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This easy peach crisp recipe is a perfect summer dessert! A buttery, crunchy, brown sugar oat streusel tops juicy, fresh peaches. Bake the crisp in a skillet or in a dish, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top!
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Whether it’s a cranberry apple crisp or a pear crisp in the fall, a plum crisp, strawberry crisp, or peach crisp in the summer, this rustic dessert is one of our favorite ways to take advantage of fresh fruit during the peak season. It’s such a great dessert for beginning bakers, because it’s almost impossible to mess up. So much easier than a peach pie — and ready for the oven in about 20 minutes!
The Difference Between Peach Crisp, Peach Crumble, and Peach Cobbler
While they’re very similar (and equally delicious), there are a few key distinctions between a peach crisp and a peach cobbler. A cobbler is a dish consisting of a fruit filling (in this case, peaches) poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter or biscuit topping. A crisp or a crumble also features fruit like peaches, apples, or berries; however, the crisp (or crumble) has a streusel topping.
Originally, an old fashioned peach crisp recipe would contain oats in the topping, while a crumble would not. These days, the words “crumble” and “crisp” are often used interchangeably when referring to these streusel-topped fruit desserts.
Ingredients for Easy Peach Crisp
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite peach crisp recipe. As always, specific measurements are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Oats and all-purpose flour: the base of the streusel topping.
- Brown sugar: to sweeten both the filling and the topping.
- Almonds: for a rich, buttery crunch in the topping.
- Kosher salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Butter: for a flavorful crumb topping.
- Peaches: the base of the crisp, you’ll need about 6 cups of fresh ripe peaches or frozen peaches. I like to peel peaches for this recipe, so that you don’t have the texture of the tougher peach skins in the filling. That said, you can certainly leave the skin on the peaches if you prefer. You also don’t need perfect peaches — a few bruises or soft spots will be undetectable in the final dish!
- Almond extract: adds a lovely, floral flavor to the peach filling. You can omit this ingredient, or substitute with vanilla extract.
- Cornstarch: thickens the filling.
How to Make Peach Crisp
You’ll love this rustic dessert that’s made with a sweet peach filling and a buttery, almond-studded crunchy oat topping. While you can certainly use frozen peaches in the peach crumble, it’s best in the summer when fresh peaches are in season.
- Stir together the topping, then pop it in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
- Combine the peach filling.
- Transfer the peach mixture to a prepared dish, then sprinkle with the topping.
- Bake the crisp in a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and thickened and the top is golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
If at all possible, this dessert is best when served warm! Sure, we’ve been known to scoop out some leftover cold crisp straight from the refrigerator for breakfast the next morning, but it’s really at its finest fresh from the oven. Serve the crisp on its own, or (ideally) top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Preparation and Storage Tips for the Perfect Peach Crisp
- Make Ahead: You can make this dessert up to 24 hours in advance. To do so, bake the crisp according to recipe instructions. Allow to cool completely, cover, and refrigerate.
- Storage: If you plan to enjoy the crisp on the same day that it is baked, then you do not need to refrigerate it before serving. If you don’t plan to serve the crisp on the same day as baking, then the dessert needs to be refrigerated overnight. Leftover peach crisp will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.
- How to Freeze: You can freeze the crisp after baking. Allow the dish to cool completely. Wrap tightly with a double layer of foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: If frozen, allow the crisp to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, warm the crisp in a 350°F oven (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. If the topping starts to get too dark, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Peach Crisp Recipe Variations
- Almonds pair really nicely with peaches; however, you can swap out the sliced almonds in the topping and substitute with other chopped nuts — such as pecans or walnuts.
- Omit the almond extract if you don’t have any, or substitute with vanilla extract or fresh lemon juice. The taste is very subtle, so if you prefer a stronger almond flavor, increase the amount of extract to ¼ teaspoon.
- Combine the peaches with other in-season fruit. You need a total of about 6 cups of sliced fruit, so feel free to mix and match the peaches with plums, nectarines, or berries. Whether you buy your fruit at the farmer’s market, pick it from your own trees, or get it at the grocery store, fresh, in-season fruit is always my preference.
- For a cozy feel, add ground cinnamon or nutmeg to the topping.
Tips for the Best Peach Crisp Recipe
- Use fresh or frozen peaches in this crisp. If using frozen peaches, the filling will be a bit more juicy and saucy, but it’s still delicious. You do not need to thaw the peaches before adding them to the dish. You may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes to account for the frozen fruit.
- Don’t slice the peaches too thin. About ½-inch thick should be perfect. They will break down as they bake, so you don’t want them to completely disintegrate in the oven. Some visible peach slices in your filling are ideal.
- When you toss together the filling, make sure that the cornstarch and brown sugar completely dissolves with the juices of the fruit. You shouldn’t see any dry, white, powdery chunks of the cornstarch.
- I like to bake this recipe for peach crisp in a deep 10-inch cast iron skillet. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch square baking dish or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Any similar dish with a capacity of about 2 – 2.5 quarts is fine.
- I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but you can also use quick oats if that’s what you have on hand. Do not substitute with steel cut oats.
- Cool the crisp for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it sets. Serve the warm peach crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!
More Recipes with Fresh Peaches
Rustic Peach Galette
1 hour hr 55 minutes mins
Pan Fried Pork Chops with Peach Sauce
35 minutes mins
Peach Blackberry Cobbler
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Peach Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
TOPPING
- ¾ cup raw oats (I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but quick oats will also work)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
FILLING
- 6 cups peeled, sliced peaches
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish, a deep 9-inch round dish, an 11 x 7-inch dish, or a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Set aside.
Make the Topping
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir to completely combine, making sure that there are no dry pockets of flour. Set aside to chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
Make the Filling
- In a large bowl, gently stir together peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and almond extract. Transfer the filling to the prepared dish.
- Distribute the topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake the Cobbler
- Bake, uncovered, until the juices are bubbling and thickened and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Use fresh or frozen peaches in this crisp. If using frozen peaches, the filling will be a bit more juicy and saucy, but it’s still delicious. You do not need to thaw the peaches before adding them to the dish. You may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes to account for the frozen fruit.
- Don’t slice the peaches too thin. About ½-inch thick should be perfect. They will break down as they bake, so you don’t want them to completely disintegrate in the oven. Some visible peach slices in your filling are ideal.
- When you toss together the filling, make sure that the cornstarch and brown sugar completely dissolves with the juices of the fruit. You shouldn’t see any dry, white, powdery chunks of the cornstarch.
- I like to bake this recipe for peach crisp in a deep 10-inch cast iron skillet. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch square baking dish or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Any similar dish with a capacity of about 2 – 2.5 quarts is fine.
- I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but you can also use quick oats if that’s what you have on hand. Do not substitute with steel cut oats.
- Cool the crisp for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it sets. Serve the warm peach crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in July, 2020. The photos were updated in August, 2023.
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