to know it’s a vitamin packed powerhouse, though!

Having a jar of berry compote on hand gives you a shortcut to major berry flavour in just about anything. Heck, you can even add it to smoothies or cocktails like this berry kombucha margarita.

And wonder of wonders, this swoon-worthy easy mixed berry compote recipe can be made from fresh or frozen fruit. That makes this mixed berry compote a delight any time of year!

Berry Compote

This is one of the most easy recipes anywhere ever. It just takes two simple ingredients with one third ingredient being strictly optional:

1. Frozen berries or fresh berries
2. Fresh orange juice, lime juice, or lemon juice (or bottled)
3. Optional: sugar

I’m going to bang the drum for frozen fruit right now because where I am, berries are not currently in season. What is in season, though, is using the abundance of berries I froze over the summer. 

While this is a great way for me to use my pounds and pounds of frozen blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries to use up, you can just as easily use purchased frozen mixed berries. If berries are in season where you live, use those by all means!

If your freezer has a super abundance of one type of berries, feel free to use one single variety of berries: think strawberry compote, blackberry compote, or raspberry compote. I personally prefer a mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and maybe even cherries, if I have them.

You can even mix fresh fruit with frozen if you have it. This is one of my favourite ways to use up the last of my fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, or what have you. 

Heck, it’s delicious if you add in some frozen or fresh stone fruits, too. Peach Melba compote is yours if you combine peaches and raspberries! Just keep your fruit content to 4 cups total. 

As for lemon or orange juice, choose whatever you like best! I find lemon juice wakes up the berry flavour better than orange juice, but it’s a matter of personal preference.

If you’re using fresh lemons for the juice, please add the lemon zest to your warm compote for extra sunshiney freshness. Lime or orange zest is delicious in it, too!

Fresh juice is always going to be more flavourful than bottled juice, but don’t let a lack of fresh juice stop you from making this berry compote. Bottled lemon juice or orange juice will still yield a delicious end result. 

I always make my fruit compote recipe then taste a tiny spoonful of it. Most of the berries in my freezer do not need added sugar.

That said, sometimes the berries need a little boost so they don’t taste dull or too sour but you won’t really know it ‘til the compote is done. If it tastes a little boring or over-tart, add up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, maple syrup, simple sugar syrup or agave syrup and stir well until the sugar is dissolved while it’s still warm. 

Just remember not to add too large an amount of sugar to the berry mixture. You don’t want to cover up the natural beauty of your berry recipe with too much sweetness.

Recipe for Berry Compote 

This recipe is equally low maintenance when it comes to equipment. All you truly need is three things to make our berry compote recipe. 

1. 2 quart saucepan
2. Measuring cup
3. Potato masher or sturdy wooden spoon
4. Optional: Jar with a tight fitting lid or other airtight container

Berry Compote Recipe

Add fruit and juice to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Gently bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. As the berries begin to soften and give off juice, use a potato masher or sturdy spoon to break up the berries. 

You don’t want to obliterate the berries; there should still be recognizable pieces of fruit in the compote. 

The total cooking time should not exceed 10 to 12 minutes for frozen berries or 6 to 8 minutes for fresh ones. Taste the compote. If needed, adjust by adding a teaspoon of sugar at a time, stirring until the sugar dissolves. 

Serve hot, warm, room temperature, or cold.

f you can’t eat up your berry compote within a week of making it, you can preserve the goodness for later by freezing it in ice cube trays. Once they’re solid, transfer to a labeled zipper top bag and store for up to 3 months.

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Berry Compote Recipe

This simple berry compote recipe is about to make your breakfasts and desserts spectacular. Spoon this easy fruit compote over angel food cake, ice cream, profiteroles, pancakes, waffles, regular or baked oatmeal, French toast, or more!

This is the perfect topping for nearly every dessert. Whether you’re ladling it over vanilla ice cream or onto pound cake, you’re going to be thrilled. Nobody needs to know it’s a vitamin packed powerhouse, though!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, British, european, French

Keyword berry compote, berry compote recipe, fruit compote, homemade compote

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 38kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 2 quart saucepan
• 1 Measuring cup
• 1 Potato masher or sturdy wooden spoon
• 1 Optional: Jar with a tight fitting lid or other airtight container

Ingredients

• 4 cups mixed berries
• ¼ cup lemon juice or orange juice
• Optional: sugar maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup to taste

Instructions

• Add fruit and juice to a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Gently bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. As the berries begin to soften and give off juice, use a potato masher or sturdy spoon to break up the berries.
• You don’t want to obliterate the berries; there should still be recognizable pieces of fruit in the compote.
• The total cooking time should not exceed 10 to 12 minutes for frozen berries or 6 to 8 minutes for fresh ones. Taste the compote. If needed, adjust by adding a teaspoon of sugar at a time, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Moonshine pickles might sound crazy, but these high-octane pickles and their brine make cocktail time infinitely more exciting. Crunchy, delightful, and ever-so delicious, you can snack on the pickles then take a shot of the brine!

Where are my pickle loving party people? Because not only is this recipe dill-icious, but it’s about as easy as 1-2-3.

Seriously! Drain pickles, add moonshine and a little spice, and top off with the pickle brine.

Ta da!! You’re on the way to the very best Bloody Mary or dill pickle shot you’ve ever had! Sneak a little of the brine into any cocktail that could benefit from a little bit of dill pickle punch.

What is Moonshine?

The term Moonshine used to refer exclusively to a high-proof, illegally produced liquor. There is an actual federal law prohibiting moonshine, but state law can vary. Alaska, Arizona, Massachussets, and Missouri allow you to produce shine for personal consumption.

One of the states requires that the actual product be consumed on your own property, though! And while tough economic times might tempt you to try your hand at setting up a still in the Appalachian or Smoky Mountains, it’s a whole lot easier to scoot on down to your local liquor store.

Because these days, there are a few distilleries getting in on the game quite legitimately. 

Nowadays moonshine can refer to any high-proof, neutral liquor distilled from corn. It’s available in novelty flavoured varieties, too, including -bum, bum, BUUUUM- Pickle Moonshine.

Moonshine Pickles Recipe

For our moonshine pickles, we definitely want to use the plain, unflavoured type of Moonshine! You don’t want anything messin’ with your perfect dill pickle experience.

Moonshine Pickle

Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery is the leading commercial manufacturer of Moonshine in the US. And yes indeedy, Ole Smoky Moonshine Company also makes pickles! 

I prefer to use my homemade Claussen knockoff pickles or crunchtastic baby kosher dill pickles, though. I like the taste of my pickles best and the baby pickles maintain a better crunch in the moonshine soak.

Moonshine Pickles Get You Drunk

Well, they can. If you eat enough of them. But more importantly, that brine is what brings the oomph. You can most certainly get tipsy off of pickle moonshine!

Moonshine Pickles

Strain the brine from your jar of pickles and reserve it. Pour the Moonshine into the jar to within 1-1/2 inches of the top of the jar.

Add the Tabasco or Cholula to the jar along with the crushed red pepper flakes. Add reserved pickle juice to the level of the top of the jar.

Tightly cap the jar, shake vigorously once or twice, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating. These pickles will be good for up to a year in the refrigerator.

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Moonshine Pickles

Moonshine pickles might sound crazy, but these high-octane pickles and their brine make cocktail time infinitely more exciting. Crunchy, delicious, and ever-so delicious, you can snack on the pickles then take a shot of the brine!

Where are my pickle loving party people? Because not only are these dill-icious, but they’re about as easy as 1-2-3.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword dill pickle moonshine, Moonshine Pickles, Ole Smoky Moonshine Pickles

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Refrigeration Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 51kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 liquid measuring cup

Ingredients

• 1 pint dill pickles 16 ounce jar
• Up to 1 cup unflavoured moonshine
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco or Cholula hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Strain the brine from your jar of pickles and reserve it. Pour the Moonshine into the jar to within 1-1/2 inches of the top of the jar.
• Add the Tabasco or Cholula to the jar along with the crushed red pepper flakes. Add reserved pickle juice to the level of the top of the jar.
• Tightly cap the jar, shake vigorously once or twice, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating. These pickles will be good for up to a year in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Delicious, nutritious homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce with a hint of orange is just what your cranberry sauce lovers want at your Thanksgiving meal this holiday season! Tangy, sweet, and a holiday classic, your own cranberry sauce is the perfect complement to any roast you serve!

Serve this delightful homemade cranberry sauce right after it has been made and chilled, or you can can it to make it shelf-stable for longer storage. And it’s easy to make to boot!

My eldest son has -year after year- requested a giant Thanksgiving style feast on his birthday that falls about a week and a half before Thanksgiving. It’s his favourite meal of the year and he sees no reason to be confined to having it only once.

He also sees no problem with having the gigantic meal twice in one month. …And he knows what he likes.

Since he was able to serve himself at the table, the thing he has grabbed for first from the table is the bowl of cranberry sauce. According to him, it has to be smooth.

He and I both feel strongly about this. Even though Martha and legions of foodies present the beautiful relishes and whole berry sauces with the recognizable berries peeking out of it, I continue to hew the middle-America, smooth, quivering, ruby-red, can-shaped tube of sauce like the one I grew up eating.

My son loves this version the very best, too. Is my love for it nostalgia?

Perhaps, but it’s what I like. …And I know what I like.

(I do like some of the whole berry stuff, but it HAS to be like this homemade sweet and spicy one or all bets are off!)

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

But what I like very best of all is this homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce. It has all the punch of fresh cranberries, less sugar, and a hint of orange juice all in a smooth, jelled package.

Wonder of wonders, you can whip this jellied cranberry sauce up with minimal prep time, easy to find ingredients, and very little hands-on time. This easy homemade cranberry sauce is a staple of the holiday table.

And I feel like I’m standing on pretty firm ground when I assert that Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the best parts of the season. Leftover turkey sandwiches made from rolls topped with roast turkey breast, leftover cranberry sauce, and a thin layer of pan fried stuffing with a ladle of gravy over the top is one of the best holiday meals in existence.

If you’re a fan of canned cranberry sauce and it’s classic slices, take heart! Homemade cranberry sauce can be umolded like it’s cousin-in-a-can by gently running a little hot water over the outside of the jar, running a flexible, thin spatula around the inside of the jar, and plopping it onto a plate or into a bowl. If you follow the instructions, it’ll be as firm as the commercially available canned stuff.

If you do not bring the sauce to 215ºF after adding the sugar, it may end up softer set. It is still marvelous either way.

Can I Can Homemade Cranberry Sauce?

We have fresh cranberry sauce at our Thanksgiving table without fail, but that’s not the only time we eat it. If you’re like us, you may be wondering if you can can homemade jellied cranberry sauce.

The short answer here is yes. I can homemade cranberry sauce every year.

EVERY YEAR. The great advantage to canning it is that you can store it on pantry shelves for up to a year!

Given that cranberries are usually on wicked sale this time of year, and that we eat it year ’round, it makes sense to make it in massive quantities and can it up. That way we have homemade classic cranberry sauce available year-round.

Do I have to can it?

The short answer is no. If you’re can-phobic, you can certainly pour it into jars or another airtight container, put the lids in place, and refrigerate it up to 10 days before serving.

While I’ve not tried freezing it, I imagine the taste would hold up beautifully in the freezer. Would the gel hold up? I couldn’t say.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Why make your own jellied cranberry sauce when the cans are so inexpensive at the store? Because it just plain tastes better!

Homemade jellied cranberry sauce has a better texture, more vibrant, fresher flavour than the stuff that you purchase and you control what goes into it. You can even add a little minced jalapeño if you like a kick to your homemade cranberry sauce or simmer a stick of cinnamon in it if you’d like to spice up your life or Thanksgiving dinner.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1. Fresh Whole Cranberries
2. Juice and Zest of an Orange
3. White Sugar
4. Optional: Minced Jalapeño Pepper or a Whole Cinnamon Stick

Equipment Needed to Make Cranberry Sauce

1. Liquid Measuring Cup
2. Microplane or Zester
3. Heavy Bottomed Saucepan or Stockpot
4. Long Handled Wooden Spoon
5. Fine Mesh Sieve
6. Immersion Blender or Potato Masher or Blender/Food Processor
7. Instant Read Thermometer or Cold Spoon (store a handful of spoons in the freezer.)

Are you looking for more cranberry goodies? Try out this jiggly and delicious Cranberry Ginger Finger Gelatin, Cranberry Eggnog Doughnut Bread Pudding, Cranberry Brussels Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette, and Simple Candied Cranberries + Cranberry Syrup.

You can also break up homemade jellied cranberry sauce with a fork until it is spreadable and use it between layers of cake or to stuff French toast.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If you’re using a cinnamon stick or minced jalapeño peppers, add it here. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes while the cranberries pop open.

Use an immersion blender, potato masher, or a blender to carefully blend the mixture until it is mostly smooth. It does not need to be perfect, but the smoother the puree, the faster it’ll move through the sieve.

Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to press it through the sieve until all that remains is a paste of little twiggy bits and seeds from the cranberries and orange zest. Return the cranberry sauce to the pan.

Return the pan to medium high heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil until your cranberry mixture reaches between 215ºF and 217ºF.

Pour into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, place new lids on the jars, and screw the rings into place until finger-tip tight.

Store in the refrigerator OR place the jars filled with hot cranberry sauce in a canner and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars remain in the water for five minutes. Transfer the jars to a wire rack or towel to cool overnight, undisturbed. Wipe the jars down, label them, and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

If you do not have an instant read thermometer, you can test the doneness of the sauce by dipping a cold spoon into the simmering sauce and lifting it up. The cranberry sauce should gel against the spoon and hold a clean line when you draw your finger through it.

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Jellied Cranberry Sauce {canned or refrigerated}

Delicious, nutritious homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce with a hint of orange is just what cranberry sauce lovers want at the Thanksgiving table.

This delightfully simple recipe can be refrigerated or canned for shelf-stability and long term storage!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce with orange, fresh cranberry sauce, homemade canned jellied cranberry sauce, homemade cranberry sauce, how to make cranberry sauce, jellied cranberry sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 193kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 liquid measuring cup
• 1 microplane or zester
• 1 heavy-bottomed stockpot
• 1 long handled wooden spoon
• 1 fine mesh sieve
• 1 instant read thermometer

Ingredients

• 9 cups fresh cranberries
• 4 cups sugar
• The juice of one orange plus enough water to equal 3 1/2 cups
• The zest of 1 orange

Instructions

• Combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes while the cranberries pop open.
• Use an immersion blender, potato masher, or a blender to carefully blend the mixture until it is mostly smooth. It does not need to be perfect, but the smoother the puree, the faster it’ll move through the sieve.
• Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to press it through the sieve until all that remains is a paste of little twiggy bits and seeds from the cranberries and orange zest. Return the cranberry sauce to the pan.
• Return the pan to medium high heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil until your cranberry mixture reaches between 215ºF and 217ºF.
• Pour into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, place new lids on the jars, and screw the rings into place until finger-tip tight.
• Store in the refrigerator OR place the jars filled with hot cranberry sauce in a canner and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes, whether in a pint, pint and a half, or quart sized jar. Turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars remain in the water for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack or towel to cool overnight, undisturbed. Wipe the jars down, label them, and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 50g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.03mg

Originally published November 2013, updated November 2020 with additional notes, and November 2022 with improved instructions.

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Claussen Pickles are kosher dill pickles at their crunchiest, saltiest best! These homemade Claussen pickles taste like the commercial ones you find at the store, but better. And better yet, they’re ridiculously easy to make!

Whether you’re new to pickle making or a pickle veteran, you NEED to make these half sour pickles! And wonder of wonders, you don’t need to know how to can to make these super fresh, crunchy pickles! Claussen dill pickles are meant to be eaten fresh.

Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles: Always crunchy and garlicky, this perfect homemade pickle recipe requires no special equipment, & no canning experience.

It’s common knowledge that I have a salty tooth rather than a sweet tooth. When the weather does what it has been doing lately (making us all do our best Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego impersonations) I can’t think of a single thing I find more refreshing than an icy-cold, salty, crunchy pickle.

It’s not just me, it’s my whole family: mother, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, grandparents, kids, husband… I married a man who loves pickles so much he eats the pickles and then drinks the juice from the jar.

I grew up eating my Grandma’s homemade dill pickles like the supply was endless and moved on to canning my own pickles as soon as I had a kitchen of my own. There’s just something about a homemade dill pickle that makes me happier than any pickled cucumber ever should.

My little sister, Jessamine, and I compare our homemade pickles from year to year the way some people compare wine vintages.

Dill Pickle Recipe

But there is one pickle that stands head-and-shoulders (were pickles to *have* heads and shoulders) above all others. I’m talking about the pickles you see here. That’s right: Homemade Claussen Dill Pickles.

Recipe for Claussen Pickles

What do you need in order to make this recipe for Claussen Half Sour Pickles at home? Let’s get a quick list for both ingredients and equipment out of the way, shall we?

Equipment for Making Claussen Pickles at Home

1. A Glass gallon jar or 4 glass quart jars or other food safe container with a tight fitting lid
2. Measuring cup
3. Chef’s knife or paring knife

Ingredients for Making Homemade Claussen Pickles Copycat

1. Small to medium size pickling cucumbers (check your local farm stand or farmer’s market!)
2. Apple Cider Vinegar (don’t fret- it doesn’t taste like apple cider and isn’t even a little sweet!) or white vinegar
3. Kosher Salt
4. Garlic
5. Dill (either fresh or dill seed)
6. Pickling spices (available here)

A quite note on your vinegar choice: I opt for apple cider vinegar because it’s a smoother vinegar than white vinegar. It does not impart any sweetness or apple taste to the pickles whatsoever.

If you can’t find it (pssst. It’s right next to white vinegar in even moderately stocked grocery stores) or don’t feel like buying it, you can most certainly substitute white vinegar. It’ll just taste a little sharper. (And technically store bought Claussen pickles have white vinegar, so you do you!)

And ya’ll. These homemade half sour pickles are so easy to make it’s almost criminal.

The hardest part is the 2 to 4 day wait for them to be done. Truth be told, though, I’ve snacked on them the day after I made them and been a very happy camper.

Claussen Pickle Recipe

These are homemade refrigerated deli pickles, also known as Lithuanian half-sours, also known (in the commercial equivalent) as Claussen dill kosher pickles, also known as the best pickles ever known to mankind.

Here’s the thing. While I do love my other homemade pickles dearly (otherwise why would I continue canning ninety-something quarts year after year after year), these are by far my all-time favourites.

CRUNCH. That’s what you hear when you bite these. There is no flop, no squish, no soft pickles. These things almost bite back.

This also happens to be the perfect dill pickle recipe for beginning pickle makers. If you’re not into canning, these refrigerator pickles are a godsend. Even if you ARE canning obsessed, like yours truly, this Claussen pickle recipe should be in your pickle repertoire too.

Please note that this Claussen pickle recipe is not suitable for canning. The brine is fermented and not very acidic, which means it has far too high a PH to can safely. If you’re looking for a great canned dill pickle recipe, try this home canned garlic dill pickle recipe.

Refrigerator Pickles

Here’s where we get into the best part of this pickle recipe (aside from the crunch and flavor).  You don’t have to cook anything to make these pickles; not one single thing. The brine is stirred together, the cucumbers are rinsed, trimmed and stuffed into a jar with garlic cloves and spices.

These half sour pickles are NOT CANNED. They are simply put into jars. Amen!

When it’s summer time and the idea of turning on the stove makes me want to crawl into an (air conditioned) hole, these pickles are a welcome treat. Not only is that cold crunchy refrigerator pickle waiting to cool me off at the end of the prep time, but I don’t have to heat up my kitchen by even one single degree to get there.

Remember that pickling isn’t just for cucumbers, either! Try out our Pickled Brussels Sprouts, Quick Pickled Red Onions, and famous Candied Jalapenos!

How to Make Pickles FAQ

Please, please, please give these a go even if you have never made a pickle before. There is nothing scary or intimidating here. Wash, slice, stuff, stir, pour, sit, wait.

1. Trim 1/8-inch from the blossom end of each cucumber and slice them in half lengthwise or into quarters. The size you choose depends on how large your cucumbers are and how big you want the pickles to be when they’re done. This helps minimize the chances of soft pickles.
2. In a gallon jar (or large, wide-mouth, food-safe container) layer the dill heads or seed, pickling spice or mustard seed, and garlic cloves and sliced cucumbers. If you’re dividing the cucumbers up between smaller containers, just divide the garlic and spices evenly between the containers, too.
3. Stir your brine together in a separate container. You WILL have more brine than you have space for in the jars, but that’s why you pack the spices in the jars. Just store extra brine in a jar in the refrigerator and use it to top off your pickles if the brine starts evaporating.
4. Pour the brine over the cucumbers, taking care to make sure all of them are fully submerged. If needed, place a plate or mug or other ziploc bagged can of beans on the cucumbers to weigh them down and keep them under the brine!
5. Cover the jars lightly not tightly and leave out of direct sunlight on the counter for two to four days or until the pickles are picklicious.
6. If your kitchen is pretty hot or humid, you can stash them directly in the refrigerator. They’ll just take a couple of days longer to get fabulous. Your patience will be rewarded.

On the plus side, the wait is only two to four days which is significantly less than the six week wait of the canned pickles. Besides, as I said, there is the crunch factor

Troubleshooting Your Homemade Claussen Pickles

These pickles are easy peasy to make, but there still may be a couple of things that pop up from time to time that make you go “Hmmm…” In no particular order, here are some of the most commonly asked questions about them and some answers!

• Why is my pickle brine cloudy? Okay, I lied. This is the most common question and that’s because the brine becomes cloudy naturally as a consequence of fermentation (which is what’s happening here.) No worries.
  
  It’s all natural. This half sour pickle recipe (more on this to come) is a fermented pickle recipe and that just happens.
  
  Another possible cause of intense cloudiness or discolouration in your brine is using table salt. The iodine in table salt can also give off flavours to your pickles, so it’s best to stick with kosher salt or pickling salt for these bad boys!
  
• Is the scum, foam, or film on top of my pickle brine dangerous? It’s that pesky (and delicious) fermentation again! This is another thing you don’t have to worry about.
  
  Just scrape it off with a spoon, discard, and top off with a little of that extra brine you whipped up. (See the recipe card for details.) But do remove the scum or it could cause your pickles to go bad.
  
• My pickles went soft! How do I prevent this? This particular tragedy could have two causes.
  
  First, you may have failed to remove enough of the blossom end of the cucumber. There is a naturally occurring enzyme in the blossom end of cucumbers that causes pickles to break down and become soft if it is not removed. Next time, just slice more off.
  
  Second, you may have started with less than spectacularly fresh cucumbers. An older cucumber has had longer for the aforementioned enzyme to kick in, and it has already started its work.
  
  The best solution for this issue is to use cucumbers that have either been picked fresh that day or have been refrigerated steadily since very shortly after being picked a couple of days previously.
  
• Why did my pickles go bad? See that second reason in the “why did my pickles go soft” bullet point? That’s one culprit.
  
  Other potential causes of spoiled pickles are using unwashed cucumbers or fresh dill, old or decayed garlic, bad spices, lower-than-5%-acidity-vinegar, failing to remove the scum from the brine or to keep the pickles submerged in the brine, or storing your pickles in warmer conditions. When in doubt, stash them in the refrigerator!
  
• Why is there mold on my pickles? First, you have my condolences. Second, it’s because your pickles didn’t stay submerged in the brine. That brine has enough salt and acid to prevent mold growth if the cucumbers stay under the surface.
  
  If you’re having trouble finding something that fits in the jar to keep this from happening, try popping a can or two of tomato paste or canned beans in a zipper top bag and gently inserting that into the jar. It should weigh it down enough to do the job.
  
• Should I worry about the white sediment in my jar? This is another one in the “don’t sweat it” category. There are two potential reasons and both are completely harmless.
  
  It’s either a natural consequence of the fermentation or anti-caking agents in the salt. Neither harms the pickles or effects the flavour, so don’t worry!
  
• Why is my garlic blue/green/purple? As long you inspect the garlic before it goes into your jars and it is fresh as a daisy, you have nothing to worry about. It could be the type of salt you used or it could be the variety of garlic. Some types of garlic have a natural propensity to change pretty colours in vinegar.
  
  It also may mean that your pickles were exposed to light. When garlic is exposed to light, it starts producing chlorophyll which is green. It also may indicate that your garlic is more mature.
  
  In that case it is caused by sulfur compounds that naturally occur in more mature garlic reacting with minute traces of copper in the vinegar., but as long as there are no other signs of spoilage (soft or squishy texture, funky smell, discoloured spots), you’re good to go.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because there is so much diversity in temperature, humidity, age of cucumbers, etc… involved in this recipe, please check your half sour pickles starting at 24 hours for doneness. If the pickles smell/taste pickley, move them to the refrigerator. Do not keep them on the counter longer than 4 days.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: These pickles are not suitable for canning. They’re simply not acidic enough to can safely, and that is in addition to the fact that you’d ruin that perfectly crisp texture by introducing heat to the party.

What can I serve with these Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles?

Start out by trying your half sour pickles in this Pickle de Gallo, Dill Pickle Dip, Dill Pickle Egg Salad, or Bagel Burgers with Dill Pickle Cream Cheese.

Even better, serve them on our Cheeseburger Salad or Pickle Pizza.

You can even take extra pickles (like that’s a thing!) and make these divine Moonshine Pickles. You’ve never had a better Bloody Mary than one made with homemade Moonshine Pickles!

Half Sour Pickle Recipe

What makes Claussen PIckles different from canned pickles? Claussen pickles, whether homemade or store bought, are a half sour pickle recipe.

That means they’re fermented instead of heat processed. That’s what gives them such great texture.

This half sour pickle recipe yields pickles that are crunchy to the point of making noise when you bite them, cold, and seriously garlicky. Canned, shelf-stable pickles can be chilled, maintain some crunch, and be as garlicky as you want them to be, but they are never, ever going to be the same thing because of science.

When you heat process a jar of pickles you are, in actuality, cooking it and a cooked pickle just plain can’t be as crunchy as an un-cooked half sour pickle recipe.

These homemade pickles keep well in the fridge for about six months, as long as they remain submerged in the brine. In our house, they never last that long because, as the saying  goes, “A pickle a day keeps sad times away.”

They say that right? Someone must. If not, I’m going to start. It’s true, after all.

Claussen Pickles

Wash cucumbers but do not scrub them.

Trim 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch from the blossom end of each cucumber and slice in half lengthwise or into quarters, depending on how large your cucumbers are and how big you want them to be when they’re done.

Layer the dill heads or seed, garlic cloves, pickling spices and sliced cucumbers in a gallon jar (or large, wide-mouth, food-safe container). You can evenly divide the dill, garlic cloves, pickling spices, and cucumbers between several smaller jars if needed.

In a separate pitcher or bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the salt is dissolved.

Pour the brine over the cucumbers, taking care to make sure all of them are fully submerged. If needed, place a plate or mug or other non-reactive heavy item on the cucumbers to weigh them down and keep them under the brine!

Cover lightly with a lid just perched on top or secure a piece of cheesecloth over the jar with a rubber band to keep fruit flies away. Store any extra brine in a covered jar or pitcher in the refrigerator and use it to top off the brine if it starts to evaporate and expose the pickles to the air.

Leave out of direct sunlight on the counter for at least 24 hours, but up to 4 days, or until the cucumbers taste like pickles throughout.

Fix your lid onto your jar or container and chill thoroughly. These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six months provided you keep them covered with brine.

NOTE: If at any point in the proceedings “fuzz” or “foam” develops on top of the brine, use a spoon to remove it. If there is “fuzz” attached to any of the cucumbers, remove the ones affected and be sure the others are still fully submerged.

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Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles

Always crunchy and garlicky, this perfect homemade pickle requires no special equipment, no canning experience, and tastes just like Claussen’s refrigerated kosher dill pickles.

Course Appetizer, Canning and Food Preservation, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Eastern European, Pub, Snack

Keyword claussen pickle recipe, claussen pickles, half sour pickle recipe, homemade claussen pickles, recipe for claussen pickles

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Fermentation Time 2 days days

Total Time 2 days days 20 minutes minutes

Servings 40

Calories 34kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 gallon jar or 4 quart jars or a large, food-safe container with a tight fitting lid
• 1 liquid measuring cup
• 1 large mixing bowl or pitcher

Ingredients

• 35 to 40 small to medium pickling cucumbers
• 1 gallon cold water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar, preferably raw or white distilled vinegar
• 2/3 cup coarse canning or kosher salt Do NOT fine or use iodized salt!
• 4 cloves garlic or more to taste
• 4 heads fresh dill or 4 tablespoons dried dill seed not weed!
• 2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

Instructions

• Wash cucumbers but do not scrub them.
• Trim 1/8-inch from the blossom end of each cucumber and slice in half lengthwise or into quarters, depending on how large your cucumbers are and how big you want them to be when they’re done.
• In a gallon jar (or large, wide-mouth, food-safe container) layer the dill heads or seed, garlic cloves, pickling spices and sliced cucumbers.
• In a separate pitcher or bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the salt is dissolved.
• Pour the brine over the cucumbers, taking care to make sure all of them are fully submerged. If needed, place a plate or mug or other non-reactive heavy item on the cucumbers to weigh them down and keep them under the brine!
• Cover lightly with a lid just perched on top or secure a piece of cheesecloth over the jar with a rubber band to keep fruit flies away.
• Leave out of direct sunlight on the counter for two to four days*, or until the cucumbers taste like pickles throughout.
• Fix your lid onto your jar or container and chill. These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six months provided you keep them covered with brine.
• *If at any point in the proceedings “fuzz” or “foam” develops on top of the brine, use a spoon to remove it. If there is “fuzz” attached to any of the cucumbers, remove the ones affected and be sure the others are still fully submerged.

Notes

*If at any point in the proceedings “fuzz” or “foam” develops on top of the brine, use a spoon to remove it. If there is “fuzz” attached to any of the cucumbers, remove the ones affected and be sure the others are still fully submerged.

Please remember to check your pickles every day to test for doneness!

Nutrition

Calories: 34kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1539mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

Originally published July 22, 2011. Updated with FAQs and Troubleshooting and reposted August 2022.

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Super smooth, ultra Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is both the best and easiest way to make soup from fresh tomatoes. You’re going to love this so much, you’ll want to double, triple or even quadruple the recipe to keep on hand in the freezer long after summer and fresh tomatoes are a pleasant memory.

Not only is this easy tomato basil soup a great way to use up an abundance of fresh tomatoes, but it also happens to be the best tomato soup recipe I’ve ever eaten. I’m a huge fan of tomato soup and have eaten just about every tomato soup possible.

From homemade soups to canned ones, I’ve tried them all. Whether you prefer a chunky texture or creamy texture, this easy tomato soup is a revelation.

Just 5 ingredients are needed to make our flavourful, creamy tomato basil soup recipe and -shocker!- not one of them is cream! Now don’t fret, dairy lovers, you can certainly add a glug of heavy cream or milk to your bowl of tomato soup. I’m just saying this soup is great even without it.

And you don’t have to peel or seed these tomatoes. Heck, depending on the types of tomatoes you use, you may not even have to remove the cores! (More on this in a minute…)

This is one of those unicorn recipes that is both fast enough to make on a busy weeknight and easy enough to make a big enough batch that you can eat off of for more than one meal. While you have the oven going, you can make a second batch, too, setting you up for many a fast meal of grilled cheese sandwich + good tomato soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe

That’s right, we’re roasting these tomatoes! This is what gives our homemade tomato soup such robust flavor.

It tames some of the acidity of the tomatoes and intensifies and concentrates the fresh tomato essence. This is a memorably good creamy tomato soup.

What do you need equipment wise? I’m glad you asked.

1. 1 knife
2. 1 cutting board
3. 1 rimmed half sheet pan
4. 1 blender or food processor (a stick blender will work here with minor modifications)

That’s it! That’s seriously all you need. No pressure cooker, slow cooker, instant pot, or soup pot is needed!

And honestly, if you’re blender-less in every way and you like a chunky soup, you can even get away with a potato masher. My personal preference is for smooth creamy tomato basil soup, but I know there are a lot of folks who like a little more chunky texture to chew on in their soup bowl.

Easy Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

As far as ingredients go, there is nothing exotic or difficult to source. Just look at this ingredient list; not counting the salt and pepper, it’s just 5 ingredients.

1. Fresh Tomatoes
2. Onions
3. Garlic
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5. Fresh Basil
6. Salt
7. Pepper

Hit up your garden or favourite farm stand or grocery store, and nab some tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. I’m betting you have everything else you need to make creamy tomato basil soup in your kitchen already!

That’s all you need. You don’t need tomato sauce or tomato paste or a bay leaf of any of that. Just 5 simple, fresh ingredients.

I prefer to use plum, roma, or San Marzano tomatoes for our Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. You can definitely use heirloom, beefsteak, or any other fresh, whole tomatoes including cherry tomatoes. Just use approximately the same number of pounds and you’ll be good to go.

Please note, too, that you can have a mix of super ripe and slightly firmer tomatoes. The less ripe tomatoes have higher amounts of naturally occurring pectin, and make for a smoother, silkier, slightly thicker soup.

When I tell you that you should probably just go ahead and double this recipe, I mean it. Heck. Triple it or quadruple it.

You can divide any leftover soup into an airtight container or individual serving size containers and freeze it for later use. You’ll be so pleased with yourself if you have a stash of creamy tomato basil soup.

Soup with Canned Tomatoes

If you’re looking to make soup with canned tomatoes, never fear! You can make this Simple 6 Ingredient Tomato Soup, Wegmans Lasagna Soup Recipe Copycat, Tortellini Vegetable Soup, Vegetable Beef Barley Soup, or Taco Soup.

And if you’re craving a hearty stew or chili, try out our Beef Curry Stew – Beef Stew in the Oven, Ham and Lentil Stew, Chorizo Chili, or Cincinnati Chili, among others!

Canned Tomato Soup

If you’re into canning, this tomato soup is an ideal candidate for canned tomato soup. Because there is no added dairy or stock, it’s pretty speedy work to load into jars and pressure can extra.

I don’t advise water bath canning this soup, though it might be okay. The reason for this is that it may or may not be acidic enough to ensure shelf stability and food safety.

To pressure can for shelf stable storage, reheat the soup after blending and pour into clean pint or quart jars leaving 1 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a paper towel dipped in white vinegar to clean them.

Fix new, two-piece lids in place and adjust to fingertip tightness. Bring water to a boil according to your pressure canner manufacturer’s instructions. Load the jars into the canner, fix the lid in place, and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• For pints: Process for 60 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for 1,000 ft. altitude or below or 15 lbs of pressure for above 1,000 ft.
• For quarts: Process for 75 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for 1,000 ft. altitude or below or 15 lbs of pressure for above 1,000 ft.

Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe

I promised my dairy aficionados some love and I’m here to deliver! Here are some tips on making your creamy soups even creamier!

Fresh milk and cream have a tendency to curdle in the combined presence of tomato’s acidity and the soup’s heat, but there are a couple of ways around that. Here’s how you prevent having little curds in your soup.

1. You can use evaporated milk, which is much more stable in acidity and heat. Simply stir into the hot soup and let it heat through.
2. You can warm up fresh milk or cream gently in a small saucepan over medium low heat before stirring it into your soup.
3. You can skip dairy altogether and stir in full fat, unsweetened coconut milk.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Wash your tomatoes. If you have any tomatoes with a woody or tough core/stem area, trim it away, otherwise, simply cut each tomato into 8 wedges. 

Spread them out on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onions and garlic cloves around the pan.

Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the contents of the pan and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until all of the tomatoes are tender, have started to shrivel at the edges, and there are some standing cooking juices in the pan.

Remove the pan from the oven and toss the half of your fresh basil leaves around on top of the hot tomatoes. Let the whole pan rest for about 5 minutes. The basil will darken and become fragrant.

Carefully transfer your cooked tomatoes and any accumulated cooking juices to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining basil leaves as well.

Blend on high until the contents are smooth.

Serve immediately garnished with fresh chopped basil or whole basil leaves or divide into single serving sizes and freeze in airtight containers for up to a year. 

Print

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Super smooth, ultra Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is both the best and easiest way to make soup from fresh tomatoes. You’re going to love this so much, you’ll want to double, triple or even quadruple the recipe to keep on hand in the freezer long after summer and fresh tomatoes are a pleasant memory.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course, Main Dish, vegetarian main dish

Cuisine American

Keyword creamy tomato basil soup, creamy tomato basil soup recipe, roasted tomato soup, roasted tomato soup recipe, tomato basil soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 159kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 Rimmed half sheet pan
• 1 blender, stick blender, or food processor

Ingredients

• 3 lbs plum tomatoes see notes
• 1 onions peeled and cut into wedges
• 6 cloves garlic peeled but left whole, (See Notes)
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 to 12 large leaves fresh basil

Instructions

To Make Roasted Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

• Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
• Wash your tomatoes. If you have any tomatoes with a woody or tough core/stem area, trim it away, otherwise, simply cut each tomato into 8 wedges.
• Spread them out on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onions and garlic cloves around the pan.
• Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the contents of the pan and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until all of the tomatoes are tender, have started to shrivel at the edges, and there are some standing cooking juices in the pan.
• Remove the pan from the oven and toss the half of your fresh basil leaves around on top of the hot tomatoes. Let the whole pan rest for about 5 minutes. The basil will darken and become fragrant.
• Carefully transfer your cooked tomatoes and any accumulated cooking juices to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining basil leaves as well.
• Blend on high until the contents are smooth. If using a blender, be sure to vent the blender so steam can escape.
• If you want thinner soup, you can blend in a little milk, heavy cream, or broth. Please note this should be done before serving, but not with soup that you plan to freeze or can.
• Serve immediately garnished with fresh basil or divide into single serving sizes and freeze in airtight containers for up to a year.

Tomato Soup Canning

• If desired, this soup can be pressure canned for shelf-stable storage. To do this, you want to reheat the soup after blending and pour into clean pint or quart jars leaving 1 inch of headspace.
• Wipe the rims of the jars with a paper towel dipped in white vinegar to clean them.
• Fix new, two-piece lids in place and adjust to fingertip tightness. Bring water to a boil according to your pressure canner manufacturer's instructions. Load the jars into the canner, fix the lid in place, and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• For pints: Process for 60 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for 1,000 ft. altitude or below or 15 lbs of pressure for above 1,000 ft.
• For quarts: Process for 75 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for 1,000 ft. altitude or below or 15 lbs of pressure for above 1,000 ft.
• Allow the jars to return to normal pressure naturally, then remove the canner lid and carefully transfer to a cooling rack or a sheet pan lined with towels. Allow them to cool -undisturbed- overnight before removing the rings, wiping clean, labeling and storing in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Notes

-I prefer plum tomatoes as they are a little more substantial and you get a higher yield, but any fresh tomatoes will be delicious in this soup. Beefsteak tomatoes will yield a slightly looser soup than plum tomatoes.

If that worries you, you can roast the tomatoes a little longer to evaporate more of the water from them.

The tomatoes do not need to be uniformly ripe but should all be ripe or ripe-ish. Very ripe tomatoes mixed with slightly more firm tomatoes will actually yield a delicious soup. The riper tomatoes will give great tomato flavour and the naturally occurring pectin in the firmer tomatoes will nicely thicken your soup.

-You can either purchase peeled whole garlic cloves, or smack cloves with a heavy pan or the side of a chef’s knife to lightly crush them just enough to loosen the peel on each clove.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 581mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1926IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic is the fastest, easiest way to get your hands on tender, mellow, buttery roasted cloves of garlic. This easy air fryer recipe will set you up with a generous amount of golden brown, roasted garlic in less time than traditional oven roasted garlic.

How to Roast Garlic in Air Fryer

Our air fryer roasted garlic is made with the whole head of garlic and not individual garlic cloves. For full instructions on choosing and storing fresh garlic, see our How to Roast Garlic in the Oven tutorial.

The most important thing to remember, though, when selecting garlic in grocery stores, is to choose a garlic head that is firm, unblemished, even in colour, and feels heavy for its size. I don’t recommend buying a multi-pack of garlic heads unless you can see and feel the garlic bulbs through the packaging.

If you’re making the full recipe, please try to make sure the size of your garlic bulbs is roughly equal so that they’ll roast at the same rate. Strip off the excess papery skin from the outside, but leave the entire bulb intact.

Working with one at a time, lay the heads of garlic on their side and use a sharp knife to remove about 1/4 of the top of the garlic bulb. This will expose the garlic cloves.

We’re going to be making a foil packet from a sheet of foil to roast garlic. To do this, arrange the garlic bulbs, cut side up, in the center of a piece of aluminum foil.

Bring the sides of the foil up to create a little bowl, drizzle your oil (extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or any neutral oil will work) over the bulbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bring opposite sides of the foil together. You’ll roll the top of the foil down and close ends of the foil by crimping them.

You want to be sure your foil packet does not touch the heating elements of your air fryer when placed in the air fryer basket. You’ll want to test this before pre-heating your air fryer!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This air fryer roasted garlic recipe has been tested in a basket style air fryer but can certainly be made in a shelf or rack style air fryer with a couple of simple modifications. We’ve included the instructions for any changes in the notes of the recipe card.

When your air fryer roasted garlic cook time is done, let the garlic cool to room temperature before flipping the garlic bulbs upside down over a bowl and squeezing out the buttery cloves. You can use them immediately, transfer them to a small jar or other airtight container to store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For longer storage, freeze the individual roasted garlic cloves on a parchment lined baking sheet or smash and freeze in an ice cube tray before transferring to a labeled zipper top bag. Frozen roasted garlic should be used within 6 months of being frozen.

Quick and Easy Roasted Garlic Recipes

There is many a great way to use roasted garlic, but here are some of my favourite easy recipes.

1. Smash the roasted cloves of one bulb of garlic and stir into to 8 ounces of softened cream cheese for next level bagel schmear.
2. Use in place of raw garlic in your salad dressings, pasta sauces, and pasta dishes.
3. Smash 3 to 6 whole cloves of roasted garlic and stir into 1 cup of mayonnaise for almost instant garlic aioli.
4. Spread warm roasted garlic and a teaspoon of olive oil (even the cooking oil leftover from roasting your garlic!) on crusty bread and broil for garlic toast or garlic bread.
5. Smash and add to your favourite mashed potato recipe!
6. Smash and stir into the dressing for potato salad or macaroni salad to add tons of flavor.

And if you’re looking for other recipes designed to use up leftover roasted garlic cloves, look no further than our roasted garlic sourdough bread, roasted garlic whipped feta, roasted garlic artichoke goat cheese fondue, and roasted garlic spinach alfredo lasagna, among others!

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

Preheat the air fryer to 380ºF. 

Cut enough of the top of the garlic bulbs or heads off so that the cloves are exposed. This will be about the top ¼ or 1/3 of the head of garlic.

Lay out your aluminum foil dull side up. Arrange the garlic bulbs -cut side up- in the center of your square of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil slightly to form a bowl like shape. 

Drizzle the oil over the exposed garlic cloves then sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. If using the thyme, lay a sprig on each head of garlic. Bring the foil up the rest of the way and roll or crimp it closed. 

Carefully transfer the foil packet of garlic to the basket of your air fryer and air fry for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the garlic is deep golden brown and very soft. 

Let the garlic cool in its foil packet until it is comfortable to the touch, then squeeze each head of garlic over a bowl or jar  to release the cloves. Drizzle the cooking oil over the top and use immediately or store in the refrigerator -tightly covered- for up to a week. 

For longer term storage, freeze the roasted garlic cloves whole in an airtight container. Alternately you can smash them, portion into desired sizes (dollops of teaspoons, tablespoons, or in ice cube trays), and transfer to a labeled zipper top when frozen solid. Frozen roasted garlic in any of its forms is best used within 6 months of freezing.

Notes: If your air fryer is rack style instead of basket style, simply slide your foil packet of garlic onto a small sheet pan or small baking dish. Again, inspect the packet to be sure the tin foil is not coming into contact with the air fryer’s heating elements. Cooking time should remain the same.

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Air Fryer Roasted Garlic

Air Fryer Roasted Garlic is the little black dress of the culinary world; it’s an effortless and elegant way to elevate any dish plus it’s easier and faster to make in the air fryer than the oven!

Course Appetizer, condiment

Cuisine American, French, Italian

Keyword air fryer roasted garlic, how to roast garlic in air fryer, how to roast garlic in the oven

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 83kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• 1 square (about 12” by 12”) Heavy-duty aluminum foil
• air fryer

Ingredients

• 3 heads of garlic
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil see notes
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked or ground black pepper
• Optional:
• 3 sprigs thyme

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 380ºF.
• Cut enough of the top of the garlic bulbs or heads off so that the cloves are exposed. This will be about the top ¼ of the head of garlic.
• Lay out your aluminum foil dull side up. Arrange the garlic bulbs -cut side up- in the center of your square of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil slightly to form a bowl like shape.
• Drizzle the oil over the exposed garlic cloves then sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. If using the thyme, lay a sprig on each head of garlic. Bring the foil up the rest of the way and roll or crimp it closed.
• Carefully transfer the foil packet of garlic to the basket of your air fryer and air fry for 30 to 45 minutes*, or until the garlic is deep golden brown and very soft.
• Let the garlic cool in its foil packet until it is comfortable to the touch, then squeeze each head of garlic over a bowl or jar to release the cloves. Drizzle the cooking oil over the top and use immediately or store in the refrigerator -tightly covered- for up to a week.
• For longer term storage, freeze the roasted garlic cloves whole in an airtight container. Alternately you can smash them, portion into desired sizes (dollops of teaspoons, tablespoons, or in ice cube trays), and transfer to a labeled zipper top when frozen solid. Frozen roasted garlic in any of its forms is best used within 6 months of freezing.

Notes

While I love to use extra virgin olive oil, you can certainly substitute in a neutral oil like light olive oil, vegetable, canola, sunflower, or safflower oil. Avocado oil also works well.

If your air fryer is rack style instead of basket style, simply slide your foil packet of garlic onto a small sheet pan or small baking dish. Again, inspect the packet to be sure the tin foil is not coming into contact with the air fryer’s heating elements. Cooking time should remain the same.

The amount of time it will take to roast your garlic depends both on the size and freshness of your garlic. The times given here are a guideline. Judge it by the colour of the cloves and the softness. It should be VERY tender and squishy as well as golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

This easy step by step guide to smoked salmon recipe will show you just how to smoke salmon at home using fish you bought at grocery stores or caught yourself. Not only is the recipe “beginner-level-easy”, but it’s also the truly best smoked salmon recipe I’ve ever eaten.

Whether you’re looking for a stash of the best smoked salmon to pop on a bagel slathered with cream cheese or to make our Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad or Smoked Salmon Cucumber Pizza, you’re going to be converted to making your own salmon in all its smoky perfection.

If smoking fish is something that intimidates you, I’m here to help! I promise this easy recipe is broken down into simple steps that anyone can follow!

It’s true that the smoking process for salmon requires a little more than just slapping fish filets on a grill. But the steps are quite simple and the majority of the time is just the fish being parked in brine in the refrigerator.

If you haven’t smoked foods before, please read the whole post to learn why each step is necessary. If you’re an old hand at smoking, feel free to use the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the post.

All you need is a handful of ingredients that are readily available at almost any store, a smoker with pellets or wood, an airtight container for brining your salmon, a cooling rack, and a rimmed baking sheet.

Oh, and you need an electric fan. “A fan?” quoth you.

Yes. A fan. But we’ll get into that in a moment.

In case you’re concerned about what kind of time and effort commitment you need to put in for this recipe, let me give you the quick version of what has to happen to make this easy smoked salmon recipe.

1. Remove any pin bones from the salmon filet. If you’re using a larger piece of salmon, cut it into single serving sized pieces about 3-inches wide.
2. Whisk together your brine ingredients in a tupperware or gladware container with a tight fitting lid.
3. Submerge your salmon in the brine. Put the lid on tight and refrigerate it at least 4 hours but up to 8 hours.
4. Rinse your salmon and place it on a cooling rack set on a sheet pan.
5. Pat the surface of the fish dry with paper towels.
6. Place the pan in front of an electric fan in a relatively cool room for at least an hour or until the surface is shiny and somewhat tacky. Now you can either refrigerate it until the following day or go directly to the smoker with it.
7. Oil the skin side of the salmon fillet and place it directly on the smoker grates. Smoke for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130ºF to 140ºF brushing with maple syrup after the first hour and every 60 minutes after that.
8. Move the smoked salmon to a cooling rack, brush once more with maple syrup or honey, and let it cool completely before wrapping tightly and refrigerating for up to a week or freezing for up to a year.

Now that you know how easy it is, we need to discuss the star of the show: Salmon. What kind of salmon do we smoke?

Smoke Salmon How To

This all begins with choosing salmon to smoke. The flesh of the salmon has a high fat content which makes it take on a smoke flavor quite easily. Thankfully, the type of salmon acceptable for smoking is pretty much open here as long as you observe a couple of rules.

Whether it’s King salmon, Copper River salmon, Pacific Northwest or Atlantic salmon, Sockeye salmon farmed or wild salmon, frozen salmon, or fresh salmon, it’s all good as long as you pick a relatively thick salmon filet that has the skin on. Even those two points are negotiable depending on the results you’re looking for.

If you’re inclined to go with a skinless filet rather than a skin-on filet, remember that the fish is likelier to stick to your grill grates. You will want to be assiduous about oiling them before adding your fish to the grill. Alternatively, you could use a grill basket to make things easier on yourself.

And if all you can lay your hands on is a thinner rather than thicker fillet, don’t despair. You can still smoke those thinner pieces, you’ll just want to watch the internal temperature of the salmon more carefully to assure that you don’t go too far with it.

If you do take it a bit too far, don’t worry too much over that either! In fact, if you find yourself in this situation the solution is to keep smoking it even more and turn it into salmon bacon! Instructions for salmon bacon are included below in the printable recipe.

How to Brine Salmon

Of all the things to brine, salmon very well may be the easiest. But why brine it at all? It’s all in the science.

When you brine or cure salmon, you do two crucial things. First, you season the flesh of the salmon all the way to the center of the filet which helps improve the overall flavour.

Second -and just as importantly- though, you improve the texture by partially dissolving muscle fibers creating a gel that helps retain water. This helps retain moisture during the smoking process.

In the meanwhile, the sugar in the brine is “hygroscopic”. That means it attracts water or moisture from its environment. The sugar not only adds a little sweetness to your smoked fish, but also helps the fish hold onto the moisture you added when you brined it.

In other words, you keep it juicier and tastier by brining it. While it does mean a couple extra hours of waiting before you can sink your teeth into that succulent smoked salmon, it is well worth it.

The curing process is ridiculously easy. You simply whisk together cold water, kosher salt, dark brown sugar, and some aromatics.

We use one sliced red onion, some black pepper, and -from time to time- a couple of lemon slices. Dissolve the sugar and salt then slide your fillets in skin side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid, and slide it into the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours.

If you like a mild flavor, you can pull the onions from the brine at the halfway mark. The longer you leave the onions in the brine, the more prominent the onion presence will be in the final smoked fish.

After brining, rinse the fish fillets a quickly to help eliminate some of the surface salt. This helps keep the salmon from being too salty.

After you brine the fish and rinse it off, you’ll need to dry it off. It might sound counterintuitive to dry the fish after you “moisturize” it, but again, science rules the roost here.

You’ve added all that lovely seasoning into the fish, and it’d be a shame to have it evaporate in the process of smoking. To help “seal” it in, you need to develop a pellicle.

The pellicle is a shiny, laquer-like layer on the outside of the salmon that the smoke just plain loves. It absorbs the smoke while simultaneously preventing loss of moisture in your fabulous brined salmon.

A pellicle is achieved by air-flow and cooler temperatures. Here’s how we do it.

First pat the rinsed fillets with paper towels to remove excess moisture. I put my brined and patted-dry salmon filets on a wire rack on a baking sheet and park it in front of a powerful electric fan in the coolest room in my house.

Does that mean that from time to time salmon is on a stool in front of a fan in my air conditioned bedroom? It sure does.

In cooler months, you can put it anywhere that is 60ºF or lower (but above freezing) in front of a fan. It’s the combination that does the trick!

You don’t need to worry about food safety here for the hour or so that it takes to develop the pellicle. Your brine has a preservative effect between the salt and sugar in it, so you’re perfectly safe doing this.

If you need to, you can pop the sheet pan into the refrigerator (uncovered, of course!) for up to 24 hours after forming your pellicle. It’ll be just fine. Just take it out and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before popping onto the smoker.

What Type of Smoker Do I use for Smoked Salmon?

In short, use whatever you have! This whole process is made significantly easier if you have a Traeger smoker a.k.a. pellet grill or an electric smoker because you want to keep it at a low temperature, starting at about 165ºF and moving slowly upward to no higher than 225ºF toward the end.

Ideally, the bulk of the smoking will happen around 185ºF. This is obviously easiest to do with a grill or smoker that allows you to set the temperature with a dial or digital display.

PRO TIP:

I position my salmon on my Traeger before it has come to full temperature. I find that helps minimize the appearance of albumin because the fish heats up slowly with the smoker. (More on this in the next section.)

Because we are hot smoking instead of cold smoking, you don’t actually need to have a dedicated smoker for the project. Our hot smoked salmon recipe can also be made on a charcoal or gas grill. You will just have to pay a little more attention to maintaining the temperature of your grill.

If you use gas grill, you’ll need to finagle the heat source so that you keep it in that low temperature wheelhouse. You’ll also need to add a smoke box to the grill, replenishing it from time to time. Because they’re inexpensive, it might even be worth having two to cycle through.

You’ll want to keep an eye on the actual temperature of your grill or smoker. This can be different than what the gauge says on your grill if you haven’t calibrated it in a while.

Pop an el-cheapo oven thermometer in the grill or use a nifty probe thermometer in the fish. This lets you keep tabs without opening the grill and letting out all of the smoke and heat.

Things to Remember When You’re Smoking Salmon

Have you ever cooked salmon and wondered what the heck that white stuff was that was coming out of it? It’s albumin and it’s perfectly harmless if a little unappetizing looking.

In salmon’s raw state, albumin is a clear, liquid protein. As you expose the fish to heat, the protein coagulates to an opaque, white, semi-solid.

The more aggressively you cook the salmon, the more albumin you’ll find rising to the surface. Again, this is not a big deal, but it’s not so pretty. It also means that the cooked salmon may dry out a little more than you’d like for it to.

The long, slow, gentle heat we use to smoke salmon should eliminate much, if not most of the visible albumin. Just be sure to bring the temperature up slow-and-steady. Any albumin that *does* have the nerve to show up should be swiped away as you brush the fish filets with maple syrup hourly after the first hour of uninterrupted smoking.

I said it before, but it bears repeating: salmon loves to stick to the smoker rack. Please oil the skin (and skin only!!) of the salmon generously before sliding it onto your grates.

And for the love of smoked fish, please do not oil the top of the salmon. It’ll undo all that time you spent developing the pellicle on the salmon. Your end product will suffer in both texture and flavour.

How Long to Smoke Salmon

Set your timer for an hour when the salmon first goes onto the smoker or grill. You’re looking to smoke your salmon for an hour at 165º. After one hour, raise the heat to 180ºF.

It should take about two hours total to bring the salmon to an internal temperature of 130ºF. Please note I said “about two hours”.

There are so many outside factors that contribute to how long it takes to smokes salmon; fom the thickness of the filets to the fat content in them and on to the outdoor temperature and humidity. For flakier rather than slice-able salmon, you can take it closer to 140ºF without over-drying it.

If you’d like a not quite as heavily smoked salmon, you can move it to a pre-heated low oven after the first hour of smoking. You’ll want to keep the temperature of your oven between 185ºF and 200ºF if you opt to do this.

Please remember to baste the salmon with maple syrup or honey after each hour on the smoker or grill.

If you want “salmon bacon” you can smoke the salmon much longer: up to 5 hours. For the full salmon bacon effect, cook until the salmon is quite firm to the touch and looks like it’s been shellac-ed with the maple syrup.

Crumble smoked “salmon bacon” over salads or in rice bowls. A little of it goes a long way but it is extra special!

How to Smoke Salmon

In a long, rectangular gladware, tupperware, or other storage container with a tight fitting lid, whisk together the water, brown sugar or maple syrup, and kosher salt until the salt and sugar (if using) are fully dissolved. 

Stir in the onion slabs, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then slide the salmon skin side up into the brine. Put the lid on tight and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours but up to 8 hours.

Rinse your salmon and place it on a cooling rack set on a sheet pan. Pat the surface of the fish dry with paper towels.

Place the pan in front of an electric fan in a relatively cool room for at least an hour or until the surface is shiny and somewhat tacky. Now you can either refrigerate it until the following day or go directly to the smoker with it.

Oil the skin side of the salmon fillet and place it directly on the smoker grates. Set the smoker to 165ºF. After 1 hour brush the salmon with maple syrup or honey and raise the temperature to 180ºF.

Smoke for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130ºF to 140ºF, brushing with maple syrup or honey every 60 minutes.

Move the smoked salmon to a cooling rack, brush once more with maple syrup or honey, and let it cool completely before wrapping tightly and refrigerating for up to a week or freezing for up to a year.

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How to Smoke Salmon

This easy step by step guide to smoked salmon recipe will show you just how to smoke salmon at home using fish you bought at grocery stores or caught yourself. Not only is the recipe “beginner-level-easy”, but it’s also the truly best smoked salmon recipe I’ve ever eaten.

Course Appetizer, break, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword how to smoke fish, how to smoke salmon, smoked salmon

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Brining time and air drying time 1 day day 4 hours hours

Servings 40

Calories 97kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Equipment

• Smoker or grill with a smoke box
• 1 cooling rack
• 1 baking sheet
• 1 rectangular container with tight fitting lid

Ingredients

• Up to 5 lbs of fresh or thawed salmon cut crosswise into 3-inch wide pieces if starting with large fillets
• ½ cup Maple syrup or honey for brushing the fish as it smokes

For the Brine:

• 4 cups cool water
• 1 cup packed, dark brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey
• 2 ounces kosher salt
• 1 red onion peeled and cut into slabs
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns lightly smashed
• 2 bay leaves

Optional:

• 2 slices fresh lemon about ¼” thick

Instructions

• In a long, rectangular gladware, tupperware, or other storage container with a tight fitting lid, whisk together the water, brown sugar or maple syrup, and kosher salt until the salt and sugar (if using) are fully dissolved.
• Stir in the onion slabs, peppercorns, and bay leaves, then slide the salmon skin side up into the brine. Put the lid on tight and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours but up to 8 hours.
• Rinse your salmon and place it on a cooling rack set on a sheet pan. Pat the surface of the fish dry with paper towels.
• Place the pan in front of an electric fan in a relatively cool room for at least an hour or until the surface is shiny and somewhat tacky. Now you can either refrigerate it until the following day or go directly to the smoker with it.
• Oil the skin side of the salmon fillet and place it directly on the smoker grates. Set the smoker to 165ºF. After 1 hour brush the salmon with maple syrup or honey and raise the temperature to 180ºF.
• Smoke for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 130ºF to 140ºF, brushing with maple syrup or honey every 60 minutes.
• Move the smoked salmon to a cooling rack, brush once more with maple syrup or honey, and let it cool completely before wrapping tightly and refrigerating for up to a week or freezing for up to a year.

Notes

For Salmon Bacon:
Continue smoking the salmon for up to 5 hours or until the salmon is quite firm to the touch and looks shellac-ed; shiny and deep coral orange/brown. Transfer to a cooling rack, brush once more with maple syrup or honey, and let it cool completely before wrapping tightly and refrigerating for up to a week or freezing for up to a year.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Candied Jalapenos are an easy to make sweet and spicy jalapeño pickle that make sandwiches, salads, tacos, and everything sing! These are a long time favourite recipe of our family and readers alike!

Find out why everyone loves Candied Jalapenos so much, and if you need independent verification, read the many happy reviews in the comment section below the post.

Once upon a time, my friend Katie casually mentioned eating a sandwich made with Candied Jalapeños. She enthusiastically sang the praises of what she described as an addictive jar of goodies.

I spent a couple of weeks working on how to recreate these. After carefully examining close to thirty recipes on Candied Jalapeños, also known as cowboy candy (who KNEW there were so many people candying jalapenos?) I called my local Cooperative Extension office to pick the brain of their home food preservation specialists.

Since jalapeños are a low-acid food, some precautions need to be taken when canning them. You have two choices for safely canning peppers of any kind; you can pressure can them or you can acidify (i.e. add vinegar, lemon juice, etc…) the liquid in which you pack the peck of pickled peppers.

I opted for acidifying the pepper liquid instead of pressure canning. I wanted to maintain some of the texture of the peppers through the process and I knew pressure canning Candied Jalapeños would turn them to flavorful mush.

The result was gobsmackingly, head-spinningly, brain-addlingly delicious. Sweet, spicy and savory, Candied Jalapeño rings are way too easy to eat on just about everything.

I’ve stashed them in sandwiches, chopped them up on baked beans, tucked them into tacos, used the syrup to brush meat on the grill. You’ll find them perched on top of a cream cheese laden cracker and all sorts of other evil things at our house.

There are even a significant number of readers in the comments section who advise putting the syrup on vanilla ice cream! Have you tried this?

For such a simple thing to can, these pack tons of flavor. You’re going to want to make as many Candied Jalapenos as you possibly can simultaneously.

Because once that first jar is cracked open you’re not going to be able to stop eating them. And I mean that.

Cowboy Candy Recipes

These are one of the things that I can annually without fail. Knowing that we have a few dozen jars of these makes my family happy at mealtime and makes holiday gift giving easier.

Do you hate canning? Or are you too afraid of canning to try?

For those of you who may be freaking out slightly or massively over the idea of canning, rest easy. You do not actually have to can these: you can refrigerate them instead.

To skip the canning portion simply do this. Follow all of the instructions up to the actual canning portion, then stash the jars of candied jalapenos in the refrigerator for up to three months.

If you can them, they’ll last for a year. That said, if an alternative is all that stands between you and making them, use your chill chest!

Candied Jalapeno Recipe

This is one case where there is no substitute for fresh peppers. Many folks have asked whether they can substitute frozen or canned jalapeños for the fresh ones in the recipe.

The bad news is that you cannot swap in an already cooked or frozen pepper in this cowboy candied jalapeño recipe. When you cook or freeze any produce, you are beginning the process of breaking down the cell walls.

If you cook them in the syrup again (which is necessary!), you’ll break down the walls even more. The extra cooking will make for mushy peppers, which we are trying to avoid.

Are Candied Jalapeños Hot?

Yes. They are.

One of the fun mysteries of jalapenos is you never quite know how hot your peppers are until you cut into them. I’ve read that the more tan veins a jalapeno has, the hotter it is, but I’ve not proven that to my satisfaction yet.

That said, how how your candied jalapenos will be is a little bit of a toss-up unless you know how hot your peppers are. Please remember that they’re going to be lava hot as soon as you’re done cooking them, but they’ll mellow a bit as they age.

On that note, wear gloves when working with the peppers. I’m not calling you a wimp.

It’s just that jalapeños have a notoriously wide range of heat on the Scoville scale. Trust me when I tell you that it’s a rude surprise when you process 3 pounds of wicked hot ones without wearing gloves!

This recipe is designed to be made with jalapeño peppers, but many readers have substituted serranos, habaneros, bell peppers, banana peppers, and all sorts of other peppers with good results. Please feel free to get creative here!

You can safely use any fresh pepper you’d like as long as you keep to the 3 pound quantity. Several readers have also reported chopping the peppers instead of slicing for candied jalapeno relish and I can confirm this is delicious!

How many jalapeño peppers are in 3 pounds? There isn’t perfect answer to this because the peppers vary so much in size naturally.

Three pounds of jalapeños is approximately 60 peppers. You’re much better of going by weight, though, because of the wide range of sizes in peppers.

Cowboy Candy Recipe

Let’s address slicing the peppers, because we’re going to be going through 3 pounds, folks. The quickest, easiest way to do so is with a slicing blade on a food processor, standing the peppers on their ends in the feed chute.

No food processor? Use a mandolin! No mandolin? Just take your time and slice by hand with a very sharp knife and gloved hands.

I’ve been asked many times whether you should discard the seeds. We like them so I don’t bother with removing them.

Contrary to the old wives’ tales, seeds do not contain the heat of a pepper. It is the membrane inside the pepper packs the most punch.

Since you’re not removing that, don’t sweat the seeds. Come for the cowboy candy recipe, stay for the bad jokes.

Cowboy Candy

Please do not reduce the sugar in our cowboy candy recipe. It is there both to improve the texture of the pepper and syrup as well as to help preserve the peppers.

I originally added turmeric to the recipe just to help improve the colour of the finished peppers. But I ended up loving the very subtle warm hint of mustard flavour the turmeric adds to the party, so it stayed.

I’m keen on using Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, but any undiluted cider vinegar will work in our cowboy candy recipe. In a pinch, you could substitute white distilled vinegar, but it will have a slightly sharper taste to the syrup.

While I positively love granulated garlic in this recipe because it doesn’t clump like garlic powder does, you can substitute garlic powder if needed. It’s important to realize that granulated garlic is a much coarser product than powder so please remember to reduce it by half.

In other words, instead of using 3 teaspoons of granulated garlic, you’d use 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Alternatively, if you have dried garlic flakes, you can use those. In this case, you’ll use 2 tablespoons of flakes in place of 3 teaspoons of the granulated garlic.

And finally, a word about the celery seed and cayenne pepper. The celery seed adds a little special umami to our cowboy candy that can’t be added any other way.

Don’t worry if you’re not a celery fan, these don’t eat like celery pickles. They’re a subtle addition that brings a little extra savouriness and they’re relatively easy to find in even moderately stocked grocery stores.

The cayenne pepper, unlike many other ingredients, is optional. It’s true that cayenne pepper packs a real punch heat-wise, but it’s a different heat and a different flavour than the super fruity fresh jalapeno brings.

Cayenne is earthy and a little smoky, and I really enjoy that in our candied jalapenos. If you’re looking to mitigate some of the heat, feel free to omit this.

Candied Jalapenos Recipe

Quite a few folks have asked WHEN exactly to start timing the boiling of the peppers. You begin timing them once the liquid has returned to a full rolling boil. That means that the liquid does not stop boiling when you stir it.

As soon as it reaches a full rolling boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it simmer gently for 4 minutes. To clarify further, you will not be boiling them hard for 4 minutes, you will bring them to a boil then drop the heat and simmer.

Many, many people have asked me whether they messed up the recipe because their peppers look all shriveled after simmering them in the syrup, packing them in jars, and canning them. The short answer is no.

But truly they WILL look shriveled when you jar them up if you’ve simmered them properly. They will re-plump as they spend their 4 weeks of rest time in the jar between processing and opening.

Yes, I said 4 weeks. My husband has been known to crack a jar at the two week mark out of desperation for candied jalapenos, but he will absolutely agree with me that they improve immensely in flavour and texture when left to mellow for at least 4 weeks after processing.

Try to be patient. You’ll be rewarded.

How to serve cowboy candy:

We love candied jalapenos a.k.a. cowboy candy on cream cheese and crackers, obviously… But we also love them in sandwiches, on Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs, salads, taco soup, tortilla soup, tacos, and pizza. or chopped up in dips!

The sky is the limit. I kind of suspect my husband would eat them on breakfast cereal if he didn’t know I’d wonder about his sanity.

You will need this equipment to make Candied Jalapenos

chef’s knife

Cutting Board

large stainless steel stockpot

long handled stainless steel slotted spoon

half pint jars

And this equipment is helpful but not strictly necessary

rubber gloves or disposable gloves

food processor with a slicing disc

canning funnel

stainless steel ladle

canning tongs

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Are you worried it will be too difficult? I promise it isn’t!

In fact, I have this video to show you just how easy the process is! Check it out!

Candied Jalapenos

Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem.

Discard the stems. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds using either a chef’s knife or a food processor fitted with a slicing blade. Set these aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Raise the heat to HIGH, add the pepper slices, bring the contents of the pot to a hard boil, then reduce the heat once more and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar.

Return the pan full of syrup to the burner and once again turn heat up under the pot. Bring the syrup to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a chopstick or butter knife in down to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air.

Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

Place jars in a canner carefully and cover with hot water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil.

When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints.

Let the jars rest in the hot water for 5 minutes, then use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack.

*If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!

Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.

Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating.

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Candied Jalapenos

There aren’t words that exist to describe how addictive these little savoury, sweet, spicy, crunchy, garlicky pickled jalapeno rounds are. Put them on sandwiches, tacos, rice or bake them into cornbread. You’ll need more and more! This recipe yields between 4 and 6 half pints.

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 60 portions

Calories 88kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fresh firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 6 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.
• Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.
• In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Raise the heat to boiling again, add the pepper slices, return to a hard boil, then reduce the heat again and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.
• Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.
• *If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!
• Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.
• Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don’t. I won’t tell!

Notes

I know this sounds crazy, but double this recipe. People will beg you for jars of this and get surly if you say no. Just. Trust. Me.

THIS RECIPE YIELDS BETWEEN 4 AND 6 HALF PINTS.

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 81mg | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 32.6mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Want more Food Preservation recipes like Candied Jalapenos? Try these!

• Homemade Claussen Knock-off Pickles
• Cherry Habanero Lime Jam
• Easy Fast Kimchi
• Fire Cider Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy
• Instant Hummus in a Jar
• Best Thing Tomatoes
• How to Freeze Rice
• Ginger Peach Preserves
• Three In One Pears
• Root Beer Syrup
• Zesty Corn Relish
• Habanero Peach Jam

Originally posted May 23, 2010, updated in 2015, 2017, and June 2022.

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Bacon Onion Jam: Bacon is crisped and made into the ultimate breakfast spread with maple syrup, onions, coffee, brown sugar and pepper. It is salty, meaty, chewy, sweet, savoury, smoky, bacon-y goodness. And you’re going to want it all the time.

There is simply nothing better than this on toast with a fried egg on top! Trust me.

My love of bacon has been pretty well documented {See here for proof of my bacon-obsession}. Even so, I can honestly tell you that Bacon Jam is the my most favorite way to eat it and has been for years.

This unusual-sounding-yet-divine-tasting bacon jam recipe is pretty powerful. How so?

I included little containers of Bacon Onion Jam, some homemade fruit preserves, crackers, and cheese in charcuterie board gift baskets for eight friends this past Christmas. Before the day was up, two of them had already asked me for the recipe.

Before the next day was over, five of the others had asked for the recipe. The other friend doesn’t cook.

You can join our Bacon Jam Club; it isn’t exclusive. We want the whole world to know this joy.

Just be warned, once you try it, it’s like the mob. There’s no going back.

What is Bacon Jam?

There’s nothing in Bacon Onion Jam that you shouldn’t be able to find at a reasonably decently stocked grocery store. The list is easy; bacon, onions, garlic, brown sugar, maple syrup, strong brewed coffee, black pepper, and dried thyme.

The truth is it’s kind of a Willy Wonka type of dish made from every-day, common ingredients. I mean, Bacon Jam sounds odd, doesn’t it?

It reminds me a little of the Three Course Dinner gum from the movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory when Violet chews the gum. Shortly before turning into a human blueberry, Violet raved ecstatically about how she could taste the tomato soup, roast beef, baked potato, and blueberry pie all clearly.

You definitely taste the bacon, maple syrup, onion, and brown sugar in Bacon Onion Jam, but there’s nothing weird about it at all. It’s just plain amazing.

The only thing you can’t really make out when you’re thinking about it is the coffee. It adds a little counterpoint to the sweetness without screaming “I’m coffee!” This is my solemn guarantee as someone who doesn’t drink coffee.

If you dislike maple syrup for some reason, you can substitute Lyle’s Golden Syrup or a dark honey. I, however, am a maple syrup junkie and prefer dark maple syrup for my bacon jam but amber syrup will also work.

Recipe for Bacon Jam

As far as which bacon you should use for bacon jam, this is mostly a matter of personal preference. Because you’re adding so many other flavours to it, I don’t advise you to use expensive bacon. Any reasonably good bacon will suffice.

I tend to use Wegman’s or Aldi thick-cut maple or hickory smoked bacon most often. Just remember that whatever flavour you taste in a slice of the cooked bacon will be concentrated in the Bacon Jam, so choose one you like to eat on its own.

Every time I post about cider vinegar, I inevitably get questions. I guess maybe there are some regional differences in what this particular vinegar is called.

Apple Cider Vinegar is another way to refer to it. There are Heinz, Bragg’s, Wegman’s, ShurFine, and so many more brands I cannot even fathom naming them all. {If you want to read some hilarious heated comments about apple cider vinegar, click that link.}

Bragg’s is my favourite for bacon onion jam because I love raw apple cider vinegar with the mother still in it. If, however, you cannot find apple cider vinegar, you can substitute rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.

How to Make Bacon Jam

There are a great many recipes floating around that suggest you use a slow-cooker to make your bacon jam recipe, but I prefer a dutch oven. The slow cooker doesn’t allow for as much evaporation as I think needs to occur to concentrate all of the amazing flavour for the ultimate Bacon Onion Jam.

Years ago, my friend and I had a conversation about this; she tried making it with a slow cooker and I opted for the dutch oven. She converted to the dutch oven for subsequent makings of the bacon onion jam.

This recipe obviously makes quite a lot since it starts with 3 pounds of bacon. Equally obviously, you’re going to want to think about your storage options.

My preferred storage method for Bacon Onion Jam is to divide the finished batch into several small 8 ounce jars or containers with tight fitting lids. I label them clearly and pop all but one into the freezer.

The reason for this is that bacon onion jam is powerful stuff (as mentioned before) and a stretches further than you might think it would. Because of this, I love to stick it in the freezer for longer storage.

This way, that one batch of bacon jam can last me all of the spring and summer for tossing with roasted asparagus, topping toast, and spreading on endless grilled burgers. Then in fall, I make another batch to get me through autumn and winter and all of my baked potatoes, toast (it’s a year-round thing for me!), pizzas, and sandwiches.

Bacon Jam

It goes without saying that Bacon Jam is a natural at the breakfast table. Top toast with it and a fried egg. Don’t stop there, though.

If you want the ultimate base for your Bacon Onion Jam, try a slice of toasted braided sesame semolina bread, no knead cottage cheese dill bread, Pretzel Bread, Jalapeno Cheddar Bread, or Ham and Cheddar Onion Cornbread.

Bacon Jam is amazing spread on toasted buns for hamburgers or on Bacon Cheeseburgers. It’s also wonderful tossed with roasted potatoes, cooked pasta, or on a Fancy Pants Bacon Jam, Spinach, and Egg Pizza or Elvis Sandwich (Bacon Jam, Avocado, and Gorgonzola Toasted Waffle Sandwich.

You can use bacon onion jam straight from the refrigerator if you’re spreading it on something that is hot, but it is much easier to spread if you warm it gently in the microwave or in a saucepan first.

If you want to use your frozen bacon jam, I advise thawing overnight in the refrigerator or defrosting in the microwave first.

Bacon Onion Jam

1. Cut the bacon slices into one inch strips. Add the bacon to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until the bacon is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings into a heat-proof jar with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Place the Dutch oven back over the medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic.
4. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are mostly translucent.
5. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and drop heat again, this time to low.
6. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil hard for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir the browned bacon into the onions and liquid.
7. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure things aren’t sticking, adding 1/4 cup of water if it seems to be drying out. When the onions are meltingly soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove the dutch oven from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
8. Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Fit the lid in place and pulse several times or until the Bacon Jam is a spreadable consistency.
9. Scrape into a jar (or jars) or a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month or the freezer for up to six months. You can serve this cold, room temperature, or warm.

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Bacon Onion Jam

Bacon Jam: Salty, meaty, chewy, sweet, savoury, smoky, bacony goodness. Bacon is crisped and made into the ultimate breakfast spread with maple syrup, onions, coffee, brown sugar and pepper. There is simply nothing better than this on toast with a fried egg on top!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon jam

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 32

Calories 225kcal

Author Rebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bacon
• 4 large yellow onions peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife or a pan and peeled
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups very strong brewed black coffee
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

• Cut the bacon slices into one inch strips. Add the bacon to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until the bacon is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings into a heat-proof jar with a tight-fitting lid.*
• *Save the bacon drippings in the refrigerator. That’s too much flavor to trash!
• Place the Dutch oven back over the medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are mostly translucent. Add the remaining ingredientsn and stir well.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil hard for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir the browned bacon into the onions and liquid , and drop heat again, this time to low.
• Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure things aren’t sticking, adding 1/4 cup of water if it seems to be drying out. When the onions are meltingly soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove the dutch oven from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to the work bowl of a food processor that has been fitted with a blade. Fit the lid in place and pulse several times or until the Bacon Jam is a spreadable consistency. Scrape into a jar (or jars) or a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• Can be served cold, room temperature or warmed.

Notes

The bacon jam could take up to 3 hours to reduce to a syrupy consistency. Just stick with it!

When you transfer the Bacon Jam from the food processor into storage containers, I recommend using several smaller containers. This way, you can label and freeze all but one of the containers.

This allows you to have fresh bacon jam on hand for a much longer time.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 138mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.3mg

I originally published this Bacon Jam post January 17, 2011. I updated it with new photos and improved notes in April 2019 and again in March of 2022.