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Peach syrup captures the essence of ripe summer peaches in a golden, pourable form that’s ready to use straight from the jar. The result is pure peach flavor in syrup form, ready for pancakes, cocktails, or anything else that could use a taste of August.
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Peaches have amazing flavor on their own, and homemade peach syrup allows you to drizzle it anywhere that needs a little lift.
The process is the same as making juice for jelly: cook quartered peaches with a little water, strain through a jelly bag, then combine the juice with an equal amount of sugar. Instead of adding pectin, you just move ahead with preserving so you keep a pourable peach syrup instead of making peach jelly.
This recipe uses the juice extraction method from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, with the canning instructions following National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance. Keep in mind that white peaches aren’t acidic enough for safe water bath canning, so use yellow-fleshed varieties for this syrup.
Peaches, at least the yellow fleshed varieties, have enough natural acidity for safe water bath canning without added lemon juice, though a splash, will brighten the flavor and help preserve the color if you prefer. The fuzzy skins cook down and strain out with the pulp, so there’s no need to peel before extracting the juice.
Notes from My Kitchen
Peach syrup is one of those recipes that makes me feel like I’m getting away with something. You get all the flavor of canned peaches without any of the fussy blanching and peeling required for canning peaches in syrup or canning peach pie filling. The skins just cook down and strain out, so you can go from whole peaches to finished syrup with very little prep work.
We use this mostly for breakfast, drizzled over pancakes or waffles, but it’s also become my go-to for summer cocktails. A splash in sparkling wine makes an easy bellini, and it’s wonderful in bourbon drinks or stirred into iced tea. The kids like it mixed into sparkling water for homemade peach soda.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Peach Syrup
- Recipe Type: Fruit Syrup
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning
- Prep Time: About 20 minutes (plus juice extraction time)
- Cook Time: About 10 minutes
- Canning Time: 10 minutes for pints or half pints
- Yield: About 3 pints or 6 half pints
- Jar Sizes: Pints or half pints
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Peach juice and sugar
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation (fruit syrup method)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Similar Recipes: The flavor profile is similar to other peach canning recipes, like peach butter and peach jam, but the process is similar to homemade fruit syrups like rhubarb syrup, raspberry syrup or blueberry syrup.
Ingredients
This recipe uses a simple 1:1 ratio of peach juice to sugar. You’ll need to extract the juice first using the jelly-making method. Plan on about 3 medium peaches (roughly 1 pound) per cup of juice, or about 12 peaches (4 pounds) for the 4 cups of juice in this recipe.
- Peaches: About 4 pounds (roughly 12 medium peaches) to yield 4 cups of juice. Use ripe, yellow-fleshed peaches for the fullest flavor. Don’t use white-fleshed peaches, which aren’t acidic enough for safe water bath canning.
- Water: About ½ cup per pound of peaches for juice extraction.
- Granulated Sugar: 4 cups. The 1:1 ratio creates a medium-sweet syrup with good peach flavor. You can reduce to 3 cups for a thinner, less sweet syrup if preferred.
- Lemon Juice: Optional, for flavor. Yellow peaches are acidic enough for safe canning without it, but a splash brightens the flavor and helps preserve the golden color. Use about 1/4 cup per batch, or 1 tablespoon per cup of juice, fresh or bottled.
This recipe scales easily. For every cup of peach juice, use 1 cup of sugar.
Step by Step Instructions
After the peach juice has strained, this recipe comes together quickly. Prepare a waterbath canner as the last drips of juice strain from the peaches.
There are really only a few steps: cook the peaches down, strain out the juice, sweeten it, and can. The straining is hands-off, so plan to start it a couple of hours ahead, or let it run overnight in the refrigerator.
Prepare the Peaches
Wash the peaches well to remove any fuzz. Pit and quarter them; there’s no need to peel since the skins will be strained out. Place the quartered peaches in a large stainless steel saucepan.
Freestone peaches pull away from the pit cleanly and make quick work of this step, but clingstone peaches work just as well since everything cooks down before straining. Slightly overripe or bruised peaches are fine here too, since you’re after the juice and not the looks.
Extract the Juice
Add about ½ cup of water per pound of peaches. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover loosely, and boil gently, stirring and crushing the peaches occasionally, just until they are softened, about 20 minutes.
Do not overcook, as this can muddy the flavor and color.
Strain the Juice
Transfer the peach mixture to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for at least 2 hours or overnight to collect the juice. Do not squeeze the bag if you want clear syrup, though a little cloudiness won’t affect flavor.
You should end up with about 4 cups of juice. The leftover pulp still has plenty of flavor, so save it for fruit leather or push it through a food mill for peach butter rather than tossing it out.
Make the Syrup
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the peach juice and sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice if using.
The syrup will look thin while it’s hot and thicken slightly as it cools, so there’s no need to cook it down further. Skim off any foam that rises to the top for a clearer finished syrup.
Fill Jars
Ladle the hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, center lids on jars, and apply bands to fingertip tight.
A canning funnel keeps the rims clean and makes filling easier, which helps the jars seal reliably. This recipe fills either pints or half pints, so use whichever size fits how you plan to use the syrup.
Canning Peach Syrup
Without canning, peach syrup will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months. For shelf-stable storage, process the filled jars in a boiling water bath.
Prepare your water bath canner while you’re making the syrup. Lower the filled jars into the canner, making sure they’re covered by at least 1 inch of water. Process for 10 minutes for pints or half pints, adjusting for altitude as noted below.
After processing, turn off the heat and let the jars stand in the canner for 5 minutes before removing. Let jars cool undisturbed on a towel-lined counter for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals before storing, and refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal for immediate use. Properly sealed jars keep at room temperature for 12 to 18 months.
Altitude Adjustments
For water bath canning, processing times increase at higher elevations:
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 10 minutes
- 1,001 to 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 20 minutes
Serving Ideas
Peach syrup is a natural at breakfast: drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, French toast, or biscuits. It’s also delicious spooned over vanilla ice cream, pound cake, or panna cotta. The pure peach flavor shines against simple, creamy backgrounds.
For drinks, peach syrup is the base for easy bellinis: just add sparkling wine. It’s also wonderful in iced tea, lemonade, or bourbon cocktails. Mix it with sparkling water for homemade peach soda that tastes nothing like the artificial stuff.
In savory applications, use peach syrup as a glaze for grilled or roasted pork, chicken, or duck. Brush it on during the last few minutes of cooking and let it caramelize. It pairs beautifully with a little heat from chili flakes or fresh ginger.
Yield Notes
This recipe yields about 6 cups of syrup, which fills 3 pints or 6 half pints. You’ll need roughly 12 medium peaches (about 4 pounds) to yield the 4 cups of juice required.
Juice yield can vary depending on the ripeness and variety of your peaches. Freestone peaches are easier to pit than clingstone, though both work fine for juice extraction since you’re cooking everything down anyway.
Peach Syrup FAQs
No, you don’t need to peel them. The skins cook down and strain out with the pulp. This saves a lot of time compared to canning peach halves or slices, where peeling is necessary.
No, use yellow-fleshed peaches for this syrup. White peaches aren’t acidic enough for safe water bath canning, so they shouldn’t be used here.
Yes! The strained pulp makes excellent fruit leather or can be pushed through a food mill to make peach butter or peach applesauce. You can also stir it into oatmeal or yogurt as-is.
If you’ve got more peaches than you can use fresh, there are plenty of other ways to put them up for the pantry.
Peach Canning Recipes
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Peach Syrup
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
For the Juice:
- 4 lbs peaches
- 2 cups water, for juice extraction
For the Syrup:
- 4 cups peach juice, extracted from peaches
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, optional, fresh or bottled, for flavor
Instructions
- Wash peaches well to remove fuzz. Pit and quarter them; no need to peel. Place in a large stainless steel saucepan.
- Add about 1/2 cup water per pound of peaches. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover loosely, and boil gently, stirring and crushing occasionally, until softened, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook.
- Transfer to a dampened jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a deep bowl. Let drip undisturbed for at least 2 hours or overnight. Do not squeeze.
- In a large saucepan, combine peach juice and sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice if using.
- Ladle hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, and apply bands to fingertip tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints or half pints, adjusting for altitude. Let stand in canner 5 minutes before removing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The same juice-and-sugar method works for almost any fruit, so it’s worth keeping a few other syrups on hand too.
Fruit Syrup Canning Recipes
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My kids absolutely loved this over pancakes!