Small Batch Low Sugar Apricot Jam
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This small batch low sugar apricot jam is made from scratch and is pectin free! Use it as apricot glaze on cakes or simply spread on toast.
4 ingredients and less than an hour is all it takes to make this low sugar apricot jam. Actually, if we don’t count the water it’s only 3 ingredients! Plus there is no pectin added.
My mom, grandmother and aunt have been making homemade jams for years. Now they are all delicious but when I was about to make my first batch of jams I knew right then I would not be using their traditional recipe.
Pectin free preserves were on my mind and that was how this Strawberry Jam without Pectin was born. The jam tasted amazing and I was happy I succeeded. After that I couldn’t stop thinking of making another batch of jams so I made Cinnamon Plum Jam. This jam was also pectin free and low in sugar.
I was super excited about my homemade jams and felt like I had to try canning as well. So I did. These Sweet and Sour Dill Pickles have been our family’s favorites for ages! Guys, this is my mom’s recipe and I haven’t eaten better dill pickles than these so I hope you’ll give them a try as well.
However, today I have for you this low sugar apricot jam recipe. Apricots are in season now so if you have an apricot tree in your garden or if you bought a larger amount of them on the market, making homemade apricot jam is the way to go! Actually, if you really have like a ton of apricots you could try making dried apricots. I will definitely give it a go myself!
By the way, this is a low sugar apricot jam so bear in mind that the sweetness might vary depending on the sweetness of your fruits. However, if you feel like you would prefer sweeter jam, you can add more sugar.
How to make low sugar apricot jam:
To make this jam, start off with rinsing apricots under running water. This step is quite important especially when buying apricots that are not organic. Because we use the skins as well, you want to make sure you clean them thoroughly.
Next thing is cutting them in halves and getting rid of the stones. Now they are ready for jam making.
I simply throw them in a large pot (make sure you choose a wide bottom pot) add water and cook them on medium-high until they are mushy. At this stage it’s important to stir them almost constantly.
When the apricots turn into a mushy mixture, it’s time to reduce the heat to medium – low and also add sugar and lemon juice. It will take about 35-40 minutes for the jam to thicken but you don’t need to be stirring the apricot jam mixture constantly anymore.
I suggest stirring it from time to time. If you are not sure, then more often rather than less. Better be safe than sorry. It would be a waste ending up with burnt jam.
When ready, pour it into sterilized jars and cover with lids. Turn upside down and let them cool down completely.
To see if the jars are sealed properly you turn them back up and press down each lid. If the lid doesn’t pop up or down, the jar is perfectly sealed.
Good to know:
- Apricots are low in pectin so it takes longer to cook the jam.
- The longer you cook the jam the smaller amount of jam you get.
- It is up to you how thick you like your jam so you can experiment here.
- Making small batch jams are perfect for small families or those who want to give jam making a go for the first time.
- This low sugar apricot jam makes a great apricot glaze for cakes as well.
Small Batch Low Sugar Apricot Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Apricots (1 kilogram)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice , freshly squeezed (60 ml)
- ½ cup Water (125 ml)
Instructions
- Wash, half and pit the apricots. Throw them in a pot with wide bottom. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- After 10 minutes the apricots will turn into a mash. This is the time to add sugar and lemon juice. Stir and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until it thickens and the apricots are completely mushy. This way there is no need to run the mixture through a sieve at all.
- To see if the jam has thickened pour some of it onto a small plate that has been previously in the freezer. Let it cool down a bit. Now make a line through the jam with your finger. If the jam fills the space (the drawn line) it’s not quite thick yet so continue simmering. If it doesn’t, you can start filling your jars.
- Pour or spoon the jam into jars leaving about 0.4 inch (1 cm) free from the top. Seal with lids, turn up-side down and let them cool completely.
- To check if the lids are properly sealed simply tap/push down each lid. If it doesn’t pop up or down, it’s sealed. If the lid does pop up or down it’s not air-tight. Place those in the fridge and eat within a week. The rest of them should last for several months.
Notes
- Important: Air-tight sealed jars will lasts for months. However, I suggest following current safety standards for canning fruits (jar and lid sterilizing as well as a 10 minute water bath once the jars are filled with jam and sealed with lids). The water bath is especially important when making large quantities.
- Pre-Sanitizing Your Jars & Lids: Sanitize your jars & lids by washing them in warm soapy water and subsequently boiling them in water bath for 15 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the jars & lids onto a clean kitchen towel and them up-side down.
I just wanted to say what an amazing easy recipe – worked like a treat. Made couple of different batches, plain apricot, star anise & apricot, vanilla and apricot and ginger and apricot. thank you so much.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sabah! All the different flavored jams sound delicious!
Never made apricot jam before. Loved the recipe it is a definite hit. Amongst my favourite, for taste colour and perfection.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Cindy
Australia
Hi Cindy. Thank you so much for your feedback! I am so happy to hear you liked it :)
Thank you for this simple and easy recepie. I have used raw sugar, and it did not spoil the colour of the jam.
You are welcome, Biljana!
Delicious! Great recipe! Will definitely make it again.
That’s great to hear, Rachel! Thanks for your feedback.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! Made two batches. Definitely a keeper!
Yay! I am happy to hear you liked this apricot jam recipe :)
Love this recipe! So easy! I made three different batches, one with ginger, another with vanilla extract, and the last with almond extract. Love them all.
That’s great to hear, Kelly. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Mmm, this looks like absolute jammy perfection to me – the color and the texture, yum! Apricots are one of my favorite fruits and we love apricot jam in this house. And homemade is absolutely always the best – I can think of nothing better on my bagel in the morning.
I have made apricot jam many times AND this recipe as written is delicious and easy to make. I give it a 5 star rating.
Thanks for the feedback, Karen! :)
Delicious! Great recipe! Will definitely make again.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! Made two batches. Definitely a keeper!
Do you know if actual sugar has to be used for the jam to set? If not, do you think a lower glycemic option such as munkfuit or coconut sugar could be substituted?
Hi Dawn. In general sugar is used in jam making for several reasons – helps jams set, keep color and works as a preservative. If you just want to use sugar substitutes to sweeten your jam, then I guess you can. However, I would highly recommend making only a small batch and enjoy it shortly after (I would keep it in the fridge at all time just to be safe). I am no expert on sugar substitutes and how they work so please take this as a guide. I have never done a jam using those myself so this is only what I would do to keep the jams safe to eat.Also, I am not sure if the substitutes will thicken the jam. Hope this helps.
I have been experimenting with sugar substitutes for a while now (stevia and monk fruit). I have had the best results with monk fruit but not by itself. I get better results if I use some cane sugar in the mix. Splitting it in half is better, but other combinations have turned out good results. They do take longer to gel so you have to cook and stir longer. Good luck!
I usually do 1/2 sugar, 1/2 splenda with my freezer jams. Use ball low sugar pectin, with peaches, strawberries, and raspberries. This is my first time doing a cooked apricot jam. I doubled sugar as it seemed pretty tart. 1/2 is splenda. Looks and tastes great.
Hi Julia, I had a large quantity of apricots so increased all the ingredients, but I think I added too much water – it is really runny after cooking for a couple hours. Should I just keep cooking it down? Thank you! The flavor is great by the way.
Hi Erin, yes. You will have to cook it until it reduces down.
Excellent results; the taste and texture came out just as described. Instructions are clear and accurate. Thank you!
I made a small amount of the apricot jam and put it in a Tupperware container, how long will it last in the refrigerator?
Hi Denise. Plastic containers can still have traces of bacteria as you can’t sterilize them in boiling water, for that reason I suggest consuming it as soon as possible. Just check the jam before you want to enjoy it. It’s important to not introduce any possible contaminants to the jam – like say you use a knife with traces of butter to take some jam out or spoon jam out, lick the spoon and again use the same spoon to take some more jam. If you don’t see any mould on the surface of the jam or around the walls/edges of the container, the jam should be good. I have never stored jam in a plastic container so not sure about the time-frame though. Like I’ve mentioned, try enjoying it as soon as possible.
Hey there! Hi there! Thanks for posting this recipe. I got a batch of Apricots and I was at a loss of what to do with them. But, then I remembered my boyfriend’s affinity for them and decided to make a small batch of my own to gift to him. The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Anyways, I noticed that the recipe suggest using a freezer-chilled plate to test the consistency of the jam prior to canning, however, I wish I had realized this sooner. Maybe, as a kind suggestion, you could edit your recipe and put that tip in the beginning of the recipe breakdown so that I can have the chilled plate ready. I know, I know…I should read the whole thing through a couple of times, but I was on a time crunch. Thanks again for sharing this apricot recipe!
Thanks for your feedback, Jessica! I will be updating this recipe shortly.Hope you try some more recipes from our blog. :)
Very easy to follow instructions, wanted a recipe to leave skins on, no pectin, very tasty, so excited making a second batch for gifts, thank you
Thank you for your feedback, Toni!
Quick question, if you want to get rid of the skins, at what point in preparing would you run the mixture through the sieve? After adding sugar and lemon juice and before cooking for 40 ish minutes? Sorry, I am a complete beginner
I am sorry for the late reply, Dominika. You can run it through a sieve, but the thing is, the skins will completely dissolve if they are cooked long, so there is no need to do it, really. I would do it before adding sugar and lemon. If you still don’t want them, I would rather use the same method that is used to peel tomatoes – with a knife, make a cross at the tip of each apricot and throw them into a boiling water for a few seconds or until you see the skin starts coming off. Then, you just peel it. This will be more time consuming though. I hope this helps.
I have an apricot tree in my yard (spray free) to date I have used 5kg of fruit in 1kg lots. GREAT recepe, not to sweet. I have got another boilup going as we speak and have added some ground ginger cheers Hans
You are lucky to have an apricot tree in your garden! Ground ginger sounds like a great addition. Happy jam making!
Easy, tasty recipe. Took me 2 hours, start to finish and I doubled the quantities EXCEPT for the lemon juice. My apricots were a bit tart so I did increase the sugar and halved the lemon juice. I also added a pinch of salt which I do to all of my jam. I had to cook it an extra 5 minutes and judged the thickness using the frozen plate method. Very nice. It made 7 half pints.
That’s great to hear, Kathy! Thank you for finding time to write the feedback.
I just finished my first small batch! Omitted the water and cooked on low for an hour and it turned out thick and rich. It has a lovely color, too! I did use a water bath for 10 minutes as suggested. It seems that’s the clincher for safe canning.
Hi Angel. Thanks so much for your feedback! Yes, the water bath is an extra safety and if not sure, it is definitely better to do it rather than being worried.