These homemade Peach Preserves are easy to make in 30 minutes with just fresh peaches, sugar, and lemon! No canning or pectin required.
I love the idea of canning peaches to help them last for months and months, but do I want to go through all that effort? Not really. I’d much rather make this easy Peach Preserves recipe. It only takes 30 minutes and calls for 3 ingredients… How simple is that?!
As someone who waits impatiently for stone fruit season every year, preserving peaches the quick and easy way helps me extend that season for a couple of extra months. Just like my stone fruit ceviche and cherry crumb bars, I make them as soon as I see my favorite stone fruits pop up at the farmer’s market.
Those jars of fresh and juicy peaches are too good to resist. When I’m not eating them straight out of the jar, I’m spooning them over ice cream, pie, cheesecake, and so much more. And if you have extras, I recommend gifting them to friends and family! Everyone loves having a jar of simple peach preserves in their fridge.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Make your summer peaches last even longer! The jarred peach preserves stay sweet and juicy for up to 2 months.
- Only 3 ingredients – Just peaches, sugar, and lemon. No pectin required!
- A tasty treat – Spoon your preserved peaches over a big bowl of ice cream, slices of pie, or eat them straight from the jar. Enjoy them all yourself or gift them to family and friends.
Ingredients
Peaches – Of course! This recipe gives you an excuse to make those fresh summer peaches you picked or bought from the farmers market last wayyy longer. You only need 6 peaches, which makes just enough preserves to last you a season or to share with your loved ones.
Sugar – This is a relatively low-sugar peach preserves recipe, so we only need 1/2 cup of sugar to sweeten and macerate the peaches. I’ve only tested this recipe with granulated white sugar and can’t say if an alternative will work or not.
Lemon – You need both lemon juice and lemon zest. Lime juice and zest will work as a substitute.
Instructions
Step 1: Combine. Add the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a large saucepan.
Step 2: Boil. Heat the mixture to a rapid boil and boil for 20 minutes or until the peaches are breaking down (use a wooden spoon the mash them slightly) and the mixture has thickened.
Step 3: Preserve. Transfer the peaches to one or several glass jars, seal the lids on tight, and place them in the fridge.
Tips and FAQs
- The jars you use matter. You can either store the peach preserves in one large glass jar or in several smaller jars, cleaned and sanitized ahead of time.
- To sterilize your mason jars: Wash the jars and their lids in hot, soapy water and let them dry completely.
- Remember to stir the boiling peaches every couple of minutes to prevent them from scorching on the bottom.
- These peaches are on the chunky side. If you prefer a smoother consistency, blend them in the pot with an immersion blender until they’re as smooth as you like.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
The back of a spoon will tell you when your peaches are ready. When the peaches stick to the back of the spoon (rather than sliding right off of it), they’re perfect!
Serving suggestions
Here comes the fun part… eating your peach preserves! If you can resist eating them straight from the jar, I’d recommend topping them on:
Got extras? The leftover fruit preserves will add a fruity twist to your shrimp or chicken marinades, fruit smoothies, and salad dressings.
They’re similar, but not the same. Both peach preserves and jam involve boiling fresh peaches with sugar until they break down, but jam tends to be much smoother and has a gel-like consistency. The preserves are a little more chunky and sometimes flavored with add-ins, like lemon juice, cinnamon, etc.
No, you don’t have to peel the peaches if you don’t want to. I found that their skins broke down really well while they were boiling and didn’t affect the texture of the peach preserves.
You can continue boiling the peaches until the mixture looks thick and easily coats the back of a spoon. Note that the peaches will continue to set and thicken after cooling and chilling in the fridge.
Go for it! You’ll need an even larger pot and twice the number of jars if you double the recipe. Extend the cook time as needed, too.
Storage
Refrigerator: The peaches will keep for up to 2 months in the fridge. They may last for even longer, but these tend to get eaten up very quickly in my house.
More easy peach recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
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Add peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a large saucepan.
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Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil for 20 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes and use a wooden spoon to help break down the peaches, until the mixture thickens. You’ll know it’s done once the peaches stick to the back of a spoon (rather than running off of it).
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Transfer preserves to a large glass jar or several smaller jars with a sealed lid and place in the refrigerator. Store refrigerated for up to 2 months (or possibly longer, I haven’t tried it!). Enjoy!
NOTE: You don’t have to peel the peaches. You can if you want, but the skins break down nicely when heated, so save yourself the time and just dice the peaches as-is!
