If anyone asks you what a peach crisp is, it’s essentially the same as a peach cobbler.
This double-layered dessert of sweet, juicy peach filling topped with healthy – ish rolled oats is oven-baked to perfection!
Whether you’re going for a party or just a midday snack, bring these with you and everyone will be sinking their teeth into them in no time. Even better if you serve it with some vanilla ice cream.
Here is my comprehensive guide to making peach crisp just like my dear grandmother would. Talk about throwback Thursday!
Recipe Ingredients
This peach crisp is made of two layers: a warm and sweet peach filling, and a crumbly oat topping. The best part is that all the ingredients are available at the nearest supermarket or even better yet, your weekend farmer’s market.
For the filling, you will need:
- Large fresh peaches – The season for peaches is here! Peel the skin, remove the pits, and slice. Canned peaches and frozen peaches will also do the trick but will need a different treatment than fresh peaches. (See Expert Tips & Tricks section for details on using canned and frozen peaches.)
- Granulated sugar – Be sure to use coarse sugar as icing sugar won’t create the same results.
- Flour – All-purpose flour will thicken the peach filling and create an oozy texture.
- Lemon – Freshly squeezed to make lemon juice.
- Vanilla extract – A small dash of vanilla will make a big difference in this peach crisp.
- Dash of salt – Salt enhances the overall flavor of any dessert, especially a sweet one. Without salt, what you’ll get is a very sugary treat.
For the topping, you will need:
- All-purpose flour – This creates more volume in the oats topping and gives it a biscuit-like texture.
- Old fashioned rolled oats – Rolled oats contain more nutritional value than instant oats and give a crispier bite as well.
- Light brown sugar – When melted, sugar holds the oats and flour together.
- Baking powder – This leavening agent makes the topping (oat mixture) puff up rather than sink flatly.
- Baking soda – When paired with baking powder, baking soda works to make the topping lighter.
- Ground cinnamon – This spice adds a very unique fragrance to the oat mix, but don’t add too much, or it might overpower the other ingredients.
- Dash of salt – A little bit of salt in the oat mixture to make it slightly savory.
- Unsalted butter – Diced into ½ inch chunks.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The precise steps and measurements will be in the recipe card below, but as an overview, here’s how to make this heartwarming peach cobbler efficiently!
Step One:
First, we will make the oat crumble. Combine flour, rolled oats, baking soda and powder, and other topping ingredients in a bowl. Go ahead and use your hands (it’s way easier)! I personally crumble this mixture with my hands and find this is by far the easiest way to combine the mixture into small crumbs. Alternatively, cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Set it aside in the fridge to harden.
Step Two:
While the crumble is setting, prepare the peach filling. If using fresh peaches, start by peeling & pitting the peaches. I like to do this by blanching the peaches for 30 seconds and then quickly submerging them in ice. This is an amazing trick I learned to remove the skin of peaches without a peeler! The skin literally slides off of the peaches when you gently pinch them.
Step Three:
Carefully twist the peach to remove the pit. Slice it and sprinkle sugar onto the peaches. The sugar will gradually draw out peach juice!
Step Four:
Preheat the oven, getting ready to bake the filling. Stir the peach juice together with cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla, flour, and salt. Pour this over the peach slices, tossing them gently.
Step Five:
Layer the peaches at the bottom of a buttered baking dish and top it off evenly with the oat crumble. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving. Dig in as-is, or scoop some vanilla ice cream on top for a cold treat!
Expert Tips & Tricks
Soggy peach cobbler? Peaches not ripened yet? Yes, I’ve been there!
Before you get started, read my pro tips for a successful peach crisp.
Use a large bowl to substitute colander:
If you do not have a colander big enough for all of the peaches, simply place them in a large bowl. When you are ready to separate them from the peach juice, remove the peaches with a slotted spoon, reserving the peach juice. Place the peaches in a different large bowl.
Refrigerate the topping whilst making the fillings:
Be sure to prepare the topping first and refrigerate it while you make the filling. This allows it to set and harden.
How to speed up the ripening process:
If your peaches aren’t quite ripe yet, place them in a brown paper bag for 1 to 2 days to speed up the ripening process.
Suggestions for using canned or frozen peaches:
If you are using canned peaches, check if they are already soaked in peach juice. If so, you don’t need to use sugar to draw juice out. If using frozen peaches, be sure to thaw them for 2 hours before making the peach filling. Once thawed, add 8 cups of thawed frozen peaches into the colander over a large bowl, add your sugar and allow 45 minutes for the the delicious juice to draw out.
Cool the peach crisp after it comes out of the oven:
The peach syrup will also thicken up more as it cools. Let the peach crisp rest after it comes out of the oven, and you will get a warm, gooey sauce to go with the oat crumble. Plus, nobody will suffer from a burnt tongue.
Don’t slice your peaches too thin:
The topping takes at least 45 minutes to really crisp up in the oven, and if your peaches are sliced too thin they will get really soft, or even mushy by the time you serve it.
Storage Instructions
Peach crisp has two interesting textures that work with each other: one layer of crispy topping and one layer of juicy soft filling. Follow these storage instructions to enjoy them again and again, retaining the same textures.
To store, cover the peach crisp and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place leftovers in the oven, covered with tin foil at 350F until hot. You can also reheat this recipe in the microwave, though the oven does a better job at restoring the crispy texture of the toppings.
To freeze peach crisp, layer it in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I hope you enjoyed this peach cobbler recipe! Be sure to check out my similar recipes like:
Peach Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
For The Filling
- 8 large fresh peaches or (8 cups of frozen peaches, thawed) peeled, pits removed and sliced about ¾ inch thick
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- dash of salt
For The Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- dash of salt
- ⅔ cup cold unsalted butter diced into ½ inch chunks
Instructions
Peel & Pit Peaches:
- Boil a pot of water, large enough to submerge several peaches.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer. Lower peaches into the water and let them blanch/soak for about 20-30 seconds.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches from the pot, into a bowl full of ice water to cool.
- Once cooled, the peach skin should be very easy to pull away gently with your hands. You may use a knife to make a slit in the skin, if needed.
- Starting at the stem, run a knife vertically around the outside of the peach. Carefully twist and pull the sides apart from one another and remove the pit.
Prepare Your Peaches:
- Start by slicing your peaches into about 3/4” thick slices.
- Place the peach slices in a colander, resting over a bowl.
- Then, add sugar to the sliced peaches, stir gently, and let them rest for about 30 minutes to allow the sugar to pull some of the juices from the fresh peaches. You should end up with at least ¼ cup of peach juice.
Make Your Crumble:
- Meanwhile, make the crumb topping by combining all the topping ingredients.
- Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.
Make Your Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Once the peaches have sat for 30 minutes - place in a large bowl.
- Measure out ¼ cup of the peach juice and add it to a small bowl (you can discard the rest, or drink it because it's delicious!).
- Stir into the bowl of peach juice the flour, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.
- Pour mixture over peaches and toss to combine.
Put It Together:
- Pour peaches into a buttered 3 quart square baking dish (I used a 9 X 9 baking dish) and set aside.
- Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and top is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Made this finally with Ontario peaches purchased locally from st Leon’s market. Used whole wheat flour and coconut sugar to make it a little healthier. Divine!! So so good I could eat the whole tray! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for your message! Hearing feedback like this truly makes my day. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do. I hope you are able to try more of the recipes on the site 🙂 PS: I have almost eaten a whole tray.. LOL! Peaches are healthy, right?! Cheers, from my Kitchen to yours!
-Cassandra