Peach Jam without Pectin

Easy peach jam without pectin – preserve the wonderful summer flavors by making this homemade peach jam recipe.

Make this peach jam without pectin now, at the end of the season, and you'll be so happy to enjoy these summer flavors when winter comes.

Summer is almost over, and the peach season is almost at its end as well, but we can still buy lots of peaches at the farmer’s market and pretty much anywhere. And they are better than ever: ripe, sweet, juicy… I eat one almost daily, over the sink, letting the juices run down my chin and hand… So good!

If you have a glut of juicy peaches or nectarines, how about making this amazing Nectarine Cake, this Peach Cake with Sour Cream, this Peach Cobbler Bread, this Peach Blueberry Smoothie, or this Fresh Peach Compote. Or try a Chicken Salad with Grilled Peaches.

Jump to recipe

• Can you make peach jam without pectin?
• Recipe ingredients
• How to make peach jam?
• How long to cook the preserves?
• Smooth or chunky jam?
• Canning the jam jars
• How to store peach jam?
• Make this a gift!
• More summer jams
• Recipe
• Peach Jam without Pectin

Can you make peach jam without pectin?

What is pectin?

Pectin is a starch that naturally occurs in fruit and can be produced commercially. When heated with sugar, it thickens and jellies the fruit's liquid. Apples and most berries, especially currants, have a lot of pectin and don't need help jellying. Peaches have a medium pectin content, so adding lemon juice, which is high in pectin, helps with jellying and adds flavor.

For this jam, you won't need powdered pectin; the fruit and lemon provide enough.

The peach preserves will be slightly runny, with soft fruit pieces in a glossy, thick jelly—a total delight!

Recipe ingredients

How to make peach jam?

Sterilize jars:

• You should sterilize the jars while the peaches are cooking. Although the latest research states that sterilizing jars is unnecessary if you can the jars in a water bath after filling, I prefer to do it. The habit, I suppose.
• Hot oven method: Preheat the oven to 280°F/ 140°C. Wash the jars and lids in soapy water. Place only the clean jars on a baking tray. Leave them in the oven for about 15 minutes. To sterilize the lids, boil them for about 5 minutes. It’s preferable to fill the jars while they are still hot.

Prepare the fruit: Wash and dry it. Remove the stones (1), cut each peach into 6 or 8 wedges, and cut those into small pieces (2).

• Step #1: Place the chopped fruit into a large pot.
• Step #2: Add lemon juice, bring to a boil on medium-low heat, and simmer for 10 minutes until the pieces are softer.
• Step #3: Stir in the sugar and star anise if using. Turn up the heat and stir well for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves.
• Step #4: Bring to a low simmer and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes until set. Scrape the bottom of the pot well when stirring to prevent the preserves from catching.
• Step #5: Blend or leave the jam as it is. Transfer it to jars. Place the jars on a folded kitchen towel to cool completely at room temperature.

How long to cook the preserves?

There are two methods of checking if the peach jam without pectin is ready.

Thermometer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab): the preserves should have reached a temperature of 104°C/ 220°F. However, the temperature needed for the jam to set is slightly different depending on the altitude; the higher the altitude, the lower the gel point temperature of the preserves. Here is a list that makes things easier.

Cold saucer: If you don’t have a digital thermometer, you can check using the cold saucer method.

Place a saucer in the freezer before you start preparing the preserves.

After 15 minutes, take the saucer out and pour about one teaspoon of jam onto the freezer-cold plate. Let it sit for about 30 seconds. Run a line through the middle of the jam pool with your finger—it should wrinkle slightly, and the two parts should remain separated. If they don’t, continue cooking the jam for another two minutes and check again.

For a thicker consistency, add another couple of minutes to the cooking time. Be cautious not to overcook it, as it may make spooning the peaches out of the jars difficult.

Always remove the pot from the heat while checking to stop the cooking process. If it continues cooking during the check, it might overcook.

Smooth or chunky jam?

Smooth jam: Blend the preserves with an immersion blender (or in a food processor). Make sure you wear mittens and clothes with long sleeves; the hot jam might splatter slightly. If you blend it, you can fill it into jars immediately. Use a funnel; it really makes things easier. Leave about ½ cm/ ¼ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and close well.

Chunky jam (like in the pictures):

Leave the preserves as they are without blending. This creates a beautiful, glossy jam with intact fruit pieces. After cooking, let the jam cool in the pot for about 10 minutes to ensure even distribution of the fruit pieces. Then, ladle the hot preserves into jars, leaving a little headspace. Clean the jar rims and close them tightly.

For a medium chunky spread, mash with a potato masher.

Canning the jam jars

This recipe makes a small batch, yielding about 4 jars of peach jam. You can store the jars in the fridge, where they will keep well for at least 6 months, and probably longer. Alternatively, you can freeze the jam for up to one year.

For a larger batch, if you want to can the peach jam without pectin, use a water bath canner and process the jars for about 10 minutes. Adjust the processing time based on your altitude. After processing, carefully remove the jars from the water bath using a jar lifter, place them on a folded kitchen towel, and let them cool completely.

For reliable and more detailed information on water bath canning, make sure to read these Canning Guidelines (the link opens in a new tab); they are able to answer probably any question you ever had about canning.

How to store peach jam?

Make this a gift!

I love making homemade presents for my friends and family, and this fresh peach jam is a wonderful present. Some of my favorite things to give as a gift are infused oils or vinegar, like the Wild Garlic Oil and the Cherry Vinegar. Preserved fruit, either with or without alcohol, is great as well. How about the Cherries Kirsch or Amaretto Cherries or some simple Canned Rhubarb or Canned Blueberries? Or try these amazing Cheese Caraway Crackers or some Ginger Snaps with Crystallized Ginger.