How to Freeze Peaches
Learn How to Freeze Peaches with these easy tips and tricks. Freezing fresh peaches couldn’t be easier and there’s so many ways to enjoy them all year long! Add frozen peaches to smoothies and juice blends or use them to baked recipes like muffins, cobblers, crisps and more.
Freezing fresh peaches couldn’t be easier! If you have an abundance of fresh summer peaches, be sure to freeze them to enjoy all year long.
What Are Peaches?
Peaches (Prunus persica) are a fruit with a fuzzy skin and sweet flesh and they are known as a stone fruit (also known as drupes). Other common stone fruit are mangoes, dates, olives, plums, cherries, nectarines and apricot. There are different varieties of peaches and they are categorized as either “Freestone” or “Clingstone”. Freestone peaches is fruit that falls off the pit easily. You can literally slice the peach down the middle and pull the halves apart from the pit. This variety is perfect for canning and freezing. Clingstone is fruit that doesn’t fall off the pit easily.
Freezing Peaches
These are two easy methods to use for freezing fresh peaches:
No Blanching
- Mark Date On Freezer Bag. Using a Sharpie marker, label freezer bags with the date.
- Rinse Peaches. Put fresh peaches in a colander and rinse under cold water. Gently pat them dry with paper towel.
- Cut Peaches. Using a paring knife cut away any bruised spots on the peaches, then run the knife all the way around the peach from top to bottom. Gently twist the peach in opposite directions loosening it from the pit. Pull the halves apart and remove the pit. Slice each half into 4 pieces or chop each half into smaller pieces for adding to smoothies.
- Freeze Peaches. Lay the cut peaches on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 2-4 hours or until frozen solid. Transfer to the frozen peaches to an air-tight freezer bag or container and store in the freezer.
Blanching
- Prepare Ice Bath. Fill a bowl with cold water and 1-2 cups of ice.
- Blanch Peaches. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the peaches to the pot of boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds.
- Cool Peaches. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove peaches from the boiling water and place in the ice bath for about 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
- Peel Peaches. Remove them from the ice bath and run a knife all the way around the peach from top to bottom. Gently twist the peach in opposite directions loosening it from the pit. Pull the halves apart and remove the pit. At this point the peels should pull away easily from the flesh with the knife.
- Freeze Peaches. After peeled, and cut into desired sizes, lay the cut peaches on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 2-4 hours or until frozen solid. Transfer to the frozen peaches to an air-tight freezer bag or container and store in the freezer.
Tip
To prevent peaches from turning brown during the freezing process, toss one pound of peaches with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice before you freeze them.
How Many Peaches In A Pound?
Peaches are generally uniform in size and on average they weigh about 1/4 pound each, so there are 3 to 4 medium peaches in one pound.
How To Pick The Best Peaches
Look for peaches with a golden-reddish skin. If the stem is golden, it is a sign of ripeness. Stems with a lighter yellow coloring is a sign of an unripe fruit. If the peach has undertones of green, then it means the peach was picked too soon and won’t be as sweet. Look for plump, medium or large peaches with smooth unwrinkled skins. Pass on peaches with bruising dents and wrinkled skins.
Choose peaches that are fragrant, because once peaches are picked, their sweetness will not increase, so make sure they are fragrant.
Avoid hard fruit and pick fruit that yields somewhat to gentle pressure with your fingers along the seam.
How To Thaw Frozen Peaches
To thaw frozen peaches, simply remove them from the freezer and set them in a bowl on the counter for about 30 minutes. If they have been frozen chopped, you can add them directly to smoothies and dessert recipes.
More Resources
- How to Freeze Tomato Paste
- How to Freeze Strawberries
- How to Boil Corn on the Cob
- How to Freeze Blueberries
- How to Freeze Grapes
- How to Freeze Spinach
- How to Freeze Bananas
- How to Freeze Tomatoes
- How to Freeze Pesto
- How to Make Tzatziki
- How to Poach Chicken
- How to Make Cauliflower Rice
How to Freeze Peaches
Learn How to Freeze Peaches with these easy tips and tricks. Freezing fresh peaches couldn’t be easier and there’s so many ways to enjoy them all year long! Add frozen peaches to smoothies and juice blends or use them to make muffins, cobblers, crisps and more.
Ingredients
- 6 fresh ripe peaches
Instructions
No Blanching
- Mark Date On Freezer Bag. Using a Sharpie marker, label freezer bags with the date.
- Rinse Peaches. Put fresh peaches in a colander and rinse under cold water. Gently pat them dry with paper towel.
- Cut Peaches. Using a paring knife cut away any bruised spots on the peaches, then run the knife all the way around the peach from top to bottom. Gently twist the peach in opposite directions loosening it from the pit. Pull the halves apart and remove the pit. Slice each peach half into 4 pieces or chop each half into smaller pieces for adding to smoothies.
- Freeze Peaches. Lay the cut peaches on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 2-4 hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer to the frozen peaches to an air-tight freezer bag or container and store in the freezer.
Blanching
- Prepare Ice Bath. Fill a bowl with cold water and 1-2 cups of ice.
- Blanch Peaches. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the peaches to the pot of boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds.
- Cool Peaches. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove peaches from the boiling water and place in the ice bath for about 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
- Cut Peaches. Remove peaches from the ice bath and pat dry with paper towels. Using a paring knife run the knife all the way around the peach from top to bottom. Gently twist the peach in opposite directions loosening it from the pit. Pull the halves apart and remove the pit. Slice each peach half into 4 pieces or chop each half into smaller pieces for adding to smoothies.
- Peel Peaches. Using the knife gently pull away the skins from each slice of peach. The peels should come off easily.
- Freeze Peaches. After peeled, you can also chop them or puree them before freezing them, or simply lay the cut peaches on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 2- hours, or until frozen solid. Transfer to the frozen peaches to an air-tight freezer bag or container and store in the freezer.
