The Best Canned Peaches (Yes, There Is a Difference)

If you think you can just buy any old brand of canned peaches for your peach pie or crumble, think again. I tried 16 different canned peaches and, boy oh boy, some of them are as bland as cardboard and some are straight up baby food-level mush. But three cans stood out above the rest as the best canned peaches (and the only canned peaches) to buy. 

To evaluate can after can of canned peaches, I simply cracked each one open and ate the peaches with a spoon—straight out of the can. I looked for pure peach flavor—peaches aren’t just sweet, they’re bright and tangy, too—and firm texture. I tasted three categories of canned peaches—canned peaches in heavy syrup, canned peaches in juice, and sugar free canned peaches—and picked a winner from each. Here are the best canned peaches to buy—trust me. 

Best No Sugar

Simple Truth Organic No Sugar Added Canned Peaches

Kroger

Kroger’s organic store brand, Simple Truth, makes the best no sugar canned peaches. Okay, so they’re not totally sugar free (there’s 11g of sugar in a serving), but there’s no added sugar and there’s also no fake sugar. A few of the other brands of sugar free canned peaches use sugar substitutes like sucralose, and that makes the peaches taste artificial and bad. With Simple Truth, all you’re getting is canned peaches in juice (pear juice, to be precise). The peaches are tangy and tart and just sweet enough. They taste a bit like slightly under ripe peaches, but in a way that will work really well for baking recipes that call for added sugar. They’ll give you the tartness and fruitiness you need, and it’s up to you to choose the level of sweetness.

Credit: Merc / Kroger

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best in Heavy Syrup

Del Monte in Heavy Syrup Canned Peaches

Walmart

Del Monte canned peaches in heavy syrup fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. These are the best canned peaches for folks who have no qualms about including as much sugar as possible in their recipes. These boast 21g of sugar per serving. And you can taste every gram. They are sweet, sweet, sweet—but they still manage to taste like peaches. Their firm texture set them apart from the other canned peaches in heavy syrup. The slices are crisp and not mushy at all.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Del Monte 100% Juice Canned Peaches

Target

Walmart

Del Monte canned peaches in juice are the best canned peaches, for sure. Why? They taste like peaches, in juice, in a can. They’re firm. They’re sweet. They’re a bit tangy. They’re vibrant. It seems simple. And yet, only Del Monte was able to accomplish such a feat to such a high degree of competency. These canned peaches really taste fresh, and they are so wildly better than practically any other brand we tried. If you’re making a peach pie or a peach crumble or simply want some peaches and cream (my favorite way to enjoy canned peaches), then Del Monte canned peaches in juice are the best canned peaches to buy. 

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other canned peaches we tasted: Del Monte No Sugar Added, Kroger No Sugar Added, SIgnature Select No Sugar Added, Kroger in Heavy Syrup, Great Value in Heavy Syrup, Signature Select in Heavy Syrup, Kroger Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches, Great Value Sliced Peaches, Signature Select 100% Juice, Market Pantry 100% Juice, Sprouts 100% Juice, Sprouts Organic, Del Monte Grown Good