This easy jam recipe is all about letting ripe apricots shine. Made with just a few ingredients and no pectin, these fresh apricot preserves have a luscious, spoonable texture with just enough sugar to bring out their natural tangy-sweet flavor. If you're looking for a fresh apricot recipe that feels homemade and honest, this is it—perfect for spreading on toast, layering in yogurt, or sneaking by the spoonful straight from the jar.
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When it’s fruit harvesting time in my garden (which is basically most of the spring, summer, and fall), it inevitably happens that I need to pick basketloads of fruit right when I have absolutely no time to process or preserve it.
That’s what happened last year when I picked over 300 fresh apricots in one day from my front yard apricot tree. I had tons of fresh fruit and very little time to eat, preserve, freeze, or cook it before they softened and became little fruit-fly magnets.
In moments like that, it really helps to have a simple, no-fuss, no-fancy-ingredients-needed recipe like this pectin-free fresh apricot preserves. It has only three ingredients! And the process couldn’t be simpler.
Tips for Making No-Pectin Jam
Pectin is a complex carbohydrate that naturally occurs in all fruit, so there is absolutely nothing wrong or “cheating” about using pectin when making jam. In fact, I typically do use it for most of my jam recipes, including this Sweet & Simple Low-Sugar Apricot Jam. In the right combination with sugar and acidity, pectin causes fruits to jell, giving that perfect spreadable jam texture.
Traditionally, jams or preserves without pectin use tons of sugar and a long cooking time to thicken up the mixture. The problem is that simmering fruit for a long time destroys the fresh-picked flavor, and the resulting jam just ends up tasting too sweet (in my opinion) without the balancing fruity acidity.
The trick in this pectin-less recipe is in maceration. Maceration is the softening of raw foods in liquid, which in this case is done by tossing fruit in sugar. This makes a natural syrup of the juices that are pulled out of the fruit by the sugar. It then only takes a short simmer to make sure the fruit is cooked, the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture thickens up slightly. Blitzing the jam with an immersion blender makes it even thicker and more spreadable.
The other key is the fruit itself. Some fruits naturally have more pectin, like apples, plums, grapes, and gooseberries, and others have far less (strawberries, blueberries, cherries). Apricots and peaches lie somewhere in the middle. The trick is to use some underripe fruit in the recipe since fully ripe fruit has less pectin. I also leave the thin apricot skins on, which helps thickening as well.
This pectin-free jam (or preserves, depending on whether you leave the fruit in chunks or puree it smooth), may not be as set as "regular" jam, but it will be beautifully spreadable, thick, and glossy. More importantly, it will taste like fresh-picked apricots.
Grow Your Own Apricots
If it is at all possible, I highly encourage you to plant your own apricot tree. It’s a rare occasion to actually find apricots at grocery stores, and when you do they tend to be either flavorless and firm, or mealy and mushy.
Maybe you find fresh apricots at the farmers market a few weeks a year, but they are probably expensive (or bland or mealy). Growing your own apricots is the only way to ensure you get that fresh, fleeting, sweet-tangy apricot flavor every summer.
Apricot trees need lots of sun, very well-draining soil, and space to grow. If you want to learn more about how to grow apricots - including choosing the right varieties for your climate, the best place to plant the tree, how to prune it, and when to harvest – check out the Fruit Grove articles below.
- Planting an Apricot Tree: How to Choose the Right Spot
- All About Pruning Apricot Trees: When, Why, & How to Do It
- Harvesting Apricots: When Are They Ready to Pick?
- The Tastiest Low-Chill Apricot Varieties to Grow at Home
No-Pectin Apricot Preserves Instructions (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Prepare the Fruit
Wash the apricots, then cut them in half and take out the pits. There's no need to remove the skin - it will soften as the fruit macerates and cooks (plus peeling apricots is a pain). Roughly chop the apricots into pieces.
Step 2: Macerate the Apricots
Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl, then add the lemon juice and sugar. Mix the sugar and juice with the fruit until everything is combined. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or even better, overnight.
After macerating for several hours, the sugar will have dissolved and pulled juice out of the apricots to form a thick, glossy syrup around the fruit (see the photo below). Pour this fruit and syrup mixture into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Step 3: Simmer
Simmer the fruit mixture for about 10 minutes, until it has thickened slightly. Stir frequently as it simmers so the sugar doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Use an immersion blender (or carefully pour the mixture into a regular blender) to puree the jam to your desired consistency.
To check if the jam is set, scoop a little out onto a chilled spoon. Blow on the spoon to cool the jam, and tilt the spoon around to see how runny it is. If you'd like the jam to be thicker, allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Step 4: Store & Serve
Spoon the finished hot jam into hot, sterilized jars (if canning) or some other container (for storing in the refrigerator or freezer). Process as directed below, or keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks - if it lasts that long! Enjoy your fresh jam on toast, yogurt, scones, cookies...or just about anything.
Do you still have fresh apricots to use up? Try making these Apricot, Honey, and Almond scones.
Low Sugar Fresh Apricot Preserves (No Pectin)
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Saucepan
- Immersion blender or regular blender
- Canning lids and jars optional
- Canning funnel and jar lifter optional
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped pitted apricots about 2 pounds after removing pits
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ cup bottled lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the apricots, remove the pits, and chop them roughly. Place the apricots in a large bowl and add the lemon juice and sugar. Mix well until the sugar has coated the fruit. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- If you are canning the jam, wash and sterilize the jars, lids, and rings. Keep the jars and lids hot (at 180°F) until you are ready to fill them. Place a spoon in the freezer.
- When you are ready to make the jam, bring the apricot mixture out of the refrigerator. The fruit should now be sitting in a thick syrupy juice in the bowl. Pour the fruit mixture into a large saucepan.
- Bring the macerated fruit up to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, then lower to a simmer. Simmer the fruit for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the sugar doesn’t stick to the pan or burn.
- After 10 minutes, the fruit and syrup should have thickened slightly. Use the immersion blender (or carefully use a regular blender) to blend the fruit. If you like the jam to have pieces of fruit, only blend partway. If you prefer a smooth jam, blend until there are no more fruit pieces.
- To see if the jam is set, take the spoon out of the freezer and scoop up a little jam. Once it has cooled, test for sweetness and texture. If you want the jam sweeter, add more sugar ¼ cup at a time and bring the mixture back to a boil for 1 minute. If the jam is too runny, continue simmering for another 5 minutes and check the consistency again.
- If you are not canning the jam, scoop into in a jar or container and store in the refrigerator or freezer. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, or for several months in the freezer.
- For canning, spoon the hot jam into the hot jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars clean, add a pre-warmed lid, then hand-tighten the ring. Process the jam in a hot water bath canner for 5 minutes. Leave the jar in the hot water for a few minutes to settle, then carefully remove it to cool completely on a towel-covered counter.
TIPS
- This recipe works best with fresh apricots, rather than frozen. Frozen and defrosted fruit releases a lot of liquid that will make the jam runny.
- Try variations on this recipe by combining apricots with other stone fruits such as peaches, cherries, or plums.
