Making this easy fresh peach jam is super fun and rewarding. Homemade jam will last you for the whole year and can also make great gifts to share with friends and family.
Since Dustin and I moved to Austin, we have wanted to visit this little town called Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is a small town deep in Texas Hill Country and is known for its peaches (as is its neighboring town, Stonewall).
So, not only did fresh peach jam sound amazing, but it also gave us an opportunity to visit Fredericksburg again. Yay!
That town is so darn cute -- we couldn't stand it. We both agree we already need to go back again.
With my parents visiting us for a week, we thought it'd be neat to make some homemade peach jam together. Over the years, we have all made homemade jam, including strawberry chia jam and blackberry chia jam.
What's not to love about a cute little country town that has “Fresh Peaches” signs posted everywhere? It's like a rule or something: fresh peaches = happiness. Visiting Fredericksburg even reminded Dustin and me how much we would love to live out in the country and run a vineyard or farm.
Ingredients for Peach Jam
You don't need many ingredients to make this easy peach jam recipe, thankfully. Here's what you'll need:
- Fresh Ripe Peaches: When you chop peaches, you'll need about 3 lbs. to yield 4 cups. We used a combination of Stonewall white and yellow peaches, but any peaches will do.
- Lemon Juice: This will require about 2 lemons and is a great acidic cut to the fresh peaches.
- Raw Honey: When swapping raw honey for granulated sugar, you don't need to use nearly as much of the honey because it is sweeter than sugar. Given this, I recommend using about ¾ cup for every 1 cup of sugar. For this recipe, that means using 5 ½ cups raw honey. This recipe originally included granulated sugar, and I've wanted to update it forever to avoid processed sugar. If you're following the original recipe, it called for a whopping 7 ½ cups of granulated sugar.
- Sure-Jell Certo Fruit Pectin: You'll need to use liquid fruit pectin so the jam sets and can be canned. If not canning and just making for use in the fridge, you can use chia seeds, as I do in these 5 Homemade Chia Jam Recipes.
How to Make Homemade Peach Jam
The process to make jam is relatively simple. Just follow these steps, and you've got it!
- Fill a Canner half-full of water and bring to a simmer.
- Wash Mason Canning Jars, Lids and Bands in hot, soapy water and then rinse with warm water.
- Remove the skin from the peaches.
- Add peeled peaches, lemon juice, and raw honey (or sugar)to a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle the mixture into the prepared, cleaned jars. Screw bands on tightly and place jars on the elevated Canning Rack in the canner.
- Lower rack into canner so that water covers jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover and bring to a gentle boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove jars using a Jar Lifter and place them upright on a towel to cool completely.
- After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of the lid with your finger. If lid springs/pops back, it is not sealed and that jar will need to be refrigerated.
- Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours and then your jam is ready. Store unopened jam in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.
- Refrigerate opened jams for up to 3 weeks.
Choosing The Best Fruit For Homemade Jam
When buying fresh fruit for your jam, don't worry about how it looks – just how it tastes. We even ask for the “ugly" ones because they're usually cheaper. This is another reason why making homemade jam is amazing if you happen to have a lot of fresh fruit on your hands.
For the tastiest ripe peaches, look for vibrant, yellow flesh and golden-reddish skin. Again, bruises or blemishes on these peaches are okay.
How To Peel Peaches For Jam
For this easy peach jam recipe, you'll want to remove the skin from the peaches. To peel a fresh peach, blanch for 45 seconds in boiling water, then remove and place in ice cold water for 1 minute.
Using a sharp paring knife, make a criss-cross slit at the bottom of the peach to create a place to insert the knife blade.
Gently grab the skin between your finger and the knife blade and remove the skin. Trust me -- this works wonders.
Jam Making Tools You'll Need
Often, you can find some or all of these in a canning set on Amazon, but here are the individual pieces broken out and their uses.
- Paring Knife: This will be used to peel the peaches. Look for a sharp knife that can pierce the peach's skin but is still small enough to be easily maneuverable.
- Glass Mason Jars: Glass is the best option for canning, and it can be reused over and over. I use 16-oz mason jars for canning. For gifts, I'll also use these smaller 4-oz jars.
- Canning Pot: You'll need a deep, large pot that will hold the canning rack and all the mason jars. These can also be used to store all your canning tools once you're done. This is also called a "Canner."
- Sauce Pan: We'll need to cook down the peaches first before we turn them into jam, so you'll need a large saucepan to do so.
- Canning Rack with Tongs: This will be essential to lift the hot mason jars out of the boiling water in the canning pot.
- Canning Funnel: You'll need this when filling your mason jars. The wide mouth and large funnel will keep you from spilling your homemade jam everywhere. It also works great for adding anything to a mason jar.
Fresh Peach Jam Recipe
Equipment
- Glass Mason Jars I use 16-oz jars for storing it and 4-oz for gifts
- Saucepan
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh peaches about 3 lbs., we used a combination of Stonewall white and yellow peaches
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 5 cups raw honey*
- 1 pouch Sure-Jell Certo Fruit Pectin liquid fruit pectin
Instructions
- Fill a Canner half-full of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Wash Mason Canning Jars, Lids and Bands in hot, soapy water and then rinse with warm water. Add jars, screw bands and lids to simmering water. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well.
- Remove the skin from the peaches by blanching for 45 seconds in boiling water, then removing and placing in ice cold water for 1 minute. Using a sharp paring knife, make a crisscross slit at the bottom of the peach to create a place to insert the knife blade. Gently grab the skin between your finger and the knife blade and remove the skin (see photos above). Once skin is removed, remove the pits. Finely chop the peeled, pitted peaches.
- Measure 4 cups finely chopped pealed peaches and cook over medium-high heat in 6- or 8-quart saucepan for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and raw honey to saucepan and stir to combine. [You may add ½ tsp. unsalted butter to reduce the foaming if you wish.]
- Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin pouch quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Be careful not to let mixture boil over. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle mixture into the prepared, cleaned jars. I really recommend using a Wide-Mouth Funnel to easily ladle mixture into jars. Fill each jar to within ⅛-inch from the top. Wipe the jar rims and threads and cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands on tightly and place jars on elevated Canning Rack in canner. Lower rack into canner so that water covers jars by 1 to 2 inches. If more water is needed, add boiling water. Cover and bring to gently boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars using a Jar Lifter and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of the lid with your finger. If lid springs/pops back, it is not sealed and that jar will need to be refrigerated.
- Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jam in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams for up to 3 weeks.
Steven J Fuller
Chef Lacey... Thanks! This recipe is the best. I made my first batch and proudly handed out jars at work and to the guys in the neighborhood. My secret - and I don't mind sharing it -- is to wait until the next morning, then re-open the jars and pour all that thin liquid back into a huge kettle on the stove, boil and stir for 45-60 minutes, and put it back in the re-cleaned jars. Seal 'em up, and you're got it! Even the wife said I was a great cook!
Lacey Baier
YES! I'm so glad you loved it!! What a great gift 🙂
Cindy
Awesome~! beautiful jam. Set, sweet and preserved for later use 🙂
I am so tired of people saying their jam did not set when they've altered a recipe. My goodness people, don't use the recipe if you don't like the sugar level! Sugar, pectin and lemon juice - along with the fruit are measured to create a firm jam. If you lower the sugar, add or change - it will not. If you don't spend the time to cook it at a rolling boil for the set time- it won't set. Don't blame the recipe (the chef) if your changing it! Find a recipe that is low in sugar or that matches what you want to use. Simple!
Katherine Kinnisn
I totally agree, instead of reducing the sugar in the recipe maybe reduce the amount you eat of it, instead of a tablespoon use a teaspoon. sugar is not the enemy, it's the amount we eat.
Lacey Baier
Thanks, Cindy! I appreciate your feedback, and I'm so glad the jam turned out well for you 🙂
Tricia Taylor
What size jars for the 10 minute processing time? The picture shows different sizes, quantity states 4 pints but does not specify jar size… half pints or pints? This looks similar to Ball Canning book recipe but they specify half pint jar sizes. Not find that in your recipe.
Lacey Baier
I use 16-oz mason jars for storing it for myself, and then often also make 4-oz jars for gifts.
Maria Darnell
Hello Lacey, I was so excited to try your recipe for the Peach Jam and came up disappointed. Unfortunately the Jam did not come out like it should have and I'm not sure where I went wrong.
Please let me know your thoughts and how I could possibly rectify the situation if at all possible.
First, I adjusted the sugar amount because I felt it was very high. I cut it down to 5 cups for every 4 cups of peaches.
Second, I added 3 pouches of the Fruit Pectin because I tripled the recipe.
The Jam did not set at all and, It is still very sweet.
Not sure what to do. We love Peach Jam in our household
Mary from Ontario, Canada
Marie Herman
In general, you should not modify canning recipes. You can affect their safety and quality.
In particular, liquid pectin depends on sugar to gel. You cannot change it at will. That can impact the set.
In addition, you should not double or triple jam recipes. It impacts the cooking time, which also impacts the set.
Melinda FIXICO
I just ordered peaches. And im going to try this . i actually found peach you guys do a jalapeno jelly at a small shop in Fredericksburg and wanted to try and make it. We go there at least once a year for the peaches and wine. Thank you for sharing.
Recipe Garden
Love peach jam! So delicious and colorful. Yours look great! I also like the combination of peaches & mangoes to make the jam.