Peach Jelly
Homemade peach jelly is a smooth, golden preserve made with Sure-Jell or Ball Classic powdered pectin. Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, this recipe works equally well with fresh whole peaches or with peach peels and scraps left over from canning peaches, peach jam, or peach pie.
Servings: 96 servings, makes 6 half pint (8 oz) jars
Ingredients
For Peach Juice:
- 4 lbs peaches fresh, fully ripe, see notes for peach peel jelly variation
- 2 cups water
For the Peach Jelly:
- 4 cups peach juice strained, from above
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh or bottled
- 1 box Powdered Pectin 1.75 oz Sure-Jell or Ball Classic regular powdered pectin, 6 Tbsp if bulk pectin
- 5 1/2 cups sugar
Instructions
Extract the Juice
- For fresh whole peaches: peel, pit, and chop into 1-inch pieces. Place in a heavy-bottomed pot with 2 cups water (about 1/2 cup per pound). Bring to a boil, mashing occasionally, then simmer 20 to 30 minutes until the peaches have completely fallen apart.
- For peach peels and scraps: place in a heavy-bottomed pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, mashing occasionally, then simmer 20 to 30 minutes until the peels have given up their color and flavor.
- Transfer the cooked mixture to a dampened jelly bag or strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip undisturbed for at least 2 hours, or overnight for more juice. Don't squeeze the bag; squeezing clouds the finished jelly.
- Measure 4 cups of strained peach juice for the next stage.
Make Peach Jelly
- Prepare half-pint canning jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing, and keeping warm. Have lids and rings ready.
- Combine the peach juice and bottled lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed jam pot. Whisk in the powdered pectin until fully dissolved.
- Bring to a hard rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently and skimming any foam. Add the sugar all at once and stir constantly until fully dissolved. Return to a hard rolling boil that can't be stirred down, and boil hard for exactly 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and quickly skim off any remaining foam.
Canning Peach Jelly
- Ladle the hot jelly into prepared half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean and apply two-piece canning lids fingertip tight.
- Process the filled jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude — see notes).
- When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for another 5 minutes before lifting them out. This helps prevent siphoning.
- Cool on a towel for 12 to 24 hours, check seals, and refrigerate any unsealed jars. Sealed jars keep on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months.
Notes
Yield: About 6 half-pint (8 oz) jars.
Altitude adjustment: Process 10 minutes at 0 to 6,000 feet, 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.
Lemon juice is highly recommended for flavor, color, and to help the pectin gel reliably. Yellow peaches are high in acid (pH 3.3 to 3.6) and safe for water bath canning on their own, so the lemon juice here is for quality, not safety. Either fresh or bottled lemon juice works. For white-flesh peaches, use bottled lemon juice instead, since white peaches can have pH above 4.6 and bottled juice has consistent acidity.
Don't double the recipe. Larger batches don't heat evenly and may not set properly. Make two single batches back-to-back instead.
Don't squeeze the jelly bag. Squeezing releases solids that cloud the finished jelly.
Be patient with setting. Pectin can take 24 to 48 hours to fully set, and some batches may take up to a week.
Pectin alternatives: For a low-sugar version, use Sure-Jell Low Sugar (pink box) or Ball Flex Batch Low Sugar with reduced sugar following the package directions. Pomona's Universal Pectin works with any sugar level (or honey or maple syrup) but produces a softer set.
Peach peel variation: Skip the fresh peaches and make this jelly from peach peels and scraps left over from canning peaches, peach jam, or peach pie. Use about 1 pound of peach peels and scraps for every 1 cup of juice you want to extract (so 4 pounds of peels for one batch). Place the peels in a heavy-bottomed pot with just enough water to cover (about 5 to 6 cups), bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the peels have given up their color and flavor. Strain through a jelly bag for at least 2 hours, then proceed with the recipe as written. Use organic peaches when working with peels, since peach skins concentrate pesticide residue.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Tbsp | Calories: 55kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.02g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.005g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 0.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.05mg
