With juicy, honey-sweetened peaches bubbling away beneath a borderline irresponsible amount of toasty, buttery oat topping, this easy Peach Crisp pushes the topping-to-fruit ratio to the absolute max.
Fruit crisps (like this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp) are the back pocket dessert I turn to all summer long.
They’re a right of summer passage, a breeze to bake, and a pure pleasure to eat.
I especially adore this recipe (and this Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler) at the height of the peach season.
If fresh peaches haven’t reached you yet, fear not, you can use frozen peaches to make this crisp too.
While the peaches are the real star of this fruit crisp, we also have to talk about topping—because there’s plenty of it!
If you are of the attitude that too much topping on a fruit crisp is simply not a situation that exists in real life, then my friend, this is the perfect peach crisp recipe for you (as is this Cherry Crisp).
5 Star Review
“Delicious!!! A new family favorite.”
— Sasha —
The other thing I love about fruit crisps? They’re also flexible and leave room for play.
- In addition to swapping out the different fruits as the summer goes on (Strawberry Crisp to kick off the season, Blackberry Crisp follows, then Crock Pot Apple Crisp brings us home), I also tweak the topping.
- Try adding different nuts, spices, or extracts to make this recipe your own. (If you need some inspiration, keep scrolling for a few ideas in the “Recipe Variations” box.)
Crisp vs. Cobbler vs. Crumble
Crisps, cobblers, and crumbles are all members of the delicious family of easy fruit desserts that feature a bubbly fruit filling baked beneath a golden, buttery topping.
The terms are often used interchangeably, and all of them are scrumptious.
The difference between a cobbler and a crisp lies in the pastry batter baked on top of the fruit.
- Crisp has a buttery, crumbly streusel-like topping made from butter, sugar, and oats. The topping is typically less dense than a cobbler and will form a lightly crispy “lid” during baking.
- Cobbler either uses a cake-like batter (like this Crock Pot Peach Cobbler) or a biscuit-style batter, depending on the recipe and the region. Generally, the batter is scattered in dollops over the fruit and will form a rough “crust” once baked.
- Crumble has a topping made from simply flour, sugar, and butter; it does not include oats, so it’s usually denser than crisp.
Baked fruit desserts like crisps, cobblers, and crumbles are all delicious treats to make if you have peaches going bad. Try them all!
How to Make Peach Crisp
As usual, I made a few sneaky swaps to make this a healthy peach crisp that I would not be ashamed of topping with yogurt for breakfast (ideally beside a Peach Smoothie or perhaps Peach Pancakes).
I also kept the recipe as fuss-free as possible.
Rather than cutting the butter into the dry ingredients, you stir the topping together on the stove, making this crisp recipe easy compared to most.
Peach Filling Ingredients
- Peaches. To match the outlandish amount of topping, this crisp also offers a generous portion of one of my greatest joys: fresh summer peaches. Plus, peaches are an excellent source of nutrients, like vitamin c, calcium, protein, and fiber. (This Peach Upside Down Cake is another peachy delight to try.)
- Honey. Adds just a touch of natural sweetness to our peach filling.
- Flour. This is a peach crisp without cornstarch! Instead, old-fashioned all purpose flour helps thicken the peach filling to create warm, syrupy goodness.
- Lemon Zest. Brightens up all the other flavors.
- Vanilla + Nutmeg. These warm, cozy additions help this healthy peach crisp become something extraordinary.
Crisp Topping Ingredients
- Rolled Oats. A key ingredient for our crispy, nutty topping. The oats give the topping the perfect streusel texture (as seen in this Gluten Free Apple Crisp).
- Butter + Oil. The moisture and golden elements in the crisp topping come from extra virgin olive oil and butter. The nuanced, lightly grassy olive oil flavor is lovely alongside the honey-sweet peaches.
- Whole Wheat Flour. Makes the streusel topping a little more wholesome than other classic peach crisp recipes (e.g., Pioneer Woman, Ina Garten, Betty Crocker, etc.).
- Sugar + Cinnamon. A combination that everyone loves (as in these Baked Peaches)! These warm and sweet additions complement the nutty and buttery flavors in the topping.
- Almonds. For max crunch, I also added sliced almonds. Once you try them in the topping, you’ll never want to make one without them.
The Directions
- Peel the peaches: Boil a big pot of water and score the bottom of the peaches with an “X.”
- Boil the peaches for 1 minute, then plunge into an ice bath. Peel away the skins. Set aside.
TIP!
Now and then, you’ll get a stubborn peach that still won’t peel and have to use a knife, in which case, you’ll deserve an extra serving of this best peach crisp!
- Cut the peeled peaches into wedges, and combine with the remaining filling ingredients.
- Melt the butter and add the topping ingredients.
- Transfer the peach mixture (with the juices) to a baking dish, and sprinkle with the topping. Bake peach crisp at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden-brown and the filling is hot and bubbly. Remove, let cool slightly, then serve. ENJOY!
TIP!
After 20 minutes, you may remove the peach crisp from the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil to protect it from over-browning. Then, return the crisp to the oven for the final 10 to 15 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Peach Crisp without Oats. If you’d like to make this without oats, I’d suggest swapping them for a reduced amount of additional white whole wheat flour. (Now you have a peach crumble!)
- Peach Crisp with Berries. If you happen to have other fruit hanging out in your kitchen, don’t be afraid to throw it into the recipe. Peach and blueberry crisp or peach and raspberry crisp are two excellent flavor combinations I recommend.
- To Make Gluten Free and Dairy Free. To make the peach crisp gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 baking blend, like this one, or swap the apples for peaches as in my favorite Vegan Apple Crisp (which also happens to be dairy free!).
- Vegan Peach Crisp. To make a vegan peach crisp, swap the honey for maple syrup and opt for a vegan butter alternative (like Earth’s Balance) in the topping.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Cover the crisp, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees F until hot. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave, though the oven does a better job crisping the topping back up.
- To Freeze. Store peach crisp in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What to Serve with Peach Crisp
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Dish. Perfect for making fruit crisps all season long!
- Saucepan. One of my most-used kitchen tools.
- Favorite Basic Spatula. Ideal for folding your topping ingredients together.
The Baking Dish
I love the quality of Staub ceramic baking dishes! Their porcelain-enamel finish is scratch resistant, and they retain heat very well. Plus, they’re dishwasher-safe too!
Double the topping? Sounds just peachy, if you ask me!
Frequently Asked Questions
No. However, my preference is to peel the peaches for baked peach recipes like this peach crisp as I find the skins in the filling distracting. If the skins don’t bother you, feel free to simply slice and pit the peaches and skip boiling and peeling.
While it’s impossible to know precisely what may have caused your peach crisp to be runny without being in your kitchen with you, there are a few common culprits. First, allow the crisp to cool almost completely before serving, as the filling will thicken as the crisp cools. Otherwise, measure the flour in the filling accurately as it is vital for thickening the juices from the sliced peaches.
Proceed with caution. I haven’t tried making peach crisp with canned peaches yet, but I think you could experiment in a pinch. Note that the crisp won’t be as fresh-tasting as if you use fresh or frozen and the filling will be much softer. For best results, try peaches packed in pure fruit juice (versus syrup) and drain them first. If your canned peaches are in syrup, however, I suggest reducing the honey in the filling, since they will be sweeter. If you decide to play around with canned peaches, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Absolutely, you can make crisp with frozen peaches. Frozen peaches tend to contain a little more liquid than fresh peaches. Therefore, I recommend thawing the peaches first, then draining away some of the excess liquid to achieve a peach crisp with a similar consistency to my original peach crisp recipe.
Peach Crisp
Ingredients
For the Peach Filling:
- 2 1/2 pounds peaches about 6-7 medium
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from about 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds optional (you can also use roughly chopped pecans or walnuts)
- Vanilla or plain nonfat Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, or whip cream, for serving
Instructions
- Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9×9-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- To quickly and easily peel the peaches, bring a very large pot with enough water to cover the peaches to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, prepare an ice bath by placing several generous handfuls of ice cubes in a large bowl and then filling it with cold water.
- With a small, sharp knife, score the bottom of the peaches with an "X." Once the water is boiling, gently lower half of the peaches into the water with a slotted spoon or tongs to protect your fingers. (You want to add the peaches in two batches so that the water temperature does not rapidly drop.) Boil for 1 minute.
- With the spoon, remove peaches from the water and plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking. The skins can now be easily slipped off with your fingers. Repeat with remaining peaches. (Every now and then, you'll get a stubborn peach that still won't peel and have to use a knife.)
- Cut the peeled peaches into thick, 3/4-inch wedges (about 8 per peach, depending on the size). Place the wedges in a medium bowl and stir in the honey, flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Set aside while you make the topping.
- Prepare the topping: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended (The oil and butter will still be a little separate from the sugar, but the sugar should not have any lumps). Once combined, sprinkle in the oats, white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and salt. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold to combine, stirring until the ingredients are evenly moistened. The mixture will be a little crumbly. Last, stir in the almonds.
- Give the peach filling mixture a few additional stirs, then transfer it to the prepared baking dish, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
- Place the crisp in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and lightly cover it with aluminum foil to protect it from over-browning. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the topping is lightly golden and the filling is hot and bubbly. Remove, let cool, then serve warm topped with ice cream or Greek yogurt.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Cover the crisp, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees F until hot. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave, though the oven does a better job crisping the topping back up.
- TO FREEZE: Store peach crisp in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- RECIPE VARIATION: You can also make this recipe with plums, cherries, blueberries, or a mix!
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Use a 1:1 baking blend like this one.
Nutrition
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Here are more of my favorite fresh summer peach recipes:
Topping too dry for my taste-the oats wanted to stick to my mouth/throat. May try again with more oil or butter.
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t to your tastes, Marilyn. I (and many other readers) have truly enjoyed it, so I wish you would’ve too!
So dry. I wasted beautiful peaches for this and it makes me sad.
I’m sorry you to hear had trouble with the recipe, Katherine. I know it’s frustrating to try a new recipe and not have it turn out. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed them, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too! It’s hard to say what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you.
I love this peach crisp! I especially like how it is not overly sweet as are many crisps. The tartness of the peaches is complemented by the honey, coconut oil and nutmeg with the oat topping adding crunch but not sugary sweetness. I served it warm with a dollop of Chobani vanilla greek yogurt. Delicious!!
Hi Gayle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Taste was great- I used half blueberries and half fresh peaches. I would say the topping is very tasty but i would cut the salt in half next time ( I am a salt lover but it was a little too much) Also I am not sure if by using blueberries it decreased my “juicing” or if the amount of flour was just too much. Also i would in the future likely only use 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of topping as it formed a ” crust effect” due to the thickness. I did increase the butter as it mixed so dry. The Nuts were an awesome addition. Topping with Vanilla Ice Cream a Must in my opinion as it added some moisture and well: Who doesn’t like Ice-cream or an equivalent on a warm crumble ! Thanks- loved the honey will try again with Modifications.
Hi April, did you use table salt or kosher salt when making this? Glad you enjoyed the taste!
My boys and I had a wonderful time making and eating this. Absolutely delicious! I used coconut oil with the butter. Such a great way to get fiber in. Yummmmmm
Hi Amy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
You’re just awesome, Erin.
Thank you Liz!
I used four cans of Peaches (two with juice, two with heavy syrup), gently drained and diced. It was wonderful. The topping was a bit dry so I drizzled some melted butter on top once out of the oven. I probably could have left more juice with the Peaches, because I like it a bit thin. I will definitely make this again.
HI Cynthia! Thanks for the feedback!
Delicious. I changed the flour for almond flour in both the topping and the filling. I used Agave in place of the honey. It was wonderful. Had alot of peaches so I doubled it. Topped it with whipped cream.
Hi Misty! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
topping too dry….peaches coated with gummy flour…icky.
I’m sorry you to hear had trouble with the recipe, Melissa. I know it’s frustrating to try a new recipe and not have it turn out. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed them, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
This recipe drove me nuts. It would be so much easier if the whole recipe was in one place without directions with pictures in between. I often have to scroll back and forth to read how much of each ingredient goes in next and when there are pictures in between, or just text that is basically unrelated, well it is beyond frustrating. Of course, if I printed the recipe, it would somewhat alleviate that problem, but it would be pages long.
As for the recipe, it was very good, peach part was perfect, but I found the topping to be a bit heavy, tasty , but more than needed. If I make this again I would use maybe half the amount of topping.
Hi Gayle, this recipe actually prints in just two pages and you can select it without images. Did you see the full recipe in the recipe card or are you talking about my more detailed instructions written in the blog post? Glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this during the summer and got addicted to it!!! What a great combination of flavours. I am so disappointed that peach season is now over. So, I am wondering; can this be made with canned peaches, perhaps after draining the syrup from them?
Hi Fran! Proceed with caution. I haven’t tried making peach crisp with canned peaches yet, but I think you could experiment in a pinch. Note that the crisp won’t be as fresh-tasting as if you use fresh or frozen and the filling will be much softer. For best results, try peaches packed in pure fruit juice (versus syrup) and drain them first. If your canned peaches are in syrup, however, I suggest reducing the honey in the filling, since they will be sweeter. If you decide to play around with canned peaches, I’d love to hear how it goes!