9 Types Of Fruit Preserves, Explained

"Fruit preserve" is both the umbrella term for fruit spreads and a particular variety of them. Making one requires cooking whole fruit (or solid chunks) in sweet syrup. It is one of the trickier varieties to make at home since it requires skill and knowledge to tell how much heat fruit can take before it overcooks and loses its shape or dissolves. The best options for these preserves are those low on pectin or would be easier to keep whole without processing. For example, ripe cherries would be perfect, as they are low-pectin fruits that require pitting, which you can skip for this process.

Compotes are sometimes mistaken for this type of preserve, as they are also composed of whole fruit cooked in sugar syrup. The difference is that they are cooked quickly and meant to be consumed shortly after being prepared. Preserves, on the other hand, have always been made to last. For example, in Eastern Europe — where fruit supply was low, and winters were long and brutal — a preserve known as "varenye" quite literally saved lives in times of food scarcity thanks to its long shelf life (via "Jam, Jelly and Marmalade: A Global History"). Preserves are best enjoyed on their own as a tea-time treat, but you could also use them as a pastry filling and an oatmeal or ice cream topping.

Known for its clear composition and spreadable consistency, jelly is the refined beauty of the fruit preserves family. The cooking process is similar to that of jams, with the added steps of straining the fruit pulp (traditionally, with the help of time and a jelly bag to produce the best results) and boiling down the leftover juice. Additional pectin is often required to help the mixture set. This results in a clear and smooth concoction with no solid bits. The seamless, uniform consistency of jelly is likely why it became half of the iconic sandwich duo alongside peanut butter. Still, it works just as well on a cracker or a bagel paired with cream cheese or sandwiched between cookies.

Today, the homogenous texture and bright fruit flavor make jellies popular with kids and adults alike. But they were also once valued for their aesthetic qualities. In the wealthy homes of Georgian-era England, they were served in glasses rather than on plates and often arranged in elegant yet eye-catching formations illuminated by candlelight. So, in addition to being a dessert, they added to the overall atmosphere of the pre-electricity dining rooms (via "Jam, Jelly and Marmalade: A Global History").

Fruit curd is a rich, glossy spread that stands out in the fruit preserve family. The most famous flavor is lemon, which is considered a staple of British cuisine. Once known as "lemon cheese," this creamy preserve is made by heating up the zest and juice of lemons with butter and sugar until everything melts together, then adding eggs which provide the signature yellow tint, density, and glossiness. The mixture then thickens to a spreadable consistency over gentle heat. Once done, it needs to be thoroughly chilled and served cold. This delectable, buttery preserve can elevate many recipes. It can be spread between cake layers, used as a tart filling, drizzled over waffles, or even enjoyed straight out of the jar.

Even though lemon is the classic flavor, other variations, from berries to watermelon and even passionfruit curd, are possible. Aim for juicy fruit varieties, and your curd experiments won't fall flat. Also, considering it's the only kind of preserve relying on animal-derived ingredients in the present day, it needs to be vegan for those adhering to a plant-based diet. Luckily, this has successfully been done by food bloggers through the use of non-dairy milk or butter, turmeric, and starch, so you can easily recreate the familiar texture and flavor without animal products.

You might think any fruit preserve with a spreadable consistency could be called a fruit spread. And while that might be true colloquially, legally, fruit spreads are their own separate category. Fruit butter, jams, and jellies all require sugar or another "nutritive carbohydrate sweetener" to be on the ingredient list (via National Archives Code of Federal Regulations). The latter are sugars and sugar alcohols that add calories to products. Meanwhile, fruit spreads are the kind of preserve made without any sugar and offer the most natural fruit flavor — and isn't that what we want from a fruit preserve in the first place?

That isn't to say that there's no sugar in fruit spreads. First, there are natural sugars in the produce. The spreads are often made with pectin-heavy fruit like apples or apricots that don't require additional sugar to gel, and the homemade versions also rely on chia seeds to help the low-pectin fruit to gel. The commercial "sugar-free" preserves could also be prepared with other natural and artificial sweeteners, like stevia or Splenda. So if you're trying to lower your sugar intake, natural fruit spreads are the way to go. Alternatively, if you'd like to enjoy them with something sweet, substitute them for jam or jelly in baking recipes, which typically have plenty of sugar on the ingredient list.

Crystallized, candied, glacé, and confit fruit all refer to the same kind of preserve. This can be confusing, considering there is a cooking method called confit and a kind of fruit preserve named confiture. Both terms come from the French verb "confire," meaning "to preserve." While "confiture" refers to any fruit cooked with a thick syrup, "confit" is often understood as a meat dish, slow-cooked and preserved in oil or other fat. 

However, the confit cooking method can be applied to almost anything, including fruits and vegetables. In the case of fruit confit, fat is replaced by sweet syrup. Ripe whole fruits, their pieces, or peels, are usually cooked on low heat in a saturated sugar syrup that absorbs moisture inside, leading to their preservation. Sometimes the produce is additionally soaked in several changes of syrup. They are then typically drained and dried. Candied fruit is slightly tedious to make at home, but if you ever decide to try it, Ditters lists citrus fruits, pears, apples, plums, peaches, pineapple, and, of course, quinces among the best fruit for candying. Using their leftover peels lowers food waste and makes a delicious snack. Candied fruit can be enjoyed independently, used to decorate other dishes and drinks, or given as gifts.