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Ready in under 30 minutes, these easy stovetop stewed peaches are beautifully sweet, subtly spiced with warm cinnamon, and flavored with aromatic vanilla. Enjoy these sweet, ripe glazed peaches on top of a scoop of your favorite ice cream or a bowl of yogurt for a delicious summer treat!
📝 Why You’ll Love These Stewed Peaches
It’s peach season, and the best way to celebrate is by, of course, making a delicious dessert featuring them as the star! These stovetop stewed peaches are one of the many reasons why we love mid to late summer. Here’s why we love this rustic, easy recipe and why you will too:
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Summer Produce: The base of this recipe is ripe, juicy peaches, which are the best during the warm summer season.
- Sweet and Warm: This recipe has a perfect blend of sugar, warm cinnamon, and aromatic vanilla which creates a comforting blend of flavors that you’ll absolutely love.
- Incredibly Simple to Make: It’s a no-fuss recipe that yields a delicious stand alone dessert or a peach sauce to use on ice cream without the need for any complicated steps or specialized equipment.
- Versatile: These stewed peaches work beautifully as a topping for your breakfast oats, your brunch pancakes, or your after-dinner bowl of vanilla ice cream!
🍑 Ingredients
This recipe only requires a few ingredients- most of them may be in your pantry already. However, like most simple recipes, the best flavor lies in using high-quality, ripe and in-season ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Peaches – Choose ripe, whole peaches for the best flavor. During cooking, they’ll be transformed into soft, syrupy peach slices.
No peaches on hand? Swap them out for nectarines or any stone fruits you have available. - Sugar – Use brown sugar, turbinado sugar or cane sugar to help enhance the sweetness of the peaches.
You can omit the sugar if your peaches are super sweet, however it does help create a sweet, sticky syrup that glazes the peaches. You can also switch the regular sugar with other options like coconut sugar or maple syrup. - Water – A bit of liquid helps in the stewing process.
- Vanilla Extract – This adds a hint of depth to the peaches. Or use a vanilla pod or vanilla bean to enhance the flavor of your stewed peaches with an even more decadent touch!
- Optional Ingredients – Feel free to add some warmth with ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick, and a touch of creaminess with salted vegan butter or your butter of choice. Try using nutmeg instead of cinnamon for a hint of warm spice, or replace butter with coconut oil.
🍑 Step By Step Instructions
For exact ingredient quantities, skip to the recipe card below! There’s also a video tutorial on how to cook the peaches in the recipe card below.
STEP 1: Wash and dry the fresh, ripe peaches. Peel the peaches and cut them into slices.
TIP: for very ripe peaches, I’ve found that slicing the peaches into wedges first, then peeling the skin off each slice is the easiest method for peeling.
STEP 2: Add the peach slices to a pot on medium-low heat, along with sugar and water. Add the cinnamon or cinnamon stick if using.
STEP 3: Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and let it simmer. Once the peaches are tender and the syrup has thickened slightly (about 10-15 minutes), remove the pot from heat.
STEP 4: Once removed from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and salted vegan butter (if using).
STEP 5: Let your cooked peaches cool at room temperature for 30 minutes for the peach sauce to thicken up (it will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge). Of course, these peaches can be served over ice cream while still warm!
Serving
Once cooled, serve the stewed peaches on top of vanilla ice cream or coconut yogurt, spooning some of the delicious syrup over the top.
I served mine over coconut milk ice cream with a dollop of coconut whipped cream on top- both of which go wonderfully with the flavor of the peaches.
You can also enjoy them on their own, or use them as a topping for pancakes or waffles.
Storage
After cooling, transfer the peaches to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Reheat the cooked peaches in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or on the stovetop whenever you want to serve them.
Helpful Tips
- Choose ripe but firm peaches for this recipe: overripe peaches may turn mushy during cooking, while under ripe peaches might not have the ideal sweetness.
- Stir occasionally during cooking: this ensures even heating and prevents sticking or burning.
- For a thicker syrup, simmer for a few more minutes: but remember not to overcook the peaches! You can also add more sugar for a thicker syrup. Remember- the syrup will thicken as it cools.
FAQ
Yes, you can. Make sure to thaw them before starting the process, and note that the cooking time may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Absolutely. This recipe works wonderfully with other stone fruits, such as nectarines, apricots, or even a mix of your favorite summer fruits.
More Peach Recipes
Easy Stovetop Stewed Peaches
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 6-7 large ripe whole peaches, 4 cups- about 500g
- ⅓ cup brown sugar or cane sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick
- ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional:
- 1-2 tbsp salted vegan butter, or butter of choice
Instructions
- Wash and dry the peaches. Then, use a sharp serrated knife and carefully cut around the pit of each peach, slicing the peach into sections.6-7 large ripe whole peaches
- Once the pit is discarded, proceed to slice each of these sections into 1/2" wedges.
- With ripe peaches, the skin should peel off each wedge with ease. Use your fingers to grip the skin's edge and gently pull it off. See the notes for alternate peeling methods.
- Place the peach slices in a pot set over medium-low heat. Then, add the sugar, water, and cinnamon (if using) to the pot.⅓ cup brown sugar or cane sugar, 3 tbsp water, ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Stir until the sugar dissolves, then allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes. The peaches should become tender, darker in color, and the syrup should start to thicken slightly.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salted vegan butter (if using). Let the stewed peaches cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes to help thicken the sauce. Or serve them immediately!¾ tsp pure vanilla extract, 1-2 tbsp salted vegan butter
- Once cooled, transfer the peaches to a heat proof airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- When ready to serve, reheat the peaches either in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or on the stovetop, then spoon onto a bowl of your favorite ice cream (coconut milk ice cream pairs well with the flavor of the peaches!).
Video
Recipe notes
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