Prickly Pear Jelly

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4.39 from 95 votes

A simple prickly pear jelly preserves these beautiful cactus fruits for year-round eating.

Prep Time1

Cook Time5

Canning Time10

Total Time1 15

Course: jelly

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings, makes 6 half pint jars

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Ingredients

For Prickly Pear Juice:

3 to 4 lbs fresh or frozen prickly pear fruit about 8 to 12 medium fruits
1 cup water

For Prickly Pear Jelly:

3 cups strained prickly pear juice from above
1/4 cup bottled lemon or lime juice
1 box powdered pectin 1.75 oz Sure-Jell or Ball Classic regular powdered pectin, 6 Tbsp bulk pectin
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Extract the Juice:

Wear heavy gardening gloves throughout. Rinse the prickly pears in hot water to wash off dirt and surface debris. Cut off the blossom and stem ends, then peel the fruit by scoring the skin lengthwise and pulling the peel away. Slice the peeled fruit into large chunks.
Place the chunks in a heavy-bottomed pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, mashing occasionally with a potato masher to break the fruit down and release the juice.
Strain the cooked fruit through a jelly bag or fine-mesh strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let it drip undisturbed for at least 2 hours. Don't squeeze the bag; squeezing releases solids that cloud the finished jelly.
Measure 3 cups of strained juice for the next stage.

Make Prickly Pear Jelly:

Prepare half-pint canning jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing, and keeping warm. Have lids and rings ready.
Combine the prickly pear juice and bottled lemon or lime juice in a heavy-bottomed jam pot. Whisk in the powdered pectin until fully dissolved.
Bring to a hard rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add the sugar all at once and stir constantly until fully dissolved. Return to a hard rolling boil that can't be stirred down, and boil hard for exactly 1 minute.
Remove from heat and quickly skim off any foam.

Canning Prickly Pear Jelly:

Ladle the hot jelly into prepared half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean and apply two-piece canning lids fingertip tight.
Process the filled jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude — see notes).
When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for another 5 minutes before lifting them out. This helps prevent siphoning.
Cool on a towel for 12 to 24 hours, check seals, and refrigerate any unsealed jars. Sealed jars keep on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months.

Notes

Altitude adjustment: Process 10 minutes at 0 to 6,000 feet, 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.

Tested recipe: Adapted from the UC Master Food Preservers of Solano and Yolo Counties. Additional guidance from New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Guide E-217.

Why bottled lemon or lime juice (not fresh): Prickly pear juice has a pH of 5 to 7, which is too low-acid for water bath canning on its own. Bottled juice has a guaranteed and consistent acid level, which is what makes the recipe safe. Don't substitute fresh lemon juice when canning, since fresh juice varies in acidity. Both lemon and lime work; lime gives a slightly more aromatic finish.

Wear gloves the whole time you're handling the fruit. Prickly pears are covered with tiny barbed glochids that easily embed in skin.

Don't double the recipe. Larger batches don't heat evenly and may not set properly. Make two single batches back-to-back instead.

Don't squeeze the jelly bag. Squeezing releases pulp that clouds the finished jelly.

Be patient with setting. Pectin can take 24 to 48 hours to fully set, and some batches may take up to a week.

Frozen prickly pears work well: per NMSU, freezing the whole fruit and then thawing actually makes juice extraction easier because freezing breaks down the cell structure. Frozen fruit will keep up to 12 months.

Low-sugar version (NMSU tested recipe): Use Sure-Jell Low Sugar (pink box) or Ball Flex Batch Low Sugar. Combine 4 cups prickly pear juice + 1 package low-sugar pectin in a 5-quart pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice and 3 cups sugar. Bring to a hard boil and boil 3 to 4 minutes. Process 10 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet, or 15 minutes at 6,000 to 10,000 feet. Yields about 5 half-pint jars.

Pomona's Universal Pectin works with any sugar level (or honey or maple syrup) but produces a softer set. The Pomona's brand has its own published prickly pear jelly recipe worth following directly.

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