Last weekend our family visited a local farm for u-pick peaches! Since we drove over an hour, there was no way we were only going to just pick a couple buckets, so of course, we majorly overdid ourselves. After a few hours in the heat, we came home with 45 pounds of peaches!
What exactly does 45 pounds of peachy goodness look like? Let’s just say my 6 foot-long dinning room table was completely buried for days with a blanket of orange fuzz. My kids discovered a new use for peaches as throwing balls, so I quickly got busy using our peaches before casualties occurred.
The easiest way to store peaches long-term is by freezing. There are many great ways you can preserve a bumper crop of peaches, but many are just too labor intensive for a mom like me, with 2 small kids. I have a limited amount of time, yet still want to provide my family with the very best nutritionally-dense food.
My main use for peaches is making smoothies. Smoothies are a fantastic way to get nutrients in my kids with ingredients they may normally pass up. Somehow when ingredients like greens, fruit, and other delicacies are placed in a blender they are more than happy to drink up and even ask for seconds.
I also use peaches regularly to make homemade flavored yogurt. Since you aren’t going to find real peaches in your cup of Yoplait (I’m not sure if there is really much of anything real in that little container), I use my freezer stock of peaches to make my own tasty peach yogurt. I combine semi-defrosted peaches with a little raw honey or sucanat, pulse a few times in the food processor, and finally mix in homemade yogurt.
How to Freeze Peaches (the Easy, Busy Mom’s Way)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lemon juice preferably from freshly squeezed lemons
- 2 cup water
- 4 peaches peaches need to be slightly soft to touch but not too mushy. Mushy peaches do not freeze well
Instructions
- Rinse the peaches off under cool water, gently scrub off the dirt.
- If you don't want to keep the skins on the peaches bring a pot of water to a boil and gently place your peaches in the hot bath for about 40 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl with ice water. The peach skins can then easily be peeled off when in the ice bath. I prefer to keep the skins so I skip this step.
- Cut the peaches. You can either slice the peaches in half, quarter them, or cut them in slices. I prefer smaller chunks of peaches, but this is completely up to you. I toss my peaches in a large bowl while cutting.
- Toss your cut peaches in a lemon/water bath. This will prevent the peaches from developing that yucky brown appearance. Use a 1:4 ratio of lemon juice to water.
- Place your freshly bathed peaches on a cookie sheet. Be sure they each have their own spot on the sheet to prevent peaches from sticking together. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. I found it generally takes an hour or two for them to fully freeze.
- Once frozen on the cookie sheet, use a spatula to separate the peaches from the sheet. Place the peaches in your freezer-friendly container of choice and enjoy all year long!
Nutrition
The first time I bought peaches I just cut them up and froze them. Of course when I went to thaw them the turned an ugly brown. I ended up throwing about 6 gal. bags of peaches away. Don’t drink many smoothies so didn’t know what else to do with them. Freezing peaches your way will they turn at all brown after thawing. I just peaches yesterday.
I froze peaches using the method of boiling, taking the skins off and using lemon juice. I then froze them for 4 hours before putting them in ziploc baggies. How long will they last in the freezer?
Hey Holly, They should keep for 10-12 months.
You can also use vitamin C tablets, crushed – 1 teaspoon for each pound of peach slices.
Also, if you’re using plastic freezer bags, after filling the bags, zip them almost shut, put a straw in and suck out as much air as you can. Then finish zipping the bag shut.
Awesome, Thanks for sharing!
Kristin, I wash peaches without peeling them and let them drain on a towel. Pop them whole into open top gallon bags, the thin ones. Place them into gallon zip freezer bags. Twist the thin bag and secure with a wooden clothes pin and zip the outer bag. That way you can reuse the expensive freezer bag over and over. Or, cut peaches in half without peeling them. Remove the pit, and dip the cut half into a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 t. Fruit fresh and place in thin quart bag. Secure with clothes pin and place in gallon freezer bag zip and freeze. Or you can freeze them separately on a cookie sheet then place in bags. I put as many as I want to eat in a bow,I zap them on defrost on the one mark. They are still half frozen and are like eating peach ice cream. After peaches are frozen the peel comes right off with no hassle.
Thanks for sharing, Joyce!
oh this looks like a great simple way to freeze peaches… My trees are going bonkers and one is absolutely laden… question? can you use lime juice if you do not have lemon?
thank you for great freezing recipe.
Hey Patricia, I bet you could. The acid should help keep the peaches from browning :).
I froze peaches this way last fall. Only difference is that I peeled them by blanching in boiling water. I have used them a few times now and have decided that the best way is to leave them frozen as much as possible for pie and cobbler. You will need more thickening agent than the recipe would use for fresh but otherwise no change! Hope this helps!
If you want to skip one step in the post freezing process, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. When the peaches are frozen just pick up the paper and dump them into freezer bags. No spatula necessary.
Thank you for sharing, Bob!
Hi! We just want to say thank you for the great frozen peach recipe. We were at a loss as to how not to waste the crop of a ton from our “dwarf” tree, even after giving tons away and Mom making 2 batches of jam! Mom found your recipe and we did a sample batch a couple days ago and it turned out awesome. Today the whole box is going in the freezer as we speak. Looking forward to a Fall & Winter filled with “fresh” peach pies and cobblers! Thank you again.
That’s so great, Deb! Thank you for sharing!
Can I prepare them as if to freeze but then put them in the refrigerator to take to a party in a few days?
Hey Marian, I’m not sure. The peaches may get soft, but it’s worth a shot!
Is it better to use lemon juice or ascorbic acid for the juice, or does it matter? I plan to freeze peaches with the skins on.
Hey Linda, I’ve never tried using ascorbic acid to freeze peaches, just fresh lemon juice.
Het Kristen, quick question when you put 1:4 ratio, is it cups of water or the equivalent to the lemon juice?
Hi Kristin,
Thank you for your post! I am about to freeze some peaches and have a quick question – when pulling them out of lemon water, do I need to dry them with a paper towel?
Hey Alla, I’m so glad the post was helpful. I don’t :).
I am going to try this! I just got some Red Haven peaches from our local farmer market. I made a peach pudding cake, and I’d like some during the winter. They are so good and juicy! Thank you! 😉 Polly
Yum, Polly!
Hi! If you freeze the peaches with the skins on, do you have to remove the skins after thawing, if you want to use the peaches for baking?
Hey Cathy, I personally don’t, but I’m also not using my peaches in way that would require removing the skins.
Can’t wait to try this method!! Thanks so much.
Finally a peach-freezing method when I don’t have to blanch them. Thank you!
Glad the post/tip was helpful, Gabriella!
Don’t the peaches get soggy when you thaw them ? And what is the best thawing method ?
Hey Daria, Yes, they will. Just like berries get soggy when they’re frozen and defrosted. For that reason I recommend using these peaches mainly for baking or in yogurt cups: https://livesimply.me/2016/06/02/make-ahead-fruit-yogurt-cups/.
Hi! It doesn’t look like my first post from yesterday got on here for some reason!
I was asking you for an easy recipe for peach jam with skins on.
I want to make it today or tomorrow for sure.
I can’t find a recipe that doesn’t use pectin – do you have a good recipe for me?
I would really appreciate it! Thank you muchly!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Laurie, Thanks for writing! I received your email. I’m just a bit slower to answer on Friday evenings since it’s our family time. I don’t make jam very often, but when I do I really enjoy the recipes from Natasha’s Kitchen: http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/08/26/country-peach-preserves/.
Hi! I forgot to tell you that I am a senior – 69 yrs. old. I am having to freeze my peaches and then make Peach Jam as I need it. How long will the jam stay fresh in the fridge?
Hey Laurie, I don’t know the answer to this, but Natasha may know since she is a guru with preserving food: http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/08/26/country-peach-preserves/.
HI Kristin! thank you so much for the article. I did have a question though. I make all natural babyfood and one of the fan favorites is one that has baked peaches in it. Our local farmers market is selling the peaches in bulk right now so I want to stock up. Do you know if the lemon flavor will affect the taste of the peaches enough that it would change the flavor of the babyfood? I just want to make sure I don’t buy a few bushels and then find out it changes the flavor of the babyfood. I know I would still love it, but the little tikes seem to be sensitive to the acid and such. Just wanting to double check. Thanks in advance for all of your advice 🙂
Hey Stephanie, Hmmm, that’s a great question! I don’t think the lemon juice, since it’s diluted in water, will change the flavor of the peaches. But, I could also be wrong. Sorry, I’m not really sure. Personally, I haven’t noticed a big taste difference.