Quick & Easy Peach Jam
This easy Peach Jam recipe with pectin is like summer in a jar! Homemade with fresh, juicy peaches, you can create a delicious jam that is sweet, flavorful, and simple to make! I’ll tell you how to make this, from scratch in only 30 minutes! It’s so good – I’ve eaten two jars of it already. Summer fruit season is definitely my favorite!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Perfect Peach Jam
- Easy – this is such a simple recipe and cooks in just 30 minutes!
- THE #1 THING YOU NEED to make this recipe perfect – is pectin!
- Any Fruit – You can use fresh, canned or frozen fruit to make jam – whatever you have!
- Delicious! Homemade jam is so much better than the store bought jam and preserves- less chemicals and preservatives and the fruit just pops!
Peach Jam Recipe Ingredients
There’s nothing that compares to the fresh peach flavor – and when you make your own jam – you can get that taste all year round!
- Peaches – it’s great if you can use fresh, ripe peaches – but canned or frozen work just as well!
- lemon juice – always better to use fresh lemon juice
- Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin – this is what makes jam thick, it’s naturally in fruit but we just need to help it out and add more
- Granulated sugar – just plain ol’ white sugar
🧰 My Favorite Tools for Making Peach Jam
- Half-pint canning jars – these keep the jam fresh and are also convenient for gifting
- Chef’s Knife – the knife that I use that is perfect for chopping and helps when peeling
- Potato masher – mashing the peaches makes them the perfect consistency to cook down
- Mini-food processor – can be helpful if your peaches aren’t ripe enough
How do you make this easy peach jam recipe?
This is a great recipe for small batches of fruit – and this summer’s peaches from the farmers market! It makes just enough for you to have a couple of jars for you and to gift a couple with your friends!
- FILL a small sauce pan half full with water and bring to a full boil.
- REMOVE from heat.
- PLACE rings and lids from jars into the hot water bath.
- Be sure jars are washed and rinsed with super hot water right before you fill them.
- PEEL and remove pits from the peaches. Finely chop fruit. Measure 4 cups of fruit and place into an 8 quart sauce pot.
- If your peaches aren’t super ripe, you can put the chopped pieces into a little mini-food processor so they cook down more easily.
- ADD lemon juice and a package of pectin and stir until well blended.
- BRING to a full bubbling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
- MASH any chunks of peaches using your potato masher so they can cook down.
- STIR in sugar. Return to full bubbling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- REMOVE from heat. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
- LADLE peach mixture immediately into prepared half-pint jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops.
- PLACE jars upside down on a towel until cooled.
- CHECK seals by pressing the middle of the lid with your finger. Sealed jars shouldn’t bounce back when you push on the center.
🍑Variations
While this jam is delicious on its own, there are also a lot of things that you could add that would be delicious in this jam!
- Cinnamon – makes a nice and cozy flavor
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean – compliments the peach flavor without overpowering
- Habaneros – creates a jam that is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy
FAQs
Clingstone peaches are the best choice for making jam. Their sweetness and soft texture make it a great option.
You can use frozen or canned fruit. Frozen fruit should be thawed first and canned peach slices should be no sugar added and drained.
No – the skins will cook down but I just don’t like skin on peaches so I peeled them.
If you have unripened fruit like we did (some was ripe, some wasn’t) – we used a mini-food processor and ladled some of the chunks in there and pureed them – worked like a charm! This helped them cook down much more quickly.
Yes – you can but it’s going to take a lot longer to cook down the fruit and for it to thicken.
Yes! We did most of the steps to canning but then didn’t feel like canning the jam using a canner. Prepare the jars (half pint jars), lids and rings like you would for canning (sterilize with a boiling water bath). Then when you ladle the jam into the jars – wipe the rim of the jars so they are clean and sugar free, place your lid and ring on and seal tight. Then – while still super hot – turn the jars UPSIDE DOWN and set on a towel. The lids will very likely pop on their own. You want the lid so the center is sucked down into the jar and you can’t push on them. If they seal like that – you can leave them in your pantry and they’re canned!
If the jars don’t seal (you can still push on the center of the lid and it indents) – then your jam is still very edible and good – you just need to refrigerate it.
If it’s canned, you can store it in a cool dark place for a long time until it’s opened. After opening jam, you should be kept in the refrigerator. If it didn’t seal, then store in the fridge as well. Jam is good after opening for up to 6 months.
How can you use homemade peach jam?
- You can also top cream cheese or goat cheese with jam for a delicious appetizer!
- It’s great on waffles or pancakes – but you could even swap out the peanut butter in this Hong Kong French Toast. Or spoon it over ice cream!
- Spread it on salmon and pop it in the air fryer!
More Peach Recipes
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Quick and Easy Peach Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups peaches peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 box Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin
- 4 1/2 cups sugar
Instructions
- Fill small sauce pan half full with water and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Place rings and lids from jars into the hot water bath. Be sure jars are washed and rinsed with super hot water right before you fill them.
- Peel and pit peaches. Finely chop fruit. Measure 4 cups of fruit and place into an 8 quart sauce pot. If your peaches aren't super ripe, you can put the chopped pieces into a little mini blender so they cook down more easily.4 cups peaches
- Add lemon juice and fruit pectin and stir until well blended.2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 box Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin
- Bring to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Using a potato masher, mash any chunks of peaches so they can cook down.
- Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.4 1/2 cups sugar
- Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
- Ladle peach mixture immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe rims and threads. Cover with lids and rings. Screw bands tightly.
- Place jars upside down on a towel until cooled.
- Check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and you'll need to refrigerate.
Heather you need Pure Cane Sugar for canning any type of fruit besides your Fruit Pectin in order for your Fruit
to set or be canned. Beet sugar will not work.
Thanks for the tip – not sure who ever thought of beet sugar. #notme
Hi, I can’t rate the recipe yet. I just made it but I haven’t tried it, but looks good and I have read that peach jam can take 2 to 3 weeks to really thicken so I guess it takes some time because it does look really thin right now… I was just wondering about the turning over sealing method I have done this before. with I believe grape jam. but it’s been awhile and I kept reading online don’t do it that way anymore, like people used to years ago. but then I saw your recipe and I thought well. I’ll give it a try again. it says online it does seal usually but it might not be a safe seal. I could put it in the hot water I had the jars and rings in, easily for 10 minutes, like I read on all the other recipes. that’s easy, but I saw you had the turnover method and so I just wanted to make sure you still had good luck with that? And will they keep for many years like the water bath canning method of gentle boil for approximately 10 minutes…? thanks, LS
i refrigerated the jam after the quick canning vs. keeping on shelf. yes. it will thicken over time after refrigeration and sitting.
I have made this jam and it is wonderful. I was wondering if you can use any fruit (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries) with this same recipe?
I think you could but the sugar ratio might be different – good luck!
Could you make this with Brown Sugar?
Yes – you should be able to – it might be a little thicker
Can you make this with date sugar? I can’t have cane or beet sugar and I don’t want sucralose. Any suggestions?
I just looked it up – should be fine but I can’t say for sure as I havent tried it. But looks like it should work fine – it’s a sweetener.
This is delicious!!!!! My daughter and I made this for her to sell at a kid’s farmhand fair (she sold out) and we gave away as Christmas presents to my clients. We heard nothing but positive feedback! Thanks for the recipe. ♥️
aw i love that!