This fresh Brown Butter Peach Crisp recipe is easy, small batch, and oh-so delicious (especially topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream). Fresh, sweet peaches are tossed with cardamom and topped with a nutty brown butter crumble. A juicy and crunchy old-fashioned treat that's perfect for peak peach season.
I make this peach crisp with oats to give the topping the most texture possible. As the crisp is baking, the juices from the peaches release and mix with the flour to produce a thick syrup that coats the fruit. And the crumble topping gets browned, caramelized and slightly crunchy.
Homemade fruit crisps are one of the easiest bakes you can throw together, and I consider this particular one to be the BEST peach crisp. You know why? Brown butter. It makes everything better and I truly mean that. Need extra convincing? Try these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chewy Brown Butter Blondies.
It's the perfect summer dish. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and you'll be grabbing that spoon before you know it!
For more juicy summer peach recipes, try:
- Cast Iron Peach Cobbler
- Peach Almond Frangipane Galette
- Fried Peach Pie
- No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake with caramelized bourbon peaches
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick - This recipe is great when you want an exceptional dessert without having to make a batter or a crust. It comes together in minutes. Toss delicious fruit with some spices, top with crisp mixture, bake, and enjoy!
Brown butter - Why is this crisp recipe better than the rest? Brown butter takes it up a notch. It adds a rich, caramel, nuttiness that can’t be beat.
Warm spices - Cardamom is one of my favorite spices. It is similar to other warm baking spices with a unique flavor and is a natural compliment to cinnamon. It pairs perfectly with peaches or pears, and it will have your guests wondering what your secret ingredient is.
Ingredients
- Peaches. Use slightly ripe, yet still slightly firm fresh peaches.
- Rolled oats. This provides extra texture to the crisp. Rolled oats (also known as old-fashioned oats) are larger, which equals maximum texture. Quick-cooking oats can also be used.
- All-purpose flour. Used in the crisp topping and a small amount is mixed in with the peaches to help thicken the juices from the peaches and help make it ultra glossy.
- Brown sugar. Light brown or dark brown sugar can be used. It will get mixed in with the peaches as well as the streusel topping.
- Butter. Unsalted butter gets browned to nutty golden perfection, which adds an extra layer of flavor to this peach crisp.
- Spices. Ground cinnamon and cardamom are mixed together with the peaches for a warm, yet bright spiced peach base.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
How to Choose Peaches for Peach Crisp
Here are a few things to look for when selecting peaches for this recipe:
- Peaches that have a bit of give on the outsides when pressed, but still firm overall. Peaches are that too ripe will turn to mush during baking.
- Free-stone peaches. These are in season from July-August and are the peaches where you can very easily remove the pit. The other options are clingstone peaches, and your pit won't come out, so you'll want to cut around the pit, then make the slices.
- Look for peaches that don't have any bruising. Nectarines or white peaches can also be used, just go with what looks fresh and in season!
How to Peel Peaches
If the peaches are quite firm, you can typically peel the skins with a vegetable peeler. Give this a try first.
If they are too ripe, you'll need to boil, blanch, then slip the skins. Cut an "x" in the bottom of the peach, then drop it into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to an ice bath until cool. Then, use a paper towel or the back of a pairing knife to peel the skin off of the peach.
Note that it's not necessary to peel the peaches for peach crisp or peach cobbler, so peeling is a personal preference!
Substitutions and Variations
- Add raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apple, cherry, or mango to the peaches.
- Use oat or almond flour in place of the all purpose flour in the crisp topping for a gluten free version.
- Use cornstarch in place of flour on the peaches.
- Try yellow or white peaches or nectarines.
- Make the crisp in a cast iron skillet, 8x8 inch casserole dish, or smaller individual dishes.
- Substitute quick-cooking oats in for the rolled oats if that is what you have on hand.
- This recipe can easily be doubled and made in a 9x13" casserole dish.
How to Make This Recipe
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One: Slice the peaches to a ½" thick and add to a large mixing bowl.
Two: Toss with the sugar, spices, and flour to completely combine. Set aside.
Three: Brown the butter until it's quite dark and golden and smells very nutty.
Four: Mix together the brown butter, sugar, flour, oats, and spices until crumbles form.
Hot tip! Bake the crisp in any oven-safe vessel you'd like. An 8x8" pan or even smaller ramekins will work.
Five: Add the peaches to your desired baking dish, scraping out all excess juices.
Six: Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top, then bake until the peaches are bubbly and the crisp topping is browned. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- Use peaches at peak season, June - August, for the juiciest, most flavorful crisp. Or freeze peaches during this season so you can make a crisp later in the year.
- Allow the crisp to cool for 20 minutes to let the juices set up. It will still be warm but won’t be runny.
- Cut the peaches in large pieces so they hold their shape when cooked and don’t turn into mush.
- Mix the crisp topping with a fork so there are some larger and some smaller chunks.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The cook time is long enough that the skins soften, and it’s very east to cut through and eat.
Yes, you can, but fresh peaches will have the very best flavor. To use frozen peaches, toss the peaches (still frozen) with sugar, spices, and thickener. Add to the baking dish, top with crisp mixture, and bake.
The crisp is done when the peach juice is bubbling around the edges and the crisp topping is golden brown.
The crisp will almost always be runny when piping hot. Be sure to allow the crisp to cool significantly (at least 15 minutes) to let the juices set up.
If it's still runny when it's cooled down, you may have forgotten to add the flour.
A cobbler is made with drop biscuits or pie dough, while a crisp is made with a crumbly mixture of ingredients (flour, sugar, oats, butter) that gets crunchy while baking.
Storage
Peach crisp can be stored lightly covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. I prefer to lightly tent mine with a piece of foil rather than wrap it tightly. This helps to keep the crisp topping from getting soggy.
To reheat the peach crisp, add it to a pre-heated 350℉/177℃ oven for 15 minutes (uncovered). If reheating from the fridge, it will take closer to 30 minutes to reheat.
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📖Recipe
Brown Butter Peach Crisp
Equipment
- 8x8 inch pan or a few smaller baking dishes
- Small frying pan or sauce pot
- Large mixing bowls
Ingredients
Peaches
- 6-7 peaches slightly ripe, but still firm
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Crisp Topping
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter browned and remained melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃ and grease an 8x8" pan or whatever you plan to cook the crisp(s) in.
Peaches
- Halve and remove the pits of all of the peaches. Cut each half into four slices.6-7 peaches
- Add the brown sugar, cardamom, flour and vanilla and toss with a rubber spatula until the peaches are completely coated. Set aside.¼ cup light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Crisp Topping
- Begin by browning the butter over medium heat to a deep golden brown - it should smell nutty and caramelized. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl (be sure to scrape all browned bits off the bottom of the pan).½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add the brown sugar, rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix everything together with a fork until crumbles form and no dry pieces remain in the bottom.¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Assembly
- Pour the peaches (and any juices) into the buttered pan(s) and sprinkle the crisp evenly on top (don't press down).
- Bake in the center rack, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or until a knife is inserted into the peaches inserts and removed without effort and the crisp is nicely browned.
Ana says
Really love this peach crisp recipe! The cardamom with the peaches goes so well! Perfect summer dessert!
Janet N. says
Hi, my family doesn’t like cardomom is there a replacement spice for this?
Callan Wenner says
You can replace it with equal parts ground cinnamon! A pinch of ground cloves would also be nice to add.
Made this sensational peach crisp tonight and I am now sitting down to my second bowl of it! What a fantastic recipe! Thank you so much! Doug says
I Made this sensational peach crisp tonight and I am now sitting down to my second bowl of it! What a fantastic recipe! Thank you so much!
The Cozy Plum says
Doug, this is the best review!! Thank you, I'm so happy you enjoyed this.
Stef says
this recipe is great! super easy and quick to throw together and tastes amazing!
The Cozy Plum says
Soo simple right!? Thanks so much, Stef!