Showcasing sweet and juicy peaches bubbling beneath a toasted pecan oat streusel, peach crisp takes less than half the time and effort required for traditional peach pie. Served warm with cold vanilla ice cream, summer dessert doesn’t get much better than this!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. I also made a few small tweaks to the recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
This peach crisp combines a mountain of jammy, juicy summer peaches under sweet and crumbly oat streusels. It also requires a mountain of willpower to not eat the entire pan. Trust me, I make this at least 3x each summer and there are never any leftovers. It’s the *best* peach dessert. (Sorry, peach pie.)
One reader, Tammy, commented: “This has to be the best peach crisp recipe I have ever made or had. We absolutely loved it. It was simple and I had all the ingredients on hand. Was a great way to use up the rest of our gorgeous, fresh Georgia peaches. This recipe is going in my personal cookbook to make again and again. ★★★★★“
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Peach Crisp
- Showcase Fresh Peaches: This is the perfect recipe for peaches to shine during peak season.
- Easier Than Pie: I absolutely adore peach pie, but there’s no doubt that homemade pie is a labor of love. Sometimes we need a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s easier, but just as seasonal and impressive. In this peach crisp, you’re swapping pie crust for an easy oat pecan streusel topping.
- Wonderful Mix of Textures: Thick, soft, juicy peach filling + crispy, nutty, toasted topping.
- Full of Flavor: While the peaches steal the spotlight, they’re enhanced by a supporting cast of brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla—which work together to deliver a caramelized flavor you will love.
- No Eggs: Another egg-free baking recipe.
- No Waiting: You don’t have to wait for anything to come to room temperature, chill, or cool! This is a crowd-pleasing dessert recipe that you can prep, bake, and serve in about an hour. It joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
Fruit crisps, such as this strawberry vanilla crisp and my apple crisp, are the indisputable dessert champions as they only require a baking dish, fruit, and streusel. And they have so much texture in each warm bite. No need to dirty your rolling pin!
Not a fan of an oat topping? You’ll love this fan-favorite peach cobbler instead.
Ingredients to Use & Why
- Fresh Peaches: You need about 2 to 2.5 pounds of peaches, or about 6 medium-size peaches. Pit and slice them. Peeling is optional. See below for information on the best peaches to use.
- Flour: All-purpose is best here. You’ll use flour in both the filling and the topping.
- Sugar: You need granulated sugar for the filling and brown sugar for the topping.
- Salt: For its flavor-enhancing superpowers.
- Lemon Juice: The filling tastes a little flat without it.
- Vanilla Extract: I love using vanilla in this strawberry vanilla crisp, and it’s great in this recipe too.
- Cinnamon: Warm cinnamon spice and peach desserts go hand-in-hand.
- Butter: To prevent it from melting too soon and losing texture, use very cold butter. This will give the topping that incredible crumbly texture, when the pieces of cold butter hit the hot oven and melt all over the peach crisp. I take the butter out of the refrigerator, cut it into cubes, and then place the cubed butter in the freezer for about 10–15 minutes before I need it.
- Oats: Whole rolled oats are best in this crisp topping, but quick oats work too.
- Pecans: Chop up some unsalted pecans for the topping. You can leave them out for a nut-free dessert.
- Vanilla Ice Cream (for Serving): Optional, but strongly encouraged! The way the ice cream starts melting when it hits that warm peach crisp is just about the most mouthwatering dessert experience I can think of!
Want to level up your peach crisp? Try my brown butter blueberry peach skillet crisp.
Making Peach Crisp Is as Easy as 1, 2, 3
- Combine filling ingredients, and spread in a lightly greased baking dish. You can use pretty much any 9-inch or 2- to 2.5-quart baking dish, such as a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or a 9-inch square baking pan. This is a smaller size pan than the one needed for this apple crisp.
- Combine topping ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then use a pastry cutter or forks to work the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients, breaking it down into pea-sized pieces. The mixture should be crumbly. Stir the oats and chopped pecans into the topping mixture *after* you cut in the butter. You don’t want them to break down too much. This is the same way we make the topping for bourbon cherry crisp. Sprinkle the topping all over the filling. And then…
- BAKE. That’s it! The peaches release their juices, the juices bubble up, the topping becomes crunchy and toasted. And you don’t even have to wait for it to cool down, because you can dig into this peach crisp while it’s warm. YUM!
All the tasty perks of a traditional peach pie in a fraction of the time.
It will seem like a lot of topping, but keep in mind that a lot of it seeps down into that juicy peach layer.
The best fresh peaches for peach crisp are the same I recommend for other peach recipes including fresh peach cake, and peach bread. You can use any variety of peaches, yellow or white, but you want slightly firm (not hard) peaches with no bruises or soft spots. Your best bet is to purchase or pick about 10 firm peaches (about 3 pounds), then let them sit in a paper bag for 1–2 days to ripen. Some may have soft spots after this time, so that is why I suggest buying a couple more than you actually need. Eat any overly soft peaches or use them in peach muffins.
This is a great question, and I definitely want to answer it for anyone wondering. Peach crisp and peach cobbler both showcase peaches, but they have different toppings. Peach crisp includes a buttery streusel-like oat crumb topping, while peach cobbler typically has a thicker, more substantial biscuit topping. Both are easier than pie!
Fresh peaches are best for peach crisp, but you can get away with unsweetened frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re already too soft and mushy.
You can make this peach crisp without oats using most of the same exact ingredients. Use the topping from apple crumble pie. Don’t over-mix—it will become a paste if you over-mix. Use the same oven temperature and bake time as below.
Perfect Peach Crisp
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 8-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This buttery peach crisp combines sweet and juicy peaches with brown sugar cinnamon oat streusel. Toasty pecans add a little crunch while vanilla ice cream adds a lovely contrast to the warm peach filling.
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 cups (around 750–800g) sliced peaches (peeled or unpeeled)
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 2/3 cup (57g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats (or quick oats)
- optional: 2/3 cup (95g) chopped or halved unsalted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, 9-inch square pan, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or any 2–2.5-quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking dish.
- Make the topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or forks until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in the oats and pecans. Sprinkle evenly over filling.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm. You can also serve room temperature or cold.
- Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: I do not recommend preparing and refrigerating the crisp, unbaked, because the filling will become extra juicy the longer it sits. You can, however, prepare the topping up to 2 days in advance and cover and refrigerate it until needed. Baked crisp freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable/Fruit Peeler | 9-inch Square Baking Dish, 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet (or similar size) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Pastry Cutter | Cooling Rack
- Update in 2023: After making this peach crisp so often, I made a few slight tweaks to the original 2015 recipe. I reduced the sugar in the filling from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup because it was a little too sweet. I also added some lemon juice to brighten up the flavor.
- Baking Pan: Any baking pan that holds about 2–2.5 quarts is best. You could also divide the filling and oat topping up into individual oven-safe ramekins. Bake them on a baking sheet. The bake time and yield depends on their size, but bake until the topping is lightly browned and peach filling bubbles up around the sides.
- Gluten Free: For a gluten-free crisp, use my recipe for gluten-free apple crisp and replace sliced apples with sliced peaches.
- Can I Use Frozen or Canned Peaches? Fresh peaches are best for peach crisp, but you can get away with unsweetened frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re already too soft and mushy.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have a friend who is gluten free. Can I use a different flour?
Hi Carol, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
I have made this recipe with a 1:1 GF flour and had great success!
So easy and delicious! I’m not even a huge peach fan but this was amazing!
This recipe is delicious and not overly sweet. I did not change a thing. Perfect! Thank you for sharing.
I used 8 fresh nectarines from Costco when I made this today and it was absolutely delicious! I also used almond flour so it was gluten-free and walnuts. Everyone thought it came out just perfectly. Thank you for the clear instructions.
Could I substitute half of the peaches in this recipe for strawberries? Would the topping still taste good with the sub? I’m excited to try another recipe from this website. I have never had one disappoint me!
Hi Alley, that shouldn’t be a problem!
My go-to recipe for crisps. Works great for both fresh and frozen fruit. I have had issues myself with getting the butter evenly dispersed so I have tweaked it to add about ⅓ of the butter cubes directly on top of the filling, adding the topping and placing the remaining ⅔ of the cubes on top of the topping. This works so well for me!
This was excellent. I reduced the sugar in the peach filling and replaced the flour with almond flour for the topping. My guests LOVED it. It was so beautiful I took a picture. Thank you for the great recipe!
I subbed half chopped ambrosia apples because I didn’t have enough peaches. It was delicious. Don’t make this if you lack self control.
Absolutely delicious! My house smelled so good while this was baking. Summer dessert perfection! This will be my go to recipe for peaches. Easier than pie!
This was fast, easy, and really tasty. I bought 6 mealy nectarines that were almost inedible raw, and this recipe brought out the good flavor and mitigated the nightmarish texture very effectively!!
Loved this and so easy! I had really sweet peaches and cut the sugar in the filling in half. I also didn’t use as much butter as the recipe called for and this still turned out delish.
Hi Sally,
If you use different fruit in the recipe, do you recommend using the same amount, 5 cups? Or just that change based on fruit. Like say if I wanted to do all blueberries instead. Thank you
Hi Mallory, fruits have different amounts of liquid in them and sometimes that means you would need less or more, and other adjustments in the recipe. Here’s our blueberry peach crisp recipe, if you’re interested!
So easy and delicious! I used frozen peaches that I heated over the stove for about 6 minutes to defrost – I did not pat them dry before adding the other filling ingredients and it wasn’t a problem. Will definitely be making this again!
Absolutely fabulous! Thank you!
Absolutely scrumptious! Great way to use up the last of my summer peaches. The pecans took peach crisp to a new level!
I made one substitution with this recipe. Instead of peaches, I used nectarines. Not only did it come out perfectly, my husband said it was the best fruit crisp he’s ever eaten. Absolutely delicious.
I got some really tasty peaches on a road trip to Utah (didn’t realize they grow there) and found this recipe to use them with. It’s really great and for those of you who like a lot of topping there’s no need to make extra; it was on the verge of too much. I’ll definitely make this again when I get some more tasty peaches.
This is delicious!!! Good balance of sweet and crunch.
Loved this peach crisp! Got a bunch of late season peaches from my local fruit farm that were absolutely perfect for this recipe. I wish I would have read the comments first, as I would have known to bake on convection from the start. I did have to bake much longer than the recipe stated to ensure my crisp was actually crisp. Worth the wait! Paired with vanilla ice cream for dessert, then the next morning paired with peach skyr yogurt to rationalize dessert for breakfast. This will be my go-to fruit crisp recipe!
this was very poor worst peach crip i have had
Hi Mike, can you give any other feedback so I could offer troubleshooting help? I wonder if something in the recipe was accidentally mis-measured or you accidentally used the wrong size pan? Sorry to hear it was the worst you ever had.
Hi! Have you ever used a bit of bourbon in this recipe? Another recipe I found uses bourbon and orange juice but I like your ingredient list better
Hi Wendy, we haven’t tested it, but you should be able to add a splash just fine. You *may* want to reduce the lemon juice to compensate. Let us know what you try!
The measurements for the quantity of peaches are incorrect. 2-2.5 lbs of peaches is 1 kg – considerably more than the 750 – 800 grams listed. So it’s either an increase in the metric measure or a decrease in the imperial one. Of course, 5 cups is still 5 cups and almost everyone measures by volume, not by weight. I am a great fan of your site and operate a catering business that uses some of your recipes!
Hi Allan, thank you for bringing that to our attention! I think what happened is at some point we updated the recipe, going from “2-2.5 lbs of peaches” to “5 cups sliced peaches”; so, the original recipe had called for the measurement weight of the whole, unpitted peaches, while the updated recipe calls for weighing the peaches after peeling, pitting, and slicing them. I’ve updated the recipe card to remove the 2-2.5lbs and hopefully prevent anymore confusion! Thanks again for letting us know so we could fix it!
Thanks so much for clearing this up. I had the old version of this recipe and was confused because when I did the math it did not add up. I live in Germany so I work mostly with metric measurements. I was too lazy to comment and when i checked back last night was happy to see my issue resolved. That inspired me to bake this right away as I had some peaches from the farmer’s market. So delicious and perfectly crunchy caramel topping. The only change I would make would be to reduce sugar in the filling as it is plenty sweet with half amount of sugar. Thank you for another great recipe!
Awesome recipe! So tasty & delicious. So sad peaches season is ending — can you make with peaches that arent perfectly ripened at end of season?
Hi Jen, I know, peach season is the best! You can make these with end-of-season peaches that are nearing the ripe stage (firm without many soft spots).
Hello- could you make this as a blueberry-peach crisp?
Hi Deb, here is our blueberry peach crisp recipe instead!
Gluey instead of juicy – too much flour?
Leave out the oats – they are chewy rather than crisp. I would not make this again.
This is a wonderful Peach Crisp recipe. I’m baking my second one now, both made with fresh peaches. I’ve never made a recipe with unpeeled peaches before but I tried it with the first one and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. The flavours are great together including the vanilla and I used pecans both times since they add a nice bit of crunch. I’ve sent the link to my children to try and this will be a great “peach season” addition to my recipes.
We’re so glad you love this peach crisp, Cheryl!
Can, this be doubled and put into a 9×13?
Hi Niki, You can double the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan. The bake time will be a little longer, though we are unsure of that exact time.
Is it alright to substitute cornstarch for flour in the filling?
Hi Tulsi, we find flour works best here and fear that cornstarch may leave the filling a bit too gummy. You can certainly feel free to try it, though, although you may want to use a bit less. Let us know how it goes!
I made this recipe for a pool get-together yesterday. I loved your idea of putting the crisp into ramekins and it worked perfectly for our group of 8. I made homemade ice cream to put on top and it was all a big hit! One of the guests is a chef and he complimented me on it twice, so I know it was good! I made the recipe as is, but actually put a little less sugar in and didn’t use pecans for the topping. I did peel the peaches.
Yummy! Not too sweet. Nice crunch yet wonderfully peachy. A friend gave me some of her dropped peaches from her tree. Am not sure how grocery store peaches would have done, but LOVED this!
This recipe was so delicious. The flavor of the peaches really shone through.