Make a Batch of Peach Freezer Jam!
Peach jam is a delicious way to preserve some of your peach harvest for winter. But sometimes you just don’t have enough fruit (or time) to can a batch of jam. This recipe for peach freezer jam is super easy to make, requires no cooking, and it has less sugar than most jam. What’s not to love about that?!
How to Make Peach Freezer Jam
If you are making this recipe using frozen peaches you’ll need to thaw them before starting. Remove them from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or defrost them in the microwave.
How to Peel the Peaches
To make peach freezer jam with fresh peaches, start by washing and peeling peaches. The easiest way to peel peaches is by blanching them for 2 or 3 minutes in boiling water and then quickly dunking them in ice water. The skins should slip right off. If the peaches were picked too green this method may not work as well.
Crush the Peaches
Next, you need to crush the peaches. I use an old chopper that my Mom gave me…it works great, but I had nightmares about chopping off a finger with it when I was a kid.
Measure exactly 4 cups of crushed peaches and pour them into your mixing bowl.
Note: Freezer jam is not as thick as canned jam. If you want thicker freezer jam, measure 4 cups of peaches and pour them into a saucepan. Bring them to a boil on your stovetop then remove them from the heat. Continue with the following instructions.
Mix the Ingredients
Add 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice and 1 & 1/2 cups of sugar to the peaches. Blend the ingredients well and allow to stand for 10 minutes. The sugar will pull some of the juices from the fruit.
Add the Pectin
Gradually add the freezer jam pectin to the fruit, stirring it in thoroughly. I used Mrs. Wages No Cook Freezer Jam Pectin and it worked very well. (I did not boil the peaches to make a thicker jam and I may try that in the future.)
Stir the jam for 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom to incorporate all of the ingredients. Set a timer to make sure you stir for the required amount of time.
Note: If you use another brand I recommend that you follow their instructions.
Finishing Up Your Peach Freezer Jam
Ladle the jam into freezer containers, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature to thicken. Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.
My family is really enjoying this peach freezer jam! I followed the recipe on Mrs. Wages’s website using sugar. I may try the recipe again using a stevia blend sweetener.
Peach Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups peaches crushed
- 3 tbsps lemon juice bottled
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 packet Mrs. Wages No Cook Freezer Jam Pectin
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and crush peaches.
- Frozen Peaches – allow to thaw in refrigerator or defrost in the microwave.
- Measure 4 cups of crushed peaches into a mixing bowl or saucepan.
- For thicker jam, bring peaches to a boil and remove from heat. Continue with following instructions.
- Add lemon juice and sugar to peaches and combine thoroughly.
- Let peach mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- Slowly stir pectin into peaches, combining thoroughly.
- Stir mixture for 3 minutes. Set a timer to be sure you stir for the required time.
- Ladle jam into freezer containers, leaving 1/2" headspace.
- Allow the jam to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Place in refrigerator and use within 3 weeks or label with date and contents and freeze for up to 1 year.
Notes
Easy Peach Freezer Jam is a Delicious Way to Preserve the Harvest!
This recipe is really easy and takes very little time. It allows you to make a small batch of peach jam in much less time than it takes to can jam. I like the fact that this recipe uses much less sugar than most freezer jam, so you really taste the fruit and not the sugar.
But what if you don’t have any pectin on hand? Or maybe you don’t want any sugar at all and would prefer to sweeten your jam with honey or maple syrup?
I decided to try making some pectin-free freezer jam with no refined white sugar for several reasons.
- I am decreasing refined sugar in my diet
- Replacing white sugar with another sweetener in this freezer jam recipe may affect the jam set
- I wanted control over the sweetener in my freezer jam without having really runny jam
So here’s what I did…
Mango-Peach Freezer Jam with No Pectin & No Refined Sugar
I had extra peaches on hand after making my peach freezer jam recipe, above. I also had some mangos that were on sale. So I decided to try making a no-pectin, no-refined sugar freezer jam with peaches and mangos! (I actually made 3 batches of freezer jam…the other recipe for Mango-Peach Freezer Jam using pectin and sugar will be published soon!)
Make this recipe with half peaches and half mangos or use only peaches (or only mangos!) depending on what you have on hand. The instructions are the same as above, but the ingredients are different. Here’s the recipe…
Mango-Peach Freezer Jam with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
- 2 cups mango crushed
- 2 cups peaches crushed
- 3 tbsps lemon juice bottled
- 2 – 4 tbsps honey
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and crush the fruit. Measure and pour into a mixing bowl.
- Add lemon juice and honey, combine well.
- Add chia seeds, combine well.
- Allow the jam to stand for 10 minutes. Stir well.
- Place bowl in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Stir again.
- Ladle the jam into freezer containers, leaving 1/2" headspace. Label the containers.
- Refrigerate and use within 2 to 3 weeks or freeze and use within 1 year.
Notes
Now I Want to Make More Jam with Chia Seeds!
I’m really enjoying this jam made with chia seeds and I’m hatching plans to try replacing the pectin in more of my jam recipes. The honey tastes great and I like this jam with just a touch of sweetener. It really helps to have some recipes that I can make and enjoy while the rest of the family is scarfing down jam with sugar! ( I was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic and eliminating refined white sugar is my goal.)
Do you like making easy freezer jam or do you prefer canning jam for shelf-stable preservation? Leave a comment!
You might also be interested in my instructions for Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam, How to Make Jam from Frozen Fruit, How to Make Blueberry Jam, How to Make Cranberry Jam, Strawberry Jam Low Sugar Recipe, Vanilla Rhubarb Jam, and How to Make Cherry Jam from Scratch.
How much does this recipe yield?
I believe it was about 1 quart for the freezer jam recipe and 6 half-pint jars for the canned recipe.
That looks delicious! We have only ever made strawberry jam but I’m thinking peach jam would be wonderful in a few more weeks when fresh peaches will be available. Pinned.
Thanks, Joanne!
I really enjoyed this freezer jam, I hope you do too!
I wish peaches would grow well here in WA! We love peaches around here. But whenever we buy them, we happen to eat them all before I can ever make anything with them.
Thanks for sharing with us on the Homestead Blog hop!
-Cherelle
Hi Cherelle!
I have the worst luck growing peaches here…every peach tree I’ve planted was killed by a frigid winter just about the time it was old enough to bear fruit…even the ‘hardy’ varieties. 🙁 I plan to try again with some new trees next spring because I’m a hopeless optimist, lol!
I hope you get a chance to try this jam. I think I needed about 6 peaches…so if you find a deal, buy a few extra!
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
That looks really good, and I like how you can add mango for a more summery jam. Pinning to try soon!
Thank you, Jasmine! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
I am seeing mangos on sale at the grocery store a lot this time of year. I’m going to try some more mango jam and share that soon. Yum!