Peach Pie

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Delicious peach pie with a flaky homemade pie crust and a sweet fresh peach filling.

Serve with a scoop of fresh whipped cream (how to make whipped cream tutorial here) or vanilla bean ice cream for the ultimate summer treat!

Growing up, we had a few peach trees in our backyard that always produced a lot of peaches. We’d eat peaches almost every meal whether they were just cut up on the side or creatively integrated into dinner. We added them to oatmeal or smoothies in the morning and peach milkshakes at night (or after school). 

The first thing we planted when we moved into our home was peach trees! While they haven’t begun producing yet, my husband did find a local peach truck last summer. We stocked up and used those peaches in everything. I couldn’t wait for it to open up again this summer and add peaches into more recipes (like this fruit salad recipe)

Peach pie recipe

So when I found out there was a new cookbook being released this summer sharing all kinds of peach recipes, I had to get my hands on it. Jessica and Stephen Rose wrote “The Peach Truck Cookbook” and it has 100 recipes using peaches (affiliate link). If you aren’t familiar, Jessica and Stephen are the owners of the loved Nashville-based “The Peach Truck” where they sell fresh Georgia peaches.

It’s a gorgeous book with fresh and (of course) peach-filled recipes. And the very first recipe I tried? This peach pie. It’s one of the best pies I’ve ever eaten and of course I had to share it with you all.

Preparing the peaches

For unripe peaches: Using a paring knife, score a small “X” in the bottom of the peach and then place the peach in boiling water for about 60 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peach from the boiling water and place it in a large bowl filled with ice and cold water. As soon as the peach is cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to remove the softened skin (it should slide off pretty easily).

For ripe peaches: Place the peach in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peach from the boiling water and place it in a large bowl filled with ice and cold water. As soon as the peach is cool enough to handle, gently peel off the softened skin with your fingers (should slide right off). 

Once the peaches have been peeled, cut in half around the pit and gently twist them to separate the two halves. Remove the pit and slice the peaches into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Crust tips

• Chill the shortening: this pie crust calls for shortening and I recommend popping it in the fridge a day before making the pie. Colder ingredients = better pie crust (I even like to chill the flour!)
• Keep everything as cold as possible: grab ingredients RIGHT out of the fridge, handle as little as possible, and get them back in the fridge as quick as possible. This ensures a gorgeous flaky and flavorful crust.
• Handle/touch the dough as little as possible: I use cheap (not sticky) plastic wrap to help shape and knead the dough together into a ball. The less you touch, the more flaky the crust will be and the less it will shrink when being baked.
• Rustic is in: embrace mistakes or a less than perfect pie crust — it’s the style these days! Plus it will still taste great 🙂 
• Practice makes perfect: the more pie crusts you make the better you’ll get!

Secret pie crust ingredient

Jessica’s family swears by a little apple cider vinegar in the pie crust. It tenderizes the crust, making it easier to work with (and flakier) and truly makes the pie crust “sing.” While it may seem odd, don’t skip this ingredient!

Peach pie filling tips

• Use ripe, fresh peaches for best results. The better the peaches, the better the pie will taste!
• For the filling we really want the peach flavor to shine through, so there aren’t a whole lot of extra ingredients. I do like to use vanilla bean paste (you can see the flecks of vanilla in some of these photos) which I think adds the perfect accenting flavor to the peaches. The other flavor addition: a little fresh lemon juice!
• Gently stir to keep the peaches from breaking down
• To ensure the peach pie thickens up nicely we want to make sure the thickener is evenly dispersed throughout. To make sure it is, combine all the dry ingredients together BEFORE tossing them with the peaches. Also remember how important it is to give the pie time to sufficiently cool and subsequently thicken — it takes a surprisingly long time.

Peach pie lattice pie crust

Elise from Simply Recipes has broken down the process (with step-by-step photos) of making the perfect lattice crust. While it might seem intimidating, it’s so easy to do!

Once the lattice crust is in place, you can crimp the edges by pinching the crust with your thumb and pointer finger and using your pointer finger from your other hand to form an indent (see photo above).

You also might want a pie shield (affiliate link) to keep the edges from getting too dark. You can make your own pie shield by following this tutorial.

More delicious fruit filled desserts:

• Lemon Bars reader favorite
• Strawberry Shortcake with biscuits
• Fruit Pizza Cheesecake Tart
• Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie quick and easy
• Fruit Tart with sugar cookie base