How to Peel Peaches

Learn how to peel fresh peaches using a simple blanching method, perfect for canning, or making your favorite baked goods.

When peaches start gracing the fruit stands and farmer’s markets in late summer – its the perfect time to enjoy in their sweet, juicy peach goodness.

We have a small peach tree in our front yard that we planted about 4 years ago, and this year the tree decided to grace us with hundreds of beautiful, juicy peaches. Perfect for using to make peach cobbler, peach pie, peach jam, or biting into straight from the tree.

In this post you can learn my favorite way to peel peaches using a blanching process and ice water bath. It’s an easy method to get the best results for getting the most skin off the peaches, and preserving the most fruit.

Learning to peel peaches is a great skill to have because it will help make so many of those favorite peach recipes a breeze! This is perfect for bottling peaches, preserving them in jams, or your favorite peach recipes.

What You’ll Need:

• Ripe peaches – choose perfectly ripe peaches if you can. You’ll know they’re ready when they yield slightly with a gently press of your finger. Under ripe peaches will be harder to peel, and over ripe peaches will be harder to work with too, you want that happy medium.
• Knife – a sharp paring knife, to help you mark the skins of your peaches, and for cutting them into slices if desired.
• Large Pot – a large pot that is deep enough to hold water to cover several peaches at once
• Water – you’ll need water for boiling your peaches, and for an ice bath
• Slotted Spoon – to remove the hot peaches from the boiling water
• Large Bowl – fill it with water and ice for an ice bath to cool the peaches down
• Ice

How to Peel Peaches?

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil on the stove top over high heat. Cut a shallow x with two lines crossing each other in the bottom of each peach with a sharp knife.
2. Once the water is boiling, lower the temperature to a simmer and gently lower the peaches into the water, a few at a time. Let them soak in the water for about 30 seconds.
3. Scoop the peaches carefully out of the hot water and transfer them into a large bowl of ice water. This will cool the peaches, and stop the cooking process. Let the peaches cool in the cold water for a couple of minutes.
4. Grab one of the corners of the skin on the bottom of the peach, where you scored it previously, gently peel the peach skin away form the peach. (If there are any portions of the skin that don’t come off easily, you can use the small paring knife or vegetable peeler to cut that part off). Let the peaches sit for a couple of minutes, then slice them up to use.

Tips and Tricks:

• The easiest peaches for this method will be nicely ripened. This will help the peach peel pull off with ease. If they are too ripe they can become mushy when peeling.
• Check the ripeness of a peach by gently pressing into it with your fingers. Ripe peaches will give just slightly, while unripe will feel firm, and over-ripe or bruised peaches will feel almost squishy.
• If your peaches are under-ripe you can try blanching them a little longer to help soften the skin and the peaches. Remove them from the water as soon as you see the skin starting to peel away at the edges.
• You can store your whole or sliced peaches in a covered bowl, or other airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Ways to use Peeled Peaches:

• Make a peach jam, or jelly
• Bottle the peaches to enjoy all year long.
• Make a peach sauce, or syrup for adding to drinks or topping your favorite desserts or breakfast items.
• Freeze in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Once frozen transfer the peach slices to freezer safe zip top bags and freeze for several months. You can dip them in lemon juice mixed with water first to prevent them from going brown.
• Frozen peaches are great for adding to smoothies or smoothie bowls.
• Use as a filling for peach pie, peach cobbler, or peach crisp. Try out sour cream peach pie.
• Use for homemade peach salsa.
• Use in other favorite peach desserts like peach cinnamon rolls, or peach cobbler egg rolls.

This is the best way to peel your peaches. It’s such a simple and easy way to peel peaches quickly and easily. It will save you time, give you the most fruit on your peach, and will have you peeling peaches like a pro. Perfect for all the delicious peach dishes you’ll be making this summer.

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