This recipe for canning apricots uses a light syrup (or sauce) without loads of sugar to preserve fresh apricots and fill your pantry to enjoy all year.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: fruit
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Canned Apricots, Canning Apricots, How to Can Apricots
9poundsapricotsrinsed and halved, approximately 2 and 1/4 pounds per quart jar
6cupswater
2cupssugarmore or less to taste, see my syrup canning chart
Instructions
Prepare hot water bath canner by filling 1/2 way with warm water, placing rack inside, and setting on medium heat. (Have extra boiling water ready in case it's needed in step 8.
Have jars washed and rinsed in hot soapy water, wide mouth are the easiest to pack your apricots in.
In a large saucepan bring 6 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a boil. (Once boiling, I cover and turn it off since apricot canning goes so fast.)
Place apricots in the jar, cut side down and fill to a 1/2 inch headspace.
Pour hot syrup over apricots leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles by taking a bubble remover, chopstick, knife, or ruler and running it between the outside of the fruit and the inside of the jar. Re-check headspace and add more syrup if needed.
Wipe down the rim of the jar, place lid and band on, and tighten to fingertip tight.
Lower jars into the canner and make sure the water level comes 1 inch above the top of the jars. Add more boiling water if necessary.
Bring water to a boil and begin processing time only after the water has reached a full boil. Cover and process pint jars for 25 minutes and quart jars for 30 minutes. (If using hot pack method, pints are 20 minutes and quarts are 25 minutes).
Turn off burner and remove lid. Wait 5 minutes and, using a jar lifter, remove jars from the canner and place on a folded towel. Allow jars to cool for 12 to 24 hours undisturbed.
Check seals, remove bands, wipe down jars to remove any sticky residue, and store in your pantry!
Notes
Placing apricots cut side down allows more to fit into the jars.
It's normal to see extra space at the bottom of the jars once canning is complete. Because we're cold packing the apricots, they will release water and become smaller as they're canned.
It's also normal for a little bit of the syrup to be siphoned out during the canning process. As long as your jars have a proper seal, the fruit is just fine! If more than 1/3 of the syrup is gone, allow that jar to cool to room temperature and place it in the refrigerator. Eat within a week.
To hot pack apricots - place prepared apricots and syrup in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Pack hot into jars and process in a water bath or steam canner and follow the instructions above.
Nutrition facts include apricots and syrup. One serving is 1/4 of a quart jar, or approximately 1 cup (with syrup).