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Canned Peach Recipe With Brown Sugar + Spices | Easy Preserved Peaches

Packed with warm spices and the richness of brown sugar, this canned peach recipe makes the perfect fall treat. Stock up on fresh peaches during peak peach season and bust out your water bath canner for the best peach preserve recipe.

If you love these perfectly spiced canned peaches (southern-style canned peaches), you will also love this Canned Chai Spiced Pear Recipe and this Smoked Peach Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe (with or without an actual smoker). Be sure to comment or leave a review if you try out this recipe- it has become a new family favorite for us!

Recipe At A Glance

  • Jar size: quart / 946 ml
  • Processing Method: water bath
  • Headspace: 1 inch
  • Processing Time: 0-1000 ft = 25 minutes, 1-3000 ft = 20 minutes, 3-6000 ft = 35 minutes
  • Yield: 5 Quart jars/ 20 (1 cup) servings

Different Types of Peach Preserves

Slices + Chunks- This southern comfort recipe calls for your ripe peaches to be sliced into wedges and placed into jars with perfectly spiced, hot syrup ladled overtop. The end product is a beautifully preserved peach chunk or slice that can be eaten as is, mashed, or added to a variety of dishes. This is the closest thing to fresh fruit that you will get when compared to other peach preserves and processing options.

Jams + Jellies- Jams and jellies often require a lot more sugar and cooking time than sliced peaches. The texture and flavour is further from its sliced counterpart and it is transformed into a different end product that can be spread or dipped.

Salsa- If you haven’t added peach salsa to your repertoire… why not!? Peaches pair with other traditional salsa ingredients to make the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

Best Types of Peaches for Canning + Preserving

The two main types of peaches include freestone and clingstone peaches.

Freestone: Freestone peaches are easily found at most grocery stores. The pit easily detaches when sliced making it easy to slice the peach into wedges for canning.

Clingstone: Clingstone peaches are known to be smaller and sweeter than freestone- making them a favourite for canning. Their pit is completely attached, making them a bit harder to separate. Most commercially canned peaches are clingstone peaches.

Final Decision: Both peaches have their pros and cons- clingstone are sweeter and smaller but less easy to purchase. Freestone are easy to find at your local store and easily detach from their pit. I always use freestone because that is what is easily available to me in mid-August in Alberta… use what works best for you!

Tips + Tricks

You don’t need to sterilize your jars for this recipe! Recommendations have changed recently allowing jars to be cleaned with soap and water rather than sterilized if they are being processed in hot jars in a water bath canner for ten minutes or more.

Place your clean jars in the oven at around 175°F to stay warm while you prepare the peaches and syrup.

Decide how sweet you want your peaches to be. Peaches can be canned without sugar safely because of their naturally high acidity. If you choose zero sugar or less sugar, your peaches are likely to discolor and lose their flavor more quickly. It is completely up to you how much sugar you want to add.

Safety first! Use jar tongs when placing jars in the hot water and taking them out to avoid burns, and don’t forget to protect your countertops either. I use a large wooden cutting board to protect my counter from the hot, processed jars.

This recipe can easily be scaled up for bigger batches, or halved for a smaller batch. Your jar size can be halved for pint sized or quartered to use half-pints. Take 5 minutes off processing time for pints and 10 minutes off for half-pints.

Key Ingredients

Peaches Your peaches need to be fairly firm for this recipe…with a little bit of give when pushed on. Too soft and they will fall apart during processing, too hard and their flavour will not have developed yet. For this recipe you will need around 2 pounds of juicy peaches per quart/ or around 10 pounds for this 5 quart recipe. The amount of peaches you will need varies depending on how tightly you pack them, whether your jar is 946ml or a true 1000 ml, and how much wastage you have.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar has equal sweetness to white sugar with a more robust flavor and caramel color. Use dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.

Spices– The warm notes of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg perfectly complement the peaches. If you like stronger flavour, brew a cinnamon stick for 5 minutes with your syrup.

Exactly How to Make Canned Peaches With Brown Sugar + Spices

Step 1. Prepare your canner with water, replace the lid, and start warming it over medium heat. Wash your jars and stow them away in a warm oven (around 175°F). Prepare the seals by placing them in a small sauce pan covered in water (you will bring them to a simmer later)

Step 2. Prepare the syrup. Combine 7 cups water with 2 1/2 cups of sugar (dark brown is best), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 3 tablespoons of citric acid or lemon juice in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then turn down to a high simmer while you finish preparing your peaches.

Step 3. While your syrup is warming, peel the peaches with a vegetable peeler or blanche them (see section below on blanching for this option) and put them in a large bowl with 8 cups water + 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or citric acid. Slice the peaches into wedges or cut them into large chunks of your desired size. Layer them inside of the jars and fill all 5 quarts at once.

Step 4. Ladel hot syrup into the jars being sure to leave about an inch of headspace. This helps prevent spillage while in the canner as well as syphoning when they are removed. It is a good idea to use a canning funnel to help with cleanup afterward! Wipe the glass rims with a clean and damp kitchen towel or a dampened paper towel to remove any sticky residue that may affect the seal. Place the seals onto the jars and tighten the screw bands onto your hot preserves so that they are finger-tight.

Step 5. Carefully place the jars into the water bath canner- make sure that there is about an inch of water overtop of the jars and replace the lid. Keep a close eye on the canner and start the processing time when it is at a full rolling boil. Process quarts for 25 minutes at 0-1000 feet or longer depending on your elevation. Refer to the Processing Time section below.

Step 6. When the processing time is over, remove the lid to your canner and allow the steam to come off for a minute or two. Using a jar lifter, carefully transfer the jars of peaches to a heat-safe surface and let them cool completely. It is a good idea to allow the jars to seal for around 12 hours undisturbed, remove the rings and ensure that the seal stays, and then transfer them to storage.

Processing Time

Here in Alberta, we are at 1700 ft elevation, so I need to process my quart-sized jars of peaches for 30 minutes in boiling water, but chances are you’re not! This will affect how long you must water bath your pears for safety. Check out the chart below for more information:

Don’t forget that the processing time does not begin until the canner is at a full rolling boil.

ElevationProcessing Time
0 – 1000 feet25 minutes
1001 – 3000 feet30 minutes
3001 – 6000 feet35 minutes
6001 – 8000 feet40 minutes
Peach Quarts Processing Time Adjustments for Altitude

To Blanche or Not To Blanche

For this recipe, I decided not to blanche. While blanching is an easy way to peel peaches, it’s also an easy way to over-cook them, and to add to the mess! I’ve got three little ones underfoot and the cooking process can already get quite lengthy (especially when tripling or quadrupling the recipe.)

Because the fresh peaches I’ve used in this spiced peach preserves recipe are somewhat firm, I find them easiest to just quickly peel with a standard vegetable peeler and plop them into a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or citric acid. This prevents them from browning while you finish peeling the rest of them.

If you’re a blanching fan, bring a pot of water to a full boil over medium-high heat, and drop the peaches into the water for 30-60 seconds, then quickly transfer to cold water. To peel after blanching, simply rub off the peach skin and plop them into your lemon water solution until you are ready to slice.

Batch + Storage

This recipe will yield 5 quarts of deliciously spiced peaches for you to enjoy throughout the fall and winter months. Easily double or triple the recipe to suit your family’s needs… I made 35 quarts this season!!

Clearly date and label your canned peaches for storage. Allow them to cool completely in place for around 24 hours. After this time you can remove the jar screw bands and test the seal. Store your peach preserves in a clean, dark, cool place where their color, flavor, and texture will stay for 12-18 months.

Printable Recipe

Canned peaches with brown sugar and spices in a jar with a brown paper label and red and white butcher twine.

Canned Peach Recipe With Brown Sugar + Spices | Easy Preserved Peaches

Yield: 5 Quarts
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Packed with warm spices and the richness of brown sugar, this canned peach recipe makes the perfect fall treat. Stock up on fresh peaches during peak peach season and bust out your water bath canner for the best peach preserve recipe.

Ingredients

  • 10 pounds peaches
  • 2.5 cups brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 3 tablespoons citric acid or lemon juice
  • 7 cups water

Instructions

  1. Prepare your canner with water, replace the lid, and start warming it over medium heat. Wash your jars and stow them away in a warm oven (around 175°F). Prepare the seals by placing them in a small sauce pan covered in water (you will bring them to a simmer later).
  2. Prepare the syrup. Combine 7 cups water with 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 3 tablespoons of citric acid or lemon juice in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then turn down to a high simmer while you finish preparing your peaches.
  3. While your syrup is warming, peel the peaches with a vegetable peeler or blanche them (see section below on blanching for this option) and put them in a large bowl with 8 cups water + 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or citric acid. Slice the peaches into wedges or cut them into large chunks of your desired size. Layer them inside of the jars and fill all 5 quarts at once, with one inch headspace in mind.
  4. Ladle hot syrup into the hot jars being sure to leave about an inch of headspace. This helps prevent spillage while in the canner as well as syphoning when they are removed. Wipe the glass rims with a clean and damp kitchen towel or a dampened paper towel to remove any sticky residue that may affect the seal. Place the seals onto the jars and tighten the screw bands so that they are finger-tight.
  5. Carefully place the jars into the water bath canner- make sure that there is about an inch of water overtop of the jars and replace the lid. Keep a close eye on the canner and start the processing time when it is at a full rolling boil. Process quarts for 25 minutes at 0-1000 feet or longer depending on your elevation. Refer to the Processing Time section below.
  6. When the processing time is over, remove the lid to your canner and allow the steam to come off for a minute or two. Using jar tongs, carefully transfer the jars of peaches to a heat-safe surface and let them cool completely. It is a good idea to allow the jars to seal for around 12 hours undisturbed, remove the screw bands and ensure that the seal is good. Enjoy fresh or transfer them to storage!

Notes

If you have any questions regarding the technicalities of canning, please refer to The National Center for Home Food Preservation and Ball Corporation https://nchfp.uga.edu/ This site offers a wealth of information about safe food preservation techniques.

Refer to the post for processing times at your altitude. A simple search engine check "Elevation for ____" will usually give you your answer.

If you want to process the peaches in a pint jar, reduce the processing time by 5 minutes. For half-pint jars, process for 10 minutes less than the quart jars.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 176Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 41gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

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Delicious Ways to Enjoy Your Homemade Peach Preserves

  • With granola overtop of your favorite yogurt
  • In a homemade peach pie
  • Smothering some vanilla ice cream
  • As baby food! Simply use a potato masher, food processor or immersion blender to blend up the peach slices for a delicious snack that your baby or toddler will love.
  • Diced and thrown into a salad with some delicious cheese and nuts.
  • Layered over hot biscuits with butter.
  • Overtop of sweet cream cheese and sourdough discard bagels
  • Layered over toasted whole grain sourdough.
  • Straight from the jar (our family favourite)
  • These peaches make a great gift when wrapped with pretty twine and nicely labelled!

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This tangy lacto-fermented sauerkraut is a breeze with two ingredients and simple instructions, you will be enjoying raw sauerkraut in no time. Transform your raw cabbage into an enzyme and probiotic-rich superfood. Use a few special tools to make the job easier or get started for the first time with minimal equipment for this simple raw sauerkraut recipe.

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Canned chai spiced pears are a flavourful twist on the traditional canned pears of my childhood! Read on to see exactly how to preserve your pears during peak pear season so that you can enjoy them all year long! These spiced pears have the warming & cozy notes of chai and are perfect for the transition from late summer into the crisp, cool weather of fall.

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4 Comments

  1. How would you recommend I thicken up the canned peaches for use as a pie filling? I just made a batch and am a little put off by how liquid they came out.

    1. 5 stars
      Hey there! These peaches are awesome alone, in a bowl with cream, over ice cream etc… They are canned in a relatively light syrup so definitely can’t go straight into a pie crust. If you would like to use them for peach pie filling you need to look up a recipe for pie filling using canned peaches. These peaches are already perfectly spiced so you are halfway there! Make sure to drain them thoroughly and then add the remaining ingredients for your filling. This filling can include a thickener like Clear Jel or cornstarch! I have used cornstarch and it works wonderfully- it also helps the pie set up after baking (during the cooling stage). Check out Grandma’s Peach Pie recipe for a little bit of inspiration. I hope this turns out for you. Feel free to reach out with any other questions, Ruth!

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