This cake-like and moist peach quick bread comes together with a simple batter, juicy peaches, and a brown sugar crumb topping. Mix the peaches with cinnamon and sugar before layering and swirling into the batter just like you do when making peach Bundt cake. While there’s a few bowls to dirty, you just need a handful of basic ingredients and there’s no mixer required.
Is it bread? Crumb cake? Dessert cake? This recipe dances a few lines because it tastes satisfying alongside coffee, as an afternoon treat, or warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish off a meal. I always appreciate a versatile baked good and know you do too!
Peach Bread Details
There are 3 components to this peach bread recipe: Quick Bread Batter, Cinnamon Sugar Peaches, & Crumb Topping.
- Flavor: If you need a recipe where your freshly-picked peaches will shine, bake this bread. Sweet peaches and cinnamon ripple the center, but even the bites without peaches stand out. I wanted the entire slice to be equally delicious and exciting, so I flavored the bread with vanilla and a touch of almond extract and topped it all with brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping. (It gives peach crumble pie and peach crisp vibes!)
- Texture: In terms of texture, this peach quick bread is nestled somewhere between banana bread and white cake. I’d say it’s closer to apple cinnamon bread and zucchini bread. It’s not particularly dense, nor is it too light. You’ll enjoy its wonderfully soft crumb that holds up to the heavy peaches inside. The crumb surrounding the peaches is certainly moist and could become wet overtime, so I recommend storing the bread in the refrigerator after day 1.
- Ease: If you’ve ever made peach pie, you know that peeling and chopping slippery peaches can be tricky. But besides that, this is an easy summer baking recipe that bakers of any skill level can complete. A pastry cutter is helpful for the crumb topping, but you can use a fork or even your hands. Take your time putting the different components together and you’ll be rewarded with a loaf of success.
Recipe Testing This Peach Bread
Before you begin this peach quick bread recipe, let me explain how I put it together. I started testing this recipe with my peach muffins batter as the base, a recipe similar to this blueberry muffin bread. The bread portion was fine, but anywhere there was a peach, it was heavy and wet—not moist, wet. I assure you it was baked through, too. It’s a thinner batter, which did no favors for the heavy peaches.
I switched directions and took a closer look at this peach Bundt cake, which is oil-based and a scaled up version of cinnamon swirl quick bread. The crumb is light, but still strong enough to hold up the fruit. I played around with the leaveners and 1 teaspoon baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon baking soda produced a lovely springy crumb. Sour cream adds moisture without thinning out the batter. The peaches stay elevated and while the crumb around the peach chunks is moist, it’s not wet. (As long as you bake the bread long enough.)
In Pictures: How to Make Peach Bread
In the printable recipe below, I recommend making the crumb topping first and placing it in the refrigerator until you need it. The colder it is, the more likely it will hold its crumbly texture. If the crumb topping is warm going into the oven, it will melt and virtually disappear into the bread’s top crust. After that, prepare your quick bread batter and peaches, and then assemble the bread before baking.
The most important step of this peach bread recipe is layering and swirling in the peaches. As noted in the printable recipe below, mix the peach chunks with some sugar and cinnamon. Spread half of your quick bread batter into the prepared loaf pan, all of the peaches (with any liquid they produced), and then the remaining batter. Swirl everything together so you have this delicious ribbon of cinnamon, sugar, and peaches throughout. This is exactly how we assemble apple cinnamon bread, too.
Feel free to skip the crumb topping (or leave it!) and top the baked and cooled bread with vanilla icing. We use the same icing for peach bars, too. If you love the idea of fresh peaches, streusel topping, and sweet vanilla icing, you must give peach bars a try next!
Extra fresh summer strawberries on your hands? Strawberry bread is another excellent way to enjoy seasonal fruits in quick bread form.
Peach Quick Bread Success Tips
- Best ripeness: The best fresh peaches to use are the same I recommend for other peach recipes including peach cake, peach cobbler, and peach crisp. 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 4 firm peaches, then let them sit in a paper bag for 1-2 days to ripen. Some may have soft spots after this time, so that’s why I suggest having a couple more than you need. Eat the others!
- Cut peaches into bite-size pieces and do not mix them with flour. There’s only about 2 peaches in this bread but if you chop them up small enough, you’ll enjoy dozens of chunks throughout. I recommend peeling and chopping the peaches into bite-size 3/4 inch pieces. Do not mix the peach chunks with flour in an effort to keep them drier or elevated inside the bread—the bread will be gooey.
- The bread will fall apart if you slice it warm. Peaches make these bread delicate, so the bread slices will fall apart if you cut it warm. Let the bread cool completely before slicing and serving. If you want to enjoy it warm, heat up the slices in the microwave.
Peach Quick Bread
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This cake-like and moist peach quick bread comes together with a simple batter, juicy peaches, and a brown sugar crumb topping. Feel free to turn this recipe into muffins or mini loaves. See recipe notes below.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Bread
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream (or plain yogurt/Greek yogurt), at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Peach Layer
- 1 and 1/2 cups (about 230g) peeled and chopped peaches (about 2 medium-large peaches)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Crumb Topping: Make the crumb topping first. Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into the brown sugar mixture until pea-size crumbles form. You can also use your hands to mix it together. Refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to use in step 5. (The colder it is, the less likely it will sink down into the bread and lose its crumbly texture.)
- Bread: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and granulated sugar together until combined. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk to completely combine. Avoid over-mixing. You will have about 3 cups of batter.
- Peaches: Mix the peach layer ingredients together.
- Pour/spread half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. Spoon/spread the peaches (and any juices) evenly on top. Carefully pour/spread remaining batter evenly on top. Using a knife, swirl the batter down the center of the loaf pan. Evenly sprinkle crumb topping on top.
- Bake the bread for 60-65 minutes, covering loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Oven times will vary between ovens. My bread usually takes 1 hour. Cool bread completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Once completely cooled, slice and serve. The portions of bread around the peaches can taste gummy since peaches are so wet, but warming a slice up in the microwave for 10 seconds helps. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Peaches: Cut peeled peaches into (about) 3/4 inch chunks. Here is the vegetable peeler I use and love. Fresh peaches are best, but you can use frozen chopped peaches if desired. For best results, thaw peaches first. Blot dry as much as you can before mixing with sugar and cinnamon in step 4. Feel free to substitute nectarines or apricots. Do not use canned peaches because they are too wet.
- Sour Cream & Milk: It’s best to use a mix of sour cream (or yogurt) and whole milk here. I do not recommend using 1 cup buttermilk to replace both because the batter will be thin and the bread will taste wet. Lower fat or nondairy milks work as a substitute for the 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk in a pinch.
- Muffins: Feel free to try my peach streusel muffins, which are exceptionally cake-like and buttery. You could also use today’s bread batter to make peach muffins. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. You will need a 2nd pan for 2-3 additional muffins because this recipe yields around 14-15. (Or bake in batches.) Instead of mixing the peaches with cinnamon and sugar and swirling into the batter as noted in the recipe above, mix the chopped peaches with only the cinnamon and fold directly into the batter after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together in step 3. Fill muffin liners to the top with peach batter. Press crumb topping lightly into the tops of each. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-22 minutes, give or take. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 14-15 muffins.
- Mini Loaves: You can use this batter to make mini peach breads. Follow the recipe above as written, dividing the batter/peaches/topping between your mini loaf pans. Swirl batter and peaches together as instructed above. Bake time and yield depends on the size of your mini loaf pan. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Keywords: peach bread
It says to let the bread cool completely in pan, will it come out of the pan after it is completely cooled?
Hi Holly, as long as you sprayed your pan, it should be fine!
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Can I use buttermilk?
Hi Corinne, you can use buttermilk to replace the milk, but we do not recommend using it to replace both the milk and sour cream, as it will make the batter too thin. See recipe Notes for more details.
My sons were skeptical of eating this bread but once they tried it the first loaf was consumed before I could even get a bite. Made a second one to freeze for the future – it didn’t make it to the freezer. Making two more today to try to get one in the freezer – not sure that will happen. I may even run out of peaches. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
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I did try this with homemade almond milk and vegan Greek yogurt. The crumb was VERY dry, the batter was super thick and I had a hard time swirling the peaches. I had a cake with a row of yummy peaches sandwiched in the middle. Definitely will use a higher fat milk next time and/or supplement with more liquid.
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I love this recipe! We have amazing Palisade peaches in CO! This recipe is perfect to highlight them. Thank you
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Hi Sally, I made this as a cake in a 9×9 pan. It was excellent but we couldn’t eat it fast enough and it got soggy. Can I cut the recipe in half? Not sure how to use half of an egg! Thanks!
You bet! Our general rule for halving an egg is to crack it open, beat the yolk and white together with a fork, measure the volume (should be a few Tbsp), then use half.
This was delicious! This is the perfect recipe to make currently in Colorado, since it is peach season, and the cinnamon in the recipe makes the flavor warm and cozy, great for the beginning of fall. Even if this didn’t have the peaches, the cake and crumb could make potentially one of the best coffee cakes I’ve ever had! Thank you for your recipes!
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This bread was such a hit in my house! It was also a great dessert to make without having to peel and chop 5+ peaches.
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Hi Sally,
After reading your write up and the reviews, I’m excited to make this recipe! One question – can I substitute avocado oil for the vegetable oil? I could also use EVOO as others suggested, but thought avocado oil would be lighter? Thank you!
We haven’t tested avocado oil but let us know if you do!
Peach Quivk Bread was a recipe of perfection. Appreciated the added info of how and why it should be done a certain way. It made the baking process educational as well as successful! And excellent tasting too! Thank you!
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Has anyone tried making it with canned peaches? Just curious…cause here in Japan….ONE PEACH costs about $5-$7 USD. ONE. PEACH…… Way too expensive to use them for this….and they are really juicy peaches, so maybe not the type for it. This recipe sounds yummy, so maybe I’ll try with canned peaches…drained and let to dry a bit…? I don’t know…but it sounds so good. I understand that it may be a goopy mess, but can always try.
Hi Ayumu, canned peaches, even if drained, are still quite wet and not recommended in this bread. See recipe Notes for more details.
Just tried it with canned peaches and it works just fine! I did add 1cup of corn starch to the peach mix
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I absolutely love this Peach Quick Bread!! So good!!!
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Loved this sweet bread! I have a small bed and breakfast here in Sunny Spain and I love to welcome people with some cake and a cuppa of course! This is a great addition to my sweet bread list. I used fresh un peeled local peaches cut small, plus some raspberries to make up the 1.5 cups. Lovely, very nice. Of course I made two loaves,, I mean why make one when you can make two!! I freeze in two slice portions.
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Hi Garry, we’re so glad you love the recipe enough to use it to help welcome your guests! The addition of raspberries sounds delicious.
Hi Sally, Can I replace peaches for pears?
Hi Diana, I can’t see why not!
I followed the recipe except for 1) full fat Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream 2) cinnamon sugar topping instead of crumbs. Baked the bread in a ceramic tea loaf pan, 45 minutes at 325. Bread tastes like summer and is moist and not too sweet. Next time might sub nutmeg for almond.
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Have you used this recipe with rhubarb? I have been dying for a good rhubarb recipe. Seems like it would bake very similar.
Rhubarb would be great here!
Can it be made dairy free?
Hi Raelyn, we haven’t tested this peach bread with dairy-free alternatives but let us know if you do!
Is. 10×5 loaf pan too large to use to bake this Quick Peach Bread?
Hi Teresa, the loaf will be a bit shorter, and bake time may be a few minutes shorter, too. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I would imagine the skin can be left on the peaches if one wants?
Hi Mary! Yes, you can leave it on if you prefer.
This is fantastic. I used fresh frozen peaches……bought last summer and frozen sliced. I defrosted them about 80% on paper towels and dried from the top. I spread the peach pieces on half the batter then sprinkled the cinnamon/sugar on them and finished the recipe. That way the sugar did not have time to juice the fruit. Worked perfectly. Love every recipe of yours I make.
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Can I use canned peaches for this recipe? If so, would you suggest I drained the juices?
Hi Suki, we don’t recommend canned peaches, even if drained, because they are much too wet. Fresh peaches are best, but you can use frozen in a pinch. See recipe Notes for details.
Would replacing the sugar with honey make this batter too wet?
Hi Lola, we’re afraid so — it would require some recipe testing to successfully incorporate honey into this recipe. It’s best to stick with granulated sugar here.
This was delicious!, and easy to make.
If I made it a littler sweeter would that affect the other ingredients and what would you recommend as additional sweetener- just add more sugar?
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Hi Donna, you could try adding another 1/4 cup of sugar to make it sweeter, with no change to the other ingredients.
Delicious recipe! I cut the sugar in the bread dough and the peach layer, and topped it with coarse sugar instead of the crumb topping. Tastes delicious warmed in a toaster oven.
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Great recipe! I loved it! Thanks!
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Made muffin adaptation this morning with the best peaches in years…..from Costco! I had to sub EVOO as all I had. I cut sugar by about 2 Tbls too. Best muffins!
How long does it take to get items to “room temperature”?
Hi Evelyn! That will depend on the temperature of your baking environment. Usually around an hour is good – here’s more information about baking with room temperature ingredients.
I haven’t made this, but it sounds delicious. I do not have any almond extract. Any suggestions on what I can do to substitute, or can I omit all together?
Hi April, you can omit it without any other changes. Enjoy!
Hi! Can I use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil?
Thank you!
Hi Ashley, melted coconut oil should work in place of the vegetable oil. Taste may be slightly different. Enjoy!
Does this bread freeze well? It sounds delicious, and will definitely be making some. I have lots and lots of peaches.
Absolutely! See recipe notes: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
I used olive oil as I had no other oil. Worked fine!