Peach Freezer Jam (No Canning Involved)
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It’s never been simpler to make jam, thanks to this easy peach freezer jam recipe. The best part is, there’s no canning involved and it delivers only the freshest fruit flavors.
One of my favorite things to look forward to at the end of the summer is freezer jam! I love to have it on hand so that I always have it ready when I get around to making fresh bread! There’s nothing better than a good, thick slathering on a hot slice of fresh bread.
I really enjoy canning jams and fruit butters, but they just don’t compare in taste to the freshness you get from making freezer jam. If you’re wondering what freezer jam is, it’s a method of making jam that doesn’t involve cooking the fruit. As a result, it is about as close as you can get to the fresh taste of just-picked peaches, strawberries, or whatever other fruit you happen to be graced with.
With no cooking involved, four ingredients, and the simplest canning process imaginable, this is also the easiest jam to make. All you have to do is wash your jars, fill them, let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then place them in the freezer. That’s it! Keep a jar in your fridge to use and just grab another one out of the freezer when you need more. Have I convinced you to give it a go? Once you serve this jam with Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe or freshly baked bread you will want to eat this jam daily.
For instructions on traditional canning to use with other jam and preserve recipes, see my canning post.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar
- Ripe peaches
- Sure-Jell fruit pectin (or your preferred fruit pectin used for making jams and jellies).
- Lemon juice (either from an actual lemon or a lemon juice bottle).
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Peel and slice up your peaches.
Having a really sharp paring knife around the kitchen is essential. If you’ve had problems peeling fruits or veggies in the past, it was more likely your knife rather than your own lack of skill! I have five or six really good paring knives and I just couldn’t live without those things! Click below for links to two of my favorite knives. (Affiliate links. I make a very tiny percentage per purchase)
Here are my peaches, all cut up.
Now we’re going to take those diced peaches and mush them up really good with a potato masher.
It is amazing how many uses this thing has! If you don’t have one, you can use a fork and it will just take a bit longer.
Jam Tip
This procedure is the same for strawberry freezer jam and most others. I’ve only made strawberry and peach but the package has instructions for many other kinds as well (apricot, blueberry, cherry, mango, raspberry, etc). Some types of fruit will need more sugar but the exact amounts are listed on a chart inside the package.
Measure out your sugar into a large bowl.
And then measure out three cups of fruit.
There might be some left that you don’t use. You’re just gonna have to eat that. I know, it’s a tough job.
Add lemon juice.
Stir up this peach mixture well and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the sugar can dissolve.
Meanwhile, place water in a saucepan (exact amounts below) and pour in the Sure-Jell.
Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil for one minute.
Pour into fruit and stir that up well.
The easy canning process
Set up your station of clean sterilized jars, a cup to pour the jam in with, lids, and a wet paper towel or dishcloth.
I LOVE my canning funnel but you don’t have to use one. You can just pour and wipe off the excess, but the funnel is inexpensive and well worth the convenience!
A little tip: Purchase your canning supplies off season or at the beginning of summer. They get super hard to find towards the end of summer!
Pour your fruit into the canning jars, leaving one inch of space between the fruit and the top.
This is known as “headspace”.
Repeat until you get all of your jam in jars.
Note: Nine times out of 10, a recipe will tell you it makes a certain amount of jars and it will always be more. This recipe said it would make six jars and I have eight. So be prepared with extra jars for convenience’s sake.
Wipe around the top and side threads of each jar with a wet paper towel.
This is to remove any sticky fruit that may have spilled onto it and ensure your jar seals properly.
If you skip this step, it will always tell on you because people will need a vice-like grip to get the jar open later. I’ve had this happen the first time I canned and it was very embarrassing knowing that I had ignored my Grandmother’s wisdom on this.
Place a lid on each jar and then seal it with a ring (the part that screws on).
Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
After that time has passed you can put some in the fridge to begin using immediately and store the rest in the freezer.
You will now be rewarded for your efforts with the FRESHEST tasting peach jam you’ve ever had in your life!
Storage
- Peach freezer jam can’t be stored at room temperature. Instead, store your open can of jam in the fridge for up to six weeks. Your remaining jars will last in the freezer for up to one year.
Recipe Notes
- I am using the instructions on my package of Sure-Jell for this tutorial. Your fruit pectin will have instructions inside so if you get a different brand you might want to double-check and make sure they match up with mine. Or just make it easy on yourself and grab this yellow box.
- While you may want to cut back on the sugar, I strongly discourage this.
Recipe FAQs
What’s the best peach to use in peach freezer jam?
Any freestone peach variety will work perfectly in this recipe. You can also opt to use frozen peaches rather than fresh peaches. Just make sure you thaw the peaches to room temperature and don’t drain the excess juice! Pop that in your jam as well.
What container do I use to store my freezer jam?
You can store your peach freezer jam in either glass mason jars or any freezer-friendly plastic container. I usually grab this set at Walmart.
Why is my freezer jam runny?
Your homemade jam might be runny if your peaches are extra juicy. If this is the case, you can make up another Sure-Jell batch and add half to the mixture at a time.
Why is my peach freezer jam cloudy?
Your peach jam might be cloudy if it hasn’t been adequately stirred or your peaches were under-ripe.
What do I serve with peach freezer jam?
Spread your delicious jam on freshly baked bread, cornbread, apple cinnamon bread, or buttermilk biscuits. Alternatively, spread it over cream cheese on crackers or enjoy a scoop with some vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Here are more recipes to make with your peaches:
Easy Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler Recipe
Lela’s Fried Peach Pies (The Ole Fashioned Way)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs peaches enough to make 3 cups of mashed peaches
- 4 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 box Sure-Jell can use another brand, but check their instructions
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Peel and slice peaches, then mash them up with a potato masher or fork. They will be lumpy but that is okay.2 lbs peaches
- Measure out the sugar in a large bowl. Measure 3 cups of peaches and add to the sugar. Add lemon juice. Stir well and set aside so sugar can dissolve.4 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice
- In a saucepot, place 3/4 cup of water. Add fruit pectin (Sure-Jell). Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for one minute, then pour it into the fruit mixture. Stir well until all sugar is dissolved.1 box Sure-Jell
- Pour into clean 8 ounce jars (or plastic containers of choice) and leave 1-inch of headspace (instructions on the package say leave 1/2 an inch, but most recipes say leave one so I go with tradition here). Using a damp paper towel, wipe around the rim and sides of the jar to remove any residue. Place lids on jars and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- After that time, place in the freezer until ready to use. Store opened jars you are using in the fridge.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
-Winston Churchill
Christy,
Last summer when I was researching fig preserve recipes, I stumbled upon some information about the lemon juice. Apparently, the lemon is needed for the mixture to be a safe acidity–again with the botulism thing….anyway, the article stated that bottled lemon juice should always be used because the acidity is regulated (every brand, everywhere is the same acidity). They warned against using fresh lemon because lemons differ from variety to variety.
Going to the Raleigh, NC Farmer’s Market tomorrow with my mom to get peaches and tomatoes to can! WooHoo! Busy time of year!
WOW! I think I can manage this one. Sounds awesome and fun to try. I wish I had learned how to can when my grandmother was living but sadly I didn’t. I am going to try this asap! Thanks Christy!! You’re a sweetheart for sharing this 🙂
I did it!!!!! 🙂 I’m so proud of myself. Not that I’m not a good cook, but canning seemed to be a daunting task. I live in ‘peach country’, so it is only right that I learn how to do this! I put up 7 pints of freezer (elberta) peach jam last night, and it took no more than 30 minutes. I had some on my toast thismorning and was quite impressed with myself. Thanks for your encouragement. (The GA peach crop has been especially good this year!)
Candi, what kind of peaches did you use for the freeze jam. We made some a couple of years ago but don`t remember the name of the Peaches.
I am trying my hand at freezer jam with peaches. Just picked some up in SC and they are amazing.
I saw a post earlier, like back in august of 09 for fried corn. I want to freeze corn the way I cut it off the cob for my fried corn but wasn’t sure how to do it.
Now my question about freezing the corn is … do I freeze it just after cutting off the cob or prepare it as if I’m going to serve it and let it cool and then freeze it
I just started making fried corn this year. I am fixing as if I’m serving it and then freezing it. However, my grandmother does it both ways and just writes on the bag which type it is.
We actually do fried corn a little differently. We don’t use the butter or the bacon grease (I can hear all your gasps! LOL!) We actually just fry up some fatback and use that grease to fry the corn. I’m gonna be getting some more corn to freeze this weekend. One of the local stores has a coupon for 10 ears for $1!
Hi Christy,
Thanks for the recipe…I just found it couple of days ago and tried it tonight. Well…instead of mashing up the peaches like you said, I pureed them to make the 3 cups. Now, looking back..I think that was wrong of me to do because the jam is now really liquidy and it looks like it won’t set. Any suggestions on how to save this batch?
Thanks!!
I love peaches and plan to try this freezer jam! Every summer I make jam and try new recipes. Here’s one that I made about 6 batches of last summer and gave as gifts. The GM infuses and gives a subtle hint of flavor but does not overpower the blueberries.
Hugs,
Evelyn
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Blueberry-Grand-Marnier-Jam-41201
I just saw this recipe this morning and couldn’t believe how easy freezer jam is to make! Peaches aren’t ripe yet, but strawberries are on sale $5 for 4 pounds (not bad for Alaska in early May, all the ice hasn’t even thawed from the ponds yet!). I bought my ingredients, then had the whole batch done in less than an hour! It tastes so good and isn’t even set up completely yet. I ended up buying Ball brand no cook, less sugar pectin. It only called for 1.5 cups sugar for 4 cups of strawberries. It tastes plenty sweet to us. I can’t wait for it to set up. I’m so glad I saw this recipe and will definitely make peach jam when the peaches are ripe!