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This sweet vanilla honey peach butter recipe is the perfect way to use up all those summer peaches. Don’t worry if you have never canned before. It’s super simple and you’ll be rewarded with the most delicious peach butter!
Are you looking for the most delicious way to preserve the taste of summer peaches?
Well, look no further. I have you covered with this super delicious vanilla honey peach butter.
No need to waste your hard-earned cash on store-bought fruit butter. It’s so simple to make your own!
All you need are some delicious fresh peaches, granulated sugar, honey, and vanilla beans. Or, if you can’t get your hands on fresh vanilla beans you can easily substitute some vanilla bean paste.
If you know me you know I have vanilla bean paste on hand at all times. It’s seriously my favorite!
You’ll also need some canning equipment but don’t worry if this is your first time canning. I’ll walk you through all the steps! It’s not as complicated as it might sound. Trust me!
What is Fruit Butter?
If you have never heard of fruit butter you’re not alone.
Simply put, fruit butter is just cooked down fruit that is then pureed and cooked down even further until smooth and spreadable. It’s not jammy in consistency and uses no pectin to thicken the mixture.
Instead, fruit butter is super spreadable and smooth.
It’s not the most popular way to preserve fresh fruits but I think it’s undervalued. It’s one of my favorite peach canning recipes!
The most common fruit butter is apple but you can do it with just about any fresh fruit you can find. I have made two different versions with plums but this vanilla honey peach butter version is such a taste of summer!
Check out my plum versions – vanilla bean plum butter or spiced plum butter.
What Do I Need to Water Bath Can?
I know canning seems complicated and maybe a little intimidating but I swear it’s simple.
There are some things you’ll need before you start.
- Canning kit – this kit will typically include all the small little things you’ll need to hot water bath can. Although I use all of the things in this kit the most used pieces in this kit are the jar grabber, magnetic lid lifter, and funnel.
- Canning stockpot – you need a big pot to boil water and then boil the jars. This post needs to be deep enough to fully submerge the jars.
- Canning jars – you can reuse canning jars and rings (the part that gets screwed around the jar) but you will always need to use new lids. This set of canning jars comes with a jar, ring, and lid. If you have some mason jars sitting around at home you can always just buy a box of lids with a new seal.
The biggest part of canning is keeping things sterile and clean. So make sure to have your area all set up before you start. Clean, set up your stations, get your water boiling, have your jars cleaned, etc. well before you start the process.
Peach Recipes For Canning
There are many canning recipes for peaches, and making peach butter is an easy process that only takes one pot and a food processor or blender.
You do not even need to peel your peaches to make this butter. Simply add your sliced peaches to a large pot with a little bit of water and let simmer until the fruit is soft and starts falling apart.
Puree the peaches until the mixture is smooth. I really like to use my Vitamix for this process as it creates a super smooth puree.
Add the puree back to the pot, add in the sugar, honey, and vanilla beans and simmer for about an hour or until the butter is thick and spreadable. The finished product almost reminds me of slightly thick applesauce. The peach butter should be spreadable but not runny.
Now it’s time to start the peach butter canning process.
In your canning pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. This may take some time as canning pots tend to be very large.
Wash the lids and rings in warm soapy water, rinse and set aside until ready to use.
When the water in the large canning pot is boiling add it to the canning jars. Be very careful and make sure to use your jar grabber tongs to lower them into the water. The reason you’re doing this step is to help sterilize the jars.
I like to keep my jars in the water for at least 10 minutes. When you’re ready to start the canning process you’ll do the following:
- Using your jar grabber tongs, get a jar out of the water, dump out the water, and set it onto a dishtowel.
- Ladle hot peach butter into the clean jar making sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace from the top of the jar. I like to use my wide-mouth funnel for this step.
- Carefully wipe the edges of the jar if any of the peach butter got on the outside of the jar.
- Use your magnetic lid lifter to grab a lid and ring. Carefully place the lid onto the jar and screw on the ring.
- Continue these steps until all the jars have been filled.
- Using your jar grabber tongs add the jars to the large pot. The water may stop boiling when you add the jars.
- Keep an eye on the water and as soon as it starts to boil, set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Process for 5 minutes, remove the jars from the boiling water and set them on wire racks to cool. (If you live at a higher elevation you may need to add more processing time. Please check the USDA website for advice.)
- After 24 hours check the jars to make sure they have sealed. You’ll know the jars are sealed because the lid will no longer pop at the top.
- If a jar does not seal (which can happen) you can easily place it in the refrigerator and use it up within a month.
- The sealed jars should be used within a year.
Have more canning questions? I absolutely LOVE the website Food in Jars. She gives some great canning advice!
What if I Don’t Want to Hot Water Bath Can?
I get that canning is not something everyone wants to do. That’s ok. It’s a lot of equipment and time.
But, you’re in luck because you can still make this tasty fruit butter.
You’ll make it with the same recipe, but simply store all the finished peach in the refrigerator and use it within a month.
I have done this before and typically find that making a half batch of this recipe is a better option.
How Do I Store Vanilla Honey Peach Butter?
If you have hot water processed your jars, you’ll want to make sure you store them in a cool dark place for up to a year.
NEVER ever ever ever eat anything canned that has lost its seal during storage. That means if you open the jar and you don’t hear a pop just assume the jar could have gotten tainted and throw it away.
If you just made a small batch of peach butter without the intent to can you can keep it stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
How Do I Use Vanilla Honey Peach Butter?
While I’m happy to simply eat this delicious fruit butter with a spoon, that is not the only way this can be enjoyed.
- Slather it on toast, biscuits, scones, bagels, or English muffins.
- Spoon it over vanilla bean ice cream.
- Swirl it into Greek yogurt.
- Use it as a dip for donuts or breakfast pastries.
See? There are so many tasty ways to use this sweet vanilla honey peach butter!
Do you love this vanilla honey peach butter? Try some of my other preserve recipes!
- Craving homemade strawberry jam? Try my Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam.
- Love making fruit butter? Try my Vanilla Bean Plum Butter.
- Want sweet and tart? Try my Pickled Cherries.
- Need a flavor-packed red sauce recipe? Try my Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce.
Vanilla Honey Peach Butter
Ingredients
- 9 cups sliced peaches, seeded but not peeled
- 1/4 cup water
- 2-1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 vanilla beans, scrape the seed out
Instructions
- In a larger pot combine peaches and the water.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until peaches are tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Use a blender or food processor to puree the peach mixture, in batches, until smooth.
- Return peach puree to the same pot.
- Add sugar, honey, vanilla bean seeds, and an empty vanilla pod. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 60 minutes or until the mixture is thick and mounds on a spoon, stirring often.
- Take out vanilla pods.
- Ladle hot peach butter into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.
- Wipe jar rims, and adjust lids.
- Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. Make sure to start timing when water returns to boiling.
- Remove jars from the canner, and cool on wire racks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Vanilla Honey Peach Butter
Ingredients
- 18 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut
- 1/4 cup water
- 2-1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 vanilla beans, scrape the seed out
Instructions
- In and 8 - 10 quart heavy pot (I used my Le Creuset) combine peaches and the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer cover, for 10 - 15 minutes or until peaches are tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Use a blender or food processor to puree peach mixture, in batches, until smooth. Return peach puree to same pot. Add sugar, honey and vanilla bean seeds and empty vanilla pod. Bring to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolve - reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and mounds on a spoon, stirring often.
- Take out vanilla pods and ladle hot peach butter into hot, sterilized half pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids.
- Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner, cool on wire racks. (Makes 4 - 6 8oz. jelly jars of peach butter)
- **When I made this recipe I got 6 half pints of fruit butter. However, there have been some people who have told me they have gotten a lot more out of this recipe - approximately 12-14 half pints. I'm assuming this has to do with the size of the peaches. Just assume if you have large peaches you will get a lot more fruit butter...not that that's a bad thing 🙂
I don’t cook or can, haha!! But I made this!!!! I’m so excited that I made it and I can’t wait to try it!!
Thank you!!
Hi Jodi! Hope you love it 😉
We just made this with peaches from a local orchard. It turned out beautifully! We made 2 double batches and plan to use this for neighbor gifts for Christmas. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Hi Amanda! Thank you for letting me know. I hope your neighbors love it 🙂
I had a peach tree and peeled, sliced and froze a lot of peaches. Was wondering if this can be made with thawed – frozen peaches?
Hi Mel! I have only used fresh peaches but I don’t see why using frozen peaches wouldn’t work. You might not need to add as much water since frozen peaches tend to be more watery but I think it should work fine. If it’s a little thing simply cook it down until you reach the desired fruit butter consistency.
I’m going peach picking this weekend, can’t wait to try this recipe. How long will the processed jars last once stored? Should I keep in the fridge after processing or can I store in the pantry?
Hi Candace! After processing they are shelf stable. After you open a jar keep in the fridge until completely used up 🙂
I have never canned before so please forgive my stupid questions. This looks delicious, and I know my husband would love it. We’re opening a B&B and would love to have this on our menu. I have 2 dumb questions…how long does this keep on the shelf and after the peaches are cooked, do you drain them or puree them with the water they were cooked in. I apologize for sounding like an idiot! 🙂
Hi Pattie! No worries about the questions 🙂 In theory canning products should last years as long the seal never breaks. If you ever can and find something on the shelf that the seal has broken make sure to throw it away. When you “cook” the peaches it’s just so slightly soften them. You remove them from the water and let them cool. You do not use the water after that. You’ll just puree the peaches by themselves which at this point should be super soft and juicy. I hope this helps and good luck making the peach butter!
Loved the taste of this recipe!!! I used 18 peaches, but they were big and I ended up with about 12-14 jars of various sizes (I was scrambling at the end to find more jars). Everyone has loved this peach butter! The only thing I would mention about the recipe is the cooking time. I had to increase the cooking time significantly from 10 minutes to 30+ minutes and still I didn’t really have, “mounding on the spoon” consistently. A neighbor I shared the recipe with had the same issue as well. My consistency was thicker, but not butter like, but it still was a pleasant, “over ice cream or shortcake like” with which I was satisfied. I still spread it on toast and it’s an ok thin consistency, but I think next time I will have to cook down the batch more which means even beyond 30 minutes. Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Kim! I have made this several times and sometimes it works just as written and other times it takes longer to cook. I think it has a lot to do with the ripeness of the peaches and the size of the peaches. I always just cook it down till I reach a consistency I like. Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and I hope you enjoy it all winter long 🙂
This looks AMAZING I cannot wait to make it .. I noticed in a few of the other posts and questions that some used vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans , this is precisely what I would have to do ..my questions are 1 is the v.extract ok to use and 2 exactly how much
Hi Debra! 1 or 2 teaspoons should be enough for the batch. I would add 1 and then give it a taste and see if it needs more. Hope you enjoy the peach butter!
Hi, this recipe looked great so I kind of followed it ;-). I did a taste test with vanilla extract ( I have a good vanilla but no beans :-() Anyway, I didn’t like the taste test on that but I love cardamom so I tried a measly 1/4 teaspoon & YUM!!
I used 17 medium peaches & 2/3 c raw yummy honey, 1/3 cup org cane sugar & 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, juice & zest of 1 large lemon & it didn’t seem to thicken so added 2 pealed & puréed apples, 1 org & 1 ambrosia as that’s what I had. I boiled/simmered it for over an hour. Maybe even 1&1/2 hours. Then decided it was time to stop, so I may have peach sauce instead of jam or butter but it tastes awesome. I ended up with 9 – 1/2 pint jam jars.
I’m sulfite sensitive & that’s in cane & beet sugar. Even organic cane sugar doesn’t work well for me but my water kefir likes it & eats it up so its gone when I drink that. Coconut palm sugar works ok for me but the taste is too strong for a lot of things with a more delicate flavor because it’s more like brown sugar. And I love raw honey but that just doesn’t work like sugar in recipes so it’s a hit & miss especially since I can’t eat eggs & am also gluten intolerant.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!!! I am sure it’ll be great on my GF bread or buckwheat pancakes whatever the consistency.
While the butter tastes amazing- it never set. It’s just a thick syrupy consistency Can you give me some advice? I am at about 5,000 ft + above sea level.
Hi Rachel – I apologize for the delay in responding but you can always just cook the fruit butter longer to thicken it up. I know that at times it can take longer based on the natural juiciness of the peaches.
Egads! Waaaaayyyyy too much sugar. It ruined the peaches for me.
Hi Cheryl Ann – sorry it was too sweet for you! It seems to be a good ration for the peaches I get here in New York but I know that it can depend on the size and natural sweetness of the peaches you use for canning.