Fresh peach preserves are the perfect way to capture summer’s sweetness in a jar of homemade goodness. This easy canning recipe uses fresh, ripe peaches, a touch of lemon juice, and pectin to create a spread that’s both delicious and simple to make.

Enjoy this jammy preserve recipe on toast, in desserts, or as a sweet treat any time of year.

a jar of peach preserves, a spoon of preserves in the foreground and peaches in the background

Old Fashioned Peach Preserves Recipe

Extend the summer and savor the juicy flavors of fresh peaches! This easy recipe uses only a few ingredients to produce a supply of homemade peach jam to enjoy all year. Who doesn’t love a little sweetness on their fluffy sour cream biscuits?

These preserves are so good you will find yourself adding them to yogurt, muffins, toast, and pancakes. And, it is phenomenal as a topping for ice cream.

Here is Why This Fruit Preserves Recipe Works

Fresh, juicy peaches: This recipe makes the most of perfectly ripe peaches, turning them into a sweet spread that tastes like summer in a jar.
Easy to follow: With simple steps and a little help from pectin, you’ll have homemade preserves without the fuss.
Customizable texture: Whether you like it chunky or smooth, you can mash or pulse the peaches to your desired consistency.
Year-round enjoyment: Capture the peak of peach season and enjoy the taste of summer all year long, even when it’s snowing outside!

Check out our strawberry fig jam recipe if you enjoy the fresh flavors of jams and preserves. Imagine the taste explosion when it is slathered on our buttermilk barley biscuits. Also, the sweet-tart flavors of our strawberry rhubarb jam are a huge winner.

Overhead view of a jar of peach preserves and sliced peach

Ingredients Needed to Make This Old Fashioned Peach Preserve or Jam Recipe

This easy, uncomplicated recipe will take 30 minutes from start to finish. You can either process the filled jars in a canner of boiling water or keep them in the refrigerator or freezer as freezer jam.

Fresh peaches: They should be very ripe and a little soft. It only takes about six of them.
Lemon juice: The tartness compliments the sweetness of the peaches, and it also adds pectin to the peaches.
Powdered Pectin: Peaches have very little natural pectin, and pectin is what causes the preserves and jams to ‘set.’
Table salt: It is incredible how a small amount of salt can balance the sweetness.
Butter: The butter helps reduce the foaming action.
Granulated sugar: Sugar adds that extra bit of sweetness and helps the pectin set. It also acts as a preservative.

How To Make Preserves with Fresh Peaches

Processing the filled jars in a canner involves boiling the filled jars in a water bath for ten minutes. This is an optional step as the preserves will keep in the refrigerator for three weeks or up to six months in the freezer.

You should, however, use hot, sterilized jars and lids. Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of what to expect with this recipe. Please scroll down the page to the printable recipe card for the full instructions and details.

fresh chopped peaches with a potato masher

Prepare the jars and lids: Wash and rinse the jars, then keep them warm in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of water, but avoid boiling to protect the rubber seal.
Prepare the peaches: Peel, pit, and chop the peaches. Measure 4 cups into a large saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the lemon juice, pectin, salt, and butter.

Lemon juice being added and to a pot of chopped peaches

Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
Add the sugar: Stir in the sugar and return to a full, rolling boil. Boil the mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and spoon off any foam.
Fill the jars: Ladle the preserves into the hot jars, wipe the rim and place a lid on each jar.
Process in a canner or cool at room temperature and refrigerate.

A pot of peach preserves with a wooden spoon.

To Process in a Canner:

The advantage of canning the preserves is that they may be stored in your pantry for up to a year. If you choose not to use the canning method, it should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Place the filled jars into the basket of the canner. If necessary, add additional hot water so the tops of the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Lift the jars from the hot water and set them in a draft-free area to cool at room temperature

Tips for Success:

Alternative to mashing the peaches, they can be chopped in a food processor to your desired consistency. If you want to make peach jam, mash the peaches until they are smooth.
Lemon juice will keep the peaches from turning brown.
Measure the exact amounts of peaches and sugar.
Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil. A full rolling boil means it boils so fiercely that it can not stop while stirring.
Do not boil beyond the designated time. Overcooking can degrade the pectin and prevent it from thickening.
Fill the jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim.
Wipe away any drips from the rim of the jars before placing the lid and ring on top.

Storage

To store the peach preserves properly, make sure the jars are sealed tightly after processing. Store unopened jars in a cool, dark place like a pantry, and they’ll last for up to a year.

Once opened, keep the jar in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 3 weeks.

If your jars don’t seal properly, you can freeze the preserves. Simply transfer it into a freezer-safe container, leaving about an inch of headspace. Seal and freeze for up to 6 months.

Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:

Our skillet peach cobbler is loaded with fresh peaches and topped with sugar-crusted biscuits. It’s an old-fashioned recipe that will never go out of style.

Blackberry peach pie is the perfect combination of two classic summertime fruits. Tart blackberries and sweet peaches come together in this delicious dessert.

We can’t let the season pass by without making this easy peach crisp with tapioca. We topped it with a crumbly oatmeal streusel topping that is so quick to make.

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Peach Preserves

Savor the juicy flavors of fresh peaches! This easy recipe uses only a few ingredients to produce a supply of bright, sweet peach preserves to enjoy all year long.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Additional Time: 10

Total Time: 40

Servings: Pints

Calories: 26kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

4 cups 3 pounds fresh ripe peaches
¼ cup lemon juice
1 box fruit pectin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon butter
5-½ cups granulated sugar
Optional: 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Prepare the Jars and lids:

Wash and rinse the jars and place them in a 200°F oven to stay hot until ready to fill. Place the lids of the jars in a saucepan of simmering water set on a back burner. Fill a canner pot with water and heat to the boiling, then reduce the heat to low until ready to use.

To Cook the Peach Preserves:

Peel, pit, and chop the peaches.
Measure 4 cups of fruit into a large saucepan and mash with a potato masher to get a chunky texture.
Stir in the lemon juice, pectin, salt, and butter. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat while stirring constantly.
Add the sugar and return to a full, rolling boil. Boil the mixture for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and spoon off any foam. Stir in the almond extract if desired.
Ladle the preserves into the hot jars, wipe the rim of the jars with a damp cloth, and place a lid and jar ring on each jar.

To Process in a Canner:

Place the filled jars into the basket of the canner. If necessary, add additional hot water so the top of the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
Lift the jars from the hot water and set them in a draft-free area to cool at room temperature.

Notes

Alternatively, the peaches can be pulse/chopped in a food processor to desired consistency.
A full, rolling boil is when the mixture is boiling so fiercely that it can not be stirred down.
Keep the jar lids hot in simmering water, do not boil as it can degrade the rubber seal.
Fill the jars while they are hot as the temperature change of the hot preserves in a cold jar will cause the jars to crack.
This recipe will fill 4 to 5 pint jars or 8 to 10 half-pint jars.