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This peach crumble recipe is full of bold, juicy flavor! No one will be able to resist the sweet fruit and golden spiced topping.
Here’s a nostalgic dessert that’s easy to whip up and full of bold flavor: this Peach Crumble recipe! Imagine: a layer of juicy, tender peaches seasoned with vanilla and lemon juice. It’s topped with a golden crumble layer spiced with cinnamon and ginger that’s got just the right amount of crispness and irregular crumble pieces. Top with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and it’s an incredible treat. It’s become a favorite in our family rotation of summer desserts!
Ingredients in this peach crumble recipe
What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp? Technically speaking, a crisp has oats or nuts in the topping, whereas a crumble has just butter, flour and sugar. However, the lines have blurred in modern definitions so you’ll now see a lot of crumble recipes with oats. We already have this delicious Peach Crisp recipe, so we wanted to try out a true “peach crumble” here. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ripe peaches (or canned unsweetened peaches in the off season)
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- Unsalted butter
- All purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Baking powder
- Salt
How to ripen peaches
It’s important to have ripe peaches for any peach dessert recipe to make sure the dessert comes out sweet enough. Do not attempt this peach crumble recipe with anything but beautifully ripe peaches! Give your peaches a gentle squeeze: it should be slightly soft to the touch. If the peaches feel firm, you’ll need a few days. Here’s how to ripen peaches:
- Place the peaches in a paper bag.
- Add a banana inside the bag. The banana emits ethylene gas, which helps the peaches ripen at the same time.
- Gently close the top of the bag and wait 1 to 3 days, depending on the ripeness of the peaches. Check each day by gently squeezing the fruit to see if the flesh feels soft.
Or, use canned peaches in the off season
We prefer this peach crumble recipe with fresh, ripe peaches. But if it’s the off season and you’re dying for a peach crumble, canned peaches work too! Just make sure that the can says unsweetened peaches or “no sugar added” somewhere on the label. Use sweetened peaches and this will come out much too sweet. You can also use frozen fresh peaches or frozen peaches here (you may want to add a bit more sugar for storebought frozen peaches).
Peel the peaches with the boiling water method
If you don’t mind cooked peach skin in your desserts, you can skip this step. But we think it technically makes a better peach cobbler because the texture of the fruit is smoother. To peel peaches, don’t whip out a vegetable peeler! Simply place them in boiling water for 45 seconds, then move them to ice water for about 1 minute. Use a sharp knife to pierce the skin, then use your fingers to pull it off in sheets. It’s so simple!
Serving this peach crumble
When it comes to peach desserts, here’s the thing: most of them taste better with vanilla ice cream. This isn’t always the case with other fruit desserts, but the combination of peaches plus sweet cream is to die for. Of course, you can use other things too! Here are a few ideas for how to serve peach crumble:
- Vanilla ice cream: purchased or homemade
- Whipped cream: homemade or yogurt whipped cream (or dairy-free whipped cream for vegan)
- Creme fraiche: purchased or homemade
- Cream sauce: try this Creme Anglaise recipe
Leftover storage info
Want to save this peach crumble? This dessert saves well at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen.
- It can stand for 1 day loosely covered at room temperature. This helps to maintain the crumble texture.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days. It holds up pretty well in the fridge, and tastes even better when reheated.
- Freeze up to 3 months. Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the topping is crisped.
More peach desserts
Love a great peach dessert? Here are a few more recipes you’ll love:
- Try this showy Peach Galette
- Go for creamy Peach Ice Cream
- Blend up a frosty Peach Sorbet or make a Peach Compote to go over ice cream
- Make the Perfect Peach Crisp
This peach crumble recipe is…
Vegetarian. For vegan, use vegan butter.
Easy Peach Crumble
This peach crumble recipe is full of bold, juicy flavor! No one will be able to resist the sweet fruit and golden spiced topping.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 5 cups sliced ripe peaches (2 pounds; about 6 medium or 2 16-ounce cans unsweetened peaches*)
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegan butter)
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel the peaches (or skip if desired): Prepare a medium saucepan of boiling water. Drop 3 peaches into the pot so that the water fully covers them and boil for 45 seconds. Remove the peaches from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Drop in the next batch and repeat. Once the peaches are cooled, use a sharp knife to puncture the skin of the peach, then peel it off in large sheets with your fingers. Repeat until all peaches are peeled.
- Make the filling: Slice the peaches. In a medium bowl, mix them with ½ cup of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Then pour the filling into a round 9-inch pie pan, 9 x 9 inch baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish.
- Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ½ cup sugar and the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and kosher salt with a fork. Pour in the melted butter while mixing with the fork until all the butter integrates and a crumbly mixture forms. Use your fingers to sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the peach filling.
- Bake: Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 1 hour, then serve. You can leave it out on the counter for up to 1 day, with a loose cover of foil or a towel to allow for air flow. After 1 day, refrigerate any leftovers. It also freezes well for several months in a sealed container; reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the topping is crisp.
Notes
*This peach crumble is best with fresh peaches, but in the offseason you can use canned unsweetened peaches (no sugar added).
I made this recipe today – the first time I’ve ever had Peach Crumble – & it didn’t disappoint. The crumble topping is beautifully spiced without being overdone. I used a combination of half butter & half coconut oil to bind it & it turned out so well.
There’s only one thing I’d do differently next time & that’s retain all the peach juices. The recipe didn’t say either way & I wasn’t sure, so I discarded about a quarter of the natural liquid because I was concerned the filling would be too wet. So my filling could have been a little more moist. But other than my own error, this recipe gets top marks from me. A simple, honest, homestyle dessert that I’ll definitely be making again.
Hi again, Alex & Sonja…Sorry, I just read the recipe again & noticed the serving size was 8 not 4 as I automatically assumed. That sounds totally comfortable.
Out of curiosity, though, what is the approx. serving size in cup measure-ments? And, would coconut oil work as a binding agent substitute for the crumble, do you suppose?
Maree
Coconut oil would work fine as a substitute. I’d say the serving size is about 1/2 cup.
Hi, I’d really like to try this recipe & feel the overall ingredients sound delicious but, as an Australian, it sounds like a lot of sugar & butter to me (compared to what we’re accustomed to feeling comfortable with here …). Can you recommend a likely successful starting point for reduced sweetness & calories from fat?
With thanks,
Maree
Hi!
You could halve the amount of topping and have it be more sprinkled on if you wanted. Jealous you can get peaches right now :)
Made this last night and OMG so amazing! Perfect crumble texture. I raised it one shelf in the oven for the last 10 minutes to get that crisp crumble. I’ve tried a million of these types of recipes and this is now my fave crumble ☺️
I’ve been married 50 years so I’ve made a lot of desserts! This one rates in the top 5. We get wonderful summer peaches from Fredericksburg, Texas. They are quite famous. Those yummy peaches and this recipe are a little piece of heaven. I served it with Texas’s popular Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it exactly as written except for adjusting the ingredients to 3 cups of peaches.
So glad you enjoyed it! :)