Peach season is achingly short and every year I buy bushel after bushel of fresh yellow peaches as long as they hold out. In Georgia, that’s mid-May to early August. In California, that season starts in late June and wraps up toward the end of August, but in other parts of the country it’s a more like late-July to September. There are so many incredible peach desserts to be made (as well as savory peach recipes too!) but this fresh peach pie is right up at the top of my list next to peach ice cream. They are my “must make” recipes of the summer! When it’s summer and peaches are in season, we make all things peach around our house! Besides eating them out of hand, every year my family requests Fresh Peach Cobbler and Old-Fashioned Fresh Peach Ice Cream as soon as they show up at the farmer’s market. If you love my reader-favorite strawberry pie and you also like peaches, then you are guaranteed a homerun with this recipe. It’s basically the exact same thing just using a different fruit and adjusting the cornstarch a bit to account for the additional juice from the peaches. I opted for a naked pie presentation here rather than decorating the whole thing with whipped cream. Instead I piped swirls of sweetened whipped cream on top of each slice just before serving.
How do you slice peach pie?
One thing to know before you get started though is that this pie doesn’t set up super firm. When you slice into it, the slices will definitely be loose, which is how I like it as opposed to an overly thickened, gummy filling. It’s just the nature of a fresh fruit pie and I personally don’t care for it when it’s thickened much more than what you see here. If you want even more stability to your slice, feel free to simply increase the cornstarch by 2 or 3 tablespoons without adjusting any of the other ingredients, particularly if your peaches are especially juicy. However, as with any fruit pie that has large pieces of fruit in it, you will likely always deal with some structural issues because of the weight of the fruit and the amount of juice they release as they break down.
Recipe Ingredients
Peaches: While I’m guessing you could make this with white peaches, yellow peaches are my absolute favorite. You will use roughly half of the peaches to create the gel and the other half goes into the filling in slices. Look for freestone peaches, which are much easier to work with since the pit falls right out when you slice them in half. If you only have cling peaches, they taste just as good only you will need to slice the peach off the pit instead. Sugar: Regular granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the already sweet fresh peaches in this pie. If your peaches are slightly less sweet, you might want to increase the sugar by ¼ cup. Cornstarch: This is my favorite pie thickening agent because I always have it on hand in my cupboard. Be sure to add it at the same time as the sugar and toss it with the sliced peaches while they are still cold. This prevents it from clumping once the filling is over the heat. Water: Just a little water is used to create the gel filling. Almond extract: This is my secret ingredient for the best fresh peach pie! It’s not a large amount but the flavor adds complexity and compliments the peaches so well without overpowering them. Feel free to leave it out if you want to though. A blind baked pie crust: I HIGHLY recommend making your own pie crust for this simple pie. I have an entire post and YouTube video where I show you how to do it either by hand with a pastry cutter or using a food processor (affiliate link).
How to Make Fresh Peach Pie
Recipe Tips
Storage: This pie really is best eaten the same day it is made. However, leftover fresh peach pie will still be good when stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. You could also freeze the pie for 2-3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. Variations: If you like peaches with a little spice, you could try adding ½ teaspoon or more of cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice (is it blasphemy to speak of pumpkin pie spice in a summer peach pie post?) to the filling along with the sugar and cornstarch. Peaches and warm spices are actually really phenomenal together. Other fruit: Missed peach season? You could make this pie with almost any fruit! Blueberries, raspberries, apricots, etc. would all work!
More Summer Fruit Recipes
Strawberry Peach Crumble Cherry Crisp Raspberry Cream Pie Award-Winning Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie Raspberry Peach Pie German Plum Cake Authentic French Fruit Tart
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
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