A lightly sweetened refined sugar-free peach preserve consisting of fresh peaches, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla – made simple in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
My neighbors kindly gifted me some fresh Carolina peaches when they returned from their vacation down in South Carolina. Some of the peaches were very ripe and needed to be used right away.
There are so many things I can make with fresh peaches. Initially, I was torn between making a peach buckle or peach ice cream; but I decided to make and share my Instant Pot Peach Preserves instead. Â
Besides, I was almost out of my apricot preserves and needed something tasty on my toast. And if you’ve checked out my website’s name, you know how much I love toast!
I like this Instant Pot Peach Preserves recipe because it is very simple and easy to make, it doesn’t call for any strange ingredients, and it doesn’t contain as much sugar as other preserves or jam recipes.  Some recipes call for as much as four cups of sugar for four cups of fruit.  That’s a lot of sugar. I find it wholly unnecessary.
The key to this recipe is using very ripe peaches.  They’re naturally sweeter and contain more juice.  And since the skin is so thin, you don’t have to peel the peaches, unless you really feel the urge. The other thing that is important to note is the texture you choose depends on what you’d like to do with your peach preserves, as well as your personal preference.
For instance, if you’d like to have spoonable chunky fruit over yogurt, ice cream, or waffles, definitely leave your peach preserves chunky. I always make a chunky batch specifically for this reason. If you are going to reserve your peach preserves primarily for sandwiches or toast, I recommend you mash or puree your peaches so that your peach preserves spread easily on your bread or toast.
If you only have so many peaches, you can enjoy both textures with one batch. Simply ladle the portion you want to remain chunky into your jars, then use your masher, immersion blender, or food processor to puree the remaining peach preserves. That way, you get the best of both worlds!
The process couldn’t be easier. Again, I never peel my peaches.  For one thing, the skin contains a lot of nutrients and flavor, but they also break down very well during the cooking process.  I also think the skins contribute greatly to the splendid color of these peach preserves. Â
Which brings up a really good point. About two-thirds of my peaches in the chunky photos are white peaches, the remaining are yellow peaches. This can absolutely affect the color, but that doesn’t matter much to me. If you prefer a more traditional vibrant peach-colored preserve or jam, you’ll want to use yellow peaches. But I digress….
Simply rinse your ripe peaches in fresh water. Then slice the peaches in half, remove and discard the stones, and chop up the fruit. You can dice them up real fine or you can coarsely chop them up like I do. Transfer your peaches to the Instant Pot, stir in the maple syrup and lemon juice, attach the lid, and cook on Manual/High Pressure for two minutes.
Once the pressure releases naturally, remove the lid, and cook the peaches for 15-20 minutes using the sauté function, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are broken down and the jam has thickened up a little <–It’s important to stir your peaches to avoid them from sticking to the bottom. This is especially true if you’ve blended them. Please note that the peach preserves will thicken up slightly once cool and canned, but not too much.
Meanwhile, you can break up or mash any larger pieces while your peaches are cooking. You can use an immersion blender to make a jam-like preserve for easier spreading, if desired. If you’d like to make them even smoother (like apple butter), transfer the peach preserves to a blender or food processor. These peaches are delicious regardless. When you’re satisfied with the texture and consistency, press cancel and stir in the vanilla.
Now here’s the fun part. You have the option to can, refrigerate, or freeze your preserves. If you’d like to can your Instant Pot Peach Preserves, transfer the hot mixture into sterilized glass jars. Cover with corresponding sealing lids and canning rings. Then turn the jars upside down for 15-20 minutes.
Now turn the jars right-side up and allow the preserves to continue cooling to room temperature. If sealed properly, you can store your sealed Instant Pot Peach Preserves in a cool dry pantry for three to six months.
However, if the jars do not seal properly or if you don’t use sealing lids, that’s completely okay. Simply store your peach preserves in air-tight jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months. You’ll know whether or not you achieved a proper canning seal if there is no give on the lid when you press down on the center with your finger.
If you don’t know what I mean, literally press your finger down in the center of the sealing lid. If it gives or moves or you hear a slight popping sound as you press down, the jar did not get a good seal and must be refrigerated or frozen.
If you’re going to freeze this peach preserves in jars, you’ll need to leave some room as you fill the jars. I typically leave between one-half inch and one inch, depending on the size of the jar. This empty space at the top of the jar allows for expansion during the freezing process. If you don’t leave enough room, your glass jar may break. I may or may not be speaking from experience….
Store your Instant Pot Peach Preserves in the freezer for three to six months. When you’re ready to use your preserves, simply thaw the jar in the refrigerator for one to two days. When thawed, you can use your preserves or jam as you normally would.
I love this peach preserve because it is delicious and extremely versatile. Obviously, you can use this Instant Pot Peach Preserves on toast, toasted English muffins, or to make peanut butter and peach sandwiches. I especially like spreading almond butter on toasted Banana Bread or zucchini bread then topping with sliced bananas and a drizzle of maple syrup or this peach jam. You gotta try it!!
I also use this Instant Pot Peach Preserves as a glaze on my Zucchini Bundt Cake and cider donuts. Plus, it’s also a great topping on vanilla or peach ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, porridge, pancakes, waffles, and more. Please let me know how you enjoy and use your peach preserves in the comments below.
I hope you enjoy these Instant Pot Peach Preserves as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
And don’t forget to subscribe for new plant-based and vegan recipes today!!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds very ripe peaches
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the peaches well with fresh water.
- Slice the peaches in half to remove the stones.
- Discard the stone, and chop up the fruit.
- In the Instant Pot insert, stir together the peaches, maple syrup, and lemon juice.
- Make sure the gasket is seated properly, then lock the lid in place and ensure the sealing knob is turned to “sealing”.
- Set for 2 minutes on Pressure Cook (manual/high pressure), then allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Press Cancel and remove the lid.
- Using the sauté function, cook the peaches for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally (this prevents the preserves from sticking/burning), until the peaches are broken down and the preserves have thickened up a bit. Break up any larger pieces, if desired. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to make a smoother jam, if preferred. I like chunky bits in mine, but it depends on how you intend to use them. (The 3rd photo below shows chunky preserves and the 4th photo below shows a smoother jam.)
- Press cancel and stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer the hot jam to sterilized glass jars. Cover the hot preserves with sealing lids and secure with the corresponding canning rings. Turn the jars upside down for 15 minutes. Then turn the jars right-side up and allow the jam to continue cooling to room temperature.*
- Store the sealed jam in a cool dry pantry for 3-6 months.* If the jars did not seal properly, store the jam in air-tight jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.**. The larger photo below shows the center of the lid when it’s properly sealed – you can visibly see an indention circle in the center of the lid.
Notes
* Proper Canning Seal: You’ll know the seal is successful if there is no give on the lid. If you can press down and feel the sealing lid give or move or hear it popping as you press down, the jar did not get a good seal and must be refrigerated or frozen.**. See photo above -it shows the center of the lid when it’s properly sealed – you can visibly see an indention circle in the center of the lid.
** To freeze the peach preserves in jars, ensure you leave at least one-half inch at the top of the jar to allow for expansion during the freezing process. Otherwise, your glass jar may break. When you’re ready to use your peach preserves, simply thaw the jar for 1-2 days in the refrigerator and use as you normally would.
This recipe makes 40-48 ounces of peach preserves or jam.
Instant Pot Peach Preserves
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds very ripe peaches
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Rinse the peaches well with fresh water.
- Slice the peaches in half to remove the stones. Discard the stone, and chop up the fruit.
- In the Instant Pot insert, stir together the peaches, maple syrup, and lemon juice.
- Make sure the gasket is seated properly, then lock the lid in place and ensure the sealing knob is turned to “sealing”.
- Set for 2 minutes on Pressure Cook (manual/high pressure), then allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Press Cancel and remove the lid.
- Using the sauté function, cook the peaches for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally (this prevents the preserves from sticking/burning), until the peaches are broken down and the preserves have thickened up a bit. Break up any larger pieces, if desired. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to make a smoother jam, if preferred.  I like chunky bits in mine.
- Press Cancel and stir in the vanilla.
- Transfer the hot jam to sterilized glass jars. Cover the hot preserves with sealing lids and secure with the corresponding canning rings. Turn the jars upside down for 15 minutes. Then turn the jars right-side up and allow the jam to continue cooling to room temperature.*
- Store the sealed jam in a cool dry pantry for 3-6 months.* If the jars did not seal properly, store the jam in air-tight jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.**