Amazing Fresh Peach Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust + Other:
- 9-inch pie crust recipe (see note)
- 2 medium fresh peaches
- Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Filling:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 medium fresh peaches
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, can sub with almond extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- For the pie crust: roll out the pie crust and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming and fluting the edges (tutorial on how to do this here). With the tines of a fork, prick all over the bottom of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour (or up to several days).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Gently press a piece of parchment paper or regular aluminum foil into the chilled pie shell and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway, until the crust is lightly golden and no longer doughy.
- Remove the pie crust from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment/foil and weights. Let the pie crust cool completely.
- For the sliced peaches: peel two peaches and slice them thinly (about 1/8- to 1/4-inch). Place the sliced peaches evenly over the bottom of the pie; it's ok to end up with a double layer. Set aside.
- For the filling: peel the remaining three peaches, cut the peaches into chunks and put them in a medium saucepan. Using a pastry blender, potato masher, or a couple forks, mash the peaches until juicy and the consistency of chunky applesauce (don't puree until smooth). You should end up with about 2 cups of mashed peaches.
- Add the sugar, cornstarch (see note), water, and lemon juice to the saucepan with the peaches. Stir to combine. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, for 5-6 minutes until large bubbles pop at the surface. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened considerably. Scraping a spoon or spatula across the bottom of the saucepan should leave a defined path that doesn't fill in very quickly.
- Off the heat, add the vanilla and butter stirring until the butter is melted and well-incorporated.
- Pour the warm filling over the sliced peaches and spread evenly.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours) until the filling has cooled and is soft set. This pie can be made a day ahead of time.
- Serve the pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream (spread the whipped cream over the pie before serving or serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream on top).
Notes
Pie Crust Recipes: I have two favorite pie crust recipes. This flaky homemade pie crust recipe is great for beginners, and is very often my go-to. I also love this sour cream pie crust recipe (it's amazing).
Cornstarch: if your peaches are extra juicy (think: juice dripping down your chin if you bit into one), increase the cornstarch by another tablespoon. This pie is soft set and isn't meant to be super firm; for fresh peaches that are ripe but not swimming in juice, I use the 1/4 cup called for in the recipe.
Fresh Peaches: it kind of goes without saying that the deliciousness of this pie relies on fresh peaches. Not crunchy peaches. Not frozen peaches. Fresh, juicy peaches (that are soft enough to mash easily). Make it happen.