The Best Way to Peel Peaches! (2024)

Learn how to peel peaches in seconds! This is the best and easiest way to blanch peaches! This simple process loosens the skin and it slides right off, so you can pit the peaches, and slice them for your favorite cobbler, pie, jam recipes, canning, or freezing peaches.

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This article was originally publishedAugust 27, 2012. But has been updated over the years with new photos and perfected techniques for your convenience to make the process even easier.

🧐 Why Do You Peel Peaches?

There is a lot of controversy as to whether you should peel peaches before using them in cobblers, pies, or smoothies. Honestly, it sounds rather tempting to leave the skin on because it is much easier. And if I’m eating a fresh peach, I always leave the skin on. It has a lot of nutrients. But there are reasons why you would want to peel a peach before using it in a recipe.

• Peeling the peaches ensures that there isn’t a fibrous texture from the skin.
• Peeled peaches freeze more evenly and are more versatile after freezing in the ways they can be used.
• Peach skin may contain more pesticides than flesh, so some people like to peel peaches for safety.
• For canning, the skins get strangely slimy after canning. And they remain tough and are not enjoyable.
• The skins of peaches get really chewy after drying so if you are dehydrating them or using them in fruit leather, it is usually best to peel the peaches beforehand.
• Personal Preference: if you keep the skins or remove them, it is usually left up to personal preference. We don’t like the fibrous or slimy, chewy texture in our baked goods, smoothies, or canned and frozen peaches. So we always peel them.

🔪 Peeling Vs Blanching

There are two ways to peel peaches. Usually with a peeler or small pairing knife. And the other is to blanch them.

Peeling Peaches: The benefit of using a peeler or knife is that you don’t have to boil water. It is great if you have firm peaches that aren’t quite ripe yet. And it can be done as you go along.

The drawback is that often times you lose a lot of the peach flesh with this method. It definitely takes a lot longer. And if you have ripe soft peaches, they will end up in a juicy mess.

Blanching Peaches: When you blanch peaches, the skin literally slides right off in seconds. Rinse it off and your peach is skin free and ready to go!

Blanching peaches is fantastic if you have a lot of peaches to process, and don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it. It may take a little extra time to wait for the water to boil, and you will need ice water too. But if you have ripe peaches, this is the best way to skin peaches.

Blanching peaches turns a very long and tedious job into a very short and easy job! I am usually able to get over 30 peaches peeled in approximately 10 minutes.

🥧 How to Use Blanched Peaches

The great thing about peeled peaches is that you can use them just like fresh peaches. Many times it makes the results in recipes smoother without the skin. Or maybe you are ready to do canned peaches or freeze peaches. This is always my main reason for peeling peaches. There are so many ways to use peeled peaches! Here are a few ideas:

• Fruit Smoothies
• Oatmeal – In this recipe, I add frozen slices of peaches at the same time as the blueberries. The kids LOVE it.
• Peach Jam
• Peach Fruit Leather
• Peach Crisp
• Peach Pie
• Canned Peach Pie Filling
• Peach Muffins
• Peach Ice Cream
• Make Peach Compote for an ice cream topping
• Peach Slush Punch Drink – trade out the raspberries in this recipe for peaches!
• Raspberry Peach Fluff Fruit Salad
• Mix into yogurt
• Peach Sorbet
• Peaches and Cream

🍑 Easily Peel Peaches

To peel peaches easily, you will want to start with fresh and ripe peaches.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. You want a pot that is big enough that it can fully submerge the peaches. If it isn’t big enough to do all the peaches at one time, that is no problem. You can work in smaller batches as well.

🔪 Score The Skin

With a small knife lightly score (cut) a small X on the bottom of the peach. It doesn’t need to be deep, just enough to break the skin.

💦 Place in Boiling Water

Place each peach into the boiling water for approximately 30-45 seconds. It is best to use a slotted spoon to drop the peaches into the water and remove them.

You don’t want to boil them too long or they will become mushy. I always set a timer to ensure I remove them right on time. I usually can keep up with 6-8 peaches at a time, so I usually do that many at once. But to start, begin with maybe 1-2 until you are confident you can keep up with how quickly it goes.

After you remove the peach from the boiling water you may see the evidence of just how easy this will end up being for yourself. Due to the slits in the peach skin and the blanching of the peach, the skin begins to peel off on its own. See, I told you it was easy to peel peaches with this method!

🧊 Ice Bath

Once the timer rings signaling the blanching is complete, immediately place your peach in an ice water bath.

I literally do mean ice water. The colder the better.

If I am doing a lot of peaches, I will sterilize my kitchen sink and fill it with 4 cups of ice and just enough water so that the peaches can be submerged.

If I am doing a smaller batch then I will fill a large bowl with ice first and then add just enough water that it would allow the peaches to be submerged.

After a few rounds of 5 peaches each, the ice starts to quickly melt and will need to be replenished to keep the water cold. A lot of ice is very important when doing a lot of peaches.

🫶🏻 Peel Peaches with Fingers

After a minute or two the peaches will have cooled enough that you can handle them. Starting where the X was scored, peel the skins back away from the peach with your fingers or aparing knifeand the peel should come off.

If you happen to have one that is not peeling it could be the peach wasn’t fully ripe or it needs more time to be fully blanched. Place it back into the boiling water for another 20-30 seconds and then back into the ice water and try again.

The coolest thing about blanching peaches is that you can do this same method with more than just peaches! Blanching can also be used to easily peel other produce like nectarines, plums, apricots, pears, and even tomatoes!

🗓️ Storage

Peeled peaches should be used right away in recipes, canning, or for freezing peaches. Peeled peaches can be packaged and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To protect whole peaches, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a resealable bag. Sliced peaches can be stored in an airtight container.

To prevent the flesh from browning, use a quick lemon bath of 1 Tablespoon lemon juice with 2 cups water. Dip the peaches (whole or sliced) into the lemon water and then drain. They don’t need to soak. Just a simple dip is all they need. Store the peaches in the fridge for up to 3 days.

💡 Pro Tips

• Use Ripe Peaches.You want the peach to give slightly when firm but gentle pressure is applied.
• Set a timer.The peaches should only be boiled for a short period of time, so be sure to set a timer and be ready to remove them as soon as they are done.
• Have the ice bath ready.As soon as the peach skin begins to crack, you want to have the large bowl of ice water ready and waiting.
• To remove a peach pit: start by inserting a small knife at the stem end of the peach. Run the knife down the length of the peach, keeping the blade against the pit. Gently twist the two halves of the peach in opposite directions to separate them. The pit should now be exposed. If it is not, loosen it by sliding your fingertip or a spoon under one end and then pop it free.

💭 FAQs

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