The Right Way to Cut a Peach (Including How to Remove the Pit)

Summer is the season we look forward to the most, mainly because there is an endless supply of stone fruit, especially peaches. If you want to enjoy this juicy fruit, you need to know how to cut a peach. After all, what would summer be without all kinds of fruit desserts, from biscuit-topped cobblers and streusel-covered crumbles to cooling ice creams, sherbets, and sorbets. To make any of them, you’ll need to know how to halve, pit, and slice the peaches. Luckily, it's a straightforward task, no special tools are required. Get our three-step technique and find out when you also need to peel peaches.

Choosing a Ripe Peach

There are three main things to look for when choosing a ripe peach. 

1. Aroma: A ripe peach, or any stone fruit for that matter, should smell sweet, fruity, and incredibly fragrant. It’s one of those "you know it when you see (or rather smell) it" kind of things. You should be able to smell the peaches at the supermarket or farmers' market from several feet away, but go ahead and hold one up to your nose and take a whiff to check for ripeness. 
2. Color: The average peach deepens from pale yellow to deep red/orange as it ripens, so look for peaches that are mostly orange with a rosy pink hue. 
3. Feel: The final way to test a peach’s ripeness is to give it a gentle squeeze. It should be firm but still have a little bit of give. 

The good news is that peaches are climacteric fruits, meaning they continue to ripen after they’ve been picked from the tree or vine. So, if your peach isn’t perfectly ripe when purchased, all you need to do is wait it out. Other examples of climacteric fruits include bananas, avocados, tomatoes, and melons.

Tools You Need to Cut a Peach

Peaches are easy to slice and chop once you know what to do, and you only need two tools to get it done. 

• Cutting board: Start by securing your cutting board on the countertop. We recommend placing a non-slip mat or a few layers of damp paper towels underneath to stop the board from sliding around the surface. 
• Chef’s knife: A sharp chef’s knife is a cook’s best friend. You’ll use it to halve and slice the peaches. 
• Vegetable peeler (optional): If you plan to peel your peaches, a Y-shaped vegetable peeler can come in handy.

How to Cut a Peach in 3 Steps

Follow these three simple steps to learn how to cut a peach. 

1. Cut in half: Place the peach on your cutting board, holding it with your non-dominant hand. With the knife in your other hand, cut vertically through the stem end of the peach all the way down to the pit, rotating the fruit as you go. Once you’ve sliced all the way around, gently twist the two halves to separate them. 
2. Remove the pit: The pit will be attached to one of the two peach halves. Generally, you can pop the pit out by gently loosening it with your fingers and pulling it away from the flesh. If it’s clinging to the fruit, grab a spoon and use it to scoop the pit out. 
3. Cut the peach: Now that you have two pit-less peach halves, you’re ready to cut. Place the peach halves flat-side down on the cutting board. 

To slice: Use the knife to cut vertical slices through each half of the fruit, making them as thin or thick as you like. 

To make wedges: Desserts like cobblers and crisps often call for the fruit to be cut into wedges. Each peach half should yield four to six wedges. Simply cut the peach half into larger chunks, aiming your knife toward the core of the fruit with each slice. 

To chop: Cut the peach into ½ to 1-inch wedges, then rotate the wedges 90 degrees. Slice the other way to get even-sized chunks.

Clingstone vs. Freestone

Peaches and other stone fruit are ften described as clingstone or freestone. The names are fairly self-explanatory. Clingstone peaches have pits (or stones) that cling very well to the fruit. Freestone peaches, on the other hand, have pits that separate very easily from the flesh of the fruit. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to tell which type of peach is at the farm stand based on appearance, so it’s best to ask. When you're shopping at the grocery store, know that most peaches sold commercially today are freestone.

To Peel or Not to Peel

That is the question and it's really a matter of personal preference. If that fuzzy skin isn’t appealing, remove it. Keep in mind that in many recipes, the fruit cooks long enough that the skin practically melts away anyway, so there is no fuzzy texture. 

Sometimes peeling is done simply because it makes the fruit look nicer. For a dessert such as poached peaches, peeling can be a good option, but it definitely isn’t required.

How to Peel a Peach

There are two ways to peel a peach; it depends on how presentable you need the fruit to be. Sometimes overall structure and appearance are important—for instance, poaching halves of the fruit. But with peach cobbler or crumble, the fruit is going to be chopped up and covered with a streusel or batter, so you don’t need to worry about keeping the peach perfectly round. 

1. Blanch: When you want to see a peach’s smooth outer surface, blanching the fruit is the way to go. To do so, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cut a small X in the bottom of each peach, slicing about ¼-inch through the flesh of the fruit. Drop the peaches into the boiling water and cook for 30-60 seconds. Immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process (you only want to loosen the skin, not start to cook the fruit). Once cool enough to handle, you should be able to peel away the skins easily using your fingers. 
2. Use a vegetable peeler: If presentation isn’t key, using a vegetable peeler is just fine. Run it down the surface of the peach to remove the layer of skin–we recommend a Y-shaped peeler for this.