How to Freeze Peaches – 3 Easy Ways

Freezing peaches is an easy way to enjoy the taste of summer all year long. Whether you want to use them in smoothies, pies, or just as a sweet snack, freezing peaches properly keeps them fresh, flavorful, and ready to use.

Here are my favorite methods for freezing peaches, plus tips for the best results.

Every year we go to a local pick your own orchard and pick peaches. We try to pick peaches with a variety of firmness so that we have plenty for all the the things we want to do with them.

When we get home, we pick out the ones that we want to freeze, these are not the firmest peaches, nor are they the softest…they’re somewhere in between.

There’s not just ONE best way to freeze peaches. How you freeze fresh peaches will be determined by how you want to use them. We freeze the peaches slices several ways, some dry, some in sugar and some in syrup.

While it is possible to freeze peach puree, it’s not something I normally do. I prefer to can peach puree.

Preparing Peaches for Freezing

The peaches will need to be washed before freezing. Fresh peaches, really fresh peaches, have a quite a bit of stuff that clings to the peach fuzz. So even if you have organic peaches, you’ll want to give them a quick wash.

To peel or not to peel?

I’m team, don’t peel. There are lots of nutrients in the peel and it just takes up more time that I don’t have when I’m trying to process tons of peaches. That being said, the peel will probably fall off the thawed peaches when you use them. This isn’t a big deal for things like smoothies but if you want a blue ribbon pie for the county fair made from frozen peaches, you’ll want to peel them.

The “proper” way to peel peaches is to quickly blanch them. Blanching also helps to inactivate the enzymes that will cause the fruit to deteriorate quicker.

• Cut a small X on the bottom of each peach.
• Drop the peaches in boiling water and boil for 30-60 seconds
• Remove peaches from boiling water and put them in an ice bath
• Remove skins

You can also use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel peaches. If the peaches are not hard or very ripe, it will be hard to manually peel them.

Method 1: Flash Freezing Peaches

Flash freezing is probably my favorite way to freeze peaches. It’s so fast and I don’t need any special equipment. We mainly use these flash frozen peaches for smoothies. But they can be used for anything you normally use frozen peaches for.

Step 1: Wash peaches and peel, if desired.

Step 2: Cut peaches in half and remove seed. Then cut each half into slices.

Step 3: Put peach slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 4: Put the filled baking sheet in the freezer for several hours.

Step 5: Remove the frozen peaches from the baking sheet and put them in freezer bag.

Step 6: Label bag and put in freezer. Use within 6-12 months.

Pro Tip: Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag (a Food Saver is perfect for this). Also use quart size bags instead of gallon bags. Every time the bag gets opened and then resealed, ice crystals will form which will cause freezer burn. Dry frozen peach slices are not a good candidate for freezing in a glass container since you won’t be able to get all the air out.

Method 2: Sugar Packed Peaches

I also like to make a few packages of sugar packed peaches. These will be used for things that are already sweet, like making a peach pie or cooking down to make peach topping for ice cream or pancakes.

The sugar helps the peaches better retain their color and texture when they’re frozen.

Step 1: Wash peaches and peel, if desired.

Step 2: Cut peaches in half, remove seed and then cut each half into slices.

Step 3: Weigh the peach slices.

Step 4: Add 2/3 cup sugar for every 1 1/3 pounds of peach slices. Gently mix.

Step 5: Let stand 15 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. A liquid will begin forming and that’s okay.

Step 6: Pack into quart size freezer bags or airtight containers, leaving a headspace. Store in the freezer, use within 6-12 months.

Pro Tip: To keep the peaches from darkening, use 1/4 teaspoon (750 mg) ascorbic acid mixed in 3 tablespoons cold water to each quart of fruit.

Method 3: Syrup Packed Peaches

I rarely make syrup packed frozen peaches, however, if I only wanted to freeze fresh peaches in glass and not plastic freezer bags, I would probably choose a syrup pack. The syrup will fill in any air pockets and will keep freezer burn at bay.

For best quality, a 40% syrup which is considered a heavy syrup is recommended for freezing peaches. That’s 2 3/4 cups sugar to 4 cups water. Again, the sugar will help the peaches retain their color and texture.

You can certainly use less sugar but you don’t want to just pack the peaches in water, you’ll end up with a pretty terrible end product.

When canning peaches, you can use white grape juice or apple juice instead of syrup, and you can do the same when freezing peaches.

Also, remember that you can pour the syrup off the thawed peaches to reduce your sugar in take. You can use the syrup for baking, topping oatmeal or pancakes, or adding just a bit to carbonated water for a soda treat.

Step 1: Make syrup and let cool. Add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid for each quart of syrup for better quality.

Step 2: Wash peaches and peel, if desired.

Step 3: Cut peaches in half, remove seed and then cut each half into slices.

Step 4: Put peach slices in container.

Step 5: Cover peach slices with syrup, leaving a 1-inch headspace.

Step 6: Gently move the peach slices with a silicone spatula to ensure there are no air pockets.

Step 7: The peaches will want to float, so add some crumbled parchment paper on top to weight them down. They need to stay under the liquid.

Step 8: Put in the freezer. After they’re frozen you can remove the parchment paper and add a bit more syrup (although you still want headspace, especially if you’re freezing in glass). Use within 6-12 months.

Peaches frozen in syrup can be used just like canned peaches but they might be a little softer. However they work great in peach cobbler.

Freezing Method	Best For	How To Do It	Pros	Cons
Flash Freezing	Smoothies, baking, or single-serving portions	Peel and slice peaches. Lay on a parchment-lined tray in a single layer and freeze until solid. Transfer to freezer bags or containers.	Keeps slices separate, easy to grab what you need, no added sugar.	Can dry out slightly if not tightly sealed; color may darken over time.
Freezing with Sugar	Desserts, cobblers, or snacking	Layer sliced peaches with sugar in a freezer bag (about ½ cup sugar per quart of fruit). Let sit until juicy, then freeze flat.	Excellent flavor and texture; sugar helps prevent browning and freezer burn.	Not suitable for no-sugar diets; softer texture once thawed.
Freezing in Syrup	Serving as a dessert or over pancakes and ice cream	Pack peeled slices into containers, cover with syrup (light to heavy), leaving headspace. Seal and freeze.	Retains color and shape beautifully; excellent flavor preservation.	Takes more time to prepare; higher sugar content.

Tips for the Best Frozen Peaches

• Choose Firm, Ripe Peaches: Overripe peaches can become mushy when frozen. Of course, if you’re using them just for smoothies, it won’t matter.
• Pretreat to Retain Color: You can use 1/2 cup lemon juice in 1/2 gallon water or 3 finely crushed 500-mg vitamin C tablets in a 1/2 gallon of water. If you prefer to buy a commercial product there are a couple, Ball Fruit Fresh and Mrs. Wages Fresh Fruit Preserver, just know that lemon juice and vitamin C tablets are a lot cheaper.
• Label Your Bags: Include the date and whether they are in syrup or sugared.
• Use Quickly for Best Flavor: Frozen peaches are best used within 6–12 months. This recommendation is a quality not a safety recommendation. It’s perfectly safe to eat peaches that have been frozen for longer than a year.

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