Name: Peach Crisp
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1/2 cup rolled oats; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour ((1/2 cup spooned and leveled, OR use 1/3 cup scooped, OR weigh out 62g)); 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 pinch salt; 4-6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (diced (start with 4 tablespoons, adjust as needed)); small handful chopped pecans (or walnuts, optional); 4 large peaches (about 1-3/4 pounds); 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1-4 tablespoons water; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The search for the perfect peach crisp recipe ends here: No tedious peeling required, just perfectly jammy diced peaches and a buttery, golden crust. Includes my favorite baking hacks for the perfect fruit crisp every time!

Overhead view of peach crisp with the peaches showing under the topping.

My favorite peach crisp recipe – made with fresh peaches!

My favorite desserts are definitely fruit desserts – BUT, one condition: I don’t like them sickly sweet. My favorite peach crisp is exactly that: Juicy, jammy, fruity… with just the right amount of sweetness in the golden-crunchy oat topping.

I always make the topping first, then put it in the fridge until the filling has been assembled. That way, the butter firms up and your topping will be crumblier and crisper, instead of seeping all the way down into the fruit.

I never peel the peaches, because I cut them into small chunks vs slices – easier to eat, and you can avoid the unpleasant task of peeling fresh peaches. The skin pieces will be small enough and soft enough to really not bother anyone, at least not in my house!

Everything gets baked until the filling is fully jammy – do not let this crisp deceive you into taking it out too soon. It’s mandatory to wait for the edges to turn bubbly and jammy, even if it means tenting with foil and waiting for an extra 10 minutes. Add a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream to a bowl of warm peach crisp, and you have the perfect summer dessert!

Overhead view of peach crisp in a blue casserole dish.

These are the ingredients I use

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredients for peach crisp with text labels.

Sugars: I like to use light brown sugar for the topping, and granulated sugar for the filling. You can use just one kind for the entire recipe though if that’s what you have in the pantry, it makes a small difference in taste and look but nothing too dramatic. I have made this swap many times, the crisp is always delicious!
Oats: Old fashioned oats are my preference here, though you can use quick oats. Not instant though!
Cinnamon: Feel free to use a mix of cinnamon and pumpkin spice! Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, I use pumpkin spice in SO many baked goods – even in zucchini bread! It’s just a mix of warm spices, so much easier than measuring out 5 tiny amounts of different spices.
Water: I add some water to the filling, especially if the peaches are very firm and don’t release a lot of juices. You need some liquid in the filling for it to be jammy and juicy!
Pecans: I like to add chopped pecans to the topping, but feel free to leave them out.
Peaches: Choose ripe and juicy, but not too soft/mushy peaches. They will yield the best taste and texture in the filling.

Let’s make a peach crisp…

… with help from photos and tips, and all the things to make sure this turns out like the pictures! 🙂 For the plain printable recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the post!

Step 1: Make the topping

To make the topping, I first combine the light brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Then I cut in the butter until crumbs form.

This takes a little time, you will need to knead the mixture or it will not come together – you want the butter fully saturating the dry ingredients, keep working it until there is no more dry flour.

If you measure flour generously, you may need to add 1-2 extra tablespoons of butter. Careful, if you add too much butter, the crumb topping may “melt” and seep down into the fruit!

Topping for a peach crisp in a glass bowl.

I also stir chopped pecans into the topping, you can skip it if you prefer but I like the extra crunch and buttery flavor they add.

Don’t skip refrigerating your topping, for the best result! Chilling it will firm up the butter, and help your topping stray crumbly instead of “running away” and seeping down into the fruit.

Step 2: Make the filling

To make the filling, start by pitting the peaches (if you want to peel them first, feel free! I never bother because I slice them small enough so the skin doesn’t disturb anyone in my family. Also, peeling fresh peaches is not my idea of summer fun.)

Cut them into quarters, then slice each quarter into pieces crosswise. I like to keep them between ⅓ and ½ inch thick.

Cut up peaches on a wooden cutting board.

I stir the peaches with the remaining ingredients right in the baking dish – no need to dirty another bowl!

Peach crisp filling in a casserole dish.

Step 3: Assemble and bake

Then, all that’s left is to evenly scatter the chilled topping over your peach filling. Then, bake it until bubbly and jammy with a golden-crunchy topping!

Unbaked peach crisp in a blue casserole dish.

The exact baking time depends on the ripeness of your peaches. If you under-bake the crisp, the peaches will still be firm and there will be no jammy filling/sauce. You MUST bake it until the edges are fully soft and bubbly and jammy.

To do this, I bake the crisp in two stages:

Stage one at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
Then, I tent the crisp with aluminum foil and finish baking for 10-15 minutes at 375°F, until the filling is fully jammy.

If your peaches still look very firm and very dry after 30 minutes in the oven, you can add 1-4 tablespoons of water around the edges to encourage the jamminess. The flour in the filling will bind the liquid, so it will not end up watery.

Baked Peach Crisp in a blue casserole dish.

Step 4: Cool and serve

Allow the crisp to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving – it’s the hardest part, but the juices need a little cooling time to thicken! Serve with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream, a scoop of Greek yogurt or just by itself!

Serving peach crisp from a blue casserole dish.

My kitchen notes

Female hand holding a white bowl with peach crisp.

I have made so many fruit crisps, and along the way, I have figured out a few very important things to take into account for the PERFECT dessert:

Topping: In my apple crisp, people frequently struggle with a powdery topping. I make these recipes all the time, and I have played around with it a little bit. I have found two reasons for a powdery topping:

1) The flour is measured too generously. I usually weigh my flour for ease and accuracy. If I scoop it with a measuring cup, I will use slightly less because scooping it yields a little too much flour. I am way too lazy to spoon and level my flour in the day to day craziness of family life these days, so for this recipe I would use ⅓ cup scooped flour vs ½ cup.

2) Not enough patience with kneading. The topping takes a little while to come together. You need to knead the dry ingredients into the butter, to fully saturate it. If it’s still powdery after 5 minutes, add another tablespoon of butter. If it’s still not coming together, add another tablespoon of butter.

Peach dicing: I have tried making this with sliced peaches instead of diced, and I much prefer it with diced. It’s really better to peel the peaches when you slice them, and I would rather do a little more dicing vs peeling fresh peaches. Also, I find it’s much easier to eat, and the peaches cook more evenly in the oven when diced.

Baking/filling: I made this several times with a filling that ended up too dry, before I realized that I just didn’t bake it long enough, or hot enough. If your fruit stays firm and the filling is dry vs jammy, you just need to bake the crisp for longer. I also figured out that it helps a LOT to tent a crisp with aluminum foil after 30 minutes and increase the oven temperature from 350°F to 375°F to really get the filing to a fully bubbly and jammy stage.

If your fruit was very firm and it’s not willing to release any juices, pour a couple of tablespoons of water around the edges after 30 minutes in the oven, then bake for 5-10 more minutes.

My idea of the BEST peach crisp pairings for serving

Ok, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some butter pecan ice cream? Yes, 100% a great match for a bowl of warm peach crisp. And easily my kids’ and husband’s favorite.

But, hear me out – if you like things a little less sweet, try a scoop of Greek yogurt with your peach crisp! It’s so good, one of my favorite ways to enjoy fruit crisp. I like any yogurt – plain Greek, whole milk, vanilla Greek, Icelandic skyr… Always a good match in my opinion!

I especially like the yogurt pairing for breakfast if there is a small serving leftover in the fridge, ha! Mom privileges.

Peach Crisp

My favorite peach crisp recipe – made with fresh peaches!

These are the ingredients I use