40 Fresh Peach Recipes To Savor This Summer

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Updated on June 17, 2024

Grilled Peaches with Spiced Whipped Cream — Photo: Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Savor sweet, juicy peaches this summer with our best peach recipes that showcase the South's favorite seasonal fruit. Whether sweet or savory, baked or grilled, there are so many ways to enjoy the fruit of the summer. Fresh peaches will be a staple in the kitchen all season long with this collection of peach dishes.

Make the most of those summer peaches with our favorite recipes—and be sure to can your bumper crop at the end of the season to enjoy for the rest of the year, too.

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Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake

Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Inspired by a classic pineapple upside-down cake, this stunning Bundt cake is topped with a layer of sticky-sweet peaches. Make sure to grease your Bundt pan well and cool the cake completely before removing. Then drizzle it with a pretty glaze for the final touch.

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Easy Peach Pie

easy peach pie on a table with a bowl of ice cream and pie — Ann Taylor Pittman/Southern Living

Gussy up store-bought pie crust with crunchy sugar, and turn a favorite summer dessert, peach pie, into the easiest treat you can make. A little vanilla extract gives this recipe a peaches-and-cream vibe. Cool the pie completely for the neatest slices.

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Spiced Rum-Peach Dumplings

Spiced Rum-Peach Dumplings — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

This peach dessert recipe only sounds fancy and complicated. The truth is Georgia chef Scottie Johnson's recipe uses refrigerated crescent rolls and a can of Mountain Dew. Impressive, meet practical.

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McLeod Farms' Fresh Peach Pound Cake

McLeod Farms Fresh Peach Pound Cake — Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Chistina Daley

You know a recipe from a peach farm has got to be good. This peach pound cake serves up a double whammy of fruit: Peach pieces pepper the pound cake, and peaches are stewed to make a shiny, peachy glaze.

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Peach Cream Kuchen

Peach Cream Kuchen — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Texas Hill Country is famous for food with strong German influences thanks to settlers in the early 19th century. Kuchen is the German word for cake, and this peach kuchen is the perfect blend of Texas and German traditions. This cake should be made just before you plan to enjoy it so it's served warm.

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Cast-Iron Skillet Peach Cobbler

Cast Iron Skillet Peach Cobbler — Alison Miksch

Cooking cobbler in a cast iron skillet results in a luscious filling and crispy crust that's made even more perfect as its softens under a scoop of ice cream. This homey dessert doesn't take much planning either, requiring only a couple of peaches and a handful of kitchen staples.

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Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Fresh Peach Ice Cream — Southern Living

Is there anything better than peaches and cream? This simple ice cream is one of our guilty pleasures. Use a scoop to top your peach cobbler, or eat this fresh ice cream all on its own.

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Peach Cake

Peach Cake — Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

This coffee cake-like dessert is good enough for breakfast, brunch, or a snack. Layers of tangy sour cream cake batter and fresh peach slices double the enjoyment.

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Easy Peach Cobbler

Southern Living Easy Peach Cobbler on the plate to serve — Stacy K. Allen, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Peach cobbler is a summer classic that every Southerner should perfect. Luckily, this recipe is as easy to master as it is delicious, with just six ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time.

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Peach Fried Pies

Peach Fried Pies — Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Canned biscuits to make an easy, crunchy crust for these hand pies. It's the filling spiced with cardamom that you'll really want to sink your teeth into. These pies can be served at home or packed up for a picnic.

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Skillet-Fried Peaches

Skillet-Fried Peaches — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Skillet-Fried Peaches come together in a jiffy, making this a go-to dessert for any day or night. Serve these buttery peaches alone or on top of homemade ice cream or your favorite cake. While the recipe calls for peach Schnapps, you can substitute with vanilla instead.

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Peach Custard Pie

Peach Custard Pie — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This pie is a wonderful choice if you're looking for a dessert to prep in advance, as the dough can be made up to two days in advance and the pie can be baked a day ahead of serving. The rich custard filling is the real highlight. Though we've included a recipe for a homemade crust, no one will tell if you buy one from the store instead.

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Tomato, Peach, And Corn Salad

Tomato, Peach, and Corn Salad — Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele

This salad is full of farmers' market finds that complement each other wonderfully. Fresh produce, a zesty honey vinaigrette, and salty feta cheese is what really allows this side to shine. Serve it with something from the grill.

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Peach Bread Pudding With Bourbon Caramel

Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel — Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This dish isn't only for winter months. Throw in fresh peaches and caramel sauce to create a summery version. The spiked caramel makes this dessert out of this world.

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Grilled Peach-And-Arugula Salad With Feta

Grilled Peach-and-Arugula Salad with Feta — Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Kellie Kelley; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Toss grilled fruit into this crisp summer salad for a refreshing lunch or dinner. Combined with mint leaves, pistachios, and a honey-mustard vinaigrette, the result is truly spectacular.

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Peach Cobbler Cheesecake

Peach Cobbler Cheesecake — Photography and Styling: Sarah Epperson

This cheesecake is rich and creamy with a heaping layer of peach cobbler on top. We've provided all the tips you need for a perfectly baked cheesecake, from using a water bath to cooling slowly.

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Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp — Micah A. Leal

A crisp is one of the easiest desserts to make, especially when peaches are on sale or you have an abundance in your fridge. You don't need to cook anything on the stove, make a crust, or even peel the fruit (decide according to your taste).

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Bourbon-Peach Iced Tea

Bourbon-Peach Iced Tea — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin

When the days are hot and the iced tea is calling, consider adding a splash of booze to turn your drink into a cocktail. Simmer chopped peaches with sugar and water in a saucepan before blending, straining, and steeping in a tea mixture. Pour into highball glasses and garnish with fresh peach slices.

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Patchwork Cobbler

Patchwork Cobbler — Hector Sanchez

The only thing patchwork about this cobbler is the patterned squares of pastry that make up its beautiful and delicious sugar-crusted top. In the words of one online reviewer, "the crust was worth the effort." Once you have your first bite of crisp, crunchy, and fruity cobbler you'll think so too. Filled with peaches, plums, and blueberries, this is a patchwork of wonderful flavors and tastes.

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Baked Brie With Jezebel Peaches

Baked Brie with Jezebel Peaches — Iain Bagwell

This recipe is all about how the ingredients come together, and here the stars are the hot jalapeño pepper jelly and the peeled and diced ripe peach. Put these two together, and you have the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. Indulgent, fresh, and easy as pie, this summer version of baked Brie won raves in the Southern Living Test Kitchen.

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Mixed Stone-Fruit Pie

Mixed Stone-Fruit Pie — Alison Miksch

This graham-cracker crust pie creates a crisp and crunchy delight for a no-cook filling, the dreamy base that gets piled high with freshly cut fruit. Peaches, plums, and apricots all work wonderfully well in this pie, but you can choose your favorite stone fruits for the filling and mix or match them to suit your tastes. Whatever you choose will be delicious and taste incredible topping the rich, cream cheese based filling. Best of all, since this no-bake, you'll have this on the table in a jiffy.

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Peach Milkshake

Peach Milkshake — Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

When the bounty of peaches exceeds your ability to bake cakes or cobblers, turn those juicy fruits into a sippable sweet. This peach milkshake is every bit the classic version you remember from childhood summers.

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Peach Margaritas

Peach Margaritas — Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Give this iconic tequila drink a decidedly Southern fruit upgrade. Though many recipes may call for frozen peaches, we prefer fresh as it helps make the consistency of the frozen margarita silky and smooth. Use a chili-lime seasoning like Tajín on the rim of the glass.

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Peach-On-The-Bottom Panna Cotta

Peach-on-the-Bottom Panna Cotta — Joy Howard

This little dessert might look like fruit and yogurt, but it's so much more. The bottom layer is a sweetened gelled puree that is luscious and juicy. The top layer is a cloud-like mixture of coconut cream, vanilla, and cardamom. These panna cotta are quick to pull together; you just need a few hours to let them set. They're highly impressive for the effort.

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Peach Salsa

Peach Salsa — Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Not all fresh peach recipes need be sweet. This salsa, which has red onions, cherry tomatoes, serrano chile, and lime juice amid plenty of peaches, is the perfect appetizer for summer parties.

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Peach Streusel Coffee Cake

Peach Streusel Coffee Cake — Southern Living

The perfect treat for book clubs and bridal teas, this coffee cake combines the decadent density of a peach cobbler with the juicy, fruity filling of a peach pie, but in reverse format. It's all topped off with brown sugar-cinnamon-pecan streusel topping that adds a just-right hit of crunch and spice.

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Peach Lemonade

Southern Living Peach Lemonade in a glass to serve with ice and a peach slice — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Crisp and refreshing, we want a pitcher of this Peach Lemonade in our fridge constantly during the summer. Yes, our Test Kitchen does include a boozy option if you’re hosting happy hour.

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Peach Jam

Peach Jam — Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Store-bought jam just doesn't compare here. Take the sweet flavors of summer with you into the fall with this luscious homemade jam. You can even freeze it to make it last longer.

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Easy Individual Peach Pies

Easy Individual Peach Pies — Photographer: Alison Miksch / Food Stylist: Melissa Gray / Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

With these personal peach pies, no one has to worry about sharing. Easier than fussing with a lattice crust, these mini delights will be your new go-to for summertime entertaining. Use refrigerated pie crusts and a muffin tin to create mess-free, individual servings.

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Fresh Peach Tea

Peach Tea — Jessica Furniss

Every Southerner should know how to make classic sweet tea, but this Fresh Peach Tea should be a requirement for the summer months. It's just the recipe you need for your next barbecue or big family dinner. Don’t miss the Test Kitchen tip about saving the leftover pulp.

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Peach Delight

Peach Delight — Photographer: Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman

This summery version of our beloved Chocolate Delight will bring a retro oldie-but-goodie to the dessert table at the potluck. In place of the traditional gelatin layer, we swapped in fresh peaches cooked in preserves until they reach a jammy texture.

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Grilled Peaches With Spiced Whipped Cream

Grilled Peaches with Spiced Whipped Cream — Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

“What a special (and easy!) way to take advantage of Texas peaches,” wrote one five-star reviewer about this recipe. We agree. This method for serving peaches at dessert is simple but beautiful—fresh peaches don’t need much fluff to shine.

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Strawberry And Peach Sangria

strawberry and peach sangria in a pitcher and wine glasses — Alison Miksch

This fruity and pretty cocktail was made for porch sipping. The mint ice cubes are a fun touch and can be dropped into kids' drinks as well. To make them, drop mint leaves into an ice cube tray, fill with water, and freeze.

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Peach Sorbet

three bowls of peach sorbet on a plate — Alison Miksch

You don’t need an ice cream maker to serve up a batch of this dreamy homemade Peach Sorbet, just the extra time it’ll need to firm up in the freezer. Peaches are an ideal fruit for sorbet, thanks to their high pectin content that lends itself to a thick and creamy texture.

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Pickled Peaches

Pickled Peaches — Alison Miksch

From pickled watermelon rinds to frozen fresh blueberries, Grandma never ran out of ways to “put up” summer’s best. These pickled peaches will bring back the season when fall rolls around. In this recipe, the peaches are pickled with warm spices and can last up to a month in the fridge.

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Peach Bellini

Peach Bellini — Jessica Furniss/Southern Living

The beautiful bellini seems to have dropped off of menus over the years, but we’re making the case for bringing it back. For starters: “Beyond being easy to make at home, it offers a unique flavor profile that highlights our beloved peach,” writes Digital Editor Kaitlyn Yarborough.

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Gingered Peach Galette

Gingered Peach Galette on parchment paper with a knife — Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist Audrey Davis

Peach pie's low-maintenance cousin comes together in a flash and will impress any crowd. For folks who don't like fussing with crimped pie edges, a galette is answer to dessert prayers.

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Peach Ranch Water

Southern Living Peach Ranch Water in a glass to serve — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

If your go-to is a Texas Ranch Water, perhaps you need to give it an even more flavorful Southern twist with a splash of peach nectar. Top it with a few slices of peach on the glass.

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Slow-Cooker Peach Cobbler

Slow-Cooker Peach Cobbler - Southern Living — Jessica Furniss

Did you ever think the day would come when it would be even easier than ever to make a peach cobbler? Yes, the day is here. Simply break out the trusty slow-cooker, and prepare for this summertime dessert to come together with very little effort.

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Peach Simple Syrup

Peach Truck Pitchers - Peach Sweet Tea — Elesia Johnson

Peach simple syrup is the first recipe you should think of making with your fresh bounty of peaches. The versatile syrup is great for using to spice up cocktails, dress up desserts, or jazz up iced tea.

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