Name: Southern Bourbon Peach Jam with Vanilla
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 8 cups peaches (peeled and chopped into small pieces); 2 ½ cups sugar; 2 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 vanilla bean; 3-6 tablespoon Bourbon

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Keep summer around all year with homemade Peach Jam. Hints of vanilla and bourbon compliment the naturally sweet Southern peaches. Canning is easier than you think and makes breakfast worth getting up for. Don’t want to can it, just freeze it instead.

A jar of peach jam with a serving spoon in the top. — A jar of southern bourbon peach jam with vanilla bean, made without pectin.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Homemade Southern Peach Jam Recipe (No Pectin)
Main Ingredients: peaches, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean, Bourbon
Why You'll Love It: Keep summer around all year with homemade Peach Jam. Hints of vanilla and bourbon compliment the naturally Southern sweet peaches. Canning is easier than you think and makes breakfast worth getting up for. A great idea for a hostess or holiday gifts.

Because summer should stick around a little longer

This peach jam doesn’t use pectin. You don’t need it. A little lemon juice thickens things naturally, and it gives this bourbon peach jam with vanilla bean that bright, fresh flavor that doesn’t taste like it sat on a shelf for a decade. And the best part? If canning feels like too much, freeze it. Done.

I grew up standing on a stool next to my grandma every summer, elbow-deep in peach juice, learning how to make jam the old-fashioned way. We measured with instinct and probably too much sugar. Now I’m still making it every summer, just with less sugar, more peaches, and a splash of bourbon.

Want more ways to use it? Try using it as a drizzle on top of a warm peach cake for a double dose of peachy goodness.

For the best jam, use mostly ripe peaches with a couple that aren’t quite there yet. The less ripe ones have more natural pectin, which helps it set. If your peaches need a few more days, here are some tips for how to ripen peaches.

Some older recipes call for equal parts sugar and fruit, which makes for a very sweet jam. I’ve found that 2½ cups of sugar for 8 cups of peaches hits the right balance. Taste as you go, and if your peaches are on the tart side, add a little more, but you won’t need nearly as much as those old recipes suggest.

What You’ll Need

Just the essentials here. Full amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below.

The ingredients for peach jam. — Ingredients you’ll need.

Fresh peaches – peeled and chopped. Most should be ripe with a couple firm ones mixed in.
Vanilla bean – adds a warmth you won’t get from extract.
Bourbon – optional but worth it. Start with 3 tablespoons and taste from there.

How to Make Southern Bourbon Peach Jam

Step 1: Get your canner going

Start with a water bath canner, you can find one on Amazon for about $50. The canning supplies kit for about $15 includes a jar lifter and a magnetic lid tool so you never have to touch the lids with your hands.

Fill the canner with enough water to cover your jars and bring it to a full rolling boil. This takes a while, so start here first. If it boils before you’re ready, turn off the heat and keep it covered, it will come back to a boil quickly when you need it. Once boiling, add the empty jars and sterilize for 5 minutes, then remove to a clean towel. For the lids, ladle out some boiling water into a small pan, drop the lids in for a few minutes, then move them to the towel as well.

Step 2: Cook the jam

You’ll need peeled peaches. Start with small chunks and mash them with a potato masher as they heat up in a large pot.

Add the sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the jam thickens, about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how juicy your peaches are.

Once it comes to a boil, keep mashing until you get the consistency you want. You’ll know it’s done when it sizzles as you pull a spoon through it. How’s that for being precise! It will thicken more as it cools. If you prefer a smooth jam, use an immersion blender before jarring.

Sugar and cut peaches in a pot. — Add sugar and bring to a boil.

A potato masher smashing peaches in a pot. — Mash with a potato masher.

Jam cooked in a dutch oven. — Remove when it thickens.

Step 3: Fill the jars

Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars, wipe the rims clean with a damp paper towel, and place the sterilized lids on top. Screw the rings on finger-tight, not too tight. Lower the jars into the boiling water bath and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and let them sit undisturbed on the counter.

You should hear the lids pop as they seal. Once cooled, press the center of each lid, if it pushes down, it didn’t seal and needs to go in the refrigerator. This recipe makes about four 8-ounce half-pint jars.

For safe canning guidelines for this bourbon peach jam canning recipe, the Complete Guide to Home Canning from the USDA is a free download and covers everything you need to know.

Jam being poured into a jar. — Fill jars with jam.

Adding a lid to a jar of jam. — Add the lid.

A rack of jam before adding to a canning pot. — Place in a boiling water bath.

There’s nothing like having a few jars of jam in the pantry in the middle of winter when peach season seems a long way away.

This southern bourbon peach jam is one of those things that makes you feel good about having a few extra peaches on the counter. It’s especially good spread on a warm slice of oatmeal bread, but a plain biscuit works just fine too. If you’re lookin for more ways to cook with fresh peaches, my upside down cake with fresh peaches is worth a look.

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