Beautiful Southern Honey Pickled Peaches (and 10 ways to serve them)

These are the Honey Pickled Peaches from my first Southern/Appalachian cookbook, Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest and they are little treasures. Southern cooking, specifically of the Appalachian persuasion, has my heart as you may or may not know. From the hearty stews and soups to the beautiful baked goods, this is a region whose culinary history is steeped in magic. And these peaches are among my very favorite conjurings. With a lovely balance of sweetness from apple juice and honey and acid from apple cider vinegar, these perfect quick pickles truly elevate so many things. A hint of cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla livens up the pickling liquid which, in and of itself, is a bit of a game-changer.

But don’t take it just from me, I recently filmed an episode of the BBC cooking show, Paula’s Hamely Kitchen, and served these to Paula, along with my fried chicken, best buttermilk biscuits, and favorite permanent slaw – and the peaches won the day. Read on for a little more about this special Honey Pickled Peaches recipe.

Why We Love these Southern Style Pickled Peaches So Much

The more I learn about cooking and food from all around the world, the more I’ve come to appreciate the recipes, traditions, and techniques from my own quiet, mountainous corner of the world. The Central Appalachian region of the American South boasts a treasure trove of gorgeous produce that stand as the basis for so much of the area’s home cooking. The addition and deep history of preserving and pickling, to make the very best of what’s around, is synonymous with Appalachian cookery to be sure.

So, these pretty vanilla and cinnamon scented pickled peaches are my homage to that time-honored tradition. But the reason I really love them is due to how much they elevate just about everything lucky enough to share space with them. That sweet acidic punch is a heroic thing and it will make your meals both more memorable and more interesting.

They would be so great on my favorite Halloumi and Bacon Sandwiches. Just swap them in for the marinated vegetables and you’re off the to the races, friend. Or, serve them up alongside my favorite caramelized pork chops (because pork and fruit are long-time besties). A final suggestion might be to add them to a plate with my Southern Killed Lettuces for a fantastic light salad situation that will feel so very special.

10 Ways to Serve These Southern Honey Pickled Peaches

1. Serve them with a Salad: Try them in this (amazing) Peach and Shishito Salad with Summer Sausage and Granola. Or, mix it up and use some alongside the fresh peaches in my Peaches and Cream Salad with Crispy Pepperoni.
2. Serve them on a sandwich: Try them with my favorite summer BLTs – just use them instead of the fresh peaches. Or, nestle them inside my Toasted Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches with Maple-Cayenne Butter.
3. Serve them alongside or on top of a rich pork dish: Try them with my Cider Braised Pork Loin (instead of the apples) or with my Cocoa Curry Pork Shoulder.
4. Serve them just as they are, as a perfect side dish for just about any occasion.
5. Serve them with vanilla ice cream.
6. Use the pickling liquid with some soda water or tonic water for a delicious shrub.
7. The the pickling liquid as the “sour” in a peachy margarita.
8. Blend them with vanilla ice cream for a killer peach shake.
9. Tuck them inside some store-bought or homemade pie crust for some pickled peach hand pies.
10. Serve them on a pizza! Swap out the pineapples in my sheet pan pizza and whoa. Ah! I die. Pickled Peach Pizza?! Seriously, this must happen.

Honey Pickled Peaches Recipe Ingredient Notes

These Southern Pickled Peaches are pretty simple to make, honestly. And it’s the ingredients that make them shine. What’s so great, though, is that they really work with any peaches you’ve got – be they ripe or maybe not so much.

The Peaches: Four peaches are all you’ll need for this recipe, as it doesn’t make tons – just enough. This recipe isn’t the kind of pickling situation designed to like, preserve your whole garden so you’ll make it through the winter. No, this is a small batch quick pickle type thing. I like to use two white peaches and two yellow peaches, because it just looks really pretty. But you can use whatever you like. Any stone fruit are actually fantastic in this recipe.

The Vanilla: You can scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean pod here, or use a big splash of vanilla extract. I almost always have a jar of vanilla bean paste hanging around, so that’s actually what I use here.

The Spice: A whisper of cinnamon is the perfect thing for these peaches, it really does lift this whole thing up to an especially delicious place, something cinnamon just seems to do, right? (See my all-time favorite cake for further proof). That all said, I really love cardamon here as well, or allspice – which would be a very Appalachian choice I might add.

Honey: Because it’s the greatest. Because we love it so. You could use sugar or even maple syrup for this, no problem-o. But then you wouldn’t have Honey Pickled Peaches would you? Nope.

Ginger: A little bit of fresh ginger goes a long, lovely way in this recipe. It’s not just for my stir frys and fried rices, you know? Or ginger cookies, for that matter. No, it really livens up a pickling liquid fast.

Apple Juice: The natural sweetness of good apple juice is the greatest when making any manner of fruit pickle. It’s really nice and so well-balanced with the acid of the vinegar.

Vinegar: Because you can’t have a pickle without it, really. Not sure how well it would go for you otherwise. I love apple cider vinegar and I honestly use it pretty much every time a recipe calls for vinegar. It’s just perfect, but especially so when paired with sweet apple juice, as we’re doing here. But the vinegar carries these peaches straight to Pickle Town, which is a real place, okay?

Ways to Change Up This Honey Pickled Peaches Recipe

If you’ve just got scads of say, plums or nectarines hanging around – you could absolutely use those here. Oh! And actually, if you do that, you should serve them with this Pork Chops recipe and LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.

You can (and probably should!) play around with the spices in this pickling liquid. I’ve written the recipe to be super simple and classic – just vanilla, ginger, cinnamon. Because they’re what my actual dreams are made of I think. But as I mentioned previously, cardamom or allspice would be amazing.

How to Make these Southern Pickled Peaches

1. Cut the peaches into slices of varying sizes. I like to do one in quarters, one in eighths, and two very thinly sliced, to give myself options. This also just looks nice, presentation-wise. I do this with a lot of produce-driven things, like in my Southern Cucumber Salad and Creamsicle Caprese. I play around with the way I slice or tear my produce, so every bite is a little different.
2. For the pickling liquid, combine the apple juice, vinegar, honey, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium, nonreactive saucepan (so no aluminum, cast iron, carbon steel, or copper). Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peach slices and cook until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and with a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to a 1-quart mason jar (or whatever storing vessel you like).
3. Add the vanilla bean seeds, extract or paste to the pickling liquid and stir to combine. Pour the pickling liquid over the peaches, and add the vanilla bean pod. Cool to room temperature a secure the lid or cover the peaches.
4. These are ready to eat basically right away, but taste bet if allowed to pickle for at 4 hours. Your pickles peaches will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

What does “Non-Reactive Pot” mean?

Non-reactive means that the material won’t react with acidic foods, potentially causing an unpleasant tinny taste. These pans are made from ceramic, enamel, glass, plastic, or stainless steel. So, you don’t want to use aluminum cast iron, copper, and carbon steel for this application.

Love peaches as much as we do? Then you might want to check out these recipes as well …

Our Juicy Peach Paloma is a fantastic summery cocktail, just as our Beachy Peach Pie is a fantastic summery sweet treat. Like gazoacho? Try our peachy spin on the beloved cold soup. maybe you want to sneak peaches into your brekkie? Try these Double Blueberry Crunch Waffles with Peachy Brown Butter. Mornings will be all the better for it.

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