Easy Peach Crisp Recipe

Posted on July 5, 2025

This easy peach crisp recipe features lightly sweetened, sliced, sun-ripened peaches topped with a buttery cinnamon crumble oatmeal topping. The result is pure bliss and much easier and quicker than a peach pie. This is one of our go-to easy summer desserts, especially a peach crisp with fresh peaches.

The kids like theirs a la mode, but I like mine straight up so I can savor every bite of the ripe peaches. If you like this recipe, try peach smoothie, peach muffins, and peach dump cake.

Why You’ll Love peach crisp

Quick and Easy: This dessert can be assembled in about fifteen minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight treat but special enough for company.
Incredibly Delicious: It’s the perfect way to celebrate summer, using juicy, fresh peaches for the best flavor.
Crowd-Pleaser: A classic comfort food dessert that everyone from kids to adults will love.
Simple Ingredients: Made with common pantry staples, you can whip this up whenever the craving strikes

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Peaches: Preferably fresh. You can use frozen peaches in a pinch, but do not thaw them. This peach crisp with fresh peaches is best with ripe, in-season fruit.
Pineapple juice: or lemon juice
Brown sugar: not too much in the peach mixture if those peaches are already sweet
Cornstarch: to thicken it a bit
Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
Ground cinnamon: adds amazing flavor
All-purpose flour
Salt: just a tad in the crisp topping
Butter: unsalted or salted. If using salted, eliminate the added salt.
Oats: old fashioned rolled oats are best

How To Make Peach Crisp

This is the nutshell version. See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.

Start by peeling and slicing your peaches.
In a large bowl, stir together the peaches, pineapple or lemon juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Spoon the mixture slices into a baking dish.
Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Then, stir in the oats.
Sprinkle it over the peach mixture and bake.

To Peel or Not To Peel

Peeling peaches for cobbler, crisps, and pie is a matter of personal preference. I find the skins a little tough and bitter. Here are a few helpful steps for easily peeling peaches for your peach crisp with fresh peaches:

Score the peaches on the bottom by cutting the skin with a knife in the shape of an X that is about an inch by an inch.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Drop the peaches a couple at a time in the boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes for peaches that are not quite ripe.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and plunge them into an ice bath.
Let them soak for about two minutes before drying them.
Using your fingers, pull back the skins, starting at the bottom with the scored skin.

Preparation Tips and Storage

Cut your chilled butter into small cubes. It helps with the task of cutting in butter.
I like to use old-fashioned rolled oats. They add more texture, crunch, and flavor than their quick oat cousins.
Store leftovers on the kitchen counter for up to 24 hours and then in the fridge. If your house is exceptionally warm, store it in the refrigerator soon after it cools.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Recipe Variations

Other fruit: Mix up the fruit by replacing half the fruit with cherries, strawberries, or blueberries.
Top it: vanilla ice cream, homemade whipped cream, or caramel sauce
Nuts: add chopped walnuts, pecan, almonds, or pistachios to the crumble topping
Remove the oats: and this recipe becomes a crumble. Of course a crisp and crumble have almost become interchangeable, and you will find both crisp and crumble recipes with oats in them.