Peaches are sweet, healthy and in season for just a short while. Make the most out of peach season and learn how to freeze peaches without lemon juice, without blanching, and without sugar. Fast and easy, we’re simply freezing raw peaches and preserving them for several months. You can use the frozen peaches for smoothies, to make jam or in baked goods like pie or cobbler.
How To PIT Peaches Before Freezing
You can freeze peaches whole, but I always prefer removing the pits and chopping the fruit up, because it’s easier to use them in smoothies and shakes. This is how to pit peaches before freezing:
- Grab a knife and cut along the peach line all the way around the peach
- Twist both sides of the peach – as if you’re trying to open a jar, but it’s a peach!
- Pull the peach halves apart and take out the pit. That’s it!
How To Freeze Peaches
The best way to freeze peaches is to basically touch them as little as possible. Wash, let dry, slice and freeze. Here’s how I freeze peaches that last me for 3+ months the fast and easy way:
Step 1: Choose ripe peaches. Wash the fruit and pat dry or let air dry on a drying rack for a few minutes.
Step 2: Remove the pits as already described above.
Step 3: Cut the peaches in slices or in cubes – whatever your preference is. I usually use frozen peaches to make smoothies and sometimes to cook them down, so I just chop them into bite-sized chunks. If you’re going to use peaches in baking recipes and you want them to be more esthetically pleasing, you might want to go for more elegant slices in this step.
Step 4: Put the peach slices in Ziploc or other freezer bags, filling the bags to about 2/3. Lay the bag flat and press out the air as well and as gently as possible.
Step 5: Close the bag and spread the peaches gently apart. If you notice there’s more air in the bag, “crack” the freezer bag open and let the air out too. Be careful not to smash your peaches.
Step 5: Put the freezer bag in the freezer and repeat these steps as many times as needed. Lay the bags flat in the freezer to allow stacking them on top of each other.
Why Freeze Peaches
Freezing is a great way to preserve the nutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables when they’re in season. In fact, some studies have shown that frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh, if not even more.
When it comes to peaches, here are just a few reasons to freeze fresh peaches on your own:
- preserve flavor
- reduce food waste and spoilage
- preserve vitamins and other essential and non-essential nutrients
- have peaches for months at home (even during winter)
- control what goes into your peaches – no sugar, no other additives
- control how you store peaches from the beginning – if you buy frozen peaches you can never tell how or for how long your peaches have been stored
How To Keep Peaches From Turning Brown When Frozen
Most tutorials recommend that you add some lemon juice to the peaches before freezing to prevent browning. Honestly, I never do that and my frozen peaches don’t brown. It’s just a step too much for me and I like the taste of peaches only. So, I leave them as they are and I make sure all of the fruit is in good shape to begin with.
Now, this is important. The thing that causes peaches or other cut-up fruit or vegetables to brown is exposing them for longer periods of time to oxygen. Therefore it is really important to pack and freeze the cut-up peaches as soon as possible. Once the peaches are inside the bag, press the excess air out of the Ziploc bag, put it in the freezer and your peaches won’t get brown as they freeze.
How To Freeze Peaches Whole
You can definitely freeze peaches whole, although I do recommend to least removing the pits and freezing in halves. It just makes it easier later.
However, if you choose to freeze your peaches whole, wash them, pat them dry or just let them air dry for about 15-20 minutes on a drying rack or anywhere where air can circulate and allow the peaches to dry evenly. Once dry, put your peaches in freezer bags, and make sure to gently press the air out. Place the bag in the freezer and that’s it!
Do Peaches Need To Be Peeled To Freeze
No, they don’t. I actually prefer my peaches with the skin on, because most of the vitamins and fiber are in the skin and I’d like to have those in my diet. If you do prefer to peel your peaches prior to freezing you can follow the steps in this tutorial.
How Long Will Frozen Peaches Be Good For
Frozen peaches will be good for 3-6 months. How long they stay good depends on how good the peaches were when you froze them and how you store them.
What you do want to avoid is opening, thawing or defrosting peaches and then freezing them again. This can lead to your frozen peaches going bad faster and to browning.
Do You Need To Thaw Frozen Peaches Before You Use Them
Not necessarily and it depends on the recipe you want to make.
If you want to use peaches for smoothies there’s no need to thaw them. Frozen peaches taste amazing in smoothies – super refreshing and perfectly sweet. They’re actually my favorite fruit to use in smoothies.
If you’re going to use peaches in baking recipes, then yes – thaw them, as they can make the recipe soggy. To thaw quickly, simply fill a large bowl with warm water, add the bag with frozen peaches and leave for about 10-15 minutes (time will depend on how big the freezer bag is and how many peaches you have in that bag). Make sure to remove any excess liquid once defrosted before adding the peaches to the recipe.
How To Use Frozen Peaches To Make Peach Jam
If you want to use your frozen peaches to make peach jam you might want to prefer to have them peeled before freezing.
- Let the peaches thaw – this will make cooking the peaches down easier and faster.
- Add to a saucepan with sugar to cook down. I always add more fruit than sugar (in a ratio of about 70 fruit: 30 sugar, although the generally recommended ratio is 50/50, I’ve found this works for me and the consistency I like).
- Stir the peaches for 15-20 minutes or as long as needed to reach the jam consistency you desire and add vanilla or cinnamon if you’d like.
How To Use Frozen Peaches
You can use frozen peaches to make jam, in smoothies, in drinks, or in desserts. Here are some tasty peach recipes for you to try:
- Easy And Healthy Peach Smoothie
- 15-Minute Breakfast Peach Crumble
- Peach Cobbler
- Brown Sugar Peach Crumble Pie
- Peach Dump Cake
How To Freeze Peaches (No Lemon Juice, No Blanching, No Sugar)
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Learn how to freeze peaches to preserve for months and use in smoothies, cobbler, pie or for jam! No lemon juice, no blanching and no sugar are involved - we're just freezing raw peaches.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe peaches
Instructions
- Wash and pat peaches dry.
- Slice peaches along the line, twist peach halves, pull apart and remove pits.
- You can peel peaches if desired (I usually leave mine with the peel on). Cut in slices for baking or in cubes for jam or smoothies.
- Fill a freezer bag up to 2/3 with the sliced peaches, lay flat, press out the air as much as possible. Close and spread the peaches gently apart.
- Lay peaches flat in your freezer and repeat for as many peaches as you have. Stack freezer bags on top of each other.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 137Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 5gSugar 29gProtein 3g
Learn Also: How To Freeze Cherries
Originally published in August 2021 and updated in August 2022.
