Peaches should be enjoyed year-round! Juicy and sweet right off the tree in summer but they freeze well and pair with all sorts of flavors from vanilla and ginger to citrus fruit and basil. This is why I love this gluten-free peach crisp recipe, it uses fresh peaches or frozen peaches plus a few simple ingredients.

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You really can (and should) make it all year round, not just during peach season. I freeze peaches just to make this recipe. Okay, this recipe and our favorite chilled peach soup (for when I need a little sunshine in the middle of winter).
📖Why This Recipe Works
This fruit crisp is easy to make. The soft texture of fresh juicy peaches is in perfect contrast to the nut and oat topping. Lightly crisp and not too sweet. The use of honey over refined sugar allows the ripe peaches to shine.
And who doesn’t love the retro feel of a good cobbler or crisp? Not fancy or complex just great ingredients complementing one another effortlessly.
🧾 Ingredient Notes
You can use any variety of peach you like. To tell if your peaches are ripe give them a firm but gentle squeeze with your fingers. They should be soft and not bounce back. A little wrinkling of the skin around just the stem area is also a good sign.
In this recipe, you can use fresh or frozen peaches. The key to any healthy peach crumble is ensuring there are no added sugars. Therefore, avoid canned peaches and double-check your frozen peaches for added sugar.
I can honestly say that I have had excellent results with both frozen and fresh peaches. Or use a mix of stone fruit, making this recipe a year-round delight.
For the peach filling you will also need:
- Lemon Juice- The acid in the lemon juice will prevent the peaches from browning.
- Vanilla Extract
- Arrowroot Powder- You can substitute cornstarch or tapioca starch in a one-to-one ratio. Gluten-free all-purpose flour won't have enough starch to prevent the peaches from becoming runny. See the notes in the instructions about working with these starches.
For the crisp you will need:
- Almonds- You could also use pecans for a twist.
- Gluten-Free Rolled Oats- Be sure they are certified gluten-free and do not substitute oat flour.
- Coconut Oil or Melted Butter
- Honey - You can substitute granulated sugar, coconut sugar, or even brown sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Kosher Salt- Never skip the salt in sweet dishes.
⏲️How to Make Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
Before starting pre-heat your oven to 350 F degrees and oil your baking dish. You will want something equivalent to the size of an 8x8 baking pan.
Step 1: Prep the Peaches
The peaches need to be peeled and thinly sliced and the pit discarded. Freshes peaches can be peeled with a knife. Because peaches are so soft you have to be extremely careful not to smush out all the good juice.
Therefore my preference is to blanch the peaches which breaks the skins and allows you to easily peel them off.
How to Peel Peaches- Blanching Method
- Boil a pot of water and add 2 to 3 peaches at a time.
- Boil for 30 seconds, their skins should just start to break.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches into a bowl full of ice water to cool.
- Once cooled, the peach skin should be very easy to pull away gently with your hands.
This is essentially the same method you use when peeling tomatoes for gazpacho soup.
Step 2: Make the Filling
For the filling combine the peeled and sliced peaches with the vanilla extract and lemon juice in a sauté pan on medium-low heat. Heat until the peaches begin to juice and bubble.
We are warming the peaches, not cooking them down as you would for a jam. Keep a close eye on them.
Sprinkle over the arrowroot powder and turn off the heat. Stir well before pouring into a greased baking dish.
Cornstarch and tapioca starch work in a pinch but require you to make a slurry and further heating.
I find arrowroot easier to work with as long as you remember to not bring it to a boil after adding. It is essentially the opposite of cornstarch, it loses its thickening properties if you bring it to a boil. Pour the peaches into a greased baking dish.
Step 3: Add the Crisp Topping
For the topping, you combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. If the honey is too thick to mix try putting it in the microwave for 15 seconds.
You need to chop the almonds or break them up in a food processor. Do not make the entire topping in the food processor because we want to keep the oats whole.
Spread or dot the almond topping evenly across the peaches. Be sure your oats are certified gluten-free. If you don't have the almonds on hand we like pecans, macadamia nuts, or walnuts for substitutes.
Don't worry if the filling isn't fully covered. The peaches bubbling up is part of the recipe.
Step 4: Bake and Serve
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is toasted brown. Be sure to turn once halfway through for even browning.
Finally, you need to top this beautiful peach dessert! A big scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or creme anglaise are all good bets for this delicious dessert. Use dairy-free alternatives if needed.
💭 Variations
Vegan Peach Crisp
To make this peach crisp vegan you need to substitute an equal amount of maple syrup for the honey. Alternatively, you could mix one tablespoon of granulated sugar.
Blueberry Peach Crisp
Reduce the peaches by ¼ of a pound and add 1 cup of fresh blueberries.
Olive Oil Peach Crisp
Not everyone likes coconut oil or has it on hand. I often sub in olive oil. It offers a richer flavor that I absolutely love!
You can also use this peach filling with the biscuit topping from our gluten-free apple cobbler to make a peach cobbler.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tip
If you are interested in freezing your own summer peaches for use all year long, crush up a chewable vitamin C tablet in a little water. Give the peeled and sliced peaches a toss before freezing. This will prevent them from browning.
🌡️ Storage
Any type of peach crips, gluten-free or not, is better the day it is made and served slightly warm. But unlike a cobbler where the dough can get gummy after sitting, you reheat this crisp in the oven at 250 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
Leftovers should be covered with plastic wrap or foil and stored in the refrigerator. It will be good for 3 to 4 days.
I enjoy leftovers warmed up for breakfast with a little oat milk on top!
🥘 More Gluten-Free Summer Dessert Recipes
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Both a crisp and a crumble contain a fruit base with a rustic topping. Crumbles and crisps are used interchangeably by most people. But in fact, crips have oats and/ or nuts as the bulk of the topping and crumbles have strict streusel topping (flour, sugar, spices, and butter).
Both a crisp and a cobbler contain a fruit base. Fruit cobblers have a biscuit or other dough scooped onto the top. The top puffs up a bit as the cobbler bakes creating a bumpy solid(ish) dough texture. While fruit crisps have a crumbly topping made from oats and nuts.
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
Equipment
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- 1 lb peaches, peeled & sliced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
Crisp Topping
- ¾ cup almonds, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, plus additional for pan
- 2 tablespoon raw honey sub maple syrup for vegan
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush melted coconut oil in 8- inch baking dish to prevent sticking.
- Place the peeled and sliced peaches, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Heat until peaches are warmed through and juicing. About 5 minutes.1 lb peaches, peeled & sliced, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Turn off burner and stir in arrowroot powder. Be sure to mix thoroughly. Pour peaches into greased baking dish.1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- For the crumble, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until well combined. Evenly spread the topping over the peaches.¾ cup almonds, roughly chopped, ¾ cup old fashioned oats, 2 tablespoon coconut oil, 2 tablespoon raw honey, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bake the peach crumble for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Frozen peaches work equally well in this recipe.
- To easily peel fresh peaches blanch them and peel off the skin. Detailed instructions in the post.
- Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers should be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat warm in 250 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or reheat in the microwave.
STC Norm says
Loved It! Turned out great. As we only had two peaches in house, we took your suggestion and added in 1 cup of wild frozen blueberries. Super delicious! Will be searching your site for more recipes as we too are GF, DF and heart healthy.
Jen Wooster says
That sounds so good! Glad you enjoyed it!
Cheryl says
I can't have honey or maple syrup, can i omit them?
Jen says
You can but the crunchy topping might not crisp up without some time of sugar. Or you can substitute regular sugar, agave, coconut sugar etc.
Claire Daniels says
When using frozen peaches, do I still warm them in a pan?
Jen says
Yes you do. You want to get them warm before mixing in your arrowroot powder.
Claire says
Thanks! I’ll be making this today!
Claire says
One more question. Approximately, how many coups, in one pound of peaches?
Jen says
Typically about 3 cups.
Anna c says
This was delicious. I added a cup of mango to the peaches and I replaced the almonds in the crumble with shredded unsweetened coconut. It was the right sweetness!
Jen says
Mango sounds great. Glad you enjoyed.
Emily says
This peach crumble is so delicious! I love to pair it with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Anita says
We are not exactly in need of gluten-free recipes, but the current crazy situation with not being able to get a hold of flours mean recipes like yours is becoming really precious. Also, the crumble is delicious! 🙂
Jen says
So true, we have had many comments from people trying to make GF recipes for the first time!
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
Peach crisp is my husband's absolute favorite dessert! This one is so easy to make and delicious, and I love that it's gluten-free for when our GF family members visit.
Krissy Allori says
This looks amazing. I love peaches and I happen to have some peaches frozen. I'm going to try this recipe out this weekend. Thank you!
Alice | SkinnySpatula says
I love how rustic this looks! I haven't had peach crumble in ages, so your recipe coems in handy.