Peach Crisp
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Sweet, juicy peaches bubble beneath a buttery oat-pecan topping in this easy peach crisp recipe—the perfect summer dessert.
When peaches are at their peak, this peach crisp is one of my favorite desserts to make. It has all the appeal of peach pie, but it’s so much easier—no rolling or chilling pie dough required. Sweet, juicy peaches bubble beneath a buttery oat-pecan topping that’s crisp, crunchy, and the perfect contrast to the tender peaches underneath. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It doesn’t get much better than that.
“My search for the perfect peach crisp is over – this is it.”
Looking for more ways to use fresh peaches? Try my peach galette for an easy rustic tart, peach cobbler for a classic biscuit-topped dessert, or peach blackberry buckle for a delicious twist on peach cake.
What You’ll Need To Make Peach Crisp
- Peaches: Fresh, ripe (but not overly soft) yellow peaches are best for baking—they’ll become sweet and juicy while still holding their shape. Peel them first for the best texture. Frozen peaches work well, too. Thaw them completely, drain off any excess liquid, and pat them dry before using.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the peaches and helps draw out their natural juices as they bake.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the peach juices so the filling is luscious rather than watery.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens the flavor and balances the sweetness of the peaches.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the fruit.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps bind the topping into buttery crumbles that bake up crisp and golden.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Give the topping its hearty texture and signature crunch. Don’t substitute quick oats, which won’t provide the same texture.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and subtle caramel flavor to the topping. Always pack brown sugar into the measuring cup when measuring.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds warm spice that pairs beautifully with peaches.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Brings the topping together and helps it bake up crisp, golden, and buttery.
- Pecans: Add rich, nutty flavor and extra crunch to the topping. If you have a nut allergy or simply prefer a classic oat topping, feel free to leave them out.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare the peach filling: Toss the peaches with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Make the crisp topping: Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and pecans. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture forms coarse, uneven crumbs. Some larger clumps are exactly what you want—they’ll bake into crisp, buttery clusters.
Assemble: Transfer the peaches to a buttered baking dish, spreading them evenly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the peaches, covering the fruit from edge to edge. There’s no need to press it down; keeping the topping loose helps it bake up crisp and crunchy.
Bake and cool: Bake until the topping is deeply golden and the peach juices are bubbling thickly around the edges of the dish. Those bubbling juices are the best indicator that the filling has thickened and the crisp is ready. Let the crisp cool for about 15 minutes before serving. This gives the filling time to set slightly so it isn’t too runny. Serve warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you enjoy this peach crisp, be sure to try my plum crisp in late summer, apple crisp in the fall and strawberry rhubarb crisp in the spring—they’re made with the same kind of easy, buttery crisp topping that’s always a hit.
More Summer Fruit Desserts You’ll Love
Peach Crisp
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 3 lb peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into ¼-in (6-mm) slices
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the Topping
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅔ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
For Serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Butter a 2-qt (2L) baking dish.
- Make the peach filling: In a large bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Mix well to coat the peaches evenly.
- Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, using your fingers to rub out any lumps of brown sugar. Add the soft butter and mix with a spoon until the mixture is crumbly (go ahead and use your hands if it's easier).
- Transfer the peaches to the prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over top. Bake the crisp for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven, and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thank you! Used fresh in season peaches, it was easy to make and everyone loved it. Will definitely make it again!
I made this dessert tonight and it turned out so delicious that I wanted to write my very first review of a recipe. This is a definite keeper and I thank you for sharing it.
Turned out quite soupy, but still very delicious! Would definitely make again, but probably increase amount of corn starch.
Really not a fan of this recipe. The nutmeg overpowers the peaches, dessert came out soupy even after refrigeration. And I should have stuck with my tried and true “topping recipe.” I didn’t care for the pecans in the topping. I feel like I wasted perfectly good tree ripe peaches.
I want to make this now with fresh peaches, then freeze it for later. Should I freeze it unbaked? With the topping on or frozen separately? Or should I fully bake it before freezing? I want the topping to be crispy, not soggy.
Hi Libby, I haven’t frozen it, but if I were going to, I think I’d bake it first. If you do that just be sure to reheat and crisp up the topping again. Please LMK how it turns out if you freeze it!
Absolutely delicious!
I added blueberries to the batter so it was a peach blueberry crisp.
I left the pecans out because I didn’t have any, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it turned out delicious! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
So I see everyone loves this recipe. For me it was just Ok. I’m giving it 3 stars. First, be warned, if you have ripe peaches, you need to add the sugar ahead of time and leave on for 30 or 40 minutes ahead of time. This helps to pull the excess juice. Obviously drain the juice. (I froze the juice in an ice cube tray for later use in cocktails) Unfortunately even though I removed a great deal of juice, this recipe came out too mushy. Also I did not like the pecans, just tasted odd to me, so if I make this again, I’ll drain the peaches super well and leave out the nuts.
Is it okay to use half the amount of sugar in the peaches?
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried it with less sugar, but a few other readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. If you want to try it, I’d taste your peaches to make sure they’re really sweet. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I made this peach crisp for the first time today. I had alot of peaches and they were getting ripe faster than I could eat them so I decided to try your recipe. It tasted wonderful but for some reason there was alot of liquid in the bottom of the dish, soupy. I followed the recipe exactly. Do you know what would cause this? I thought it would be thicker with the cornstarch.
Hi Renea, You mentioned that your peaches were really ripe so they may have just produced a lot of juice. If you make it again, I’d increase the cornstarch. Hope that helps!
How much should I increase the cornstarch by?
I’d try it with 3 tablespoons.
Can you put this comment in your recipe about having ripe peaches and draining the juice and increasing the cornstarch? Sure would have helped me since I didn’t read all the comments. Thanks!