Sweet summer peaches bake into juicy perfection in this classic peach crisp recipe. The crisp topping tastes just like an oatmeal cookie! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Your Go-to Peach Crisp Recipe
Peach crisp is peak summer dessert perfection; it’s fast, easy, and phenomenal with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You’ll love how the juicy, sweet flavor of the peaches pairs so well with the crumbly, oatmeal cookie-like topping in my version.
While this peach crisp recipe is new to the blog, it’s been a staple in our home for years, and I first shared it over on a friend’s website. This year, we’ve even had the opportunity to make it with our homegrown peaches (sneak peek of our “orchard” in today’s recipe video)–what a treat!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great peach flavor! We’ll add just a few flavor enhancers (vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon) to complement the peaches without overshadowing them.
- Crisp topping: it can be hard to find a peach crisp recipe that actually stays crisp after baking (since peaches are so juicy!). Mine is fine-tuned to have a perfectly tender and juicy filling with a crisp, crumbly topping.
- Fast prep: only 15 minutes to make the filling and topping before everything goes in the oven.
- It’s a classic summer dessert. Just like strawberry shortcake and blueberry pie, you shouldn’t let summer slip by without making a batch of peach crisp (and enjoying it on the porch with a glass of sweet tea while the sun sets!).
Ingredients
Before we get started, let’s review a few of the ingredients:
- Peaches. Fresh summer peaches are ideal here. For the easiest slicing, use a freestone variety. Thawed frozen peaches can work in a pinch, but they aren’t my preference. I don’t recommend using canned peaches (they’re just too soft).
- Oats. I prefer and recommend old-fashioned rolled oats (just like when making my homemade granola), since instant oats make for a more crumbly topping. You could use instant oats in a pinch though!
- Cinnamon. This adds a sweet, spiced flavor. If you’d like, you can play around with the spices in the filling and use some nutmeg or ginger too, but we always prefer cinnamon.
- Baking soda. Have you ever poked your fork into a crumble or streusel topping just to find it rock hard and unyielding? Baking soda solves this problem by making the topping porous (microscopically so) so that it stays crisp above all those juicy peaches but still breaks easily beneath your fork.
- Unsalted butter. Unlike my apple crisp recipe, we are using cold butter here today. I know, it’s a pain–but just like when making my berry crisp, I found that cold butter made for a crispier topping. This is best here, since our filling is much juicier with peaches than with apples!
SAM’S TIP: If your peaches are especially sweet and juicy, you can reduce the sugar in the recipe. I wouldn’t cut the sugar too much though–make sure to add at least 2 tablespoons.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Peach Crisp
- Cut your peaches into ¼-½” thick slices. You can peel your peaches or leave the peels on–I talk more about this below.
- Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Stir to combine, then set aside. The mixture will begin to macerate and get juicy.
- Whisk the oats, sugar, and remaining dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter. The mixture should be clumpy.
- Stir the peaches one more time, then add them to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle the oat mixture overtop.
- Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
SAM’S TIP: If you dig into your peach crisp too early, it will be VERY hot and the filling will be liquidy. I recommend waiting 10-15 minutes after removing the crisp from the oven before serving. As it cools, the sauce thickens (making it perfect for spooning over ice cream!).
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s up to you! I don’t mind the peels and honestly don’t like to take the time to remove them. If you want to peel your peaches, you can drop them in boiling water for a minute before dunking in an ice bath. The peels will come off easily after blanching this way.
Peach cobbler is made with a thicker, soft biscuit-like topping while peach crisp has a crisp, oat-based topping. Cobblers tend to bake a bit longer than crisps, since the topping is thicker. The prep time is usually about the same though. Both are tasty and worth trying! Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the differences in crisps and cobblers (and crumbles!), if you’re interested.
I always refrigerate any leftovers (if I have any), but if you plan to enjoy your crisp within 24 hours, you can leave it covered at room temperature. Any longer than that, and it will need to be refrigerated. I recommend enjoying this recipe within 3 days of preparing for the best flavor and texture.
I have a few other peach recipes (listed below), but I’m looking to add a few more to my collection now that our peach orchard is producing fruit. What would you like to see?
Enjoy!
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Peach Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs peaches cored and sliced to be ¼-½” thick (about 5-6 cups) (see note)
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Topping
- ¾ cups (95 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (80 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter very cold and cut into 8 pieces
- Vanilla ice cream for serving optional
Recommended Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
- Pastry cutter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and lightly grease the sides and bottom of an 8×8 glass or ceramic baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, flour, cinnamon and salt and toss together until well combined.2 lbs peaches, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, table salt, and cinnamon.¾ cups (95 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (80 g) old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the oat mixture until it begins to clump together.8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
Assemble & Bake
- Give the peach mixture one more stir then pour it evenly into prepared baking dish. Scatter crumble topping evenly over the peach mixture.
- Transfer baking dish to center rack of preheated oven and bake for 28-33 minutes or until peach mixture is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Peaches should be tender if pierced with a paring knife or fork.
- Allow to cool at least 10-15 minutes before serving warm, preferably topped with vanilla ice cream!Vanilla ice cream for serving
Notes
Peaches
Weigh peaches before slicing. You can peel or not peel the peaches, some people don’t enjoy the skins (as they can still be tough even after cooking) but I don’t personally mind them and would rather save myself the effort of peeling the peaches. Frozen peaches are not ideal but can work, thaw peaches before using and note that the crisp may be juicier than it would be with fresh peaches.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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