Make this homemade peach pie recipe to wow your summer cookout guests! My foolproof recipe for peach pie yields a flavorful, gently spiced pie that is perfectly sweet, with a crust that melts in your mouth and is never soggy. It’s the perfect way to use sweet peaches when they’re in peak season.
Peach pie is not complicated or time-consuming to prep, but it does take a while to bake and cool. Be sure to bake it about 6 hours before you plan to serve it so it has ample time to cool completely, and the filling will set up beautifully. This is an excellent make-ahead dessert! For more peach recipes, try my peach cake, peach crisp, or peach cobbler.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Pie crust — you need a double pie crust. I prefer using a homemade pie crust for the flakiest texture and best flavor, but a store-bought pie crust would work well.
Peaches — ripe peaches are a must! A ripe peach will have a wonderful fragrance and be firm but give slightly when gently pressed near the stem end. A hard peach with no smell is not ripe enough for a pie.
Sugar — granulated sugar sweetens the peach pie filling and coarse sugar adds sparkle and a slight crunch to the top crust.
Cornstarch — do not skip the cornstarch if you want your filling to set up nicely. It is an essential thickening agent. You can substitute it with an equal amount of tapioca flour if desired.
Lemon juice — fresh lemon juice adds brightness to the pie filling.
Vanilla — use good vanilla extract for the best flavor. A little bit goes a long way to enhancing the flavor of the fresh peaches.
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon adds a comforting flavor and scent to the pie.
Butter — make sure the butter is cold. Cut it into cubes and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Egg — a beaten egg and some water make an easy egg wash for a perfectly golden brown crust.
How To Make Peach Pie
1. Peel, halve and slice the fresh peaches.
2. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, white sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Roll out 1 disk of pie dough into a 13-inch circle that’s about ⅛-inch thick. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep pie dish. Trim the overhanging dough to be about 1 inch over the edge.
4. Roll the other pie dough disk out to be about 11 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips.
5. Plop the peach mixture into the pie crust and smooth it out.
6. Dot the filling with the cubes of cold butter.
7. Arrange the pie crust strips in a lattice pattern over the fruit filling. (See details below for how to do this.) Trim the ends of the strips and excess bottom crust to have 1-inch overhang. Fold the excess dough under itself and press against it down slightly to create a flat crust. You can crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork if desired.
8. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar. Cover the edge of the peach pie loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling all over. Place the hot pie on a cooling rack for 4 to 5 hours before slicing. Serve at room temperature with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Can I Use Frozen or Canned Peaches?
You can use frozen or canned peaches to make this easy peach pie, with a few considerations. If you want to use frozen peaches, thaw them completely beforehand and drain any of the juices that will be released. This will prevent the filling from being too watery.
Canned peaches can be iffy in peach pie because they start off very soft and quite mushy. I recommend using them only if it isn’t peach season and fresh peaches are hard to come by or if you cannot find frozen peaches. Drain the canned peaches well and pat them with a paper towel beforehand. Try to use peaches packed in juice rather than syrup.
Tips for Peeling and Slicing Peaches
If your peaches are perfectly ripe, the skin will peel right off by hand if you gently pull it away from the fruit. If your peels are particularly stubborn, score an X into the bottom of each whole peach and place them in a pot of rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Carefully remove the peaches and immediately place them in an ice bath for 5 minutes. The peel should slip right off with no issues!
Here’s how to slice a peach:
- Grab a sharp paring knife and carefully insert it into the center of the peach until you hit the pit.
- Cut all around the pit by rotating the peach so the knife cuts all the way around it (like an equator!).
- Twist both halves of the peach until they separate.
- Remove the pit by simply pulling it out from each half.
- Place one half of the peach, cut side down, on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch thick slices. Repeat.
How Do I Keep Peach Pie from Getting Soggy?
Add the peaches to the pie crust after you’ve rolled and pressed your bottom crust into the pan and have rolled the top crust and cut into strips. You don’t want all of the peach juices sitting on the crust for any longer than they need to or the crust may not bake up as crisp.
Another way to prevent a soggy bottom crust is to start baking at a high temperature (425°F) for a short period of time before reducing the temperature to finish cooking the pie. Starting off at a high temperature helps the crust firm up quickly and brown on the outside.
How to Make a Lattice Top
A lattice top crust makes for a beautiful pie presentation, and it’s so easy to do!
- Roll the pie dough into a large circle.
- Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch-wide strips.
- Place half of the strips on top of the filling. They should be parallel and equidistant to each other.
- Fold back every other strip.
- Place 1 of the remaining strips of dough perpendicular to the folded strips on the pie. It should be close to the base of the folds.
- Unfold the strips, laying them on top of the perpendicular strip.
- Alternate by folding back the other strips you did not fold back the first time and placing a new strip equidistant from the other. Unfold the strips.
- Repeat with alternating folds and remaining dough strips. This will create a weave, which will end up being a very pretty lattice crust.
How to Store Peach Pie
Cover the cooled pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Serve at room temperature or reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. You can also reheat the pie in the air fryer! Place a slice in an oven-safe dish and turn it on Reheat or Air Fry at 300°F for 5 minutes.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Peeling the peaches is optional. The skin tends to soften significantly in the filling and can add a lovely pink hue. However, it will add a different texture to the peach filling, so I prefer to peel the peaches.
- Add a pinch of salt to the recipe. Though optional, this trick helps to balance the sweetness and/or tartness of the filling, depending on how ripe your peaches are. You can also dot the top with salted butter instead of unsalted.
- Use other spices. Nutmeg, cardamon, and/or ginger are other delicious spices that can be added to the filling or crust to complement the sweet peaches.
- Add all of the juices from the bowl to the pie. It might seem like a lot of liquid, but the cornstarch has dissolved in these juices, helping to thicken the pie! Without it, your pie might actually be too runny.
- If you don’t want to arrange a lattice top: Simply place the top crust, uncut, over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, and cut 5 to 6 vents in the center of the crust so steam can escape. Alternatively, use a cookie-cutter to cut shapes out of the dough and arrange the shapes on top of the pie.
- Place a sheet tray in the oven while it is preheating. Baking the pie on the sheet tray can help crisp the bottom crust. This is a great trick if you’re worried about a soggy bottom or if you are using a ceramic pie dish that can insulate the dough from high heat and not crisp as well.
- If the lattice topping starts to brown too much: Tent the whole pie with a sheet of foil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze baked peach pie. Once it has cooled completely, wrap the pie in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and serve, or reheat it in the oven if you prefer a warm slice of pie.
Yes! You can make and bake the whole pie 1 to 2 days in advance, though it will have the best texture if served within 24 hours. If you decide to use a homemade pie crust, you can make that ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours before using.
There are several main reasons for runny peach pie filling. If you leave out any cornstarch, the juices will not be able to thicken up properly. Underbaking the pie will also keep the filling from getting hot enough to activate the cornstarch, which means it won’t thicken properly. Using too much sugar will draw out more liquid from the fruit, leading to a soupy filling– only use the amount of sugar stated in the recipe. Lastly, not allowing the pie to cool completely will give you a watery filling. The pie needs to cool for several hours so that the filling can set up well.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this peach pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Peach Pie Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 double pie crust
- 3 pounds peaches 1.4kg (8-9 peaches)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (133g)
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch (42g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 1 egg
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Let the disks of pie dough warm up on the counter.
- Meanwhile, score the bottom of each peach and peel the skin off. Halve the peaches, remove the pits, and cut them into ½-inch thick slices.
- in a large bowl, mix gently to combine the peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon. Set aside while you roll the pie crust.
- For the bottom crust, roll out 1 disk of pie dough into a 13-inch circle, about ⅛-inch thick. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, leaving the excess to hang over the ends of the pie plate.
- For the top crust, roll the other disk out into an 11-inch circle. Cut the dough into 1-inch-wide strips. (You should need 8 – 10 strips)
- Place the peach mixture inside the bottom pie crust and smooth it out to create a level surface for the lattice. Dot the filling with the cubes of butter.
- Arrange the pie crust strips in a lattice pattern over the fruit filling. Trim both the ends of the lattice strips and the excess bottom crust to have a 1-inch overhang from the edge of the pie dish. Fold the excess under itself and gently press down to create a flat edge. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork, if desired.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the lattice topping and crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar.
- Cover the edge of your pie loosely in aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling all over (even in the center!) If the pie starts to brown too quickly or reaches golden brown midway through baking, tent the whole pie with foil.
- Place the pie on a cooling rack and cool for 4 to 5 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Peeling the peaches is optional. The skin tends to soften significantly in the filling and can add a lovely pink hue. However, it will add a different texture to the peach filling, so I prefer to peel the peaches.
- Add a pinch of salt to the recipe. Though optional, this trick helps to balance the sweetness and/or tartness of the filling, depending on how ripe your peaches are. You can also dot the top with salted butter instead of unsalted.
- Use other spices. Nutmeg, cardamon, and/or ginger are other delicious spices that can be added to the filling or crust to complement the sweet peaches.
- Add all of the juices from the bowl to the pie. It might seem like a lot of liquid, but the cornstarch has dissolved in these juices, helping to thicken the pie! Without it, your pie might actually be too runny.
- If you don’t want to arrange a lattice top: Simply place the top crust, uncut, over the filling, trim and crimp the edges, and cut 5 to 6 vents in the center of the crust so steam can escape. Alternatively, use a cookie-cutter to cut shapes out of the dough and arrange the shapes on top of the pie.
- Place a sheet tray in the oven while it is preheating. Baking the pie on the sheet tray can help crisp the bottom crust. This is a great trick if you’re worried about a soggy bottom or if you are using a ceramic pie dish that can insulate the dough from high heat and not crisp as well.
- If the lattice topping starts to brown too much: Tent the whole pie with a sheet of foil.
Could I tent with something other than foil? Would parchment paper work?
Lo preparare , muchas gracias!
Yummy!!
I’m planning to use this for Thanksgiving!
Thanks John!
Would frozen peaches be ok?