Sharing this quick little DIY refined sugar-free and raw apricot jam recipe today because:
a. I LOVE apricot jam
b. it’s hard to find some that’s not sweetened with white sugar
c. because homemade is best
d. because it’s super easy
… and e. because you’ll need it for this sacher torte next week! ;)

Raw Apricot Jam
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: approx 2½ cups jam
Category: Spreads
Method: Raw
Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Instant, homemade vegan apricot jam made without refined sugar. Super simple and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsulphured dried apricots
- ¾ cup maple syrup {or agave, brown rice syrup, etc.}
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice {or a big dash of salt}
Instructions
- Place apricots in a glass bowl. Cover with hot water and let soak for a few hours to soften up {or for a quick version, cover with boiling water and let stand 15 minutes}.
- Strain apricots and place in a blender or small food processor. Add sweetener and lemon juice and blend into a smooth consistency. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice if you like your jam tart.. If your blender is struggling to blend, add a little bit of water {I didn’t, but I use a Vitamix, which can handle blending things better}. Enjoy!
♥ Audrey
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Disclaimer: this post contains an affiliate link to the Vitamix blender used.
Do you bottle this in a hot water bath?
Hi Charlotte, you totally can if you’re into canning. I don’t find a need for that personally as it’s a small recipe (makes about 2.5 cups jam) and I refrigerate and finish it within a few months at most, so never had a need for longer term storage.
Hi! Could I use homemade date paste instead of mae syrup? (And in what quantity)
Thanks!
Hi Dinka. You might have a hard time blending, since maple syrup is a lot more liquid. You can try it with date syrup instead. As for the quantity, you’ll have to adjust that to your taste.
Yumm, this was amazing! Yesterday I had some friends over, we had a nice dinner and later I served a plate with different kinds of cheeses, added some fresh thyme and a pinch of rose pepper to the apricot jam and served it together with some quinoa bread – we all loved it!
★★★★★
Wow, that sounds so good, Leslie :) Thanks for sharing — so happy you all enjoyed it!
How long does this jam keep ?
Hi Joyce, I don’t have a definitive expiration date. The longest I’ve had it around was 3 weeks and it was still well-preserved to the last spoonful. I keep mine refrigerated. Hope that gives you an idea.
How do you know if the apricots are unsulphured ? I cannot find this information on the package…
Hi Myrna,
Sorry for the delayed reply. Usually if it’s not specified on the label it is most likely sulphured {at least that’s the case in North America}. Unsulphured apricots are usually a darker color whereas the common {sulphured} kind is a bright orange. Either one will work in the recipe, but unsulphured ones are a healthier choice on my opinion which is why I recommend them.
Can this be made with fresh apricots??
Hi Alaina, the reason I used dried apricots is because the water has already been dehydrated out of them, so they are sweeter and thicker {as though they’ve already been cooked}. Fresh apricots have a lot of moisture in them so just blending it you might end up with a bit of a slushie/saucy {delicious} scenario instead of a thick enough spread.
But, that said, if you wanted to make a jam out of fresh apricots you can just put all the ingredients in a pot {with the apricots being rough chopped, and using a bit more apricots as they will cook down}, bring to a light boil and simmer for about 20 minutes and you’ll end up with a thick enough jam that way {I make a lot of jams like that in the summer out of fresh fruit on my property}. Nothing beats homemade! ♥ Enjoy it!
Yummy!!! Thank you! I am going to try this recipe this week :)
You’re welcome, Alaina. Enjoy it! :)
genius recipe, thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thank you Crista! Glad you like it ♥
My girls love apricots so this jam looks perfect! Homemade really is the best!
Agreed, Melissa :)
Apricot jam is one of my favourite things to eat, and it’s definitely my favourite type of jam! I love how easy and delicious this recipe looks! I also seriously can’t wait to see your Sacher Torte recipe – I am so excited. The sneak peak image of it in this recipe looks amazing!!!!
★★★★★
Thanks — this was one of the apricot things I mentioned I was working on the other day :)
Thank you so much for sharing!! I love jam too but most contain TONS of white sugar =( gah…this is so what ive been looking for!
Thanks Chrysta — making my own is pretty much the only way I can have jam without the white sugar.
This is magnificent and it’s like you read my mind. I’ve been wondering whether or not dried apricots would make a good jam and bam, you posted one for me. Brilliant. I love Sachertorte and hubby is an addict. I make it for his birthday every year, it’s his favourite desert dessert of all time. I have a few recipes I’ve developed, cupcakes which are posted on the blog, and two cakes I have yet to post. I can’t wait to see yours as I’m sure it will be amazing and unlike anything I would have dreamt up.
Awesome! I love sacher as well and have been meaning to make some for a while so glad I finally got around to it. I’ve seen your cupcake version and they are amazing! Can’t wait to see your cakes too. This homemade simple jam worked a treat for this — fresh apricots are not easy to find, especially off-season for the purpose of making a more traditional jam, and the store-bought spreads are always made with sugar — at least the ones that are readily available — and I really wanted to make this cake properly without compromising my no sugar policy. It turned out really good! Something like this would definitely work great for your recipes.
Yum! This looks pretty simple… I have to try it! And OMG that little preview has my attention… can’t wait to see the next post!
Yep, as simple as it gets. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of doing this sooner! :)
I love homemade jam!! And apricot is one of my favorites. I’ll have to try this once I start getting some apricots!
I’ve always been a huge apricot jam fan. Then again I love all jam. And fruit. And sweet things… This is going to be my new go-to though for those times you don’t feel like waiting around and watching the pot ;)
It doesn’t even require any cooking!! I was for sure expecting to have to at least turn the stove on, but when you say simple you mean it!
Hehe. Yep. I’m so happy there was no cooking involved in this one — was going for a quick and easy recipe. Though in the summer I LOVE the smell of fresh jam cooking away on the stove…
This is such a lovely idea! I don’t buy jams at all if I want something similar I make chia ‘jam’ so this is a nice alternative plus it’s raw and quick! Your recipes are extraordinary as are your photos! Beautiful website x
Thanks Petra! I don’t buy jams either — it’s so easy to make your own + I can’t eat sugar anyhow, and in the summer I have way too much foraged fruit from around here to use up, so homemade makes sense. I’ve never made it from dried fruit though and this worked out beautifully.