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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This recipe s the best peach crisp I have ever made and I’ve made several every year for 40+ years.? I left out the nutmeg and put a little cinnamon in with the peaches. Fabulous!
Everything was great except it’s a little too much sugar for our taste. Way too sweet. I’ll make it again but with half the sugar in both the peaches and the topping.
Hi Jenn
Is there anyway i could exchange blackberries for this recipe instead of peaches?
THanks so much
Hi Melissa, berries create a lot of juice so I wouldn’t suggest using only blackberries, but you could do half peaches and half blackberries. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Absolutely delicious! I had crummy peaches that wouldn’t ripen and it was still wonderful. I cut sugars by a third and added blueberries since I was a little short on peaches.
Made this recipe with thawed peaches that I’d picked and frozen in the summer. I followed the recipe exactly, other than halving it and baking it in a smaller pan. It turned out perfectly, not too thick, not too soupy, and the pecan crisp on top brought such a smile to my face. I’ll be making this again and again.
Absolutely fantastic both warm with ice cream, and cold the next morning on our unsweetened yogurt 😋 I tried the peach cake, peach cobbler, and a peach pie from ATK – this was my very favorite. I tried 3 times – the first was way too runny because my peaches were SO juicy (from The Peach Truck) so my best success was leaving the skins on which added enough pectin for the perfect crisp for us! The Peach Truck peaches have such a thin non-fuzzy skin – highly recommend!
Could homemade jarred peaches (in sugar syrup) be used in lieu of the fresh peaches and sugar ingredients? If yes, what else would you suggest modifying (lemon juice and vanilla, other)? I am hoping to make this at my parents’ tomorrow for an early Thanksgiving dinner dessert. Thank you.
Hi Dianne, I think you could get away with the jarred peaches but you still may need to add a little sugar to the peaches to help create more juice. Other than that, I don’t think any modifications are necessary. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This is the best peach crisp! Love the chopped pecans in the topping. I cut down on the sugar just a bit, but other than that I followed the recipe as written. Too bad it’s the end of peach season but I’ll definitely make this again next year.
We have a nut allergy. Is there any substitution you’d recommend for the pecan in this recipe or the strawberry rhubarb recipe?? They both look so good!
Hi Anisha, You can just omit the nuts in both this and the strawberry rhubarb crisp. Hope you enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious!! So so so good!! Peaches are my favorite fruit and I’m always looking for good recipes, I didn’t have any issues with it being soupy. Aaaaand the topping is dreamy!! I used it for an apple crisp and it was such an upgrade. Thank you so much!!
Oh my GOODNESS:). This recipe is phenomenal! Easy to make, have all the ingredients in your cupboards already..Delicious and easy to make. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Can I make the peach Crisp ahead of time? So put it all together in the morning and cook and serve in evening?
Yep 🙂