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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I made it as written and found it too thick, unlike others who said it was soupy.
Guess it definitely depends how juicy your peaches are.
Great recipe, making it again tomorrow. Thanks
I made this today and it was delicious. I read the other reviews regarding it being soupy, so I doubled the corn starch and cooked the peaches in the casserole dish for ten minutes prior to adding the topping. Turned out great. Not soupy at all. I also cut the sugar to 1/3 cup for the peaches because I don’t like it too sweet.
I just made this and it was amazing! The addition of pecans was an excellent touch, and the topping was very crispy. The only changes are that I did not add sugar to the peaches, I certainly don’t think they need it, and I added a little almond flavoring to the peach filling. It was delightful.
I made this recipe yesterday with some overripe peaches so as not to waste them. I’ve not had much luck in the past with crisps, but this was fantastic! It was “juicy” for sure – I’d probably drain a bit of the liquid off the peaches before baking next time. It used slightly less sugar and the result had a perfect sweet/tart balance. This recipe is definitely a keeper and one I’d make confidently for a dinner party.
Is it better to bake the crisp and then freeze it or freeze it then bake it?
Hi Terry, 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!
Made gluten-free dairy free using gf flour and coconut oil. Taking forever to cook. Finally turned to convection at 400 after 1 hour. Filling is bubbling but waiting for topping to brown. Should taste good but what a hassle.
This was fabulous! The topping was crunchy and flavorful adding to the delicious peach filling below. Definite keeper!
I made this last night and just like others, I didn’t read enough reviews and mine came out extremely soupy. I had to take it out with a slotted spatula and put it in another container. I probably had at least a cup and a half of juice at the bottom after taking it out, so I don’t think even an extra tablespoon of cornstarch would have helped. My husband thought the flavors were fantastic as did I. I am wondering if the type of peach makes a difference like a previous reviewer said. My peaches were freestone also, picked from a tree and were very juicy. I really want to make it again, so maybe I will let the peaches drain for a bit after adding the sugar then add the other filling ingredients along with an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
Delicious! I had to make a few modifications based on what I had in the pantry but it still turned out great. I substituted flour for corn starch, used light brown sugar, and walnuts in place of the pecans. Probably a little less than was called for also because have picky eaters that don’t like nuts. Turned out great! I did cook it longer than called for also to get it browned on top. Yum!
Made this tonight for a family gathering. I couldn’t find ripe peaches so I used Nectarines. It was fantastic and the crunchy streusel topping was the best I’ve ever tasted! This was so easy to make and everyone loved it! I’ll definitely be making this again.
Thanks Jen!