The Best Peach Crisp (2024)

Perfect Peach Crisp

Our kitchen has been teeming with peaches these past couple of weeks, which we relish with every juicy bite. We know how short the season is for stone fruits, so we do a bit of hoarding while they’re freshly picked and in season.

Not only are juicy, ripe peaches amazing as-is; they’re unbeatable when baked into the perfect peach crisp. There’s something magical about a freshly baked peach crisp that’s still warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

After many attempts, we believe we’ve found the best peach crisp one can sink their teeth into…juicy and plump with tender peaches, just the right balance of sweetness, and covered with a supremely crispy topping. If you love this crisp you’ve got to try this apple crisp recipe too!

Watch Us Make Peach Crisp

The Secret to a truly crispy topping

Pulling off the perfect peach crisp is worth a victory dance, as it can be challenging to find one that’s consistently fantastic – unless you have the perfect recipe, which you now have 🙂 Say goodbye to crisps that come out overly sweet, watery, or soggy.

The topping for this peach crisp is the crowning glory. It’s notably crunchy, nutty, and golden-delicious.

Here’s the secret to a crispy crumble topping: toast the topping mixture in a single layer, prior to layering over the peaches. This allows the topping to get a head start in browning, ensuring your end results turns out with the crispy texture you’re after.

Buying Peaches for Baking

For helpful tips on how to pick the perfect peaches, head over to this peach pie piece, where we break down how you can be sure you’re getting the most out of your stone fruit shopping.

Do Ahead of Time

Plan to give your freshly sliced peaches 45 minutes for maceration, as described in recipe below.

You’ll love that this winner of a topping can be completely made ahead of time. A day or two ahead, you can toast the topping mixture and keep in an airtight container until ready to use on your peach crisp. It’s like having a prepared topping that’s ready to go.

Eat While freshly Baked

Definitely serve this peachy crisp while it’s still warm from the oven. Same day, the sooner the better.

Because no matter what you do, no peach crisp can remain crispy if it’s been resting on top of juicy cooked peaches for a lengthy amount of time. Your baked peaches will naturally continue to release more juices as it sits, which means the topping will eventually turn softer. So don’t let her wait too long.

In reality, this peach crisp easily gets gobbled up fast, so you likely won’t need to worry about it. People can’t wait to dig their forks into this peach crisp; it smells incredible while baking.

Don’t forget a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top (optional but not really.)

More to Bake and Eat

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp – whether or not you’ve got gluten-free eaters in the house, this apple crisp is seriously incredible and will make all the eaters happy.
Easy, Healthy Blueberry Crumble – here’s a blueberry crumble that’s on the healthy side, yet is big on flavor.
Fresh Peach Pie with Flaky Butter Crust – we absolutely love this peach pie, with double crust! It’s made from all-butter, which creates an extra flaky texture.
Peach ‘n Blueberry Crumb Bars – here’s the best combination ever: peaches and blueberries come together in these luscious dessert bars with shortbread crust.

Did you make this?

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The Best, Crispiest Peach Crisp

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This is THE best and crispiest peach crisp you’ll ever sink your teeth into! The step of pre-baking the topping really helps you achieve that sought-after crunchy texture. Macerating the peaches ahead of time prevents the crispy from becoming watery. Just be sure to serve this awesome crisp warm, the day it’s baked.

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Filling:

3 ½ lbs semi-firm peaches, peeled and sliced into 3/4 inch wedges
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
4 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp table salt

For the Topping:

½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp table salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 TB salted butter, cut into 6 pieces, chilled
½ cup nuts, walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds

Instructions

Place one oven rack on lowest position and another oven rack on middle position. Preheat to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Gently toss peaches and 1/3 cup sugar together in a large bowl. Let sit for about 45 minutes, gently stirring several times, to allow maceration.
Meanwhile, make the Topping: In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine. Drizzle vanilla over the top and stir to combine. Add cold butter pieces and use clean fingers to gently work it into a crumbly mixture, with small clumps throughout. Add nuts and gently stir just enough so the nuts stick to the mixture. Mixture should consist of 1/2 inch chunks throughout, with some small loose bits.
Scatter topping into a single layer on lined baking sheet. Bake on middle rack until lightly browned and firm, 12-14 minutes, giving it a gentle toss halfway through baking.
Thoroughly drain macerated peaches in a colander set over a bowl and reserve 1/4 cup of the juice – either discard remaining juice or save it for another purpose.
Whisk the reserved juice with cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Fold in the peaches, and gently stir to coat. Transfer peach mixture to a deep 8×8 baking dish. Sprinkle topping over the peaches evenly, pressing down gently if needed. Place on lowest rack and bake until nicely browned and filling is bubbling around edges, about 25-40 minutes (loosely tent the crisp with foil if it starts to brown too quickly.) Let peach crisp cool 15 minutes. Serve while it's warm from the oven.

Notes

Crispy topping can be prepared and baked ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days before use.

Do serve finished peach crisp while it’s still warm, shortly after you bake it. That will ensure a crispy topping, while preventing peaches from further releasing excess juices (cooked sweet peaches continue to release juices as it sits, which leads to loss of crispness.)

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Nutrition (per serving)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Method: baking