Every summer I make enough low sugar organic Canned Vanilla Bean Peaches to last me all year. Our family loves them and they make great DIY gifts as well!
Why this recipe works:
Peaches were the first thing I learned to can. The process is super simple with these easy instructions.
- Homemade canned peaches taste nothing like store bought canned peaches. The flavor is amazing!
- This recipe uses a very small amount of sugar but they are plenty sweet.
- I prefer to use organic peaches. They can be hard to find but the taste and quality are the best you'll get.
- The optional (but recommended) vanilla bean takes this recipe to a new level!
- Canning at home is a time consuming process, but one afternoon's work will provide you with a years worth of delicious canned peaches that can be eaten straight out of the jar or used in a wide variety of recipes!
- Homemade canned peaches also make a fantastic gift!
Ingredients:
- Fresh whole peaches
- Sugar
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla beans (optional but recommended)
Equipment needed:
This recipe uses the water bath canning process, so a pressure canner is not needed. A basic water canning set up can be purchases as a set. You can also often find the components at yard sales as well.
To can peaches at home, you will need:
- A large canning pot with lid and basket (mine will fit 7 quart sized jars)
- Canning tools that include a jar grabber, funnel, and magnetic lid grabber
- A large pot for the sugar water
- A medium pot to blanch the peaches
- A small pot to sterilize the lids
- An ice water bath
- A large bowl to hold the peeled peaches
- Clean sterile mason jars (I recommend medium mouth quart sized)
How to can peaches:
- First step is to prepare everything. That means the water bath canning pot is filled with water and it is kept at a low boil. The sugar water is heated. The lids are heated in boiling water to sanitize. A pot of water is kept at a low boil to blanch the peaches. The lemons have been juiced. The mason jars are clean and ready to fill.
- Next you will remove the skin from the peaches. You can do this simply by peeling them, but it is much easier to score them with a sharp knife, quickly blanch in boiling water, and then transfer them to an ice bath. By blanching them, the skin should easily peel off leaving only the gorgeous fruit.
- The peaches are then sliced and added to the mason jars.
- If using vanilla beans, split them in half lengthwise and add each half to a clean jar before adding the peaches.
- Once the jars are filled with peaches (and vanilla beans, if using), you will add enough of the hot sugar water to fill the jars within a half inch of the top. Wipe the jars, place the sterile lids on the jars, and seal with rings. Be sure to close them tightly but not too tight because you want some of the air to be able to escape during the canning process. Add the filled jars to the hot water bath and ensure at least an inch of water is covering the jars and boil, covered, for about 22 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the hot jars of canned peaches to the counter to cool. You should hear the lids pop within a half an hour or so.
Cooking tips:
- Before canning peaches, make sure the peaches are not only juicy and delicious, but that they are cling free. That means that when you slice them with a knife, the fruit falls off the pit. You do not want to have to battle a peach that is stuck to the pit.
- Canning can be done alone, but it is much quicker and fun if you have more than one person helping.
- Plan ahead. Be sure that you're not going to run out of any ingredients or equipment.
Where to buy peaches:
- If they are grown locally, the cheapest way to get peaches to can is to visit a u-pick farm. Alternatively, a farmers market is a great option as well but it will cost more than if you pick them yourself.
- I've actually found some amazing locally grown organic peaches at Costco. I will usually buy one pack to take home and eat and once I've verified they are juicy and delicious, I'll go back and buy a ton more to can.
- The final option would be to purchase them at the grocery store, but it is very difficult to find consistently good peaches at the store and you'll have no idea how long they've been there.
Related recipes:
Canned peaches are so delicious on their own, but you can also use them in so many different kinds of recipes. Here are some examples:
- Peach cobbler - I'll use fresh peaches if they're in season, otherwise canned peaches are fantastic!
- Blueberry Peach Crisp - a tasty summer dessert that can be made any time of year
- Smoothies - I'll add in my homemade canned peaches for extra flavor
- Peaches and Cream Sponge Cake
- Peach Jello Salad
- Peach Cake Roll
- Breaded Pork Chops with Peach Glaze - they can be used in savory dinner recipes too!
Full Recipe Instructions
Canned Vanilla Bean Peaches
Every summer I make enough low sugar organic Canned Vanilla Bean Peaches to last me all year. Our family loves them and they make great DIY gifts as well!
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Scale: servings
Ingredients
ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 20 cups water
- 30 pounds peaches (free stone cling free peaches, perfectly ripe (barely soft and fragrant), organic recommended)
- 1 cup lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
- 11 whole vanilla beans (split lengthwise)
Instructions
You will need four burners for this recipe:
- One large pot containing 2 cups sugar and 20 cups water. Heat on high until sugar dissolves, then turn heat to low to keep warm.
- One medium pot filled with boiling water to blanch peaches. May need to refill as water level decreases.
- One small pot full of water kept at a temperature just below boiling. This is where you put the lids and rings until you are ready to seal the jars.
- Last burner is for your water canner. If you are going to fill canner to the max with 7 quarts, the water level should be about 4-6 inches below the top. Cover with the lid and set heat to high to get water to a rolling boil. Then reduce heat to maintain gentle boil or just below boiling. You may need to add/remove water once the jarred peaches are in.
My process start to finish:
- Run all of your empty jars through the dishwasher prior to using. Alternatively, wash in sink and rinse well.
- Get all four of your pots going as described above. Set out a large bowl of ice water as well as another large bowl to hold your peeled peaches. Juice your lemons and set aside.
- Four peaches at a time, score the skin on the top and bottom of the peach in the shape of an "x" with a sharp knife and then place in your blanching pot. Allow to sit in the boiling water anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon when you start to see the skin peeling away. Transfer hot peaches to an ice bath and repeat that process with another four peaches.
- Remove the skin from the peaches in the ice bath by pulling at the corners and transfer peeled peaches to large clean bowl. Cover with lemon juice. I typically pour all the lemon juice in at the beginning so that the peeled peaches can roll around in it and keep their vibrant color.
- Add half of a vanilla bean to each empty clean jar.
- When you have enough peeled peaches to fill 7 of your quart jars (for me that's about 4 peaches per jar, a total of 28), start slicing them up. I like to hold the entire peach in my hand over the peach bowl so that extra juices land back into the bowl and use a small paring knife to cut slices all the way around. Then, once the entire peach is sliced, I transfer them to the jar through the funnel by pulling the slices away from the pit. Fill each jar to the bottom of the rim.
- Using a ladle and the funnel in the jar, fill each jar with sugar water. Be sure to leave a good half inch from the top empty. You will need this space in order to get a proper seal. Best practice is to use the plastic air bubble remover wand that came with your canning kit to move the peach slices around to let the air pockets rise to the top. This will let you know if you need to add more liquid.
- Once all the jars are filled, use the magnetic wand to pull your clean lid out of the hot water and place it on the top of the jar. Pull a ring out of the hot water and secure it to the jar. You want to screw it on securely but not tight. If its too tight, the air bubbles can't escape and you can't get a good seal. If its too loose, you risk your peaches spilling out. Just nice and hand tight.
- Place the 7 full quarts with lids into the boiling water. Either do this one at a time using the jar holder or place them on the round grate and lift them down into the water all at once. Ensure that the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Keep temperature on high and cover with lid. Allow to process in water bath for 22 minutes (this time may vary by elevation and I'm close to sea level). If water starts to boil too rapidly, you may crack lid to allow some steam to escape.
- Remove jars and place them on a towel on the countertop. Within about 30 minutes you should start to hear the lids pop meaning that they are vacuum sealed. Allow to cool overnight.
- Repeat until all peaches have been used. You may need to make more sugar water if you run out with the ratio of 1:10 sugar:water. With the last batch, I always transfer the lemon/peach juice to the jars before I add the hot sugar water. This changes the color and the flavor, but I love it.
- The next day, ensure all of the jars have sealed. You can see the little dip in the lid, otherwise press down and it shouldn't move. If any didn't seal, do not store. Just eat them up.
- Remove the rings and soak to remove any stickiness. The rings are not necessary for storage; just the sealed lids. Rinse the jars, taking care not to bump the lids to break the seals. I keep mine stored on shelves under my stairs away from light in steady temperature. Best if used within 6 months but I've eaten them after two years of storage and they were still great.
Notes
makes about 21 quarts
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
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This recipe was originally published in July 2014 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
K. Pat
Is there a difference between using grade A or grade B vanilla beans? Thanks so much!
Krissy
Either will work!
cmartcookie
Whoa! Do you have six arms or something? Fortunately my husband was willing to set the timer for boiling scored peaches for me, my hands were so gooey and sticky and drippy from separating peach slices from the pits. I am making pint jars because I only had enough peaches for half a batch. Seems like a waste to toss out sugar water with peach juice in it, so I'm perusing recipes to see if I can make herbal sweet tea - we happen to only have herbal tea bags on hand. I have learned something - I'm not a huge fan of canning peaches. Give me apples that are firm and controllable. Will see how these turn out, though. I feel like I've performed in a 5-ring circus in all acts!
Krissy
Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. I used to can them every year and started to regret it when I was about half way through whatever I bought but was already committed and couldn't stop! But we sure do love them.
Valerie
Hello Krissy
I just finished canning peaches and I have a question. Before I put the lid on I made sure there was no air in the jar. After the jars were processed I saw a few tiny air bubbles around the top of the jar. What did I do wrong ? I have canned peaches before with no problems . Are a few air bubbles ok? The jars sealed perfectly. Thanks for your help.
Krissy
Sorry for the late reply. Air bubbles are totally fine as long as it seals. The reason you want to get as many out as possible first is so that there is enough air at the top to escape during the canning process to create a seal.
Anna
Thank you so much for this recipe!! Living in Southern Oregon we have peaches aplenty!! My sons LOVE my peach cobbler-so I’ll be canning enough for cobblers for the holidays! I don’t know why I’ve never added vanilla beans to my peaches! My favorite strawberry jam uses vanilla beans!! Costco is a life saver too- you can usually get a good supply of vanilla beans there 😊
Amber H.
Just found this recipe and it looks amazing! How do you eat or prepare these peaches - as is or over desserts? I would love to try it as I have a box of fresh peaches in my kitchen. 🙂
Krissy
We usually just crack open the jar and enjoy as is or with some cottage cheese, but I know a lot of people love to use canned peaches when they make peach cobbler or peach pie. Enjoy! Krissy
Ally
Any chance you could make a DIY video with this recipe? I'm very visual.
Krissy
Well, I canned peaches again this year but didn't video the process because I simply go into beast mode. Two of us canned for four hours and I didn't have the stamina to deal with the camera.
cat
I'm glad you gave the sugar-to-water ratio because I doubt I have enough peaches to make 28 jars - and I may not even have that many jars or vanilla beans (I only have partial ones, so it won't get as vanilla-y, I'm sure! But it will be fun to try, which I'm hopefully going to get to do today. Other note - I had to laugh about doing this together is much more fun. So far, canning with my only my husband hasn't always been so rewarding. He's a much better eater than cooking assistant.
Karen
This recipe looks amazing! Do you happen to have a smaller batch recipe?
Krissy
I only can in bulk! Worse case is you make too much sugar water and then get rid of it. Good luck! Krissy
Kristi
When you say, you let them sit a while, do you mean a few days, weeks, months? I just finished some today and can't wait do dive in, but want those little seeds to do their magic!
Krissy
The longer you wait, the more intense the vanilla flavor.
Julie
So, you use 21 jars and 7 vanilla beans split in half. How do you make the math work? Do you need more beans, or do you cut the bean smaller?
Krissy
Good catch! Would you believe I threw that in to trick you? Nah. Just kidding. It was a mistake. I updated the recipe to say 11 vanilla beans. But... you could always cut them smaller. 😉 Thanks! Krissy
Sammie
Hello!
What do you think about substituting some vanilla paste with the bean? The vanilla beans are just so expensive. If yes, do you think a teaspoon or tablespoon?
Krissy
I've used vanilla paste in lieu of vanilla beans many times and it works great! I would start with a teaspoon and if it seems like you need more, you can increase the amount. Enjoy!
Janet Sweeting
The recipe calls for 7 vanilla beans split in half, enough for 14 jars, yet the recipe calls for 21 jars. 7 jars of just plain canned peaches?
Krissy
I messed up. Whoops! Recipe corrected. Basically a half a vanilla bean per jar. -Krissy
James
Do your peaches shrink during the canning process? I filled the jars full, and after canning, they were only 50% full. Should I force more peaches in the jar when filling them?
Krissy
Hi James, My peaches don't shrink but I'm always surprised at how much liquid I can fit in once the peaches have been added. That being said, they look the same before and after I do the hot water bath. The only thing I can think of is that you had a ton of air trapped between the peaches that rose to the top and escaped during canning. Next time, after you add the liquid, gently stir or swirl them around to release any bubbles and add more liquid if additional space becomes available. Hope that helps! Krissy
Jenny O
I like the look of these peaches. But for me and my husband this is to much to start with. Can I cut the recipes in half?
Krissy
You sure can! Get it? CAN? Canning?
Meghan
I tired your recipe, thank for such great notes! My peaches all floated to the top. I have a couple inches of liquid at the bottom. Has this ever happened to you?
Krissy
Yep! That's what happens. Totally fine! -Krissy
T
Do you soak the peaches in a lemon/ water bath? If so what is the ratio?
Krissy
I just cover the skinned peaches in fresh lemon juice (no water). Amount depends on how tart you like them.
Mark
Hi! Trying this recipe out now. Should be good.Note of clarification, I think in process step 4, you mean peeled, uncut peaches, as opposed to unpeeled. Thanks!
Krissy
Doh! Thanks for catching that typo, Mark. I fixed it. Krissy