How To Preserve and Store Peaches

Properly preserving peaches will allow you to maintain their full flavor and prolong your enjoyment of them. Therefore, what is the best way to preserve and store peaches?

The best way to preserve and store peaches are to store them at room temperature until they ripen. Once ripened, store the peaches in the refrigerator produce drawer away from other fruit up to 5-7 days. For longer-term preservation, slice the peaches and store them in the freezer up to ten months.

Preservation and storage methods will depend on when and what you plan to use your peaches for. The method chosen also depends on the peaches ripeness. In this article, I will explain these techniques in detail, so read on!

How To Preserve and Store Peaches

As a Certified Health Coach many clients ask me about food storage including peaches. Therefore, I have researched this topic in the past and present. Let’s examine the methods closely.

1. Storing Peaches to Ripen

Store unripe peaches at room temperature away from sunlight or heat. They can be placed in a bowl or laying on a counter. Do not store them with other ethylene producing fruits or vegetables.

Once they become ripe, they can be stored in the refrigerator for longer storage.

To ripen peaches more quickly, place two or three into a closed paper bag and keep them at room temperature. This phenomenon happens because they emit ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is released by some fruits causing them to ripen faster¹.

By trapping the gas in a bag allows them to mature faster². Be sure to check the ripeness everyday. If the bag is not fast enough, consider placing an apple or banana into the bag to speed along the process but keep a close eye on the ripeness.

Peaches not only emit ethylene gas, but they are sensitive to it. This is why they should not be stored with other ethylene producing fruits. Ethylene producing fruits are:

• Apples
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Pears
• Peppers
• Tomatoes

How To Tell If a Peach Is Ripe

Knowing to keep peaches on the counter until they are ripe is one thing, but this may lead you to wonder how to tell if a peach is ripe.

Tell if a peach is ripe by checking its smell, feel and color. Peaches ripe for storage will release a sweet smell. Squeeze it to test if the flesh gives. A ripe one will be able to receive a gentle but firm squeeze. A ripe peach has a deep yellow color with shades of red and no green.

If there is only a little give when squeezed, it is probably still unripe and may need another few days. If there is any green color, the peach is still unripe. If the skin has any wrinkles on it, particularly around the stem, it’s ripe³. 

They wrinkle because water is leaving the fruit. This process begins as soon as it’s picked. A wrinkled one contains the best flavor intensified as the water leaves the fruit. Don’t buy them already wrinkled.

2. Storing Peaches in the Refrigerator

Once a peach is ripe, it should be moved into the refrigerator to preserve it for longer. The colder temperature slows down the ripening process.

Store ripe peaches in the refrigerator for up to five to seven days. They should be placed into a ventilated food storage bag or container. Store them in the produce drawer without other ethylene producing fruits or vegetables.

If you would like to enjoy them at a later date, you can slow the ripening process by placing them in the refrigerator⁴.

Refrigerating the peaches will extend their life by approximately five to seven days. They will best retain their flavor if you allow them to ripen softly before refrigerating.

It’s also best to store them in whole. Slicing them quickens the oxidation process and will cause them to brown sooner. Later in this article, I will introduce tips on storing sliced peaches for the best taste and longevity.

Sliced peaches may be refrigerated for short-term storage⁵. It’s best to coat the slices with lemon juice or another citrus juice. Place the coated slices into an airtight container and cover tightly.

3. How To Freeze Peaches

There are many methods on how to freeze peaches. They can be frozen whole or sliced. They can be frozen with a natural preservative or syrup which extends their shelf-life longer⁶.

The best way to freeze fresh peaches is blanching them and coating them in either sugar syrup, lemon or citric juice. Space the slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, remove them from the freezer and place them into plastic freezer bags. Date the freezer bags and place them into the freezer up to 10 months.

That’s the best method but they can be frozen without blanching and coating. I’ll cover each method in complete detail.

Disclaimer: Some links in this article are affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Freezing Sliced Peaches Without Blanching

1. Slice the peaches into your desired size.
2. Remove the pits.
3. Place the slices into a bowl of lemon or other civic juice mixture.
4. Place the slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet and space them apart so they’re not touching each other.
5. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until they are frozen. The time will vary depending on the size of the slices.
6. Remove the sheet once the slices are frozen.
7. Place the slices into a plastic freezer bag.
8. Remove as much excess air as possible.
9. Date the bag.
10. Place the bag into the freezer and store it up to six months.

The best way to remove excess air from a plastic bag is to use a vacuum sealer. They are one of those items making you wonder how you did without one before purchasing it. Amazon has many affordable ones. Check out their current prices here, Vacuum Sealers.

The lemon juice and water mixture helps preserve the peach longer and prevent it from turning brown. Can you freeze peaches with the skin on it?

Peaches can be frozen with the skin on or off. Freezing them with the skin doesn’t alter the method used, and they can be frozen whole with the skin.

Freezing Sliced Peaches With Blanching

Blanching sliced peaches coated with a preservative is the best way to freeze peaches and prevent them from turning brown. The following is how to freeze blanched peaches:

1. Using a sharp knife, Alice an “X” at the bottom of each whole peach.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
4. Place them into the boiling water and boil for 60 seconds.
5. Immediately remove them from the boiling water and place them into the bowl of ice water for another 60 seconds.
6. Remove them from the water and peel the skin off the peach starting at the “X” at the bottom.
7. Cut each one in half and remove the pits.
8. In a pot, prepare a thin syrup. Use 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and let the syrup cool.
9. Coat the slices with the syrup.
10. Place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet and space them apart so they’re not touching each other.
11. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until they are frozen. The time will vary depending on the size of the slices.
12. Remove the sheet once the slices are frozen and place them into a plastic freezer bag.
13. Remove as much excess air as possible.
14. Date the bag.
15. Place the bag into the freezer and store it up to ten months.

The amount of sugar can be adjusted. I prefer no added sugar to any of my food which is why I only included one part sugar. The sugar can be excluded but it does help to preserve the peach better⁷.

The video below shows how to blanch peaches.

How To Freeze Peaches Whole

Peaches may be frozen whole with the skin still attached. Although freezing a peach whole is less versatile and takes longer for the peach to defrost and remove the pit.

Here’s how to freeze whole peaches:

1. Rinse the peaches.
2. Pat and allow them to completely dry.
3. Place them into plastic freezer storage bags.
4. Remove the excess air from the bag.
5. Date the bag and freeze up to six months.

How To Defrost Frozen Peaches

The best way to thaw frozen peaches is to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator. The length of time for defrosting varies on the size of the peach or slices.

If you don’t have much time to wait, you can place the frozen peach bag into a bowl of cool water. This will defrost them much faster. If they are sliced, don’t leave them out on the counter in temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for longer than two hours.

If you’re using frozen slices for a smoothie, they can be placed directly into your high-speed blender. Adding frozen fruit into a smoothie, instead of ice, enhances the flavor and increases the nutrient density.

The secret to an easy smoothie with frozen items is having a blender powerful enough to handle the workload. The blender I recommend has a 6 blade, multi-tiered blade, check it out and the current price on Amazon, Nutri Ninja BL685 with Auto-iQ Technology. 

In addition, try these easy to make smoothies for incredible health, rapid weight loss and energy!

Which Is Better: Canning or Freezing Peaches?

Canning peaches is better for long-term storage while freezing better preserves flavor and texture. Canning and freezing both have their pros and cons, therefore, the best method depends on how you plan to use them in the future.

How Do You Can Peaches?

1. Using a sharp knife, Alice an “X” at the bottom of each whole peach.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
4. Place them into the boiling water and boil for 60 seconds.
5. Immediately remove them from the boiling water and place them into the bowl of ice water for another 60 seconds.
6. Remove them from the water and peel the skin off the peach starting at the “X” at the bottom.
7. Cut each one in half and remove the pits.
8. Place them into the canning jars leaving 1″ of head space.
9. In a medium pot place four parts water and one part sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
10. Pour the syrup over the peaches into the jar leaving at least 1/4″ of headspace.
11. Tightly seal the jars with lids.
12. Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. There should be enough water to cover the top of the jars by 1-2 inches.
13. When the water begins to simmer, lower the jars into the water with tongs.
14. Boil for 25 minutes.
15. Carefully remove the jars and let them sit at room temperature until cool.
16. Press down on the lids to test if the lids sealed properly. If the lid gives or bounces back, it didn’t seal properly. Repeat the process or refrigerate those jars up to one week.
17. Date the jars and store the sealed jars in a dry, dark place up to 12 months.

As soon as the jars are cooled, you can eat the peaches⁸.

Instead using a large pot, they sell ones made for canning which contains large baskets inside for lowering and raising the jars. This makes things much easier. Amazon has some affordable ones which you can check out here, Canners.

How To Store Canned Peaches From The Store

Canned peaches unopened from the store should be stored on a shelf in the cabinet. The cabinet should be dark, under 75 degrees Fahrenheit and dry. Store canned peaches can last up to 1-2 years depending on the expiration or “Best Buy” date on the can.

Once the store canned peaches are opened, the leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator up to seven days. They should be placed in an airtight container with the excess air removed. Coat the leftovers with lemon juice to prevent browning and improve preservation.

If the can becomes dented or has a rounded top or bottom, it should be discarded.

Store Peaches at Room Temperature Before Eating

If you want to enjoy all of the flavors a peach offers, it’s best not to consume it immediately after removing it from the refrigerator. 

Refrigerated peaches taste best after reaching room temperature, at 70-74°F. Leaving the it out for about a half-hour should allow it to reach this temperature.

Remember to always rinse it before eating. This practice can remove harmful bacteria and pesticide residuals.

The peach can be eaten with or without its skin. Some prefer the texture of the nutritious, fuzzy skin, while others do not like the sensation. Just remember, the skin contains much of the nutrients.

If you would like to remove the skin, use a paring knife to mark an “X” on the bottom of the peach. Run hot water over the X so that the skin lifts at the place of the cut. This will create tabs allowing for easy peeling when pulled.

Then, take the paring knife and slice from the stem all the way around the center until you have created a 360° cut. Pull the halves apart, remove the pit and slice it into wedges, depending on how large you would like each slice.

If you have any questions to ask me about this article don’t hesitate to comment below or email us. You can find an email on our contact page.

Read Next – More Food Storage Articles!

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The Best Way To Store Your Mangoes

Can Almond Milk Be Frozen? Find Out Here

1. University of California: Ethylene in Fruits and Vegetables [↩]
2. Pearson Farm: Peaches Storage & Nutrition Facts [↩]
3. Sweet Georgia Peaches: Peaches [↩]
4. Clemson Cooperative Extension: Using & Storing Peaches [↩]
5. Ohio State University: Selecting, Storing, and Serving Ohio Peaches [↩]
6. Michigan State University: Using, Storing and Preserving Peaches [↩]
7. Utah State University: How to Preserve Peaches [↩]
8. National Center for Home Food Preservation: Selecting, Preparing and Canning Fruit: Peaches-Halved or Sliced [↩]