Spiced Peaches Recipe

This good old fashioned spiced peaches recipe is the perfect treat. I love to open a jar to serve with homemade vanilla ice cream, or just have a few for a simple dessert now and then.

When I was growing up, peaches were the number one fruit we canned every summer. We spend days peeling, pitting, cutting, and finally canning peaces, because  home-canned peaches made with local, tree-ripened fruit contain worlds more flavor than any peaches you buy on a grocery store shelf.

This spiced peach recipe takes the idea just a little further, and adds even more flavor using cinnamon and cloves, which pair famously well together.

While we use most of our canned peaches to add to desserts such as peach crisp, I often find myself serving these spiced peaches as a stand alone, or topping for ice cream, (or let’s be real – eating them straight-out of the jar as I stand over the sink). They also make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients for spiced peaches

• Peaches. I prefer to use freestone peaches, because the results are a lot prettier. You’ll find you end up cutting cling pit peaches from the pit, and having lots of odd-shaped slices.
• Sugar. Usually, when you can fruit, the flavor of the fruit bleeds into the water, diluting the flavor of the fruit itself. To combat that, we use a light syrup. You can also use white grape juice, or use maple syrup instead of sugar in your syrup, but the easiest, most fool-proof way to ensure a quality product that stays both flavorful and firm after canning, is to add sugar.
• Vinegar. This adds a nice tangy flavor profile to your sweet peaches, and helps bring out the flavor of the spices.
• Cinnamon and cloves. These warm spices complement the flavor of peaches, and make them into something special. I add the whole spices to my jars, and can them together, so that the flavor of cinnamon and cloves continues to steep inside the jars as they age.

Optional ingredients or changes you can make

Depending on the flavors you like, you can add other spices such as nutmeg or allspice. Star anise is another option, and is pretty in the jar along with whole cloves and whole cinnamon sticks if you’re giving jars of spice peaches as a gift.

Equipment for Canning Spiced peaches

Since peaches are a high acid fruit, we will use a water bath canner for this recipe.

For water bath canning, you can purchase a water bath canner set, or use a pot you already have. The main needs of a water bath canner are: Deep. You need to be able to fill it with water to a depth of at least an inch over the tops of your jars. A rack. There needs to be a rack in the bottom of the canner to keep the jars from coming into direct contact with the bottom of the canner.

I have this stainless steel canner, as well as a enamel canner. They’re both equally good, but I like the glass lid on the stainless canner so I can see it boiling. Just a personal preference.

Canning Jars and Lids. If you’re buying new jars, they likely come with lids. If you’re reusing jars, you likely need new lids – rings can easily be reused. I usually order Denali Canning Lids in Bulk. I’ve legitimately never had one not seal.

Canning Funnel and Jar lifter. These just make the process a lot easier. To be able to fill the jars without spilling, and lift the jars into and out of hot water easily.

How to Make Spiced Peaches

Start by combining your sugar, vinegar, and water into a pot, and heating it on the stove. Give it the occasional stir as it heats until the sugar is dissolved.

1. While the syrup is heating, Prepare your peaches.
2. Heat two quarts of water to a boil in a four quart pan.
3. Dip your ripe peaches in the water for about 60 seconds, until the peelings come off with ease when the skin is broken and pulled away. This could take slightly longer or slightly less time depending on the ripeness of your peaches, so play around with it a bit to get it right.
   
   
4. After blanching your peaches in the hot water, you can run them under cold water until they’re cool enough to handle. I generally just blanche all my peaches in a big batch, and by the time I’m done, the first ones are cool enough to handle.
   
   
5. After peaches are peeled, quarter and pull away from the pit.
6. Prepare your canning jars and lids.
7. Place a cinnamon stick and 4-6 cloves in each jars.
   
   

Canning:

1. To cold pack: fill jars with peeled and cored peaches, then pour the hot syrup over the peaches.
   
   
2. To hot pack: Add peeled and cored peaches to the hot syrup in a large pot, and heat to a simmer. Simmer peaches in syrup for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
3. Ladle peaches with syrup into jars.
4. With either method, fill jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
5. Screw down lids and bands firmly, then place in prepared water bath canner (if peaches and liquid is hot, the water in the canner should be hot, if cold, water should be cold).
6. Bring canner to a rolling boil, and process quarts for 20 minutes, or pints for 15 minutes.
7. Remove canner from heat and let cool 15 minutes before removing jars.
8. Let jars finish cooling undisturbed for 24 hours.
9. Check seals, wash jars if needed (mine always have hard water residue that needs to be washed off), and store out of direct light.

Pro tip: What’s the difference between hot pack and cold pack?

Cold packing is faster and easier, but your peaches will most likely float, which is not the most aesthetically pleasing thing, and can cause discoloration on the fruit at the top if it’s not submerged.

Hot packing cooks the peaches, which breaks down the air membrane, making them less buoyant. Truthfully, even hot packed peaches sometimes float, but it’s much less likely than raw packing them.

More Peach Recipes for you:

• Classic Peach Jam Recipe
• Simple Peach Butter
• Peach Strawberry Jam Recipe
• Peach Salsa recipe for Canning
• Peach Cobbler ice Cream

Print