Easy No-Peel Instant Pot Peach Jam
This easy peach jam is cooked in the Instant Pot, with no added pectin needed!
If you’re looking for an easy Instant Pot peach jam recipe, this is the perfect way to put summer into a jar!
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Peaches are one of my very favorite summer fruits. Biting into a rosy ripe peach while the juices drip down my wrists in rivulets is one of life’s simple pleasures.
Here in Nashville, where I live, it can be a little difficult to find juicy, ripe peaches during the summer. Too often the peaches from the grocery store are mealy and underwhelming.
My favorite peaches come from The Peach Truck, which brings peaches from a family farm in Georgia to be sold at local stands and farmers’ markets (they also ship and travel to out-of-state locations, too!).
I love to use the perfectly ripe peaches for Ninja Creami peach sorbet, peach quick bread, peach sour cream pound cake, deep dish peach pie, topped with a honey lime dressing for fruit, and in this easy Instant Pot peach jam!
It’s the perfect small batch peach jam recipe, which you can double if you’d like! I also follow this method to make pineapple jam and strawberry jam in the Instant Pot!
This is one of my favorite Instant Pot jam recipes, and once you make it, I think you’ll agree!
Making Peach Jam without Pectin
The first type of jam I ever learned to make was homemade peach jam. It was just three simple ingredients–peaches, sugar, and lemon juice.
Many jam recipes call for pectin, which is what gives the jam a gel-like consistency.
I don’t always have pectin on hand, but that’s no problem, because lemons are actually naturally high in pectin! Adding the lemon juice not only helps to brighten the flavor of the peaches, but it also helps the consistency.
How to Make Peach Jam in the Instant Pot
It’s really easy to make your peach jam in the pressure cooker! There’s no need for store-bought pectin and no need to even peel the peaches!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Peaches
- Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Vanilla extract (optional)
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Prepare the peaches. First, you’ll chop up the peaches, discarding the peach pits (no need to peel them–the peels just melt right into the jam!).
Add the slices to a food processor and pulse a few times, just to get them finely chopped up. You don’t want to puree them!
The sizes of the pieces won’t be totally uniform–some chunks will be large, while other pieces will be tiny. That variation is what we’re going for.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply chop them up finely by hand or use a potato masher to mash them up a bit.
Put the peaches into the insert pot of the Instant Pot.
Add sugar and lemon juice. Next, you’ll add the sugar and lemon juice and give everything a good stir to combine.
Pressure cook. Set a cook time of one minute at high pressure. After the cook time is complete, allow a 15-minute natural release of pressure, followed by a quick release of remaining pressure.
Simmer. When you first open the pressure cooker, the ingredients will be kind of soupy. That’s okay! Go ahead and add the vanilla extract at this point, if using.
Use the Saute function to simmer the contents, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and passes a spoon test (see below for instructions). This usually takes about 10-15 minutes.
Just be sure you are stirring frequently while simmering, otherwise your peaches will scorch at the bottom of the insert pot!
Ladle into jars and cool. Transfer the jam into clean jars and allow it to cool to room temperature before putting them in the fridge or freezer.
I love to serve this on homemade dinner rolls or biscuits, or over a stack of homemade fluffy pancakes! You could also swirl it into some homemade Instant Pot yogurt or single-serve oatmeal.
How to Do a Spoon Test for Peach Jam
Jam thickens and gels more as it cools, so it can be a little tricky to know how long to simmer it, since it’s going to thicken more after we stop simmering it.
This is where the spoon test can be helpful!
While the jam is simmering, put a couple of spoons in the freezer to get nice and cold.
As the jam starts to thicken, quickly dip a cold spoon into the jam and pull it back out, watching to see if the jam starts to gel up on the spoon. If so, it’s done! If the jam is still pretty runny and doesn’t gel, it needs to cook a bit more.
Notes and Adaptations:
- This recipe is for jam suitable for refrigerating or freezing. If you want to properly and safely can your jam to be shelf stable, you should follow instructions for proper preservation. You can also read more guidelines about preserving jam made without pectin.
- I have not tested this recipe with frozen peaches. If you want to try using frozen peaches, I’d recommend thawing them first and draining off extra liquid.
- Jam foams while cooking, which is why we use a 15 minute natural release to allow the foam to subside before opening the vent. However, if when you open the vent you still have foam spewing out, quickly close the vent and wait a couple of minutes before attempting to open the vent again.
- I haven’t tested this recipe with canned peaches. If you have some you need to use up, try these ideas for what to make with canned peaches.
Recommended Equipment:
- Freezer-safe jars – I love these quilted half-pint jars
- Funnel for transferring jam into the jars – I like this collapsible funnel because it stores in a drawer easily
- Ladle
- Dissolvable labels for jars – This are super handy because they wash right off of the jars
- Instant Pot
- Food processor or potato masher
Easy Instant Pot Peach Jam
This deliciously sweet peach jam cooks in the Instant Pot, preserving summer in the best way!
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs fresh ripe peaches (approx. 8 small-medium peaches)
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Pit and chop the peaches (no need to peel!).
- Add them to a food processor and pulse 3-5 times to coarsely chop them--do not puree. If you don't have a food processor, you can mash them with a potato masher or finely chop by hand.
- Add peaches to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until combined.
- Close lid and set vent to the sealed position. Select a cook time of 1 minute at high pressure. After the cook time is complete, allow a 15 minute natural release followed by a quick release of remaining pressure. Press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
- After pressure has released and valve has dropped, carefully remove lid. If using vanilla extract, add it now.
- Use the Saute button to simmer the contents, stirring often, allowing the jam to thicken until it passes the spoon test (see text above for details on performing a spoon test).
Notes
- This jam is for refrigeration or freezing. If you desire to can the jam for shelf-stable preservation, see guidelines for doing so safely.
- I have not tested this recipe with frozen peaches. If you want to try using frozen peaches, I'd recommend thawing them first and draining off extra liquid.
- Jam foams while cooking, which is why we use a 15 minute natural release to allow the foam to subside before opening the vent. However, if when you open the vent you still have foam spewing out, quickly close the vent and wait a couple of minutes before attempting to open the vent again.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
2 TbspAmount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
This is such an easy recipe to make! I love that it uses the instant pot. I didn’t have enough peaches on hand so I added strawberries to the peaches until I had 2.5 pounds. This was absolutely delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
What a fabulous idea to add strawberries–that sounds delicious, Sandy! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your kind words! 🙂
When is the vanilla added? I don’t see it in the instructions.
Hi Emily! Thank you so much for catching that omission! I add the vanilla in after pressure cooking. I’ll update the recipe to include that information!
I reluctantly tried this recipe. It was so good I’ve made two batches already. The first time I follow the instructions exactly. The second time I switched out some of the white sugar for brown sugar and it was still great. I think I prefer the batch with a quarter cup of brown sugar. Thanks for sharing
Hi Ann! What a great idea to add some brown sugar–I bet that deepens the flavor and color a bit. I’ll have to try that next time! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for sharing your adaptation! 🙂
Loved this! Thank you for sharing
Thank you, Charlotte! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
How do you not get a burn notice for this recipe when it is under pressure?
Hi Lindsey! The peaches will start to release their juices as they cook (the sugar and chopping/mashing also helps with this process), so although there isn’t much liquid in the recipe, the juices from the peaches creates enough liquid for it to pressurize. I’ve never had the burn notice when making jam in the Instant Pot, but I suppose if the fruit isn’t very juicy, that could present a problem. Also be sure your vent is sealed to help prevent a burn notice. I hope that helps! 🙂
I don’t have a Instant pot. Can I follow the recipe for stove top? Any changes?
Thanks!
Hi Dawn! That should work fine–just be sure to stir often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot! Enjoy! 🙂
Have you ever doubled the recipe? I have so many peaches from my tree and would like to be able to make as much as possible at one time.
Hi Laura! What a great problem to have. 🙂 It should be fine to double the recipe. Enjoy!
How long is it good in the fridge/freezer following your directions?
It should keep well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, and up to 12 months in the freezer. Enjoy! 🙂
Just made my first batch! So quick and easy. I am doing a water bath so it will have a shelf life. The small amount left over …for the frig.. is absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to try this recipe with my home grown strawberries!
Thank you so much, Stephanie! I’m happy to hear that you are already enjoying the jam and also have some set aside for later! 🙂
Hi, I have a question. I just bought an instant pot so I’m still experimenting with it. When I put everything in, my instant pot was in a preheat faze for about fifteen minutes before it did its work on the peaches. Then, when I released the pressure after ten minutes, a TON of liquid came out. Like, all over the counter and floor. Is there something I should do differently or is this normal and I just need to add a towel around the instant pot before cooking? Other than that, the recipe turned out great – the flavor is amazing, and I’m just waiting on the jam to set before using it.
Hi Lee! It’s normal for it to take some time for the pot to preheat and come to pressure. But it’s not normal to have liquid come spewing out all over your counter and floor–I wonder if a piece was missing from your pressure release vent? There’s a shield that covers the opening of the vent on the inside of the lid, and some models have a shield over the pressure release vent on the outside of the pot as well. It’s normal to see steam release when you do your pressure release, but it shouldn’t spew everywhere. If it does, you can always close the vent again and wait a few minutes more for some pressure to decrease naturally, then try opening it again. I hope that helps! 🙂
This recipe is absolutely phenomenal!! My Mama Bear and I go to the local peach orchard every year, and always talk about what we should make. This year we finally made something, and we landed on your recipe here. OH EM GEE, GAME CHANGER!! At the end, we decided against the vanilla, HOWEVER, I added a few dashes of cinnamon after completing the saute. HOLY MOLY, DELISH!! 100 STARS, ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND!! Thank you so much for sharing this WONDERFUL and low ingredient recipe to the masses, it has started a fruit jam craze with Mama and I!! Making 4 more batches as I type haha!!
But QUESTION! If we double the batch, do we need to double the cook and/or natural depressurizing time?
Bon apetite!
Hi Bernadette! Thank you so much for your kind words–what a great compliment! I’m so glad you and your mama enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 You should be able to double the recipe without changing the cook time. It’s possible it may take a little bit longer to let the foam subside before depressurizing. Maybe give it 18 minutes before doing the quick release? I hope that helps!
Can you make this with nectarines without peeling
Hi Cathy! I’ve never tried it personally, but I imagine it would work just fine! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out. 😉
Could you use Splenda with recipe?
That’s a great question, Tammie! I have never tried using a sugar substitute when making jam, so I’m honestly not sure if it would work. I think it would work fine for sweetening the jam, I’m just not positive if it would affect the consistency of the jam. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it works out!
I made using sugar free maple syrup in place of the honey, and some cinnamon/nutmeg because I like my jam with spices. The maple flavor came through beautifully! The biggest problem was not eating it hot while sautéing! After the pressure dropped and I started to sauté, I put some in a small bowl to check spice levels and it was heavenly, like a hot peach pie! The spice level was perfect, but I kept trying to be sure lol. I had to sauté longer to reduce as much as I like. Currently cooling on the counter… hope some actually makes it into the fridge! Heading to the orchard tomorrow for more peaches!
Thank you so much for sharing your tweaks–it sounds delicious! 🙂
I made this yesterday and the jam never set . I followed the recipe and boiled for about 15 minutes after releasing pressure. Any ideas?
Hi Lindsay! I’m sorry to hear that! Did it set after it had cooled? Sometimes it will seem runny while it’s in the pot, but cooling it will allow it to gel (that’s why the spoon test is helpful for checking). I’d recommend letting it chill in the fridge for 24 hours to see if it ends up thickening. If not, it may have just needed to cook longer in order to set. As a last-ditch effort to save it, you could probably whisk in a tablespoon or so of powdered pectin and boil it again, which should help it thicken up. I hope that helps! 🙂