Peach season is one of the highlights of summer and this Healthier Peach Crisp is always a crowd-pleaser! Those gorgeous ripe peaches bake up juicy and delicious under a crispy oat topping that is gluten-free, and perfectly sweet but not too sweet! With just 7 ingredients, you'll want to make this summer classic year after year!
The Ultimate Summer Dessert
- It's Peach Season! - Late summer means the good peaches are ready, and here in Minnesota, we wait all year to buy the Colorado peaches by the case! With a crispy buttery oat topping, the ripe peaches bake up naturally sweet and incredibly delicious! Try this Peach Caprese Salad and this Roasted Peach Tomato Salsa too!
- Quick and Easy! - With just 7 ingredients, this really is the most simple and basic peach crisp recipe! There are also lots of ways to vary it to your liking, and you can throw it together in 15 minutes to pop in the oven. The perfect dessert for summer grill outs, cabin weekends, and family get togethers! You'll love this Pear Blueberry Crisp and this Apple Cherry Crisp as summer turns to fall!
- If you've got summer peaches, you'll love this Peach Corn Salsa, Grilled Peach Burrata Salad and these Peach Prosciutto Caprese Skewers!
Ingredients & Substitutions
It's still an indulgent dessert, but this Healthier Peach Crisp recipe uses less sugar, healthy almond flour and oats, and lots of fresh summer peaches!
- Peaches - Wait until the good peaches arrive! The summer peaches are really something special, and we buy them by the case! Store them in your fridge to keep them from ripening too fast, and pull out a few (or 6 for this recipe!) at time to ripen on the counter for a few days. Use ripe, soft peaches for this recipe!
- Sugar and Cornstarch - The peaches are tossed in sugar to sweeten them, and cornstarch to thicken the juice released as they bake. If you really want to eliminate the sugar in this recipe, you could toss the peaches in 1 Tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. Or you could just leave the sugar out, or use half, relying on the natural sweetness in the fruit.
- Regular Rolled Oats - Oats are the base of the crisp topping. I like to buy them from the bulk bin for the best quality and price. I use regular rolled oats, the same oats we have on hand for Almond Vanilla Granola, but you could also use thick rolled oats, quick oats, or old fashioned oats.
- Almond Flour - I've replaced the regular flour in this recipe with healthier almond flour. Almond flour is just ground almonds, which adds protein, fiber and a tasty nutty flavor.
- Brown Sugar - Just a quarter cup of brown sugar in the topping makes it not too sweet but just right! You could also substitute maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar, or make your own Homemade Brown Sugar!
- Butter - Cold cubed butter, mashed into the oat crumble, is what holds your crisp together and gives it a beautiful richness. If it's too much butter for you, you can get by with less, maybe ½ to ¾'s of a stick. You could also substitute some or all with coconut oil. Try this Healthier Mixed Berry Rhubarb Crisp too!
See recipe card for full recipe and quantities.
Recipe Variations
There are a lot of ways to customize this Peach Crisp to your liking!
- Additional Fruit - It's easy to add a handful, about half a cup, of fresh blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries or pitted and sliced cherries for some fun variations!
- Add Nuts - For a little extra crunch, add a half cup of chopped walnuts, pecans or sliced almonds.
- Extra Flavors - Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, almond extract, or cinnamon to the topping to give it a little flavor twist.
- Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free or Vegan - This Peach Crisp is already gluten-free. You can make it dairy-free by substituting the butter with coconut oil. For vegan, use a vegan butter or oil.
Instructions
This recipe couldn't be easier, just slice your peaches, mix up the topping and let it bake up juicy and golden crisp on top!
Step 1 - Slice your peaches, removing the pit.
Unless you want to, peaches don't need to be peeled. The skin bakes up soft and is perfectly edible.
Step 2 - Toss your peach slices with sugar and cornstarch.
Choose a baking dish that fits them nicely. A 9x9 pan is great, I used an oval baking dish.
Step 3 - Add all the topping ingredients to a bowl. Chop the cold butter first with a knife.
Step 4 - Mix the topping with a fork, gently mashing the butter into the topping to break it up.
Step 5 - Pour the topping over the peaches. Let a few of the orange peaches peak out around the edges and a little bit here and there!
Step 6 - Bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure your peaches are ripe! Unripe peaches are hard and will just not work! Usually peaches from the store are unripe, which gives you time to actually eat them before they go bad! To ripen peaches, just leave them on the counter a day or two. Give them a light squeeze, you'll be able to tell if they are soft enough!
- Over Ripe Peaches? - Don't worry, baking them into peach crisp is a great way to use up over ripe peaches! So if they are just a bit on the too soft and mushy side, they're fine to bake. If they are rotten, or just past the point of looking ok, toss them.
- You can use Frozen Peaches - Of course, summer peak-season peaches are going to be the best, but you can make this recipe with frozen peaches too. You don't need to thaw them, just toss them with the sugar and cornstarch, break them up if they are clumped together, and add the topping. If you buy summer ripe peaches in bulk, slice and freeze some on a sheet tray so they don't clump. Then bag them up and freeze for smoothies, or to bake a peach crisp in the winter!
- Don't bother peeling your peaches - Some recipes call for blanching peaches to easily remove their peel. This is a great method for canning, but that extra step is really not necessary for a peach crisp unless you really want to. The peel bakes up soft and is just fine to eat.
- The Right Baking Dish - I used an oval baking dish that held the 6 peaches perfectly. Of course you aren't going to have the same dish as I do, but that's ok. A 9x9 square will work great. If you use a 9x13 pan, it may be a bit thin and spread out and you may want to add an extra peach and a bit more oats.
- Use Cold Butter - Chop your cold butter and mash it into your crisp ingredients, much like making a pie crust. Those little butter chunks will melt as they bake, turning your topping rich and crispy!
- Don't Burn - If your oven runs a little hot and you sense your topping is starting to burn, the crisp may just be done early. If your peaches aren't bubbling just yet, you can tent the top with foil, or turn down the temperature a bit.
- Make Ahead - You can easily make a peach crisp a day in advance, or the morning of, wrap it well (I like to put the whole dish in a reused bread or bun plastic bag) and refrigerate. Then just bake it when ready!
- Storage - Refrigerate leftover peach crisp in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 4 months. We LOVE serving leftover peach crisp for breakfast! Just warm it up in the microwave or oven and top with yogurt instead of ice cream. It's similar to a yogurt parfait, with fruit, yogurt and granola topping.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you could substitute honey, real maple syrup, or coconut sugar for the sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. This recipe is fairly low sugar, but you can use even less if you like! The peaches offer a lot of natural sweetness.
Yes, you could make peach crisp with coconut oil in place of the butter. You could also use less than 1 stick, maybe ½ or ¾'s. Your topping won't be as rich, but it will still be good!
Almond flour is meant as a healthier sub for all purpose flour. So you can use all purpose flour if you like, or another nut flour or gluten-free flour blend. You could also use ½ cup of sliced almonds and chop them finely to essentially create your own "almost" almond flour.
Yes, the almond flour replaces the need for wheat flour in this recipe to keep this peach crisp gluten-free.
Yes, a cast iron skillet is the perfect size for this recipe. Plus it just looks beautiful!
Yes, you can freeze leftover baked peach crisp for up to 4 months. You can also freeze sliced peaches and use them to make a peach crisp in the winter. You could even assemble an entire peach crisp unbaked, wrap it well, consider double bagging it in reused bread or bun bags, and freezing it. Then just thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake.
More Peach Recipes to try!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
Follow Sungrown Kitchen on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for loads of garden recipes! Be sure to Subscribe Here for new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!
Healthier Peach Crisp
Hit the stars to rate this recipe!
Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Filling
- 6 peaches (4 cups sliced)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
For the Topping
- 1⅓ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter cold, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Add sliced peaches to a 9x9 or oval baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and cornstarch and toss well with your hands.
- In a bowl, mix all ingredients for the topping. Mix with a fork or your hands to squeeze and incorporate the butter. Pour topping over the peaches in the pan and spread evenly but don't press down. Let a few peaches peek out here and there and around the edge.
- Bake 40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Depending on the size of your baking dish, your peaches and topping may be a bit more spread out or packed together. This is fine, use your judgment when selecting the dish! If you like more peaches and less topping, feel free to add a peach. If the topping is your favorite, you can use 1 less peach.
- Make sure your peaches are ripe, a bit soft when pressed. Leave them on the counter a day or two to ripen.
- Peaches do not need to be peeled.
- Frozen peaches can be used, no need to thaw.
Leave a Reply