How to Freeze Peaches
Say goodbye to those tough and flavorless out-of-season peaches. Learn how freeze peaches when their ripe and juicy, and you'll have fresh peaches all through the winter months.
Depending on where you live, peach season can span anywhere from May to late September.
You'll know when it's peach season in your state though! The farmers market will be bursting at the seams with these tasty nectarines. Not to mention, the sweet peachy aroma will grab your attention in the grocery store.
Freezing Fresh Peaches
I love to freeze fresh peaches so that I have them whenever I need for my favorite peach recipes. Sure, I could grab some canned peaches or off-season peaches form the store. But there is truly nothing like a fresh sweet peach.
When you learn how to freeze peaches, you'll have these slices of juicy sweetness ready whenever you want to make peach cobbler.
And even on the coldest days, you may find yourself craving a glass of peach lemonade! Wouldn't it be great if you had fresh frozen fruit to use with all of those fabulous recipes?
The freezer is an easy way to preserve ripe and delicious fruit. Choose your favorite method and get to work! The good news? There's no downside to freezing a lot of peaches!
What You'll Need
Most of the supplies you need to freeze peaches are things you'll probably already have in your kitchen. Make sure you've got a really sharp knife and a good cutting board.
Parchment paper and a large baking sheet will be important items that you'll need as well. If you choose to blanch your peaches, make sure you've got a large saucepan ready to go.
Before freezing peaches, ensure you have plenty of clean airtight containers or freezer safe zip top bags.
Hot Tip: If you don't have a lot of airtight containers, you can freeze peaches in mason jars with their lids! Just be sure to not to fill them completely or the jars may break.
Most importantly, take the time to ensure that all peaches are fully ripe before slicing them up to be frozen. A perfectly ripe peach will be slightly soft when you press down on it, but not mushy.
Check your farmers market and grocery store for the best in season peaches!
Why You'll Love Learning How to Freeze Peaches
- Freezing your own fruit can save a lot of money! Out of season fruit is often up-charged during their off season, even frozen. So buy up your favorite fruits when they're in season and affordable, then freeze to save money.
- Freshly frozen peaches will have a more sweet and strong flavor than peaches you can buy in the coolers at the grocery store.
- When you learn how to freeze peaches, you're ensuring that your fruit will last longer than what you buy in a store. Any bag you grab out a grocery store freeze could've been sitting there a long time! If you slice and freeze fresh fruit, it won't develop freezer burn near as quickly.
Freeze Peaches Without Them Turning Brown
Here are some of my favorite ways to freeze peaches. Choose which will be the best method for you, they'll all work great:
Freezing Blanched Peaches
First things first, you need to blanch the fruit. Place whole peaches into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds each, remove with a slotted spoon, and then drop them into a bowl of cold water. Peel the skin off of each blanched peach.
Slice the peaches open and remove the pit. Then cut into slices or chunks and toss in a little bit of lemon juice.
Place the sliced peaches onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them sit in the freezer for about four hours. Once they're frozen solid, transfer the frozen fruit to a freezer safe bag or airtight container.
They will store in the freezer this way for about 6 months.
Flash Frozen Peaches
Flash frozen peaches don't last as long as blanched ones, but they're a great way to freeze peaches if you're in a rush.
Wash peaches really well and then peel the skin and remove the pit. Cut into slices or dice them up.
Place peaches onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and then into the freezer. Once solid, transfer your flash frozen peaches to a freezer bag or airtight container.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Other Ways to Freeze Peaches
Believe it or not, there are still a few other ways that you can freeze peaches!
Freezing Peaches in Syrup or Water
Need to just slice the peaches, throw them in the freezer, and move on? Freezing them in syrup or water may be best for you!
Place sliced or diced peaches into an freezer bag and then fill the empty space with water. Carefully squeeze out an excess air and seal the bag well. Lay flat in the freezer to maximize the space.
Add a light syrup or heavy syrup into the freezer bag of peaches, leaving a little space at the top. Seal the bag shut and lay the syrup pack peaches flat in the freezer.
Freeze Peach Puree
Peel peaches and then place them into a high-powered blender (affiliate) or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and no chunks are left.
Pour the peach puree into ice cubes molds or popsicle molds and freeze. You can either leave them in the molds, or remove them once frozen and place into an airtight container or freezer bag.
Keep frozen for up to 6 months and use whenever needed!
How to Use Frozen Peaches
These tasty slices of juicy frozen goodness can be used in so many different ways! Throw some of them into a peach smoothie or make your own delicious smoothie creations.
You can use frozen peaches to make peach syrup to use in lemonade, sweet tea and any other beverages. I'm a sucker for fresh peaches in this peach blackberry lemonade mocktail and peach raspberry sangria too.
Thaw some frozen peaches whenever you need fresh fruit for recipes like peach crisp and peach cobbler.
Or, if you get the urge for the perfect peach jam, you can use some of these peaches to make a sticky sweet jam! Frozen peaches can be used in so many different ways, so get creative and find all of the possibilities out there.
Tips for Success
Here are some tips and tricks for making this recipe:
- It's important to keep the peaches in a single layer on the cookie sheet so they don't freeze together. If you need to freeze your fruit in batches, that's ok! You can start prepping other batches to freeze while you have some in the freezer.
- Don't freeze peaches on a cookie sheet without parchment paper. They'll likely freeze to the pan and get stuck on! Then you'll have a pretty frustrating situation on your hands.
- Have a deep freezer? Put it to good use learning how to freeze peaches! You can make larger batches of frozen fruit at a time and make sure your summer haul of juicy nectarines are preserved in the perfect way.
FAQ
Not everyone knows how to use a pressure canner or a water bath canning system. Canning peaches is a great way to preserve that fresh fruit, but it also may not be the most convenient. If you need a quick way to preserve your peaches, throwing them in the freezer is the way to go. They will maintain their texture, flavor, and ripeness. All you need to do is thaw (or not!) and use them. It's the best way to bring bright and summery fruit into chilly winter months where the grocery store fruit section is slim pickins.
It is your personal preference as to whether or not you leave the skins on. Many peach recipes call for peaches to be peeled, and smoothies are better off without that fuzzy outer skin. It's also likely the skins could get a funny texture after being frozen and then thawed. It's recommended to remove the skin from peaches before freezing them.
Peach halves, maybe. But freezing peaches whole likely won't turn out well. You'd have to thaw it before using it and a whole peach would probably be a mushy mess after being frozen and then thawed. Your best bet is to slice up those tasty nectarines first.
More Helpful How-Tos
- How to Freeze Spinach
- How to Make Jasmine Rice in the Instant Pot
- How to Clean a Gas Grill
- How to Grease a Muffin Pan
- How to Store Leftover Smoothie
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Frozen Peaches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb peaches
- 6 cups water
Instructions
Freezing Blanched Peaches
- First blanch the fruit. Place whole peaches into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds each, remove with a slotted spoon, and then drop them into a bowl of cold water.
- Peel the skin off of each blanched peach.
- Slice the peaches open and remove the pit.
- Then cut into slices or chunks and toss in a little bit of lemon juice.
Place the sliced peaches onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them sit in the freezer for about four hours. - Once they're frozen solid, transfer the frozen fruit to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They will store in the freezer this way for about 6 months.
Flash Frozen Peaches
- Flash frozen peaches don't last as long as blanched ones, but they're a great way to freeze peaches if you're in a rush.
- Wash peaches really well and then peel the skin and remove the pit. Cut into slices or dice them up.
- Place peaches onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and then into the freezer.
- Once solid, transfer your flash frozen peaches to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing Peaches In Water
- Place sliced or diced peaches into an freezer bag and then fill the empty space with water.
- Carefully squeeze out an excess air and seal the bag well. Lay flat in the freezer to maximize the space.
Freezing Peaches In Syrup
- Add a light syrup or heavy syrup into the freezer bag of peaches, leaving a little space at the top.
- Seal the bag shut and lay the syrup pack peaches flat in the freezer.
Freezing Peach Puree
- Peel peaches and then place them into a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and no chunks are left.
- Pour the peach puree into ice cubes molds or popsicle molds and freeze. You can either leave them in the molds, or remove them once frozen and place into an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Keep frozen for up to 6 months and use whenever needed!
