Fresh Homemade Peach Sauce
Enjoy the taste of this Homemade Peach Sauce, made with just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes on the stovetop. It’s the perfect topping for ice cream, cheesecake, or pancakes.
We love desserts at our house, and after dinner, we all start looking for something sweet to finish our meal. Usually, I make a large dessert, like this peach cobbler, over the weekend to get us through the week. But tonight, we didn’t have anything.
So, before dinner, I searched the freezer for something that might satisfy my family, and I found a tub of vanilla ice cream and fresh frozen peaches.
Check out this link for tips on How to Freeze Fresh Peaches so you can enjoy them all year long.
This perfectly sweetened Southern peach sauce has been a staple in our house for years. During the summer, I put away and freeze fresh fruits, especially peaches, for the winter months. They tend to show up year-round, mostly in a Peach Cobbler and this dessert.
This super easy topping is perfect for vanilla ice cream. It has just the right amount of sweetness and will turn a plain bowl of vanilla ice cream into a tasty and delightful dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There’s no comparison to store-bought peach sauce; this sauce is fantastic. This simple recipe is great on top of ice cream and Southern Fried Pork Chops. You will savor every spoonful of this delightful sauce and find more ways to add it to your meals.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches for this easy recipe.
- It’s delicious and so easy to make.
- You control the sweetness.
- Goes great with many dishes.
Use Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Peaches
Look for in-season peaches whenever possible, and avoid peaches that are overly ripe or have any bruises. You want the peaches that have a slight give when gently squeezed. Fresh Peaches are my first choice when making this dessert, but if you don’t have any fresh peaches sitting around, frozen peaches will certainly work as well. So pull those babies out of your freezer or check your local grocery store for a bag.
Recipe Notes: I use frozen peaches a lot for this recipe. Allow the peaches to thaw slightly and drain any water before continuing with this recipe. Canned peaches will also work nicely. Be sure to drain the juice before topping it with sugar.
In just a few minutes, you can have a warm, flavorful, and delicious peach sauce—the topping for your ice cream.
Ingredients Needed for the Best Peach Sauce
These 5 simple ingredients all work nicely and add that special touch to your summer dessert. No one will ever guess you just threw it together.
- Peaches – These are the star ingredient of this sauce. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches with a delicious outcome and fantastic dessert topping.
- Sugar – Sugar is used to sweeten the peach sauce. You can adjust the amount of sugar based on the sweetness of your peaches and your personal preference. Start with a little and taste as you go.
- Lemon Juice—Lemon juice adds a bright and citrusy flavor to the peaches, helps brighten the sweetness, and keeps them from turning brown. If you don’t have lemon juice, you can substitute lime juice.
- Corn Starch – Corn starch acts as a thickening agent.
- Vanilla—Vanilla enhances the flavor, adds warmth, and complements the sweetness of the peaches. I love vanilla in desserts.
How To Make Peach Sauce For Desserts
Making and eating Peach Sauce on desserts just pushes them over the top. I mean–who can resist a big bowl of ice cream with warm peach sauce? Not me!
This homemade peach sauce is incredibly easy. For more step-by-step instructions, check out the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Gather your ingredients.
Step 2: Prepare the peaches. You will need to peel, slice, or dice the sweet peaches into small to medium chunks, place them in a bowl, and add the lemon juice. Stir to coat the peaches evenly. Then, cover them with sugar. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and let it chill for at least an hour or two. This step helps to release some of the juice from the peaches.
Step 3: Add peaches and sugar in a skillet over medium heat. Heat for 10 minutes to soften peaches. Add vanilla. Add cornstarch to thicken the juice. Stir continuously. It will thicken immediately.
Step 4: Serve over the top of ice cream. Refrigerate any leftovers. So delicious!
Recipe Tips
Here are a few expert tips to follow, and you’ll be well on your way to making the best peach sauce that’s bursting with flavor and perfect for any occasion.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to get creative and experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations to make your peach sauce uniquely delicious!
How To Use Fresh Peach Sauce
Get creative and experiment with this fresh peach sauce in your favorite recipes.
Warm peach sauce tops off your breakfast favorites. Drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, or French toast for a delightful twist.
Swirl peach sauce into your plain yogurt or oatmeal for an added burst of flavor.
Add some peach sauce to the top of pound cake, ice cream, or cheesecake.
Spread this sauce on top of bagels or toast, as you would jam.
Can I Save Leftover Peach Sauce?
Yes, this sauce keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days. If you find yourself with leftover peach sauce (that might be a rarity), store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. For longer storage, you can freeze the sauce in freezer-safe containers or ice cube trays for up to three months. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
How To Reheat Leftovers
Reheating peach sauce is a simple process. I reheat any leftovers in the microwave. Place the desired amount in a microwave-safe small bowl and heat for a few seconds until warm.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute canned or frozen peaches if fresh ones aren’t available. Just be sure to drain canned peaches and thaw frozen ones before using. Use the same amount of frozen or canned peaches as the recipe states.
You can adjust the sweetness of the peach sauce by varying the amount of sugar you add. Taste the sauce as you go. It is easier to add more sugar than to try to fix an overly sweet sauce.
The sauce is done when the peaches are soft, tender, and thickened to the desired consistency.
Yes, you can freeze leftover sauce for later. Place it in a freezer-safe container or ice cube trays for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
More Fruit Desserts
Strawberry Trifle with Angel Food Cake
Homemade Strawberry Pie Filling
Fresh Homemade Peach Sauce
Ingredients
- 4-6 large Peaches peeled and sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch start with 1/2 tablespoon and add more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Peel, slice, or dice peaches into small to medium chunks. Place in a medium bowl, add lemon juice and stir. Cover with sugar. Place into the refrigerator for at least an hour or two. This will help to release some of the juice from the peaches.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add peaches and sugar. Heat for 10 minutes to soften peaches. Add vanilla. Add cornstarch to thicken the juice. Stir continuously. It will thicken immediately.
- Serve over the top of ice cream. Refrigerate any leftovers. So delicious!
Notes
Yum! I would probably eat this straight from the jar!
Totally crave worthy on vanilla ice cream!
This would be even more amazing on homemade ice cream. YUM
Definitely topping this with my pancakes!
This sounds delicious. I can just imagine using it with ice cream or even swirling it through greek yoghurt. Peaches are a little more exotic here (UK) so a trip to the farmer’s market may be in order. That way I may find enough to make a sauce with.
I love when local peaches are ripe and ready. This would be a great recipe to make with them!
What a delicious-looking recipe! Thanks for sharing your recipe for homemade fresh peach sauce. Fresh peaches are one of the best things about summer!
I like this method and LOVE peaches! The only problem is Brexit messed up imports, and I haven’t seen many (organic and of good quality) in shops this year:( I will have to plant a seed and get my own peach tree to accompany the apricot tree:)
Wow this looks so good! I will try your Peach sausce this weekend 😍
I love anything to do with peaches so you can bet I will be giving this a try. I can only imagine how good it is on top of ice cream – even better if it’s homemade ice cream. I know my family will love this too. Can’t wait to make it and try it on a number of different items.
I will have to try this. I love peaches. It looks really good.
What a simple and delicious recipe! Fresh peach sauce on ice cream would be absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
YUM this homemade peach sauce looks incredible!!! Making it!! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Making this for my cheese cake. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Yumm! This peach sauce is just perfect to top on my ice cream !!
Can you can this so the work is all done in 1 day rather than every time you want the sauce?
Have you tried to can them? I’m going to make your recipe (doubled) and boiling bath them for 20 minutes. We have a limited peach season here in Ontario Canada and I want to make the most of it!
Thanks for the question. I have never tried to can this recipe but you can freeze your peaches for later. Frozen peaches work great. I have a recipe on the blog for this. Let me know how the “canning” turns out.
Can these be canned? I’m just making a double batch!
I have never tried to can this recipe, but you can freeze your peaches for later use. Thanks for the question.
Can the sauce be frozen? I saw your comment about peaches okay being frozen but is this before or after making it into the sauce?
Hi Lori! Yes, you can freeze this sauce after it has been made. Thaw and then reheat when you are ready to enjoy it again. Have a great day and thanks for the question.
Thanks Gina. It turned out great. Will be making it again for sure.
So delicious!
Thank you!
Made this for my boyfriend because he always buys jarred ice cream toppings to stir into his plain or vanilla yogurt, finishing with granola for crunch. He’ll LOVE this! Summer peaches at their peak 🍑
Wonderful!! I just made this, to top a plain yellow cake, then topped with whipped cream. So refreshing on a hot summer day.
Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe.
Hi Pam! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! This sounds fantastic on top of cake. I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for the comment.