These Baked Peaches are brushed with melted butter, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then roasted until tender, warm, and syrupy. Serve them with vanilla ice cream for an easy summer dessert that needs only five ingredients.
There is something very satisfying about turning a few fresh peaches into a warm dessert without making dough, whipping batter, or covering the kitchen counter in flour. These baked peaches are soft, juicy, buttery, and surrounded by a cinnamon-honey sauce that forms right in the baking dish.
This baked peaches recipe starts with five simple ingredients: peaches, butter, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. That is it. The oven softens the fruit while the honey thickens slightly around it, creating a glossy sauce that tastes like summer decided to become dessert.
And then there is the vanilla ice cream. Technically optional, emotionally necessary. Place one warm peach half on a plate, add a cold scoop on top, and watch the edges melt into the honey-cinnamon sauce. This is the kind of dessert that looks planned even when the entire plan was: I have peaches, and I would like dessert now.
For more easy homemade sweets, browse my Easy Dessert Recipes collection. When you want another warm fruit dessert, try this Healthy Apple Crisp with its tender cinnamon apples and crisp oat topping.
For something creamy and chilled, this Easy Classic Baked Cheesecake is another simple dessert that works beautifully with fresh fruit. And for the full summer situation, serve the peaches after dinner with a cold glass of Easy Cucumber Lemonade.
The best part is how little work is involved. Halve the peaches, mix everything directly in the baking dish, and let the oven take over. Twenty-five minutes later, the kitchen smells like cinnamon, honey, and a dessert that required much more effort than it actually did.
Ingredients
Come Into My Kitchen! Let’s Make Baked Peaches
Halve and Pit the Peaches
- Wash and dry the peaches, then slice each one around the natural seam.
- Twist the halves gently in opposite directions and remove the pits. Place the peach halves aside while you prepare the honey butter.
Make the Cinnamon-Honey Butter
- Add the butter to the baking dish and melt it briefly in the oven or microwave.
- Stir in the honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined. A few streaks of cinnamon are completely fine.
Coat the Peaches
- Arrange the peach halves in the baking dish with the cut sides facing up.
- Spoon the honey butter over the peaches, allowing some of the mixture to collect inside the centers where the pits were removed.
Bake Until Tender and Syrupy
- Bake the peaches at 375°F until the flesh is tender and the juices in the dish look glossy and lightly thickened.
- The exact time depends on how ripe the peaches are. Begin checking them near the 20-minute mark.
Spoon Over the Pan Sauce
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the warm honey-cinnamon sauce from the bottom of the dish over each peach.
- Let the peaches rest for about 5 minutes. This gives the sauce a moment to thicken and keeps the first bite from being approximately the temperature of the sun.
Add the Ice Cream
- Serve the peaches warm with vanilla ice cream and another spoonful of the sauce.
- The ice cream will start melting almost immediately, which is not a problem. It is the whole point.
What kind of peaches are best for baking?
- Use ripe but still firm peaches. They should smell sweet and give slightly when pressed, but they should not feel mushy.
- Very hard peaches may remain firm after baking. When your peaches are not ripe yet, Penn State Extension recommends placing them in a closed paper bag for approximately 1 to 3 days. Read the Penn State Extension peach guide.
Do I need to peel peaches before baking?
- No. The skin softens in the oven and helps the peach halves hold their shape.
- You can peel them when you strongly prefer a completely smooth texture, but it is not necessary for this recipe.
How should I store leftover baked peaches?
- Allow them to cool, then transfer the peaches and their sauce to an airtight container. Refrigerate within two hours.
- Use the leftovers within 3 to 4 days. FoodSafety.gov recommends refrigerating cooked leftovers promptly and generally using them within that window. Read the official leftovers guidance.
FAQ About Baked Peaches
Medium ripe peach halves usually need approximately 20 to 25 minutes at 375°F.Firm peaches may need 5 to 10 additional minutes. Very ripe peaches may become tender sooner, so begin checking them at 18 to 20 minutes.
Insert the tip of a small knife into the thickest part of the peach.The knife should slide in easily, but the peach should still hold together when lifted from the baking dish.
Yes. Baked peaches with ice cream are best served while the fruit is still warm.Vanilla ice cream gives the cleanest flavor, but caramel, cinnamon, coconut, or coffee ice cream can also work.
Fresh peaches give the best texture. Canned peach halves are already soft and may become mushy in the oven.When using canned peaches, drain them thoroughly and reduce the baking time to approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Frozen peach halves or thick slices can work, but they will release more liquid.Bake them directly from frozen and expect the sauce to be thinner. Add a few extra minutes of baking time as needed.
Yes. Replace the honey with an equal amount of maple syrup.You can also use approximately 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, although the sauce will be slightly less fluid before baking.
Yes, although the peaches will be softer after thawing.Freeze the cooled peach halves separately on a tray, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends tray-freezing individual fruit pieces before moving them to a container when you want them to remain separate.
Dessert links
Baked Peaches
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Prepare the peaches: Wash and dry the peaches. Slice each peach in half around the natural seam, twist the halves apart, and remove the pits.
- Melt the butter: Add the butter to a medium baking dish. Place the dish in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the butter melts.
- Add the flavorings: Remove the dish carefully. Stir the honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the melted butter until combined.
- Arrange the peaches: Place the peach halves in the baking dish with the cut sides facing up.
- Coat with the sauce: Spoon the honey butter over the peaches, making sure some of the mixture collects in the centers.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the peaches are tender when pierced with a small knife.
- Baste the peaches: Halfway through baking, carefully spoon some of the sauce from the bottom of the dish over the peaches.
- Check the texture: The peaches should be soft enough to cut with a spoon but still hold their shape.
- Rest: Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the peaches rest for 5 minutes.
- Finish with the sauce: Spoon the warm honey-cinnamon sauce over the peaches again.
- Serve: Serve warm, with one or two peach halves per person. Add vanilla ice cream and extra sauce when desired.
Nutrition
Notes
- Choose peaches that smell sweet and give slightly when gently pressed near the stem.
- Very hard peaches will need more time in the oven and may not become as juicy.
- Very soft peaches can collapse during baking, so use ripe but still firm fruit.
- Freestone peaches are easiest to halve because the pit separates more cleanly from the flesh.
- You do not need to peel the peaches.
- Maple syrup can replace the honey in the same amount.
- For stronger baked cinnamon peaches, increase the cinnamon to 1½ teaspoons.
- Avoid adding too much nutmeg because its flavor can quickly overpower the peaches.
- Use a baking dish that holds the peaches fairly close together so the sauce does not spread too thin.
- Serve the peaches immediately for the best contrast between warm fruit and cold ice cream.
- The nutrition estimate does not include vanilla ice cream.
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