Plum Crisp

This easy Plum Crisp recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a bounty of fresh fruit! Sweet, juicy and tender plums are topped with a buttery, crunchy oat streusel for a rustic dessert that everyone loves. Bake the crisp in a skillet or in a dish, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top!

Truly — the best plum crisp recipe that you will ever taste! A fruit crisp is such a great dessert for beginning bakers because it’s almost impossible to mess up. So much easier than a pie — and ready for the oven in about 20 minutes!

Easy Plum Crisp Recipe

An easy plum crisp is a simple, rustic dessert made with a baked plum base that’s finished with a buttery crumb topping. While there are endless versions of this classic dish, here’s why this is the best plum crisp recipe:

• Not Too Sweet: Too much sugar can overpower the actual taste of the fruit itself. Instead, this recipe uses just enough brown sugar to enhance the natural flavors of the fresh plums and balance any tartness.
• Plenty of Topping (but not too much): The perfect ratio of topping-to-fruit is key for a successful crisp. Too little topping and you’ll miss out on that rich, buttery crunch. Too much topping and the dessert becomes too dense and fatty. This recipe gets it just right!
• Juicy Filling: Fresh plums are naturally quite juicy, so they lend themselves well to a fruit crisp. I use just enough cornstarch to thicken the mixture so that it’s not watery, but not so much cornstarch that it gets dry or gummy. We’re going for juicy and a little bit saucy — but not wet and soggy!
• Quick and Simple: Perhaps most important of all, this is an easy plum crisp recipe! There’s no need to spend hours laboring over a complicated dessert when you can enjoy something so delicious with just minutes of effort. This is really as simple as 1-2-3: stir together the filling, stir together the topping, then bake!

What is the difference between a crisp, a crumble, a cobbler and a pie?

There are plenty of old fashioned fruit desserts, so it’s easy to get confused! Crumbles and crisps are very similar, as they both include a fruit base with a streusel topping. Originally, an old fashioned plum crisp 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 desserts.

A cobbler, by contrast, is a fruit dessert with a biscuit or cake-like topping (source). And don’t forget about pie! The crisp’s filling is similar to a pie filling; however, the crisp has a crumb topping (and no bottom crust), rather than a double pastry crust that you find on a pie.

What season is plum season?

Relatives of other popular stone fruits like peaches and nectarines, plums are in season from May through early October. You can use this recipe to combine fresh plums with other ripe produce, making a crisp with plums and apples, pears, peaches, nectarines or berries. It’s a simple dessert that you can enjoy throughout the summer and fall!

Ingredients for Plum Crisp

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a plum crisp. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions 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.
• Pecans: for a rich, buttery crunch in the topping.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: warm spices to season the topping.
• Kosher salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
• Butter: for a flavorful crumb topping.
• Plums: the base of the crisp, you’ll need about 3 pounds of fresh, ripe plums. This comes to approximately 8 cups when the fruit is sliced.
• Lemon juice: a bright, acidic touch that balances the sweetness of the fruit and brings out the plums’ natural flavors.
• Cornstarch: thickens the filling.

Do you peel plums for plum crisp?

No, plums have a thin, tender skin, so there’s no need to peel the fruit before baking.

How to Make Plum Crisp

I honestly can’t think of a more perfect dessert for your next Sunday supper, family cookout, or casual gathering with friends! This easy plum crisp is made from scratch, but it comes together quickly, can be prepped and baked ahead of time, and (most importantly) it tastes amazing! Your guests will be showering you with praise, and nobody will ever need to know that it only took you a few minutes to throw together. That’s my kind of baking!

1. Stir together the topping, then pop it in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
2. Combine the plums, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Let the fruit sit for 5-10 minutes so that the plums release some of their juices.
3. Transfer the filling to a prepared dish, then sprinkle with the topping.
4. 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.

How to Serve Easy Plum Crisp

Plum crisp can be served at room temperature, but it’s always best when it’s warm from the oven. Top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for the best plum dessert recipe ever!

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 plum crisp will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.

Can you freeze plum crisp?

Yes, you can freeze the crisp after baking. Allow the dish to cool completely. Wrap tightly with a double layer of foil and freeze 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 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.

Recipe Variations

• Add a little bit of almond extract or vanilla extract to the filling for even more flavor.
• Both old-fashioned rolled oats (shown here) and quick-cooking oats will work in this topping, so use whichever you prefer.
• Swap out the pecans and use additional oats to make it nut-free, or use almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts instead.
• I like to bake the plum 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 2 ½ – 3 quarts is fine.
• Combine the plums with other in-season fruit. You need a total of about 8 cups of sliced fruit, so feel free to mix and match the plums with peaches, nectarines, berries, apples and pears. If using apples or pears, which are less juicy than the plums, you will likely need to reduce the cornstarch in the filling by a tablespoon or two.
• If you don’t have fresh plums available, you can substitute with frozen plums instead. Do not thaw the plums first, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Be aware that frozen fruit tends to release more liquid, so the filling might be thinner or slightly mushier than a fresh plum filling.

Tips for the Best Plum Crisp Recipe

• Weigh the plums. You need about 3 lbs. of plums for this recipe, which comes to approximately 8 cups sliced. The total number of plums in the crisp will vary depending on the size of the fruit, so weighing is always the most accurate measure. I used 6 large plums here.
• Don’t slice the plums too thin. About ⅓-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 plum 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.
• Let the filling mixture sit for 5-10 minutes before transferring to the dish. The sugar will help release some of the juices in the fruit during this time.
• Cool the crisp for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it sets. Serve the warm plum crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!

More Fruit Desserts to Try this Season

• Easy Apple Crisp
• Peach Crisp
• Strawberry Crisp
• Bisquick Peach Cobbler
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
• Blueberry Buckle
• Pear Crisp

Plum Crisp

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Resting Time 10 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 – 10 people

Calories 405 kcal

This easy Plum Crisp recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a bounty of fresh fruit!

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Ingredients

  

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FOR THE TOPPING:

• ¾ cup raw oats (I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but quick-cooking oats will also work)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup finely chopped pecans
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:

• 3 lbs. fresh plums, pitted and sliced (about 8 cups total)
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional, for serving: vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

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.

PREPARE THE TOPPING:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the melted butter and stir to completely combine, making sure that there are no dry bits of flour. Set aside or chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you make the filling.

PREPARE THE FILLING:

• In a large bowl, stir together plums, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

ASSEMBLE:

• Transfer the plums and their juices to the prepared baking dish. Distribute topping evenly over the fruit.

BAKE:

• Bake, uncovered, until the juices are bubbling and thickened and the top is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

• Weigh the plums. You need about 3 lbs. of plums for this recipe, which comes to approximately 8 cups sliced. The total number of plums in the crisp will vary depending on the size of the fruit, so weighing is always the most accurate measure. I used 6 large plums here.
• Don’t slice the plums too thin. About ⅓-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 plum 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.
• Let the filling mixture sit for 5-10 minutes before transferring to the dish. The sugar will help release some of the juices in the fruit during this time.
• Cool the crisp for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it sets. Serve the warm plum crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the recipeCalories: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 328mgPotassium: 376mgFiber: 4gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 946IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: plum crisp, plum crumble, plum dessert

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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