How to Freeze Peaches
Have leftover peaches you don’t know what to do with? Follow these simple steps to prep, cut, and freeze fresh peaches for smoothies or baking. Don’t let them go to waste!
👩🍳 Why I Love Freezing Fresh Peaches
Peaches are on of my favorite summer stone fruits, but they are only in peak season for a short term. For many years I stocked up on too many and inevitably ended up burning out on eating peaches on everything…and too many of my prized summer peaches went to waste.
But after learning how to freeze fresh peaches, I was able to extend the life of the fuzzy summer fruits and enjoy them throughout the fall and winter. I pull out a handful for smoothies, my morning oats, or for muffins. I hope this tutorial helps you save your peaches from the compost bin as well!
👉 What You’ll Need
🍑 Why you should be freezing peaches
- Extend their shelf life: When peaches are stored at room temperature, they lose freshness quicker. They can be frozen for months at a time!
- Ready-made for smoothies: Freezing peaches in small pieces makes them easy to throw into smoothies and replaces the need for ice.
- Perfect for baking or as a breakfast topping: you can easily pull out out frozen peach slices to add to fresh muffins or even in your morning oats or chia pudding
🧊 How to freeze peaches (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Cut peaches
Cut peaches into small slices or chunks before freezing. To do this, simply half the peach with a knife, then cut into slices. You can either freeze the slices, or cut them into smaller chunks.
2️⃣ Step Two: Flash freeze
Once you cut the peaches, you could throw them all into a bag or container to freeze – but the problem is the slices will freeze together into one big lump (trust me, I’ve made this mistake).
The solution to this is to flash freeze them on a flat surface like a baking sheet for about 2 hours so they’re solid.
3️⃣ Step Three: Add to freezer bag for longer storage
Once the slices have frozen solid, add them to a freezer-friendly bag or container to store for longer use – usually 1-2 months.
❓ Questions + quick tips
Technically you can freeze peaches whole, however it would be difficult to cook with them after. Freezing slices means you can use as much or as little peach as your recipes needs without food waste.
Peaches can typically last in the freezer for up to two months, though texture and flavor may degrade over time. I try to use them up within two months to avoid freezer burn, but they likely can be kept frozen for much longer.
🫠 How to thaw frozen peaches
- Thaw in the refrigerator: Softening peaches in a refrigerator can keep them cold while maintaining their freshness. Simply remove the amount of frozen peaches you need to the refrigerator in a bowl or on a plate and thaw for about 12 hours.
- Thaw in the microwave using the defrost option: Thaw frozen peaches in the microwave for a few minutes using the defrost setting. This is best for baking or other uses where soft peaches are ideal, because their texture will be mushy after thawing.
- Thaw on the counter at room temperature: You can also place frozen peaches in a bowl or plate on the counter at room temperature to thaw over the course of a couple of hours.
MY Favorite
Prep-Worth Peach Recipes
How to Freeze Peaches
Ingredients
- 1 peach
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 baking sheet or other flat surface
- 1 silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper
- 1 freezer-friendly bag
Instructions
- Slice peaches: Cut peaches into small slices or chunks before freezing. To do this, simply half the peach with a knife, then cut into slices. You can either freeze the slices, or cut them into smaller chunks.1 peach, 1 knife, 1 cutting board
- Flash freeze peaches: Flash freeze peaches on a flat surface like a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or wax paper (to avoid the peaches sticking to the baking sheet) for about 2 hours so they’re solid.1 baking sheet, 1 silicone baking mat
- Add to freezer bag for longer storage: Once the slices have frozen solid, add the peach slices to a freezer-friendly bag or container to store for longer use – usually 1-2 months.1 freezer-friendly bag
Notes
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