Full of summer colour and flavour with a kick of sweet spice, this Spiced Peach Jam tastes good all year round. Make a batch up and enjoy it through all of the seasons.

Person taking a spoonful of Spiced Peach Jam from a jar.

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One of the joys of jam making is being able to mess around and create your own flavours. Which is exactly how this deeply colourful, sweet and gently spiced peach jam came about.

I’ll confess that jam making is a summer ritual I am slightly addicted to. I just love creating a seemingly endless supply of homemade summer flavour for my family to enjoy all year long.

Spread this spiced peach jam onto your morning toast. Dollop it on your flaky croissants. Spread it between layers of Victoria Sponge Cake. I don’t really need to tell you how to use jam.

Croissant with peach jam and butter with coffee being poured behind

However, I’m sure that a few instructions on the basics of jam making would not go unappreciated. If you are new to the market for jam making and, like me, frequently wonder:

do I need jam sugar?
or should I be using preserving sugar?
and when, exactly, do I need to add pectin?

then head over to Serious Eats for a low down on the science behind fruit, acid, sugar, water and pectin.

If you are feeling ready to try your hand at home preserving, read on for instructions on how to make this spiced peach jam.

Ingredients

With the exception of the fresh fruit, this spiced peach jam contains ingredients that are likely to be lying around your baking cupboard. No ingredients solely used for jam making need to be purchased for this recipe.

Peaches – of course, this is the number one ingredient for this recipe. Pick ripe, juicy fruits with yellow flesh. It’s up to you whether to peel the skin or not. I did not.

Granulated sugar – this is a lovely soft set jam, so I selected regular sugar over jam sugar. Jam sugar has added pectin and acid in it which would lead to a firmer set preserve

Lemon juice – I did, however, want to achieve a jam rather than a sauce, so the addition of lemon juice helped achieve the soft set

Cinnamon – this is the ingredient that holds the spice blend together. Don’t miss it out

Star anise – this spice pairs so beautifully with peaches and compliments the other spices superbly

Cloves – just a waft of this warming spice is all that is needed

Ground nutmeg – another subtle but undeniably comforting spice to include

Fresh ginger – this really adds a twang of freshness to the final spice flavour profile

Vanilla – this flavour lovingly wraps itself around the jam to add a mellow, sweet and perfumed flavour to the preserve

overhead of a jar of peach jam and a croissant

How to Make Peach Jam

Remove the peaches from their stone and dice the flesh. The size of the pieces is up to you, depending how chunky you like your jam
Put water, lemon juice, peaches and sugar into a medium, heavy based pan
Snap the cinnamon stick in half and add to the pan
Slit the vanilla pod open and scape the seeds into the pan. Toss in the pod too
Add the remaining ingredients (star anise, cloves, ginger & nutmeg) to the pan
Simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes then bring to a rapid boil to reach the setting point (105C /220F – see details below on how to check for the setting point)
Take off the heat and remove the whole spices and the vanilla pod
Let cool for 10 minutes before pouring into sterilised jars (see below for how to prepare sterilised jars)
Cover with a wax disc and seal
Store for at least 4 weeks (and up to 1 year) before opening to allow the flavours to develop
Once open store in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving – eat within 2 weeks

How to Check for the Setting Point of Jam

The setting point for jam is 105c (220F). There are several ways to test for this:

Use a sugar thermometer or a Thermapen to check the temperature. When it reach 105C/ 220F the setting point has been reached
Alternatively, check for the setting point using the “wrinkle” test:
- Before you start making the jam put a couple of small heatproof plates in the freezer
- Once your jam has boiled for several minutes, take the pan off the heat and spoon a blob of jam onto one of the cold plates
- Let it stand for a minute then push the jam with your finger. If the surface wrinkles then setting point has been reached
- If it is still quite liquid then put the pan back on the heat and boil the jam for another 3 to 5 minutes before testing again.

How to Sterilise Jam Jars

If you are new to jam making and are wondering how to sterilise jars, here’s a quick run down:

wash your jars in hot, soapy water
rinse them with clean water
dry them in the oven at 140C/ 275F until… dry
If using kilner jars remove & boil the rubber seals in water – dry heat damages them
when the jam is ready fill each jar to around 1 centimetre below the surface
top with a waxed paper disc on the surface (to prevent any water condensation on the jam)
seal the jar firmly