Canning Peaches in Light Syrup

Finished home canned peaches in mason jars

Learning how to can peaches at home is a delicious and easy way to preserve peaches for later. Canning peaches is a water bath canning process, and this recipe for canned peaches can be made with honey or sugar!

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Canning Peaches, How to Can Peaches

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings quarts

Calories 1246kcal

Cost $7

Equipment

4 wide mouth quart jars
4 ring and lid sets

Ingredients

10 pounds Fresh Peaches
4 cups Sugar or Honey (see recipe for ratio of light syrup)

Instructions

Wash and blanch peaches in boiling water. Dunk in cold water and peel right away. Prep jars for canning and keep warm until ready to can.
Prepare light syrup as follows:
With Sugar: Mix 2 cups sugar with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Keep warm until peaches are ready.
With Honey: Mix 1 1/2 cups honey with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Keep warm until peaches are ready.
If you need more syrup, increase by using the same ratios as listed above.
Halve peaches and remove pits. Pack peach halves (or slices or chunks) into the hot jars and cover with left over peach juice.
Once juice is gone, fill jars with light syrup leaving 1/2" headspace. Process in a boiling water bath: 20 minutes for pints, and 25 minutes for quarts.
Remove jars fro water bath and place on folded towel on the counter. Allow to cool completely before moving.

Notes

Is canning peaches without sugar safe?

Yes! Although the color and taste will not be as strong as a fresh peach, they are safe to each when canned without sugar. I would recommend canning a single jar of water only peaches to see if you like them before canning too many jars.

What variety of peaches is best for canning?

Any type of peach is going to be fine for canning. However, you’ll have the easiest time canning freestone peaches, since you won’t have to fit the pit!

Do you have to blanch peaches before canning them?

No, this is not a safety issue, simply a texture issue. If you like the peach skins (I LOVE peach skins) then you can skip the blanching step and can them with the skins on.

What if I want to use heavy syrup for my canned peaches?

No problem at all! You can absolutely use heavy syrup for your peaches instead. The process will be the same, however, you will use the ratio of 4 cups water and 2 1/2 cups sugar.

How many quarts will 50 pounds of peaches yield?

As a general rule, you will pack about 2.5 pounds of peaches into a quart jar. That’s about 1.25 pounds of fresh peaches in a pint. When making jam or jelly, you will use more per jar, but for slices or halves, 1 quart jar holds about 2.5 pounds of peaches.

My jars are sticky after canning and there are peaches in the water pot!

This is totally normal! As the pressure from the water pushes the air out of the jars, some of the juice and even some of the peaches may find their way into the water. Just allow the jars to fully cool, check the seals, wash the outside with warm water and dry. They are now ready to store!

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