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? Try this fan-favorite peach cobbler or spiced pear berry crumble 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’d like to make this and bring it to a friends house for a dinner we party. It might be sitting for two hours before we bake it. Is it okay to assemble it and let it sit for two hours before baking it?
Hi Sarah, crisp can be tricky to make ahead since depending on how juicy the peaches are, the topping may get soggy. What you could do is prepare the filling and topping separately and then combine right before you are ready to bake.
Absolute best peach crisp! I’ve made other crisps in the past, and I feel like the ingredients are similar, but this was seriously a 10 out of 5 stars! My husband and I devoured so much of it we felt sick after. Hahaha. The only change we made from the recipe is that I used half the amount of white sugar called for in the peach mixture (1/4 c). We did not include any nuts. We also did put the butter into the freezer as recommended, although my husband questioned this step. Maybe that was the magic? I will definitely make this again anytime we have peaches!
Howdy. I’d like to make this prior to traveling. What do you think about freezing? Thanks!
Hi Mary Jane! See recipe Notes for details: 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.
Sorry… How much butter does the crispy call for?
Hi Kitten, The topping calls for 1/2 cup (113g).
I made this for a dinner party last night and it was a huge hit! I bought 12.5 lbs of peaches from The Peach Truck so I made all peach recipes. I didn’t peel the peaches and followed the recipe exactly including the optional pecans. Served it warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Perfection.
I love all your recipes sooo much! They never fail. And I have some fresh peaches almost ready for this crisp!! I’m not sure what the topping to peach filling ratio is like, but would I be mad to double the topping for extra buttery-oat-deliciousness? Or will that be overkill/not ideal, in some other way? I NEVER stray from your exact recipes, but I’m asking as I’m greedy for any crisp topping lol.
Hi Christine, There is a good amount of the topping on this peach crisp. If you want extra, you can try making 1.5 times the amount, just keep in mind you’ll likely need to extend the bake time slightly so keep an eye on it in the oven. Let us know if you give it a try!
I just made this crumble and it is super delicious as is! Could I sub the butter for coconut oil for a dairy free crowd?
Hi Ashley, you could try using cold coconut oil, but the taste will vary and it may come out a bit greasy. A vegan butter may work here as well for a dairy free option. Let us know what you try!
Hey Ashley! I just made this using vegan butter and it turned out great! I followed the instructions exactly re: putting it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and I think that helped.
I’d like to try this recipe but shy away from crisps or crumbles or anything where I have to cut in butter by hand. I have a pastry cutter but I have a little arthritis in my right hand and it can be painful to do this. Could I mix the butter and flour in my Kitchen Aid using the flat beater? I saw this method of cutting in the butter on TV and it seemed to work well. Thanks in advance for your response.
Hi Aly! We don’t typically recommend using a mixer as it can overwork the butter into the flour. Do you have a food processor? That could be another option, but again, be careful not to overmix the butter into the flour. Let us know what you decide to try!
I wanted to follow up on my using a Kitchen Aid mixer to cut the cold butter into the flour. I cut the butter into cubes and added it to the flour/sugar mixture. I was careful not to over mix like a member of Sally’s staff had cautioned. It was somewhat successful but I could see it wasn’t going to incorporate all the way so I stopped after about 30 seconds. I finished doing it by hand and I must say it was easier and the butter cut in quicker and without so much effort. The results were excellent as this was the best fruit crisp I’ve ever had. Thank you Sally and staff!
I apologize- I may have just sent this. Unsure if I cleared it or sent.
I bought peaches that are hard. I put them in a brown bag but they are still hard and I need to make this later on this afternoon. Do I need to go buy new peaches or will these work once baked?
Hi Nikki, if they are very hard we would get different peaches, yes!
Made this today for a ladies luncheon. It was quick and easy to make. I literally took it right from the oven and put it in a tote to take. The ladies all loved it. I think that little bit of vanilla is a nice touch to the fruit. Definitely will make again and maybe add some blackberries or blueberries to the peaches. Thank you for a wonderful summer treat!
I had company from Spain tonight and decided to try out this recipe. I bought fresh peaches from the farmers’ market, which were so good! I didn’t change anything about this recipe and it turned out so well. My friend from Spain even asked me for it. This one definitely is a keeper!
Can I use salted butter? Thank you
Hi C, if you use salted butter we would leave the salt out of the topping. You can keep it in the filling.
Another hit, Sally. I only had 2 peaches, but they were large so I made a half recipe. It fit perfectly into a glass food storage container so I used that. Recipes is quick to come together. No fuss. Delicious.
I surprised my mom with this treat and she loved it. My sister thought I had been slaving away in the kitchen all morning. And I did not peel the peaches -yay.
Thank you,
Camilla
Another hit, Sally. I only had 2 peaches, but they were large so I made a half recipe. It fit perfectly into a glass food storage container so I used that. Recipes is quick to come together. No fuss. Delicious.
I surprised my mom with this treat and she loved it. My sister thought I had been slaving away in the kitchen all morning.
Thank you,
Camilla
THIS recipe is THE BOMB !!!!! HANDS DOWN…..BEST crisp my family and I have EVER eaten !!!!! And….I wanted to share with everyone, I used APRICOTS, not peaches. We have a couple apricot trees, and I wanted to use for some baking, so pulled up my FAVE Recipe Blog, Sally’s Baking, and put “peach” into the search bar. So far, in 2 weeks, I have baked 4 of the Peach Crisps, 2 of the Peach Loaf, and next up this afternoon are the Peach Streusel Muffins. And my “Sous Baker” my little 3-yr-old Granddaughter Aurora, she loves being Grandma’s helper as well as taste tester 🙂 We will also be making the Peach Bundt Cake, Peach and Blueberry Crisp & Peach Streusel Squares (all using APRICOTS), as well as trying the Apricot Thumbprint Cookies. As Always Sally….your recipes NEVER disappoint, YOU are the QUEEN of baking recipes. A forever fan, Shelley & Aurora (Kelowna BC, Canada)
My friend in Georgia sent me a dozen peaches, so obviously, I had to make this. I made your apple crisp for my mom’s birthday when she was injured and bedridden, and boy did it perk her up. So I figured this had to be just as good and it is!!!!! I still prefer the apple because I like apples better than peaches. But there are absolutely no better crisp recipes than yours!!! Full stop!
I’ve made many recipes from your blog but I think this is my first comment… this was the best crisp I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a lot). Absolutely incredible topping- the pecans added so much flavor and crunch!! I used blueberries and nectarines as that’s what I had on hand, plus tapioca starch instead of flour in the filling. Everything else as written. Pure bliss. Thank you, Sally!
Hi haven’t made it yet; you mentioned a new video tutorial at the beginning, but couldn’t find it. There are a lot of pop-up ads going on here, so maybe I missed it. I have come here many times before, but this time it seems more busy. Can you make it easier to find the videos ?
Hi Tom, there’s an issue with video loading on our site right now. We’re working on having this issue fixed. You can always search for our recipe tutorials on YouTube as well. Sorry the video isn’t loading on our website properly!
Can 1:1 gluten free flour be substituted?
Hi Joanne, 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 find that all baked goods tend to be a little dryer when using almond flour instead of normal flour.
I’m eating it warm and it’s just delicious!
Your recipes are the best!! This was so delicious and a wonderful way to showcase fruit in season. I mixed the fruit I had in hand (peaches, nectarines and blueberries). This was amazing with vanilla ice cream. I will definitely make this again.
What is the nutrional value for the crisp?
Hi Roger, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
This is THE BEST Peach Crisp Recipe in World History!
Awesome!
Hands down the best crisp recipe! Thank you for another delicious recipe!
To freeze the peach crisp, do I bake with topping and freeze the whole thing OR do you make and bake the filling part and freeze just the filling, adding the topping when warming the filling? Thanks!
Hi Charlotte! See recipe Notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions 🙂
Can I double this for a larger crowd?
Hi Paula! 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.
I just made this and it is really good. I left the pecans out, not because I don’t like them, but because I was looking to save a few calories.
SOOOOO GOOOD!!! Just like every recipe of Sally’s this was amazing!
One of the best deserts I’ve ever eaten and the best peach desert I’ve eaten. Highly recommend.
Definitely a 5 Star rating from me.
It was easy to make and hard to stop eating it! Don’t omit the pecans (they become candied, yum’). Thanks, Jan