When it’s peach season, that means it is time to whip up my easy, no-fuss peach crisp recipe. What could be better than fresh juicy peaches sprinkled with cinnamon, brightened with lemon juice, and generously coated with a crunchy oat streusel topping? This easy summer dessert is perfect!
Peach crisp is ready in about an hour, with only 10 minutes of hands-on time. This fruit crisp is ideal for hot summer days when you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen. I love making it for family barbecues because, despite its simplicity, peach crisp is full of flavor and a hit every time! For more peach desserts, try my peach cobbler, peach pie, and peach cake.
Ingredients You Need To Make Peach Crisp
Peaches — ripe peaches make the best crisps. They should not be too soft or mushy. Perfectly ripe peaches will give with slight resistance when you press into them near the stem end and have a strong, sweet scent. If they feel very firm and don’t have much smell, the peaches aren’t ripe enough.
Lemon juice — lemon juice adds brightness to the sweet peach juices and enhances the flavor of the filling.
Vanilla — use good store-bought or homemade vanilla extract instead of imitation flavoring for the best flavor.
Sugar — you need granulated sugar for the filling and light brown sugar to make the crisp topping.
Cornstarch — cornstarch helps thicken the filling so it sets and isn’t too runny.
Spices — cinnamon and nutmeg add warmth and complement the sweet, juicy peaches.
Flour — all-purpose flour binds the streusel topping for crispy clumps on top. Gluten-free flour can also be used, depending on dietary needs.
Oats — old-fashioned rolled oats yield the best crunchy topping and add a delicious nutty flavor to the crisp.
Butter — use unsalted butter to keep the crisp from becoming too salty.
How To Make Peach Crisp
1. Wash and pit the peaches. Then, slice them about ¼” thick.
2. Stir together the peach slices, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon and stir until the fruit is evenly coated.
3. Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish (or a 2-quart baking dish). Pour the fruit mixture into the greased baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
5. Mix in the butter with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is sticky but still clumpy and crumbly. It should not look like a paste.
6. Sprinkle the oat streusel over the top of the peaches. Bake for 50 minutes at 350°F or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is very bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What’s The Difference Between Peach Crisp And Peach Cobbler?
The main difference between the two is that peach crisp has a crunchy oat crumb topping, and peach cobbler is made with a thick batter that bakes up fluffy, more like cake or biscuits.
Is It Better To Use Frozen, Canned, Or Fresh Peaches?
Fresh peaches are the best option for a peach crisp, especially if they are in season. Frozen peaches come in a close second when peaches are out of season or if you stash away the summer fruits for later use. You do not need to thaw the peaches before using them- just add 10 extra minutes to the baking time.
Canned peaches are an option, but I recommend finding fresh or frozen first. Because they are so soft and packed in liquid, canned peaches sometimes yield a soggy filling. If you decide to use canned peaches, use ones that are canned in peach juice, not peach syrup, and drain them very well before slicing.
Using Flour Vs. Cornstarch To Thicken The Peach Filling
Both flour and cornstarch are excellent thickening agents. Cornstarch will give you a clearer, firmer filling, which is what I opted for in this recipe. However, it breaks down more easily when frozen and thawed, so if you plan on freezing this dessert, use flour instead. Flour creates a cloudy but gooier filling.
Does Peach Crisp Freeze Well?
Yes, you can freeze it, either baked or unbaked. If you want to prepare the crisp ahead of time and freeze it, prepare the entire dessert, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding about 15 minutes to the bake time.
If you want to freeze baked leftovers, wait for the dessert to cool completely before wrapping it well in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until bubbly in the oven.
Pro Tips For Making Peach Crisp
- Use ripe peaches for the best flavor. If your peaches aren’t quite ripe yet, place the peaches in a brown paper bag for 1 to 2 days to help speed up the ripening process.
- Peeling is optional. If you want to remove the peach skin, you can. However, they soften up so much in the oven that I usually leave the peels intact.
- Don’t slice the peaches too small. They’ll shrivel up as they bake. ¼-inch is the perfect thickness.
- Use fresh lemon juice. It has a much brighter flavor than the bottled kind.
- Add other fresh fruit. You can replace part of the peaches with an equal amount of fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a delicious addition.
- For a crunchier topping: Add a handful of nuts such as chopped pecans or sliced almonds to the topping.
- Keep the butter cold. Work the butter into the other topping ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter instead of your hands to keep the butter cold so your crisp will stay crispy. Warm hands can melt butter, and the topping will become more of a paste.
- Wait for 15 minutes before serving. Give the dessert a chance to cool slightly so the filling has some time to set up. It will still be delightfully warm after 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your fruit crisp is soggy instead of juicy, you may have used over-ripe peaches, which become a mushy mess when baked. Not using a thickener like cornstarch or flour is another reason the crisp filling turns out runny and soggy. If your butter is not cold when you mix it with the other topping ingredients, it can become a paste that becomes soggy when baked instead of crunchy.
Absolutely! Other stone fruits like plums, nectarines, and cherries, as well as juicy berries like sliced strawberries or halved blackberries, would all work well in this recipe. Or, you can try other fruit crisps like my blueberry crisp, apple crisp, and pear crisp.
Wait for the crisp to cool completely to room temperature before covering well with plastic wrap and refrigerating for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the crisp topping will become softer the longer it sits in the fridge. You can bring the topping back to life by reheating the dessert in the oven until warm.
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If you’ve tried this peach crisp recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Peach Crisp Recipe
Equipment
- 8″ baking dish
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 pounds peaches peeled, pitted and sliced (4 to 6 peaches/900g/about 4 cups sliced)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Topping:
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (80g)
- ⅔ cup rolled oats (75g)
- ½ packed light brown sugar (110g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and softened (85g)
- Vanilla ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish (or a 2-quart baking dish).
For the Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sliced peaches, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and stir until the fruit is evenly coated. Pour into the greased baking dish.
For the Topping:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix in the butter with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is sticky but still lumpy and crumbles. Sprinkle over the top of the peaches.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the topping is browned and filling is very bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Use ripe peaches for the best flavor. If your peaches aren’t quite ripe yet, place the peaches in a brown paper bag for 1 to 2 days to help speed up the ripening process.
- Peeling is optional. If you want to remove the peach skin, you can. However, they soften up so much in the oven that I usually leave the peels intact.
- Don’t slice the peaches too small. They’ll shrivel up as they bake. ¼-inch is the perfect thickness.
- Use fresh lemon juice. It has a much brighter flavor than the bottled kind.
- Add other fresh fruit. You can replace part of the peaches with an equal amount of fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a delicious addition.
- For a crunchier topping: Add a handful of nuts such as chopped pecans or sliced almonds to the topping.
- Keep the butter cold. Work the butter into the other topping ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter instead of your hands to keep the butter cold so your crisp will stay crispy. Warm hands can melt butter, and the topping will become more of a paste.
- Wait for 15 minutes before serving. Give the dessert a chance to cool slightly so the filling has some time to set up. It will still be delightfully warm after 15 minutes.
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