You’ve Been Cutting Peaches Wrong Your Entire Life—Here’s the Best, Mess-Free Way To Do It

Social media is a treasure trove of finding better ways to cut, cook, and serve up foods you eat on a regular basis. I’ll be honest, some of them are more hype than help. That viral vid about using wine glasses to serve cake? Eh. But recently, recipe developer and How To Eat Your Feelings ($25) author Holly Haines posted a video that answers the age-old question of how to cut a peach properly with a hack that’s a downright game-changer.

Most people cut a peach by slicing it down the curved line that runs vertically—you know, the peach crack. Haines is not most people. Her way of cutting peaches ultimately makes way more sense and cuts down on mess. “You want to cut across the equator,” she explains in an Instagram video. She demonstrates by slicing horizontally around the fruit, twisting the two halves against each other, and gently pulling them apart. It results in two perfect peach halves and she’s able to easily pinch out the peach pit. Wow, right?

If your peach pit is being a little stubborn and won’t come out, Haines instructs doing the same peach-slicing trick again, cutting horizontally across and wiggling the two halves. The pit should easily come out this time. Oh, this same hack works for other stone fruits, like plums, nectarines, and apricots.

Now that you know how to cut a peach properly, let’s put them to delicious use. Below are five recipes to try with your juicy, summer haul.

5 summer peach recipes to try:

1. Peach cobbler

Peach cobbler is the ultimate summer dessert and the recipe in the above video is vegan, gluten-free, and low-sugar. It’s also full of fiber—not just from the peaches, but also from oats. Packed with antioxidants and blood-sugar stabilizing cinnamon, this is also a dessert that’s good for your heart.

2. Watermelon and peach salsa

Sure, you can buy salsa from the grocery store that’s probably been hanging out on the shelf for the last six months. Or, you can make fresh salsa with two quintessential summer fruits: watermelon and peaches. Serrano peppers are used instead of tomatoes, which bring heat that plays off the fruit perfectly.

Get the recipe: watermelon and peach salsa

3. Vegan peach pie

Cobbler isn’t the only dessert you can make with your peaches; peach pie is just as much of a summer staple. This recipe shows how to make one that’s juicy, flaky, and sweet—without using any animal-based ingredients whatsoever.

Get the recipe: vegan peach pie 

4. Sparkling peach lemonade

Peaches can be worked into your glass, too. Here, they’re combined with sparkling water, lemon juice, honey, and fresh mint to make a refreshing, low-sugar lemonade. It’s sure to sweeten up your day—even if you’re sipping it while on back-to-back Zoom calls.

Get the recipe: sparkling peach lemonade 

5. Peach smoothie

Enjoy your peaches for breakfast with this easy smoothie recipe. Besides your cut peaches, there are other high-fiber ingredients like oats and flaxseeds. Adding cinnamon, vanilla, and honey plays up the fruit’s sweetness even more.

Get the recipe: peach smoothie 

Get more recipe ideas in Well+Good’s Cook With Us Facebook group.

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