Easy Peach Preserves and Jam without pectin

Name: Easy Peach Preserves And Jam Without Pectin
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 5 cups chopped peaches ((24 ounces)); 2½ cups sugar; 1 lemon ((juiced and zested)); 1 Tbsp orange juice; ⅛ tsp cinnamon ((optional)); ⅛ tsp cardamom ((optional))

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Learn how to make delicious Peach Preserves and Peach Jam without pectin. This small-batch Peach Preserves recipe will yield approximately four 8-ounce jars of peach preserves. Serve the preserves on toast and set some aside to make these adorable Cheesecake Phyllo Cups!

Well, in case you were wondering, we are still in San Diego! I am cooking my way through the freezer, in an effort to empty it out before our final move to Montana.

To my surprise, I found a ziplock bag full of chopped peaches that my friend, Diane, had given me last year. I had used some of the peaches she gave me to make my Easy Peach Cobbler recipe but didn't realize I still had another bag of chopped peaches left.

The timing couldn't be more perfect since my friend, Sheila, had recently dropped off a bag of empty mason jars that I had given her (full of jam, of course) over the years.

So what do you do when life (or Diane and Sheila) gives you empty mason jars and a bag of frozen peaches? Well, if you're me, Peach Preserves seemed like the obvious choice!

Why This Recipe Works

This Peach Preserves recipe is easy to prepare and only requires a few ingredients. Do you have one hour to spare? Let's transform those wonderful, juicy peaches into a delicious batch of Peach Preserves!

Enjoy the preserves with your family, or give them as gifts to brighten someone's day. For me, the best thing about making jam is gifting it to those I love!

This Peach Preserves recipe is easily adaptable. Want to make peach jam instead? The preserves can be pureed to make peach jam. This can be done with an emersion blender, food processor, or an old-fashioned masher. Another option is to chop the peaches finer before preparing the jam.

Want to know another thing you can make with this peach preserves recipe? It can be used to make a tasty Peach Glaze. Glaze can be used in a variety of ways. Spread it over a cooled cheesecake or swirl it into the cake batter. Or hey, why not do both, like I did in my Loquat Cheesecake recipe?

What You Need For This Recipe

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Peaches — You can use fresh or frozen peaches in this recipe. The same recipe steps apply to both fresh and frozen peaches.
Orange Juice — I like to add a small amount of orange juice to my jams and preserves. I love the subtle flavor it provides. If needed, the orange juice can be left out.
Lemon — The lemon not only balances out the sweetness, but the lemon zest also helps to thicken the peach preserves, eliminating the need for a thickener like Pectin. The lemon juice also helps to keep the peach preserves from spoiling.
Cardamom and Cinnamon — I'm listing cardamom and cinnamon as optional ingredients. If you want the peach flavor to shine through (like my daughter, Nena, prefers) don't add them. If, however, you want a little extra somethin'-somethin', add a little cinnamon, cardamom, or both with the other ingredients. A little goes a long way so you only need a pinch of each.

How to Make Peach Preserves

STEP 1: Add peaches to a Dutch oven and cover with sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

STEP 2: Turn on the stove to the lowest setting, to allow the sugar to slowly melt. Set the timer to 15 minutes.

chopped peaches covered with sugar, lemon, zest

STEP 3: Once the sugar has liquified, bring the preserves to a boil, then cook on medium, stirring often, for twenty-five minutes or until thickened.

Tip: Do not cover the pot with a lid as we're trying to cook the preserves down. You'll also want to stir it often to keep the bottom from scorching.

STEP 4: Pour hot preserves into sterilized jars, leaving a ¼" to ½" headspace. Wipe the jars if needed with a damp washcloth or paper towel and hand-tighten the lids.

If you don't plan on storing the prepared preserves in the refrigerator, the jars will need to be processed in boiling water for 10 minutes first.

processing jam jars in hot water — *My daughter, Nena, does not like spices added to her jam. I canned a jar for her before adding a pinch of cardamom and cinnamon to the rest of the preserves.*

Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!!

peach preserves in 3 jars over a striped towel

How to test peach preserves for thickness

If you are unsure if the proper thickness has been achieved, a great way to test it is by turning off the heat and removing a small amount of jam and placing it in the refrigerator to cool. This shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

Once the refrigerated peach preserves has cooled off, see if it has thickened to your liking. If you prefer the preserves thicker, pour the sample back into the pot and cook it a little longer.

You can continue to use this method, adding 5 minutes of cooking at a time until you are satisfied with the thickness. Just keep in mind that the preserves will be thicker when refrigerated.

If you cook the peach preserves too long, it can burn and have a glue-like texture. Try to stick as close to the recipes' cooking times as possible and you should have delicious preserves.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

Do I need to peel peaches for jam?

Peaches do not need to be peeled for jam. In fact, the peels add a wonderful texture to the jam. However, if you prefer a smoother textured jam, you can blanch the peaches first by dipping them in hot water, then cold, to stop the cooking process. This process will help loosen the skin.

Another option is to leave the peach skins on and puree the jam instead. This can be done prior to canning the preserves.

What do you put peach preserves on?

Peach preserves goes great on buttered toast. Or spread it on plain bagels and cream cheese.

Additionally, peach preserves can be added to vanilla ice cream, swirled in cheesecake, or used in other desserts.

How can I thicken my peach jam?

Peaches have a good amount of pectin so really don't need pectin to thicken. However, if you need to thicken your jam, you can either cook it longer until it reaches the right consistency, or add a thickener like Pectin, Gelatin, or Therm Flo.

What's the difference between peach jam and peach preserves?

The only difference between peach jam and peach preserves is the consistency. Peach jam has a smooth consistency while peach preserves is more chunky.

I prefer my jam to taste a little tart. If you don't, start out with ½ the amount of lemon juice and adjust from there based on your taste.
Make sure the lids aren't too tight when you process the jars in boiling water. This allows the air bubbles to escape from the jars and helps to seal the jars. The lids can be tightened after you hear the pop sound they make when the jar is sealed all the way. This usually happens after the jars are removed from the boiling water.
Label the jars with the date the jam was made. This is especially helpful when you make more batches and want to use up the older batch first.
When using an immersion blender, be careful of the hot splatter. This can be avoided by keeping the blade deep in the pot while blending and not continuing to press the blend button while you are removing the blender from the pot of jam.

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