Homemade Peach Pie Filling (Fresh or Frozen)

Cooked peach pie filling in raw pie shell.

4 from 3 votes

Homemade Peach Pie Filling (Fresh or Frozen)

Homemade peach pie filling with fresh (or frozen) peaches and warm cinnamon. Easy, flavorful, and freezer-friendly—perfect for pies, crisps, and desserts!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Cooling Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Sara Syphus Smith

Ingredients

3 lb peaches (2.5 lb once peeled/pitted)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons salted butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Wash and prep 3 lb peaches if using fresh. Skip to Step 4 if using pre-peeled, sliced frozen peaches.
TIP: The easiest way for me to peel them is to slice them in half, peel around the bottom, then peel the top.
Slice peaches into about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) slices. See note 1. They should equal about 2.5 pounds once peeled and pitted, a little over 6 cups sliced.
Comine the sliced peaches with 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons salted butter, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, and 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract in a pot.
Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the peaches are super juicy and softened.
In a small bowl combine the 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 3-4 Tablespoons cornstarch. (Use 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch if the peaches are underripe and not very juicy, use 4 Tablespoons if the peaches are ripe and juicy.).
It will be pretty thick, you can remove a Tablespoon or two of peach juice from the pot to mix into it to thin it out.
Pour into the pan with the peach pie filling and stir at a simmer for another minute or two, stirring until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
Cool completely to room temp before putting into a raw pie shell or freezing. See note 2 & note 3.

Notes

Note 1: Thicker slices result in less mushed slices after cooking and hold their shape better.

Note 2: Cooling the filling completely helps it to prevent melting the pie crust before it hits the oven, destroying the flaky crust.

Note 3. You can bake this into a raw pie shell and bake at 375℉ for 45-55 minutes.

- Freezer container/bag: freeze 5-cup portions; thaw in fridge before use

- Freeze-in-pie-pan method: line a 9" pan with foil, pour filling, freeze solid; pop out and bag—drops right into crust later.

For cobblers or not pre-cooking, don't cook beforehand.

Toss peaches with sugar, spices, lemon juice and cornstarch (no butter); fill crust and bake until center bubbles, 45-55 minutes.

Nutrition