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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The very best crisp I have ever made! The taste and texture were amazing. Based on other comments, I did cut the sugar down to half a cup. It was perfect. Can’t wait to try again.
Hi Jenn! Can’t wait to try this recipe, especially during peach season. However, in a pinch, could fresh peaches be substituted with frozen peaches? If so, any changes needed to the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Janine, Yes, frozen peaches can be used. Just thaw them and drain off any liquid before incorporating into the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! I’m excited to try this peach crisp but we have nut allergies in our household. Are there any nut-free substitutes for the pecans that you could suggest? Or would it be ok to omit them and still have a nice crunchy topping? Thanks!
Hi Barbara, It’s fine to omit them. Enjoy!
Jenn, all of your recipies that I have tried are family favorites. The pictures look like this dish was made with yellow peaches. Would white peaches work, do you, think, or would those be=too bland? And thank you for all the delicious recipies!
So glad your family likes the recipes! I think it would be fine to use white peaches here. Hope you enjoy!
Looks yummy .
I haven’t made this yet and it sounds delicious but with regards to gluten free: I love fruit crisps and crumbles and make them all the time.
I’ve tried substituting almond flour, and one 2 one gluten-free flour and have never been pleased with the results. The almond flour goes mushy if it is not eaten immediately, and the one 2 one GF gets gritty and mushy.
What I’m doing currently is leaving the flour out entirely and making the topping out of half oats and half pecans (1cup each) some of which I chop finer and leave some a little chunkier just for a varied texture. I make sure the oats are all entirely coated with very soft butter and sugar and spices and then I add the nuts and mix some more.”
It makes a delicious topping that keeps a good crunchy texture even refrigerated the next day.
Best desert I have ever made. Used peaches from my peach tree.
This was the most amazing peach crisp EVER. I only had “light” brown sugar, so I added 1 TBL of molasses. I love the pecans in the topping…so YUM!
I’ve made this several times and it has yet to disappoint. Amazing and foolproof just like all of Jenn’s recipes. Rave reviews when I brought it to a friend’s house too.
I have tweaked the sugar down to half cup each for filling and topping and swapped white flour for whole wheat in the topping. Also I don’t stock cornstarch or arrowroot so just subbed with a couple generous tablespoons of all purpose flour. And I actually don’t peel the peaches. The skins get pretty soft in the lemon/sugar soak and aren’t really very noticeable at all in the final product. Still comes out great.
Absolutely delicious! Wondering if almond flour could substituted for AP flour to make for a gluten-free friend?
Hi Nikki, Glad you like it! I’ve never worked with almond flour — it may work but I can’t say for sure. You can definitely use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
This is by far the best peach crisp recipe ever! Look no further !
Made it the other evening and by the following evening it was polished off by a family of three!