How to Freeze Peaches
Learn all the tips and tricks for Freezing Peaches to stock your freezer with the star of summer fruit. Freezing fresh peaches is so easy and can be done without sugar, which makes them great to use for desserts, smoothies, or snacks.
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From Canning Peaches to Peach Syrup to Peach Freezer Jam, to Homemade Peach Ice Cream and Ginger Beer Mocktails, peaches are best when they’re allowed to be the star of the show. Unfussy, and appreciated.
And the easiest way to preserve this summer fruit is through freezing. Freezing fresh peaches couldn’t be easier.
Can You Freeze Fresh Peaches With the Skin On?
Yes! Frozen peaches with the skin still on are perfect in smoothies (related: Make and Freeze Smoothie Packets), yogurt (related: Easy Instant Pot Yogurt), muffins, and fruit crisps/cobblers.
Leaving the skin on when freezing fresh peaches is the absolute easiest way to freeze them. There is no blanching required. You just slice and freeze! And the best part is, if you allow frozen peaches to thaw just a little bit, the skin will slide right off. YEP!
Can You Freeze Peaches Without Blanching?
You sure can! If you’re leaving the skin on your frozen peaches, there is no need to blanch ahead of time.
TOOLS FOR FREEZING Peaches
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment, waxed paper, or Silpat
- Reusable freezer bags or wide-mouth mason jars
- Strainer/colander
- Lemon juice
How Do You Keep Peaches From Turning Brown When Frozen?
If left untreated, fresh cut peaches will oxidize (brown) when thawed. To prevent that, you simply need to treat them with some form of citrus – lemon juice, citric acid (powdered), ground up vitamin C tablets (yep, seriously), or Fruit Fresh.
How to Freeze Peaches
*You’ll find a detailed and printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. It includes exact measurements, etc.
(if you’re leaving the skin on, go ahead and skip the steps before the photo of the peaches in the bowl)
Use a paring knife and cut the peach around the middle to separate. Remove the pit. If you’re dealing with cling peaches, check out this post on How to Cut a Peach to cut around the pit.
Add one layer of peach halves at a time to a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds. Once you can see the skin starting to come away from the flesh, it’s time to take them out.
Remove using a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath for 1 minute. Use the slotted spoon to remove the peaches from the ice bath. Grab one of the peaches and gently peel the skin back.
Fill a bowl with water and lemon juice. Slice the peach halves into quarters, and place them in the lemon water for a few seconds.
Scoop them out and place them in a strainer/colander to allow the peach slices to drain a bit.
Add a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper to a rimmed baking sheet. Place the peaches on the parchment, ensuring they’re not touching each other.
Freeze for 4-6 hours (I always forget them overnight. Whatcha gonna do?).
Break apart any clumps that have formed on the baking sheet and transfer the peaches to freezer-proof storage. I really like these silicone freezer bags because they stand upright on their own, making them easy to fill. They are also made in the US and are super easy to clean in the dishwasher.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can freeze peaches whole if you would prefer. Keep in mind you’ll need to remove the pit once they have thawed and prior to use.
- You don’t need to dry the peaches before freezing them, but do allow them time to sit in the colander to drain excess water.
How Long Can You Keep Peaches in the Freezer?
Your frozen peaches will last for six months in a regular freezer or 12 months in a deep freeze.
MORE HOW TO POSTS You’ll Want to Check Out
- Freezing Zucchini
- How to Freeze Garlic
- Freezing Raspberries
- How to Freeze Pesto
- Freezing Corn on the Cob
- How to Freeze Celery
- Freezing Potatoes
- How to Freeze Rhubarb
- Freezing Cranberries
- How to Freeze Peppers
- Freezing Onions
- How to Freeze Scrambled Eggs
- How to Freeze Spinach
- Freezing Tomatoes the Easy Way
- Blanched Green Beans
- How to Cut a Watermelon
- Where to Buy Bone Broth
- How to Cut a Peach
- Pantry Essentials For the Home Cook
- How to Segment an Orange
Freezing Peaches
Ingredients
- peaches
- 4 cups water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 parchment
- 1 colander
Instructions
- ****If you're leaving the skin on, go ahead and skip to step 5.****
- Use a paring knife and cut the peach around the middle to separate. Remove the pit.
- Add one layer of peaches at a time to a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds. Once you can see the skin starting to come away from the flesh, it’s time to take them out.
- Remove using a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath for 1 minute. Use the slotted spoon to remove the peaches from the ice bath. Grab one of the peaches and gently peel the skin back.
- Fill a bowl with 4 cups water and 3 tbsp lemon juice. Slice the peach halves into quarters, and place them in the lemon water for a few seconds.
- Scoop out and place in a strainer/colander to allow the peach slices to drain a bit.
- Add a piece of parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet. Place the peaches on the parchment, ensuring they're not touching each other.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours.
- Break apart any clumps that have formed on the baking sheet and transfer the peaches to freezer-proof storage.
Notes
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Ok, so I processed peaches different ways according to this web pg. But now, many are floating in the jars. Why? I attempted to stuff the jars with the peaches.
To clarify, you first froze peaches and then canned them?