Canning Vanilla Peach Jam Recipe (2024)

Canning Vanilla Peach Jam Recipe (1)

Peaches are a favorite summer fruit and preserving them for the off-season is a great way to enjoy them year-round.

Every summer we can lots of peach slices in 1 quart jars (1L) for those snowy winter months. I also make vanilla peach jam every summer and it’s delicious. Adding vanilla to peach jam just adds that extra wonderful aroma & taste.

If you’ve never canned before I highly recommend you read up on the basic safety of canning before diving in.

There are things like altitude and sanitizing jars that are important. You can read up on basic canning safetyon this site.

Recipe for Canning Vanilla Peach Jam

The vanilla flavor is better if you use real vanilla beans or real vanilla extract. I recommend that over the vanilla ‘flavor’ extract.

I often use something in the middle, single vanilla extract in bourbon. I definitely recommend you taste test (before adding the pectin) for your desired vanilla flavor.

This recipe makes 3x 1 Pint (500 ml) size jars or 6 1/2 pint (250ml) jars of jam. I often double or triple this recipe.

Print Recipe

Vanilla Peach Jam

Servings

Ingredients

  • 5 cups peeled, pitted & chopped peaches (about 3lbs)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp zest & juice of 1 lemon
  • 2-3 tbsp vanilla bean pod scraped (taste test how much you want as there are different vanilla quality grades)
  • 1 packet liquid pectin (3-ounce/85ml)
Servings

Ingredients

  • 5 cups peeled, pitted & chopped peaches (about 3lbs)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp zest & juice of 1 lemon
  • 2-3 tbsp vanilla bean pod scraped (taste test how much you want as there are different vanilla quality grades)
  • 1 packet liquid pectin (3-ounce/85ml)

Instructions

  1. Prepare water bath canner and get the jars & lids ready (be sure to know your basic canning safety). Need a water bath canner? We bought this set and it’s perfect for beginners!

  2. Combine the peaches & sugar in a large non-reactive pot. Cook on medium heat allowing peach juices to release. Slowly bring to a boil and add lemon juice and vanilla.

  3. Let the sauce cook over med-high heat for 15-20 mins stirring frequently until it looks syrupy. I use a hand blender at this stage to break up the peaches so it’s not chunky (be careful it can splatter & it’s hot)

  4. Add the pectin and bring to a strong boil for 5 mins or so until it’s thick and shiny. (be sure to read your pectin instructions as they differ in method).

  5. Remove the pot from the heat & ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids & rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 mins (be sure to know your basic canning safety and adjust the time with altitude).

Recipe Notes

  • How to Blanch Peaches & Prepare Peaches: boil water then gently add peaches into the pot with a slotted spoon. Boil for 2-3 mins and immediately place into a bowl of cold water. Using a knife make a small cut across the skin then put knife aside. Peel off the skin with your hands and discard into compost. If the peaches are still hot run them under cold water to do this. You will need to change the cold water bowl every few batches to keep is cold.
  • I make jam on the same day that I can peach slices and use the pulp around the core as the bulk of my jam pulp. It’s easy to squish the pulp off the core and it’s a nice small size for the jam. I also add some whole peaches so it’ s not just the core pulp.
  • If you wish to just have a peach sauce omit the pectin entirely. This is a cheaper option and it’s wonderful on crepes, baked into sweet breads or put over pancakes etc.

If you have freestone peaches they will come off the pit easily.

If you have clingstone or semi-free stone peaches then it’s harder to get off the pit. Not a problem if you’re canning jam, only if you’re doing slices.

I often make peach jam by using the pulp around the pit when I’m canning peach slices that aren’t freestone.

This is a great & frugal way to can peach slices you end up with lots of pulp left for jam.

Canning Vanilla Peach Jam Recipe (2)

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Canning Vanilla Peach Jam Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is it safe to can white peach jam? ›

There is evidence that some varieties of white-flesh peaches are higher in pH (lower in acid) than traditional yellow varieties. The natural pH of some white peaches can exceed 4.6, making them a low-acid food for canning purposes.

How long does homemade jam last without pectin? ›

It will last several weeks in the fridge, but can be frozen for up to three months. Obviously you can use the jam anywhere you like jam — on toast, in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or on fresh biscuits.

How much lemon juice should you use when canning peaches? ›

Low-acid peaches – Use hot-pack method. When jars are filled, add ¼ teaspoon citric acid or 2 teaspoons lemon juice per pint. Process as indicated in hot pack instructions. Scald, peel and slice peaches.

How many peaches per quart jar? ›

It takes about 5 good sizes peaches or nectarines (or about 10 plums) to fill one quart jar. An average of 171/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 48 pounds and yields 16 to 24 quarts ; an average of 21/2 pounds per quart.

Why can't you preserve white peaches? ›

White peaches don't have as much acidity making it difficult to preserve and cling peaches stick to the pit making them very difficult to separate so you'll likely lose a lot of good peach flesh in the process of trying to remove the pit.

How can you tell if homemade jam is safe? ›

Over extended periods of time, however, changes in color, flavor, texture and nutrient content of home-canned jams and jellies is inevitable. A typical full-sugar fruit jam or jelly should be safe to eat if the jar seal remains intact and the product shows no visible signs of spoilage from molds or yeasts.

Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›

Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam. It can be added at the start of the cooking process or towards the end, but what must be taken into account is that adding liquids to the jam mixture will inevitably require the jam to cook for longer.

What happens if you don't use pectin in jam? ›

You don't have to, but proceed carefully. "If you are really anti-pectin, you can omit it, but you'll need to cook the jam longer. Doing so will remove most of the water content in order to get it to set up properly and in turn, will result in a smaller yield," adds Wynne.

What happens if you boil jam too long? ›

If, on the other hand, the jam is rock solid, that means you've gone too far and cooked it too long. You can try adding a little water to thin it out, but bear in mind that after overcooking a jam, you can't really get those fresh fruit flavors back.

Why do peaches turn brown after canning? ›

What Causes Peaches To Brown? Peach can be eaten after washing it. But if you are slicing and freezing peaches or canning them, it is nearly impossible to prevent them from turning brown. The browning process kicks because when you cut a peach, a group of enzymes called polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) are activated.

What if I forgot the lemon juice in my canning recipe? ›

If your recipe called for lemon juice and you forgot to put it in, your mixture will not be acid enough for safe canning. You have to open the jars and put the mixture into a sauce pan. (If you made the jam or jelly recently and you carefully remove the lids without damaging them, you can re-use the same lids.)

How long do you hot water bath peaches when canning? ›

Processing time.

Process hot pack peaches in the water bath canner for the durations listed below, based on the size of your jars and your altitude: Altitude 0 to 1,000 feet: Pints, 20 minutes, quarts, 25 minutes. Altitude 1,001 to 3,000 feet: Pints, 25 minutes, quarts, 30 minutes.

Is it better to freeze or canning peaches? ›

Freezing peaches is a little easier and quicker and produces wonderfully sweet and delicious peaches to put in your freezer. Canning peaches produces jars of peeled and halved peaches for your pleasure.

Can you can peaches without adding sugar? ›

Cut in half, remove pits and slice. Mix citric acid with a 1/4 of a cup of water, coat peaches to prevent darkening. Pack slices into jars, almost to the top. Bring the juice to a boil, add peach skins and pits if desired, simmer for a few minutes.

How to keep peaches from floating when canning? ›

There are some things we can do to avoid or reduce float in canned fruit.
  1. Use firm, ripe fruit. ...
  2. Use a hot pack method. ...
  3. Use light or medium syrup. ...
  4. Pack fruit as closely as possible without crushing it.
  5. Debubble jars. ...
  6. Make sure the liquid covers the food completely before applying the lid.
Aug 25, 2021

Are white or yellow peaches better for canning? ›

Definitely yellow. White peaches have a pH above 4.6 making them low acid and hot water bath canning will not destroy harmful bacteria. There is also no low-acid pressure canning process available for white peaches. If you wish to preserve white peaches, they should be frozen.

Why did my jam turn white? ›

Usually that thin, white film is jelled foam. If your fruit was foamy in the sauce pan and you didn't skim the foam off, or if your mixture had a lot of air in it and you didn't do air releasing before putting the jam in the jars, the foam or tiny air bubbles rise to the top of the jar and form that white film.

Are peaches safe to can? ›

Only yellow fleshed peaches can be safely canned. White peaches are lower in acidity than yellow peaches. Currently there is not a tested procedure for canning white fleshed peaches; freeze them instead.

Do I have to blanch peaches before canning? ›

You don't have to blanch peaches but it does make peeling peaches much easier for canning! When you blanch fruit correctly it does not cook at all. Fill a large soup pot with water and bring it to a boil. Blanch or scald the peaches by dipping them into the hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

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