Once you know How to Freeze Peaches, you can make delicious recipes all year, even when peach season ends. It is quick and easy save to peaches that have been peeled and sliced or are still whole by simply storing them in a freezer-safe bag. Toss this fresh fruit into your favorite cobbler, pie, or smoothies year-round for the best flavor.
If you’re lucky enough to have a peach tree growing in your backyard…
Or maybe you’re stocking up on this summer fruit at the grocery store or farmer’s market…
You know there are only so many Southern Peach Cobbler or Peach Banana Smoothie recipes you can make in one season!
So what do you do with all of those perfectly ripe fresh peaches?
You freeze them!
And when winter hits you’ll be able to easily make some Peach Overnight Oats with your fresh frozen fruit.
How to Freeze Peaches
Below you’ll find the simple steps to follow when freezing peaches:
Blanch and Peel
Before you can freeze peaches for later, you first need to prepare them by blanching and peeling.
While you can freeze peaches with the skin still intact, peeling them BEFORE freezing will give you a lot more options on how you can use them later.
To blanch and peel peaches:
Add the peaches to a pot of boiling water, a few at a time, and let boil for 10-20 seconds.
Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and quickly immerse in a large bowl with an ice bath until cool to the touch.
Use a paring knife to make a small incision and peel pack the skin. Repeat this process until the entire peach is peeled.
If you’d like, you can learn more about how to peel peaches.
Cut Into Slices
Peaches can be tightly wrapped and frozen whole, or even pureed. However, slicing peaches before freezing will make them extremely easy to use later on after thawing.
Locate the natural indentation along the midline of the peach.
Cut it in half using this line as your guide with a sharp knife.
Place your thumbs in-between the two pieces and pull them apart.
Remove the pit with your fingers, if possible, or use a small paring knife to cut around and remove the pit.
Cut the peeled peach into ¼-½ inch slices.
Toss in Lemon Juice
If you’ve ever tried freezing peaches before and they ended up turning brown, I’ve got a very simple trick for you…
Lemon juice.
This acidic citrus juice works at preventing fruit from turning brown because the oxygen in the air reacts with the ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) found in the juice before it affects the fruit’s surface.
So before freezing the slices, make sure to toss the peaches in a bit of lemon juice and let sit for 3-5 minutes in it. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for every 1 lb. of peaches you freezing.
Freeze on Baking Sheet
Once the peach slices have been tossed in lemon juice, place them in a single layer on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Using parchment paper instead of wax paper will make removing the peach slices an absolute breeze.
- Placing in a single layer will prevent them from clumping and sticking together. This will enable you to grab just a few slices at a time later from the freezer.
Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 3-4 hours or up to overnight.
Store in Freezer Bags
After the cut peaches are firm and frozen, place them in a large gallon-sized ziploc bag.
Be sure to remove as much air as possible from around the frozen peach slices before zipping it tight.
Add the date on the bag before placing it in the freezer.
Frozen peaches will last for 6-12 months. After this time the peaches will begin to get freezer burn and will lose a large majority of their flavor.
FAQs
You can use previously frozen peaches slices in cobblers, pies, overnight oats, breads, muffins, smoothies, and even cocktails.
If adding peach slices to smoothies, it is not necessary to thaw them before using. You can make peach jam or peach pie from frozen fruit, as well.
However, if you will be using them in oatmeal, overnight oats or some to bread or muffin batter, you will want to thaw it before using.
Much like thawing other frozen fruits, you can place the bag of frozen peaches in the refrigerator overnight, soak it in room temperature water for a few hours, or pop it in the microwave.
Yes, you absolutely can freeze peaches with the skin still intact, but this will mean you have quite a bit more work to do when you grab them from the freezer later on.
You can either freeze whole peaches that have been peeled or that still have their skin on. To do this, follow the same steps but pre-freeze the whole peaches in a single layer for at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Place in a storage bag and freeze for 6-12 months.
Recipes that Use Frozen Peaches
With frozen peaches in your freezer, you can make any of these delicious recipes whenever the mood strikes:
- Peach Bellini
- Frozen Peach Sangria
- Peach Smoothie
- Southern Peach Cobbler
- Peach Cobbler Overnight Oats
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How to Freeze Peaches
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. peaches
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Blanch and Peel peaches:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the peaches, a few at a time, and let boil for 10-20 seconds.
- Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and quickly immerse in an ice water bath until cool to the touch.
- Use a paring knife to make a small incision and peel pack the skin. Repeat this process until the entire peach is peeled.
Cut into Slices:
- Locate the natural indentation along the midline of the peach and cut it in half using this line as your guide.
- Place your thumbs in between the two pieces and pull them apart.
- Remove the pit with your fingers, if possible, or use a small paring knife to cut around and remove the pit.
- Cut the peeled peach into 1/4-1/2 inch slices
Prepare for Freezing:
- Toss peach slices in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for 3-5 minutes in it.
- Once the peaches slices have been tossed in lemon juice, place them in a single layer on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 3-4 hours or up to overnight.
- Once the slices are firm and frozen, place them in a large gallon-sized ziploc bag. Be sure to remove as much air as possible from your storage bag before zipping it tight.
- Add the date on the bag before placing it in the freezer and freeze for 6-12 months.
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Notes
- To freeze whole peaches, follow the same steps but pre-freeze the whole peaches for at least 8 hours before storing in a storage bag.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If freezing whole peaches do I put them in lemon juice first?
You do not need to put lemon juice on peaches before freezing. You can, but it’s not necessary if freezing immediately and using frozen or quickly upon thawing.
Obsessed with peaches in the summer. Thank you for these instructions, easy to follow! I don’t even blanch all the ones I freeze, just toss in lemon juice and freeze individually per your instructions. Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Susan! So glad this works for you! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Fabulous article, clear instructions. Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Carol! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
How ripe should peaches be when freezing?
You want them to be pretty ripe! Once they’re sliced and frozen they will no longer ripen.
Can you just put slices in bag and freeze or do you have to freeze each slice individually?
It’s best if you pre-freeze them in a single layer. If you plop them all into a bag and then freeze they’ll end up in a frozen block instead of individual slices.
Thank you, that was very helpful
You’re very welcome, Joanne! So happy it helped you 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂