Julie Clark
Updated:
Easy Peach Crisp Recipe (Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Peaches)
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Whether with fresh peaches, frozen peaches, or a can from your pantry, this peach crisp works with all three. The brown sugar oat streusel bakes up crunchy and golden every time, and you can mix the whole thing in one bowl. Start to finish takes just 50 minutes.
What Makes This Peach Crisp Recipe Different
Most peach crisps are too runny, too sweet, or have a topping that goes soft within an hour. This one doesn’t, and here’s why:
The topping is a true peach streusel, cold butter cut into old fashioned oats, brown sugar, flour, and a touch of baking powder.
That cold butter is the secret. It steams as it bakes, creating pockets of crunch in the topping that hold up even after you scoop it. Pat the streusel down firmly before it goes in the oven and you get that satisfying crisp-to-fruit ratio in every bite.
The filling uses cinnamon and just enough granulated sugar to let the peaches shine without masking them. No cornstarch for thickening. No lemon juice. Just peaches being peaches.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Key Ingredients:
- 4-5 fresh peaches (4 cups sliced, peeled)
- Cold butter. This is non-negotiable. Warm butter will make the topping greasy, not crunchy.
- Old-fashioned oats (not quick oats — they hold texture better)
- Baking soda + baking powder (small amounts, but big impact on crunch)
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and amounts.
Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Peaches: What Works Best
Fresh peaches are the gold standard here. Peel them, core them, slice them, and you’re ready. They give you the best texture and the most natural peach flavor. Peak season is July through August, so that’s prime time for fresh peach crisp.
Frozen peaches work great but you must thaw them completely and drain off the extra liquid before mixing. Frozen peaches release significantly more juice than fresh, and skipping this step will give you a soggy bottom.
Canned peaches are a perfectly valid pantry shortcut. Drain them well and pat dry if they feel especially wet. The flavor will be a bit sweeter and softer than fresh, but the crisp will absolutely bake up beautifully.
How to Peel Fresh Peaches (The Easy Way)
Don’t stand there with a vegetable peeler. Blanch them! It takes about 2 minutes total and the skins slip right off. Here’s how.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Drop in the peaches and let them sit for 10-20 seconds.
- Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water.
- Use a small knife to peel — the skin will slide off with almost no effort.
Optional: score a small “x” in the bottom of each peach before blanching to help the skin release even faster. I usually skip it and it still works fine.
How to Make Peach Crisp
Step 1: Prep the peach filling. Peel, core, and slice your peaches into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to coat.
Step 2: Transfer to your baking pan. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray and pour the peach mixture in.
Step 3: Make the streusel topping in the same bowl. Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse, crumbly sand. Chunks of butter are fine since that is what creates that crunch.
Step 4: Top and pat down. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the peaches and press it down firmly with your hands. Don’t skip the patting — it helps the topping bond into those satisfying crispy clusters.
Step 5: Bake. 350°F for 35 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the peach juices are bubbling at the edges. If the topping is browning too fast before the fruit is bubbling, tent loosely with foil. Then serve warm with frozen custard or a healthy peach ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is My Peach Crisp Soggy?
If your crisp came out wet or the topping is soft, here’s what went wrong:
You didn’t drain your frozen or canned peaches. Extra liquid steams the topping instead of letting it crisp. Drain well, always.
Your butter was too warm. Cold butter = crunchy topping. Melted or room-temp butter = greasy topping that absorbs into the oats.
You didn’t pat the streusel down. Loose topping doesn’t cluster. Press it firmly.
Your peaches were extra-juicy. Add an extra tablespoon of flour to the filling if your peaches are dripping wet when you slice them.
What Is the Difference Between a Peach Crisp and a Peach Crumble?
A peach crisp has oats in the topping. Those oats bake into crunchy, golden clusters which is where the name “crisp” comes from. A peach crumble has a topping made from just flour, butter, and sugar, with no oats. It bakes up softer and more sandy in texture. Both are delicious. If you’re looking for that signature crunch, you want a crisp.
Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats in peach crisp?
You can, but the texture will be softer. Old-fashioned rolled oats hold their shape and bake into distinct crunchy clusters. Quick oats absorb more moisture and give you a finer, less crunchy topping. If old-fashioned oats are what you have, use them, but go old-fashioned if you can.
Do I need to peel peaches for peach crisp?
Technically no, and I didn’t when I made the recipe for this article. But the texture is smoother if you do. Blanching (10-20 seconds in boiling water, then ice water) makes peeling fast and easy.
Can I make peach crisp ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the crisp (filling + streusel) up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it unbaked, covered. Bake straight from the fridge but add 5 minutes to the bake time. You can also bake it earlier in the day and serve at room temperature or reheat.
Can you use canned peaches in peach crisp?
Yes! Drain the canned peaches well before using. The crisp will be slightly sweeter and the peaches a bit softer, but it bakes up beautifully, especially in winter when fresh peaches aren’t available.
Peach Crisp Variations
Peach Blueberry Crisp: Add 1 cup of fresh blueberries to your peach filling. The blueberries break down into a jammy purple sauce that runs through the golden peaches. If you love this combo, try our peach blueberry cake and peach blueberry cobbler for your next summer celebration.
Peach and Brown Sugar with Pecans: Stir ⅓ cup of chopped pecans into the streusel topping before baking. Adds a buttery crunch and a slightly Southern feel.
Skillet Peach Crisp: Make this in a 10-inch cast iron skillet instead of an 8×8. It goes from oven to table in the pan, which is a great move for cookouts or potlucks. Plus it looks beautiful! See our strawberry crisp in cast iron.
Single-Serve Peach Crisp: Divide the recipe among 4-6 ramekins and reduce bake time to about 20-25 minutes. Great for dinner parties paired with our vanilla pudding.
Storage and Reheating
Room temperature: Peach crisp can sit covered at room temperature for up to 2 hours after baking.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The topping will soften as it sits, but that’s normal.
To reheat: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or warm the whole dish uncovered in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes to help the topping re-crisp.
Can you freeze peach crisp? Yes. Freeze fully baked crisp tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat uncovered in the oven.
Recipes to Make with Fresh Peaches
If you’re in the middle of peach season with more peaches than you know what to do with, we’ve got you. Peach bread is a great quick bread that uses 2 cups of fresh peaches and comes together in under an hour.
Our peach cobbler is the classic biscuit-style topping over warm spiced peaches.
For something lighter, try the Grilled Peach & Bacon Salad, the summer salad I make every single year. Or dip your tortilla chips in our peach salsa.
You’ll also love our peach cinnamon rolls and peaches and cream cake.
Easy Peach Crisp Recipe
Fresh, frozen, or canned peaches all work in this foolproof crisp. The brown sugar oat topping bakes up crunchy every single time.
Servings 9
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cups freshly sliced peaches (4-6 peaches, peeled, cored and sliced)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup cold salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8×8" baking pan with cooking spray.
- Place the peeled and sliced peaches in a medium-size bowl. Sprinkle the sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon over the peaches and mix. 4 cups freshly sliced peaches, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pour the peach filling into the prepared pan.
- Using the same bowl that you mixed the peaches in, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, soda and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. ½ cup old-fashioned oats, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ cup cold salted butter
- Sprinkle the oat streusel on top of the peach mixture. Pat the streusel topping down firmly with clean hands before baking. This helps it form crunchy clusters.
- Bake until deep golden brown and peach juices are bubbling at the edges, about 35 minutes.
Video
Notes
- 4 cups fresh peeled sliced peaches (about 4-5 medium). For frozen: thaw and drain completely. For canned: drain and pat dry.
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats for best crunch. Quick oats will give a softer topping.
- Butter must be cold. Cut into small cubes straight from the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 144mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 4.5mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.8mg
I made this wonderful crisp today – we had it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This is a fantastic peach crips. We add two more peaches and 1 more Tablespoon of all purpose flour. Not to sweet and the peach flavor is wonderful.
So very delicious!!!
At any point can this be frozen for later baking??
Very good. I took out some of the flour in the topping and added granola and it make the topping really crispy.
I am wanting to make this however I do not have baking soda. Can I double up on baking powder?