Save money and make your own homemade apricot jam in 30 minutes. All you need is fresh apricots, sugar and lemon juice – no pectin required. Includes easy canning instructions for preservation.
Homemade Apricot Jam
Summer means it’s time to make fresh homemade jams to stock up for the rest of the year. I have a couple favorite jams, raspberry jam, blueberry jam, fresh lemon curd and this delicious apricot jam.
This apricot jam is made with 4 cups of fresh apricots, but it can easily be adjusted to make more or less depending on how many apricots you have. This recipe makes 3 (1/2 pint) jars. The result is a sweet, tasty jam, perfect for toast (with a little bit of butter too – so good!), fluffy waffles, scones, blueberry english muffins and so much more.
How to Make Apricot Jam
To make this jam you’ll need 3 simple ingredients: fresh apricots, sugar and lemon juice. That’s it.
Prepare the apricots by peeling, removing the pits and crushing them. A little bit more about peeling and crushing:
To peel or not to peel, that is the question. For smooth apricot recipes (like jams and purees), I recommend peeling them for best results. If you like some texture to your jam, apricot skin is completely edible, so you can leave it on if preferred.
To crush the apricots, you can mash them in the pot with a potato masher, or you can throw in the food processor and give a few pulses.
Bring apricots, sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan or pot, stirring sugar to dissolve it.
Once boiling, continue to cook (and stir) for about 20-25 minutes, or until a jam consistency has formed.
Once jam has formed, remove from heat and allow to cool before putting it into jars. Remove any foam on top. Tip: To prevent foaming from appearing on top of the jam, add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to the pot, along with apricots, sugar and lemon juice.
If you’re making refrigerator jam, then you can place the jars right in the refrigerator and dive in. For refrigerator jam, I love to reuse old glass jars for this! For long term storage, you will need to can it (directions below).
How to Can Jam
- Prepare (3) 1/2 pint jars by cleaning and sterilizing jars, lids and rings in hot water. You can do this by using a dishwasher or a boiling water bath.
- Pour hot jam into sterilized jars (I love this spoon), leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Use a thin butter knife (or spatula) and run around the inside of the jar once jam is inside to make sure to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims of jars clean and place lids and rings on them.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, lower the jars into pot and process for 15 minutes (water boiling, pot covered). Keep 1-2 inches between each jar in the pot. During this process you want to make sure the water level is no less than 1 inch from the tops of the jars, so keep an eye on the water level as you might need to add more.
- Carefully remove the jars from the pot and let sit until cooled completely. Once cooled down, press the top of each lid down to make sure jar is sealed. Store in a dark cabinet or pantry for up to a year.
Want to make apricot jalapeño jam?
If you want to turn this into apricot jalapeño pepper jam add 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeños to the jam in the pot. This gives a nice savory kick to the jam.
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30 Minute Homemade Apricot Jam
PrintIngredients
- 4 cups fresh apricots
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the apricots by peeling, removing pits and crushing them. You can crush they by hand with a potato masher or throw in a food processor and pulse a couple of times.
- In a pot over medium high heat, mix together crushed apricots, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until sugar completely dissolves.
- Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and turns into a jam. This takes about 20-25 minutes. Once it's thick and jam like, remove any foam from the top and proceed to the next step.
- For refrigerator jam: Remove pot from heat and allow to cool before pouring it into mason jars and placing in the refrigerator for immediate serving.
- For canning jam: Prepare (3) 1/2 pint jars by cleaning and sterilizing jars, lids and rings in hot water (dishwasher or water bath). Pour hot jam into sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Use a thin knife and run around the inside of the jar once jam is inside to make sure to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims of jars clean and place lids and rings on them. Bring a pot of water to a boil, lower the jars into the pot and process for 15 minutes (water boiling, pot covered). During this process, you want to make sure the water level never gets lower than 1 inch from the tops of the jars. Carefully remove the jars from the pot and let sit until cool. Once cooled down, press the top of each lid down to make sure the jar is sealed. Store in cabinet.
Melissa Stock says
This jam is going to taste great – but at no point is it a 30 minute project. I did tripe the recipe – but people should count on a full day. Just peeling the apricots took two hours. For us it was a two day affair.
Amber says
Everyone in my family loves this jam! I’m getting ready to make another batch and I want to can this one, how long does it last on the shelf when canned?
Lois Z. says
Have never made apricot jam before but this is incredibly simple & DELICIOUS. I took the easy way & did not peel the apricots & blitzed them in the processor. I did add a tiny amount of butter at the beginning of the cook (to prevent foaming). Will definitely make it again.
Melissa says
Made this several times and it always turns out great. I like my fruit peeled, so using a potato peeler on the apricots gets the job done fast without taking much flesh. I sub in peaches on occasion in place of apricots. It is perfect!
Donald says
Delicious, but I’ve never peeled apricots for jam. The skin is just so thin. Peaches and Nectarines are a must, but try it with the peel. So much easier. Just halve and chop coarsely in the food processor. Couldn’t be simpler.
Another tip: a quick way to sterilize a few jars (if you aren’t batch canning and using a water bath) is to simply wash them in the sink, shake off the excess water, and put into the microwave for 1 minute. Obviously only the glass jar. For freezer/refrigerator jam it works great.
Larry says
A guy at breakfast told me about making apricot jam so I decided to give it a try, mine is really tasty.
I was surprised how liquid it became once heated. Wasn’t sure if I should turn it down once it boiled was afraid it would burn, but also that it would not thicken. I turned it back up just before the end and it burned and the whole mixture turned black, but still tasty. Might need a sharper peeler? I had to cut the apricot to get the peeler started and still not easy.
Larry says
I bought some new peelers, guess the old one was dull , still worked on carrots, but the new ones are much better.. I made this again, stirred constantly on temp I use to sauté mushrooms a bit lower than what use for scrambled eggs, for 35 minutes. I wouldn’t say it ever was “jam like” seemed like most or it slipped threw a fork but it cooled down to more like dried apricots. The gal at the story told me to get a certain brand of apricots, hopefully I will remember them when I see them. This turned out great, little burn on bottom edge of one side of pan, but did not spread color into the rest like before. I think it was tastier when it was still warm.
Larry says
I made it again with very ripe apricots. I just cooked it for 25 minutes on medium(temp I use for scrambled eggs), at the very end I turned it down some more. It is wonderful!
Not sure if it is the variety or how ripe they were (hard to peal), but much better than Smuckers I got to compare. Wonder if you have to stir it constantly – I did.
Gia says
How long does the jam last for in the refrigerator if I don’t use the canning method?
Shawn Nicholson says
Any chance you can substitute granulated Monkfruit for the sugar? I so want to try this recipe, but can’t have the sugar.
Kerry M says
First time ever making jam from homegrown from home grown fruit!!
such an easy recipe, thanks.
Pamela Reed says
Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear Kerry! 🙂
Ellen B says
Awesome recipe! I even followed the directions for canning and discovered it’s not as bad as I was always told it would be! If your of the mind try adding a 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple to the mix. It’s delicious!!!
Pamela Reed says
Oooooh that sounds delicious Ellen! So happy you found it easy to can – thanks for stopping by!
Joe Reinhart says
My apricot tress made their fruits! They are only three years old, I was surprised they made anything so quickly. About four brances produced about 3 cups of prepared fruits. I am glad I read your instructions as I was thinking to only shave the apes, not skin them.
Pamela Reed says
Hey Joe, how great it must be to make homemade apricot jam from your own apricots! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for stopping by!
Joe Reinhart says
No, no…thank YOU!