What Are Peaches, canned and How Can I Use Them?
Here's everything worth knowing about peaches, canned and how to pick them, what they is, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 34 recipes to cook tonight.
Key Points
- Peeled, pitted peaches canned at peak ripeness; packed in heavy syrup, light syrup, juice, or water.
- Always drain well before baking, or the liquid will thin batters and sog cobblers.
- A 15-ounce can yields about 1 cup of drained fruit for recipes calling for fresh.
- Choose juice-packed or water-packed for already-sweet recipes; save heavy syrup for added sugar.
- Unopened cans keep a year-plus; refrigerate opened fruit in its liquid for 5 to 7 days.
What is peaches, canned?
Canned peaches are ripe peaches that have been peeled and pitted, then sealed in liquid and heat-processed so they keep on the shelf for a year or more. You'll find them as halves or slices, packed in a sweet sugar syrup or in fruit juice or water.
They're a kitchen workhorse for a reason. The fruit is picked and canned at peak ripeness, so a can opened in February tastes more like summer than the hard, mealy fresh peaches sold out of season.
The trade-off is texture. Canning softens the fruit, so canned peaches work best where you want tenderness rather than snap.
Nutritionally they stand on their own, separate from fresh. USDA FoodData Central lists canned peaches in heavy syrup at roughly 74 calories per ½ cup, most of that added sugar, while juice-packed or water-packed peaches run closer to the fresh fruit.
Cooking With Canned Peaches
The single most important step is draining. Canned peaches carry a lot of liquid, and that liquid will thin a batter or weep into a pie if you ignore it. Drain in a colander, and for baking, blot the slices on a towel.
Their soft texture makes them a natural for cobblers and pies. Best Damn Peach Cobbler and Easy Peach Pie both lean on that head start, going from can to oven in minutes. In Cream Cheese Peach Pie the drained slices fan over a no-bake filling.
Don't throw the syrup or juice away on instinct. Spoon a little into the batter of a peach quick bread, reduce it down into a glaze, or save it to sweeten a smoothie. Pineapple-Peach Frappe blends the fruit and its liquid straight into a drink.
Canned peaches cross over into savory cooking too, where their sweetness plays against meat. Chicken 'N' Peaches Piquante and Ginger & Peach Chicken use them in pan sauces. Warm baked sides like Hot Fruit Compote and Sherried Baked Fruit fold them with other canned fruit and spice.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Peaches love warm spice and a little acid. Cinnamon and brown sugar bring out their honeyed side, while a squeeze of lemon or a splash of bourbon keeps that sweetness from turning cloying.
In dairy they're at home with cream cheese and tangy yogurt. That's why so many of the cheesecakes here reach for them.
The most common mistake is using syrup-packed peaches in a recipe that already has plenty of sugar, then wondering why the dessert is sickly sweet. Reach for juice-packed or water-packed fruit when the recipe is sweet on its own.
The second mistake is skipping the drain step. Wet peaches give you a soggy cobbler bottom and a slack pie. And if a recipe calls for fresh peaches by weight, remember a 15-ounce can yields only about 1 cup of drained fruit.
Substitutes
Fresh peaches work when they're in season and ripe. Peel and slice them, then add a touch of sugar plus a few minutes of cooking to mimic the tenderness canning provides. Out of season they're rarely worth it.
Frozen peaches are the closest swap for baking. They're picked ripe like canned fruit but skip the syrup, so thaw and drain them well before using.
Canned apricot halves or canned pears slot in for a similar soft, sweet fruit, shifting the flavor rather than ruining the dish.
For the syrup itself, a spoonful of peach nectar or a thin simple syrup stands in. In a pinch, fruit cocktail brings peaches along with its other fruit, though you lose control over the mix.
Buying and Storing
Check the pack on the label before you buy. "In heavy syrup" means the most added sugar; "in light syrup," "in 100% juice," and "in water" step down from there.
For everyday cooking, juice-packed peaches give you peach flavor without loading the dish with sugar you'll only have to balance back out.
Unopened cans keep in a cool, dry cupboard well past their best-by date, usually a year or more, as long as the can isn't dented along a seam, bulging, or rusted. Any of those, throw it out without tasting.
Once opened, move leftovers and their liquid into a covered container and refrigerate. Never store them in the open can. They keep about 5 to 7 days.
To hold them longer, drain and freeze the fruit in a single layer, then bag it. Frozen peaches keep their flavor for several months.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (222g)Quick facts
Where to find peaches, canned: Peaches, canned is usually found in the canned goods section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Peaches, canned is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 桃子罐头
- British (UK) term
- Peaches, canned
- en français
- les pêches, en conserve
- en español
- melocotones, en lata
How much does peaches, canned weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 222 grams |
| 1 half | 73 grams |
| 1 slice | 12 grams |
Related
Fruits and Fruit Juices
Recipes using peaches, canned
There are 34 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Hot Fruit Compote
Baked hot fruit compote with plums, peaches, and mandarin oranges in a brown sugar-lemon glaze. A warm, easy dessert or brunch side from pantry staples.
Peaches with a Sunshine Smile
Peaches with a Sunshine Smile is a fun kids' snack plate with canned peach halves, cottage cheese sun rays, raisin faces, and lettuce. No cooking, easy assembly for little hands.
Easy Peachy Beef Toss
Beef and peach salad tossed with romaine, avocado, and a sweet BBQ-Italian dressing. A no-cook main dish that uses leftover roast beef and canned peaches.
Melba Cheesecake Pie
Microwave peach Melba cheesecake pie with a graham cracker crust, almond-scented cream cheese filling, and raspberry jam topping. Ready in about 20 minutes.
Lamb Chops & Peaches with Lime Sauce
Broiled lamb chops glazed with a lime, ginger, and peach syrup sauce, served alongside broiled peach halves. A sweet-tart pairing that takes under 30 minutes from start to plate.
Jamaican Fruit Lamb Chops
Jamaican-inspired lamb chops pan-seared and simmered in a reduced fruit syrup with instant coffee, canned peaches, and fresh parsley. Sweet, savory, and boldly aromatic.
Favourite Lemon Chiffon Pie (Microwave)
Microwave lemon peach chiffon pie with whipped evaporated milk folded into a tart lemonade-gelatin filling, layered with canned peach slices in a graham cracker crust. No-bake, no-oven summer dessert.
Fast Fruit Plate
Fast fruit plate with sliced bananas, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, and peaches under a sweetened cream cheese and whipped cream topping. Ready in 20 minutes, no cooking required.
Peach Barbecue Sauce
Homemade peach barbecue sauce with pureed peaches, maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and cinnamon. Sweet, tangy, and ideal for grilled chicken or pork.
Peachy BBQ Ribs
Oven-baked pork ribs in a peach barbecue sauce made with canned peach syrup, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, and cloves. Fruity, sticky, and fork-tender.
Ginger & Peach Chicken
Ginger and peach chicken with boneless breasts in a fresh ginger-peach sauce with water chestnuts, served over rice with snow pea pods. A light, fruity low-calorie dinner.
Brigitte's Melba Cheesecake Pie
A quick microwave cheesecake pie with sliced peaches on a buttery graham crust, creamy almond-scented filling, and a glossy raspberry jam topping. Peach Melba meets cheesecake in 25 minutes.
Chicken & Peach Salad Croissant
Chicken and peach salad pairs diced cooked chicken with sweet peaches, sliced almonds, and a creamy sour-cream dressing. Stuff into a buttery croissant for an easy summer lunch sandwich.
Peachy Honey Mustard Chicken
One-skillet honey mustard chicken simmered with canned peaches and green onions in a sweet-tangy Dijon sauce. Six ingredients and ready in under 40 minutes.
Peach Cheesecake
Peach cheesecake built on a cottage-cheese filling for a lighter, less dense bite, with a vanilla wafer pecan crust and a sour cream topping crowned with sliced peaches.
Peach Cheesecake
Peach cheesecake built on a cottage-cheese filling for a lighter, less dense bite, with a vanilla wafer pecan crust and a sour cream topping crowned with sliced peaches.
Fruit-Yogurt Delight
Fruit yogurt smoothie with frozen banana, pineapple, peaches, and nonfat vanilla yogurt. A thick, creamy low-fat breakfast drink with no added sugar.
Fruit Fantasy Soup
Fruit fantasy soup is a chilled purée of oranges, tangerines, banana, peaches and pineapple, sweetened with honey and topped with walnuts and nutmeg. A no-cook breakfast or dessert soup that doubles as a smoothie bowl.
Chicken with Peaches
Chinese five-spice chicken stir-fry with peaches, snow peas, and a lemon-broth glaze served over rice. A sweet-savory wok dinner ready in 20 minutes.
Easy Peach Pie
No-bake peach pie with cream cheese, whipped cream, almond extract, and sliced peaches in a graham cracker crust. A cool, creamy summer dessert with just 6 ingredients and no oven.
Pineapple-Peach Frappe'
Pineapple peach frappe blended with low-fat yogurt and skim milk. A sugar-free, low-fat smoothie that's diabetic-friendly and ready in 20 minutes. Kid-approved and naturally fruity.
Sherried Baked Fruit
Elegant sherried baked fruit with layered pineapple, peaches, apricots, cherries, and spiced apple rings in a buttery brown sugar and sherry sauce. Serves 20 for buffets and dinner parties.
Good Morning Coffee Cake
Layered coffee cake with a cream cheese and condensed milk filling, canned peaches, chopped nuts, and a cinnamon-brown sugar crumb topping.
Chicken 'N' Peaches Piquante
Pan-seared chicken breasts glazed with a sweet-spicy sauce of peaches, chunky salsa, orange juice, and fresh cilantro. A fruity, zesty skillet dinner in 40 minutes.
Cream Cheese Peach Pie
Cream cheese peach pie layers vanilla pudding cake with sliced peaches and a tangy cream cheese topping. Cinnamon and nutmeg sugar finishes the pie with a fragrant golden crust.
Oat Bran Muffin Bread (Bread Machine)
Oat bran muffin bread machine loaf bakes whole wheat flour, rolled oats, bran flakes, peaches, banana, and raisins into a hearty, high-fiber breakfast bread. Set and forget.
Jiffy Fruit Cobbler
Quick fruit cobbler with canned peaches and apricots, tapioca for thickening, and Bisquick biscuit topping. A low-calorie dessert ready in 45 minutes with minimal prep.
Gingerbread Waffles with Peach Sauce
Gingerbread waffles with peach sauce blend molasses, brown sugar and warm spices into a cake-textured waffle, finished with glossy cornstarch-thickened peach syrup. A holiday-flavored weekend brunch.
Best Damn Peach Cobbler
A big-batch Dutch oven peach cobbler built for a crowd. Canned peaches simmer in a sweet cornstarch glaze under a lattice of homemade biscuit dough strips. Campfire-ready and feeds up to 18 hungry folks.
Peaches 'N Cream Bread (Bread Machine)
Bread machine peaches and cream loaf with both canned and dried peaches, sour cream, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Soft, fragrant, and almost cake-like.
Favourite Peaches & Cream Cheesecake
Peaches and cream cheesecake bars: a vanilla pudding-spiked cake base topped with sliced peaches and a dollop-and-swirl cream cheese layer, dusted with cinnamon sugar. Sheet pan dessert that feeds 16.
Friendship Cake & Starter
Brandy-fermented friendship cake made with a homemade fruit starter of pineapple, peaches, and maraschino cherries. A beloved sharing tradition where each batch creates starters for friends.
Brandied Fruit Starter for Friendship Cake
Make delicious friendship cake with these homemade brandied fruit starter, it's going to impress everyone who has a taste of it.
