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Classic Peach Crisp

posted by Liz Berg on July 28, 2019 (updated 7/19/24)

A must-have summer dessert at my house, this easy Classic Peach Crisp showcases the ripe, juicy fruit of the season. Plus it’s super simple to make! But you can also freeze sliced peaches and have them at your fingertips for a taste of summer all year long.

This simple Peach Crisp without Oats appears on our menu every single summer. As tasty as an old-fashioned peach pie, but without all the work!

Overhead view of a Classic Peach Crisp on a white plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Table of Contents hide

5 Frequently Asked Questions

6 You May Also Like:

7 Classic Peach Crisp

Why You Must Make

It’s a tasty dessert to showcase sweet summer peaches.
The crumble topping is buttery and delicious!
It’s super easy to make!!

Combing through my mom’s recipe cards was pretty much a given with every visit back to my hometown. She had recipes from her bridge club, neighbors, dinner club, and more. Hmm, I think I see a family trend here.

Her dear friend, Dee, was quite the gourmet cook. It was her recipe for wontons that fostered our love for Asian food. When I spied Dee’s recipe for Apple Crisp, I made a copy and began the tradition of baking her rendition every fall. No oats, no nuts. Perfect for you know who.

Soon I moved on to other fruit, and this classic peach crisp rapidly overtook apple as the family favorite. Each bite of sweetened and cinnamon-spiced peaches topped with a buttery, brown sugar crust was pure bliss. And this is a super simple recipe to boot.

Ingredient Notes

Peach Crisp Ingredients with labels on a metal sheetpan.

Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Cinnamon, Flour
Brown Sugar – Always pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup for the most accurate measurement.
Ripe Peaches – Peel and slice. Look for fragrant, ripe peaches for the best flavor. In the winter, you can use canned peaches. Just drain off the juices and slice if needee.
Fresh Nutmeg – I use a small grater and grate a whole nutmeg for the freshest flavor. 2-3 pinches of ground nutmeg can also be used.
Butter – Salted is OK, cut into cubes.

Recipe Tips

Many peach crisps have an oatmeal topping, which I enjoy. On the other hand, others like my picky hubby, prefer a crisp without oats.

First, make sure you select the peak of the season, ripe, fragrant peaches for your crisp.
Pick peaches that have no green tinge on the stem end as that indicates they were picked too soon. Peaches harvested before they’re ready will never ripen properly.
To make the crumbly crisp topping, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and butter cubes with a pastry blender or your fingers. If you prefer big crumbs, once the topping is mixed, pinch together some of the topping to form larger pieces.
Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crisp is browned.

Classic Peach Crisp in a round scalloped casserole dish

How to Make

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Difference Between a Peach Crisp and Cobbler?

Though these two desserts are similar, it’s the topping that differentiates a crisp from a cobbler. A crisp has a crumble topping composed of sugar, butter, flour, and sometimes oatmeal and nuts. Alternatively, a cobbler topping is traditionally made up of dollops of biscuit dough, resembling a cobbled street, or a pie crust.

If you love crisps as much as my family does, check out these Raspberry Crisp, Rhubarb Crisp, and Individual Berry Crisp recipes.

What’s the Best Way to Store and Reheat a Peach Crisp?

A freshly baked peach crisp can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. As the juices soak into the topping, there’s the chance of spoilage, especially if your kitchen is warm and/or humid. After a day or two, store a peach crisp in the refrigerator.

To reheat your peach crisp, bring it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. Then place it in a 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until warmed through, covering with foil if the topping starts to get too brown. At our house, we also scoop out single portions and microwave them until warm, about 30 seconds per serving. My family goes nuts for a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top of a warm serving of peach crisp!

How Do You Freeze Peaches?

We cannot get enough peach desserts at my house, so a stash of peaches in the freezer is a huge bonus. I own a FoodSaver (affiliate links) device, which sucks the air out of the packaging while sealing. Alternatively, you can place your peaches in a zip-topped bag, seal them almost completely, insert a straw and suck out the excess air by hand.

Since peaches tend to oxidize over time, this step helps prevent the peaches from browning. But to guarantee vibrantly colored fruit in the months to come, I have come to rely on Fruit Fresh, a “produce protector” which can be found in almost all grocery stores. A granular product composed of citric and ascorbic acid, I mix in one tablespoon for every 4 cups of sliced fruit. I stack my bags of peaches in my deep freeze and let them defrost overnight in the fridge for fruit salads, pies, crisps, or cobblers during the off-season.

If a lot of juice has accumulated, you may need to add more thickener or perhaps drain some of the liquid before adding the peaches to your recipe. There is nothing better than the taste of August peaches in the dead of winter! Give it a try.