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 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 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.
Sandy says
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!
Chrysti Benner says
What a fabulous idea to add strawberries–that sounds delicious, Sandy! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Emily says
When is the vanilla added? I don’t see it in the instructions.
Chrysti Benner says
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!
Ann says
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
Chrysti Benner says
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! 🙂
Charlotte says
Loved this! Thank you for sharing
Chrysti Benner says
Thank you, Charlotte! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lindsey says
How do you not get a burn notice for this recipe when it is under pressure?
Chrysti Benner says
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! 🙂
Dawn says
I don’t have a Instant pot. Can I follow the recipe for stove top? Any changes?
Thanks!
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Dawn! That should work fine–just be sure to stir often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot! Enjoy! 🙂
Laura says
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.
Chrysti Benner says
Hi Laura! What a great problem to have. 🙂 It should be fine to double the recipe. Enjoy!
Ashley Verhagen says
How long is it good in the fridge/freezer following your directions?
Chrysti Benner says
It should keep well in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, and up to 12 months in the freezer. Enjoy! 🙂
Stephanie Hall says
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!
Chrysti Benner says
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! 🙂
Lee says
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.
Chrysti Benner says
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! 🙂