Making homemade pie filling is much easier than you think. This simple recipe with just 5 ingredients features fresh peaches and can be used for pies, dump cakes, crisps, crumbles, and cobblers. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Make it during peach season and enjoy their wonderful flavor year round.
Summer fruit comes and goes and, more times than not, I'm left wanting more. Probably because I want it to be available the rest of the year. It's so flavorful and juicy and the variety is just plain amazing! Does that happen to you too?
Peaches rank very high on that list, let me tell you. When they're good, they're fantastic. When they're not so good, we can always bake with them. That's why I want to share this easy recipe, because you can bottle (so to speak) their fresh flavor for cold, dull days and bring a little sunshine in. I also make peaches in vanilla syrup and can them. But it's a more laborious recipe.
Ingredients
- Peaches: fresh but not over ripe peaches, without skin. Though you can leave the skin on if that's the way you like your pies. It usually shrivels as it bakes so I don't find it appealing.
- Sugar: I use light brown sugar because the flavor is great with peaches. But white sugar also works.
- Cornstarch: it's the thickening agent that helps create the syrup.
- Lemon juice: a little adds some needed acid to balance out the sugar.
- Vanilla: a few drops of pure vanilla extract or paste enhance the sweet flavor.
How to make it
Similar to what we do with the fruit in the Strawberry Pie with jello, the peaches are macerated with the brown sugar to allow them to release the liquid which will form the syrup.
- It's very simple, you only need a large bowl to mix the peach slices with the sugar. In half an hour or so, they will have released a lot of their natural juices (images 1 and 2).
- The peach juice is then drained into a saucepan (image 3) and the peaches put in the same large bowl, no need to use and wash another one.
- The cornstarch is added (image 4) and mixed with a whisk until there are no lumps. Then water is added, if needed. This will depend on what you're using the pie filling for.
This mixture is softly boiled at medium heat to allow the cornstarch to thicken it. The final syrup is thick and golden in color (image below), it's not a clear gel. It has a lot of fresh peach flavor and keeps well for several days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
Top tips
- Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
- Peaches: fresh fruit is always the first choice, but this can be made with unsweetened frozen peaches. I recommend thick wedges, not the type that are cubed, as they will retain the shape more. Keep in mind that frozen fruit always loses firmness after it's defrosted.
- Storing: you can keep it covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or frozen for a month.
- Flavorings: I add vanilla because I think it adds a light sweetness that complements the juicy peaches well. You can omit it if you want plain sweet peach flavor or use spices like ground cinnamon or cardamom in addition to the extract.
- How to use it: use this peach filling as is for a peach cobbler, peach dump cake, a crumble or crisp. For making a fruit pie, don't add the water as it will make the filling too runny, especially if you add a top crust.
- Serving it: if you're using this peach mixture to make a pie or any of the desserts mentioned above, the best way to serve it is slightly warm (or at room temperature during hot days outside) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Easy peach pie: use the homemade graham cracker crust or a purchased pie shell, add the peach mixture, and top with a simple crumble mixture (found in the cherry crumb pie recipe). Bake it until bubbly and golden. Or use a good quality store-bought pie dough and make a double crust pie, making sure you pierce the dough in the top to create an air vent.
- From scratch: for making a pie completely from scratch I always use the Flaky Pie Crust recipe. It can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month, and creates a flaky crust.
Related recipes you might like:
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Peach Pie Filling
Making homemade pie filling is much easier than you think. This simple recipe with just 5 ingredients features fresh peaches and can be used for pies, dump cakes, crisps, crumbles, and cobblers. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Make it during peach season and enjoy their wonderful flavor year round.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: One 9-inch pie or cobbler
Ingredients
- 4 cups peach slices (650g) about 7 medium
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup of water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash and peel peaches. Open in half and cut three or four wedges from each half.
- Put the fruit in a large bowl, add the brown sugar, mix lightly and let stand for about 30 minutes, until the natural juices from the peaches are released.
- Drain this liquid into a medium saucepan. If the colander can hold the peaches but is not smaller than the pan drain them into a medium bowl first and then transfer the juice to the saucepan.
- Put the remaining peaches in the bowl where you mixed them with the sugar. No need to use and wash another bowl.
- Add the cornstarch and mix well with a hand whisk until it's smooth with no lumps.
- Depending on what you'll use this peach mixture for (see Notes below on how to use it) dd the water, mix and heat over medium temperature until it starts to boil. Softly boil it until it slightly thickens and the cornstarch cooks, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the stove and add the liquid to the peaches.
- Mix lightly and let cool completely before using. See Notes below for dessert ideas.
- Cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days or freeze if not using it anytime soon.
Notes
Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
Peaches: fresh fruit is always the first choice, but this can be made with unsweetened frozen peaches. I recommend thick wedges, not the type that are cubed, as they will retain the shape more. Keep in mind that frozen fruit always loses firmness after it's defrosted.
Storing: you can keep it covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or frozen for a month.
Flavorings: I add vanilla because I think it adds a light sweetness that complements the juicy peaches well. You can omit it if you want plain sweet peach flavor or use spices like ground cinnamon or cardamom in addition to the extract.
How to use it: use this peach filling as is for a peach cobbler, peach dump cake, a crumble or crisp. For making a fruit pie, don't add the water as it will make the filling too runny, especially if you add a top crust.
Serving it: if you're using this peach mixture to make a pie or any of the desserts mentioned above, the best way to serve it is slightly warm (or at room temperature during hot days outside) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Easy peach pie: use the homemade graham cracker crust or a purchased pie shell, add the peach mixture, and top with a simple crumble mixture (found in the cherry crumb pie recipe). Bake it until bubbly and golden. Or use a good quality store-bought pie dough and make a double crust pie, making sure you pierce the dough in the top to create an air vent.
From scratch: for making a pie completely from scratch I always use the Flaky Pie Crust recipe. It can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month, and creates a flaky crust.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: peach pie filling
Frances says
I love using fresh peaches and freezing them in this form for desserts. I follow this other then using swerve brown sugar, and usually no water. This is a keeper!
★★★★★
Nancy Mackenzie says
I commented previously about this delicious recipe. I want to add that for peaches I add 1/4 tsp each of almond extract, cinnamon and cardamom.
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Nancy! Thanks for the reviews. Yes, adding some almond extract is very nice, it complements the peaches very well. Have a great week.
Nancy Mackenzie says
Delicious. This is my go-to filling now. Doing it this way makes a nice not-to-thick syrup and peaches that are not over cooked.
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
My thoughts exactly Nancy!
angiesrecipes says
We have been eating lots of stonefruit lately. They are so sweet and juicy now. The peach pie filling looks great and would be perfect paired with some cream as the dessert.