Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
Elizabeth is a writer, editor, and SEO specialist with over a decade of editorial, restaurant, and culinary experience in the food industry. She is a culinary school graduate and has worked as a line cook at a fine dining restaurant in Washington, D.C. (Don't ask her about the time she spilled an entire container of bordelaise sauce five minutes before dinner service.) She has previously worked for Whole Foods Market, Cooking Light, EatingWell, MyRecipes, Allrecipes, and the James Beard Foundation. She is currently the SEO Manager for Kitchn and Apartment Therapy.
updated May 15, 2022
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Freezing peaches with a little lemon juice instead of sugar or syrup allows their sweet, juicy flavor to shine.
Makes12 ounces frozen peachesreviews
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I always get a little overzealous during peak peach season. Their beautiful hue draws me in, then their perfume seduces me into a stupor, and the next thing I know I’m leaving the farmers market with a full peck of peaches. A peck is nearly 15 pounds, so once my stupor fades away, I realize there is no way my family can eat that many peaches before they go bad (although we’ve tried).
35 Peach Recipes to Make This Summer
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So, what do I do with all of these peaches? Freeze them! With a few tools and easy prep, I have delicious peaches to enjoy throughout the year in smoothies, cobblers, and even sangria. Here’s my go-to method for freezing peaches, plus some of my favorite ways to enjoy them.
Step One: Peel the Skins
I prefer to peel my peaches before freezing because it makes them more versatile to use later. The easiest way to do this is by blanching, a cooking process that involves scoring the bottom of each peach with a paring knife and quickly dunking it in a pot of boiling water and then an ice bath. As a result, the peach skin loosens and becomes incredibly easy to peel.
Step Two: Cut into Slices
While you can technically freeze whole peaches, I’ve found they’re much easier to use as slices. As is the case with other stone fruits like nectarines and plums, you’ll need to remove the pit first. Luckily, you can easily pit a peach with the help of a paring knife.
Step Three: Toss with Lemon Juice
By coating the peaches with a bit of lemon juice before freezing, the fruit maintains its color and quality without added sugar. You can also use ground vitamin C (as Alton Brown suggests), or use a fruit-preserving product such as Ball’s Fruit Fresh in place of the lemon juice.
Step Four: Freeze on a Baking Sheet
This crucial step keeps the peaches from clumping together during the freezing process. Make sure to place them on top of parchment paper, otherwise they will freeze to your baking sheet. (Yes, I’ve made this mistake before!)
Step Five: Store in a Zip-Top Plastic Bag
Once your peaches are frozen solid, transfer to a gallon zip-top plastic bag labeled with the date. They can be stored in your freezer for up to three months.
How to Use Frozen Peaches
The best thing about freezing peaches without added liquid or sugar is that you can use them as you would fresh peaches. There’s no need to thaw beforehand — simply take the amount you need, then return to the freezer. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Blend into refreshing drinks: Peach Lassi
- Bake into pies: Perfect Peach Pie
- Turn into ice cream: Peach Pie Ice Cream
- Roast and spoon over homemade biscuits: Sweet Biscuits With Roasted Peaches
- Add to wine or co*cktails to chill and flavor them: Frozen Peach Bourbon Mule
Can you use frozen peaches in salads? How about for making grilled peaches? Technically yes, but you’ll want to thaw them first. However, since the texture of fresh peaches tends to be a bit firmer, I’d recommend using those if you’re able to find them.
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How To Freeze Peaches
Freezing peaches with a little lemon juice instead of sugar or syrup allows their sweet, juicy flavor to shine.
Makes12 ounces frozen peaches
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound ripe peaches
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Equipment
- Paring knife
- 4-quart pot
Slotted spoon
- Large bowl
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Gallon zip-top plastic bag
Instructions
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Blanch and cool: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Have an ice water bath ready. Using a paring knife, make a small, shallow X in the bottom end of each peach. Lower the peaches into the boiling water and leave them there for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches to the ice water bath.
Peel: Gently rub the skin from the peaches and peel it off; it should come away from the flesh with minimal effort.
Cut the peaches: Pit the peaches and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Toss with lemon juice: Place the sliced peaches and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to throughly coat.
Freeze: Lay the peaches out in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
Seal and freeze: Transfer the frozen peaches to a gallon zip-top plastic bag labeled with the date. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Return to the freezer.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Frozen peaches can be stored for up to 3 months.
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