This apricot jam recipe is so simple and easy to make, sometimes I find myself getting carried away with the amount of batches I make. Apricot jam is one of my favorites, you don’t have to deal with any of the seeds like berry jams, and you only need 3 simple ingredients.
If you are looking for low sugar jam recipes, I highly recommend Pomona’s Universal Pectin and the book Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin. I’ve used it in the past and I’ve been pretty happy with the results. But when it comes to jams, jellies and syrups, I like mine sweet and am not shy about the sugar.
After all, if you’re spreading jam on your morning toast, you’re really not consuming that much anyway.
Here is my tried and true apricot jam recipe. I hope you like it as much as we do.
~Mavis
Apricot Jam Recipe
Ingredients
8 cups diced apricots
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 cups sugar
Instructions
Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars {I’m used pint jars} and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.
Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
Combine all 3 ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally as sugar dissolves.
Allow mixture to come to a full rolling boil. Gently boil for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops.
Wipe jar rims and threads.
Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on.
Place jars on elevated rack in a canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil.
Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After the jars have cooled, check the seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
Yields 5 pints or 10 1/2 pints.
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
cptacek says
So, after you make all this jam, what do you DO with it?
Mavis Butterfield says
Christmas gifts baby!!!
jubob says
I noticed there is no pectin in your recipe. does this jam set up like the jam with pectin or much softer? we don’t have apricots but we have peaches, raspberries and blackberries and grapes. would these work the same as the apricot recipe?
Mavis Butterfield says
Nope, there is no pectin in this recipe and it sets up just a wee bit softer than if you were to use pectin. I think it’s perfect though. As far as trying this recipe with other fruits, I have no tried it so I cannot recommend doing so.
Frema says
My grandmothers made all jams according to the old “‘Cup to a Cup” method. No matter what the fruit was, one cup of fruit plus one cup of sugar. Boxed or liquid pectin was not easy to get or it was not even a thing. You simply cook, (gently boil) the mixture until it reaches the thickness you want, thin for syrup or thick for jam. Ladle into jars and process as directed in this recipe. The best apricot jam I ever made was done this way when I found myself at our mountain cabin with a lot of over-ripening apricots and 10 miles from the nearest store.
Gardenpat says
I just made apricot jam on Wednesday but I used Clear gel instead of pectin. Oh my, how easy and how delicious!!
Behjat Ligon says
I think, clear jell is made from animal products, but fruit pectin is made from fruit. I cook my jams a bit longer and never use either jell or pectin, and they come out with perfect consistency.
Gardenpat says
Mine uses less sugar too.
Maile says
I just love the Ball and Kerr lids are now BPA free!! More canning for me. Made your Blueberry Mint Jam yesterday. O…M…G!! Thanks for all the recipes!
Ellen says
Mavis,
do you peel the apricots first? Or just chop them up?
susan says
I wish we had good apricots here in WI, but we don’t…… (kicking the ground and mumbling) Anything with apricots is wonderful in my book! 🙂
Heather T says
Last summer my friends tree here in WI was so full not this year, every other year kinda thing, find a friend with a tree, we do get them, I promise.