The best way to enjoy fresh, juicy peaches? Warm and sweet in this fresh peach crumble recipe. My flavorful peach filling (with unpeeled peaches) is paired with a spiced brown sugar pecan topping to make a quick and impressive summer dessert. This scrumptious peach recipe is reliable, straightforward, and easy to follow, so you can feel confident making an impeccable peach crumble every time for any occasion.
What Makes This Peach Crumble Taste So Good
There is no better way to enjoy peach season than this peach crumble recipe. A few elements come together in this recipe to make an excellent crumble.
- Delicious peach filling. The perfectly sweetened spiced peach filling has a deep, caramelized peachy flavor. Leaving the peel on the peaches adds more flavor and a deep orange color.
- Aromatic spice blend. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger take this peach crumble to the next level. Cinnamon and nutmeg are the classic spices my mom used in her peach cobbler, and ginger is a warm, peppery spice that complements the sweet peaches. Always season your desserts, I say!
- The right ratio of fruit to crumble. The culprit behind a bad crumble is usually a poor ratio of crumble topping to fruit filling. I tested this recipe multiple times to get the right ratio. I even switched the baking dish to ensure the thickness of the crumble matched the thickness of the layer of peaches.
- Perfect texture. The final element is a blend of perfectly matched textures. The peaches become irresistibly soft and syrupy in the filling, while the baked nutty pecan crumble topping with toasted pecans gives an extra crunch along with the tender peaches.
If you have an appetite for more peach dessert recipes, I have no shortage of them. Try my Peach Crumble Pie next, or my Peach Bourbon Upside-Down Cake.
Peach Crumble Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need for this incredible peach crumble and the pecan streusel topping. Yum yum!
- Fresh Whole Peaches: Leave the peaches unpeeled for a greater depth of flavor. You can still make this with canned peaches or frozen peaches if you like. For frozen peaches, make sure to thaw them out first. If you have leftover whole peaches, make these versatile roasted peaches.
- Sugar: The filling has two types of sugar: light brown sugar and granulated white sugar. The brown sugar gives it a warm, caramel-like flavor. Adjust the amount of sugar depend:ding on the sweetness of your peaches, which I explain in the recipe.
- Tapioca Flour (Finely Ground): This is a thickener for the filling. If you don’t have tapioca flour, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. I prefer using tapioca because it produces a clear filling. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
- Pecan Crumble Topping: This is my go-to recipe for crumble toppings for pies and crumbles. The basic recipe contains flour, brown sugar, unsalted butter, and cinnamon. For this peach crumble, I've added nutmeg and ginger because they taste so good with the peaches and pecans. After all, pecans and peaches are a classic.
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Peach Crumble
Step 1: Cut your cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the butter back in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour, spices, (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), and salt in a large bowl until well combined.
Step 3: Add the butter. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to work the butter into the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Add the brown sugar and mix it in until the mixture resembles large bread crumbs.
Step 5: Add the chopped pecans and toss them into the crumble. Refrigerate the crumble for at least 30 minutes.
With the crumble complete, we can move on to the fresh peach filling. When using fresh fruit it’s important to taste the fruit and adjust the amount of sugar based on the sweetness of the fruit and your own personal taste. If the peaches are tart you may want to add more sugar.
Step 6: Whisk together the tapioca flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and set it aside.
Step 7: Slice each peach half into 6-8 wedges depending on the size of the peaches.
Step 8: Place the peaches in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold in the tapioca-sugar mixture to not break the peaches.
Step 9: Spoon the peach filling into the prepared baking dish.
Step 10: Spread the crumble over the peaches in an even layer.
Step 11: Bake in the oven until you see those peach juices bubbling up all around the edges of the baking dish and they become thick and syrupy.
Baking Tip: It's important that the filling is boiling or bubbly. This indicates that the fruit is cooked through and the tapioca flour has had time to thicken the fruit juices.
Step 11: Remove the peach crumble from the oven, and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes to allow the juices to cool down and set. Even with this resting time, it will still be warm when you serve it.
What to Serve with Peach Crumble
This crumble is amazing when served plain, but my favorite way to enjoy it is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Great tasting vanilla ice cream complements the flavor of the peaches and spices. Plus, the hot crumble and cold ice cream taste amazing together. For extra wow factor, drizzle some of the peach juices from your pan spooned over the crumble and vanilla ice cream.
If you want to try something more adventurous than vanilla ice cream, the flavors in butter pecan ice cream are ideal for this crumble. Whipped cream or custard are also great options.
Tips for Successfully Making This Dessert
- Choose ripe peaches: Look for peaches that have some sweetness and yield slightly to gentle pressure. Avoid peaches that are hard (crunchy) or are green.
- Slice the peaches evenly: Slice peaches about 1/2-inch thick so they cook evenly.
- Adjust the sugar: Don't be afraid to adjust the amount of sugar in the peach filling based on the flavor of the peaches and your own preferences.
- Don't overcrowd the dish: Make sure the peaches have enough space to cook evenly. You may be tempted to add more peaches to the dish, but I made this recipe to have the perfect balance of peaches to crumble topping.
- Let it cool slightly: Allow the crumble to cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving. This will give the filling time to set and the flavors to meld.
If you make this amazing peach crumble please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Fresh Peach Crumble with Pecan Streusel (No Oats)
Equipment
- 2.25-Quart Oval Baking Dish
Ingredients
Pecan Streusel Topping
- 1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter cold, plus extra to butter the baking pan
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (76 grams) chopped toasted pecans
Peach Filling
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar plus extra if peaches aren’t sweet enough
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (27 grams) tapioca flour Bob's Red Mill recommended
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 cups (840 grams) fresh peaches about 5 peaches
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 /2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Before you start this recipe make note that you will need to refrigerate the crumble for about an hour or freeze it for 30 minutes.
- If you have a nut allergy, you can leave out the pecans.
Make the Pecan Streusel Topping
- Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place it back in the refrigerator so it stays cold while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until all the butter is well coated.
- Use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until the butter is the size lima beans. You can also you use your hands if you don’t have a pastry blender. To mix it with your hands take each piece of butter and smash it flat between your index finger and thumb. Continue to do this until the butter is broken up and size of lima beans
- Add the brown sugar and use your hands to rub the sugar into the butter-flour mixture. The mixture should be crumbly and look like large bread crumbs. Add the chopped pecans toss them into into the crumble. Refrigerate the crumble for 60 minutes or place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- The crumble can be made up to one week in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.
Make the Peach Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the baking dish.
- Taste the peaches before adding the additional ingredients. If the peaches are sweet, the sugar called for in the recipe should be enough. If they are a little tart, you may want to add 1/4 cup of additional brown sugar.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, tapioca flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Wash the peaches and pat them dry. Cut the peaches in half and slice each half into 6-8 wedges (about 1/2-inch thick) depending on their size.
- Place the peaches in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and use a silicone spatula to toss the ingredients together. Sprinkle the tapioca-sugar mixture over the peaches and gently fold the dry ingredients into the peaches. Taste the mixture. If the peaches aren’t sweet enough add 2 more tablespoons of sugar and taste again.
- Spoon the peaches into the prepared baking dish and use the back of the spoon to make an even layer. Spread the crumble over the peaches until all the crumble is used up. Leave the edges a little exposed so you can see the peach juices bubbling up as they crumble bakes.
Bake the Peach Crumble
- Bake the peach crumble for 35-45 minutes or until you see the peach juices rapidly bubbling up all the way around the baking dish and a little towards the center. The syrup will be thick, dark, shiny, and clear.
- Remove the crumble from the oven, set it on a wire rack to cool at least 20 minutes to allow the juices to set up. It will still be warm.
- Serve it plain, or with fresh peaches, or with vanilla ice cream with some of the peach juices from the pan spooned over the top.
Storage
- The crumble can be stored at room temperature for 1 day unless it is very warm in your house (over 75°F). In that case, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator at the end of day covered with plastic wrap or foil.
- To store the crumble in the refrigerator let it cool completely before covering it tightly with plastic wrap or foil. The crumble is good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat the refrigerated peach crumble in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 15-20 minutes uncovered.
Leslie says
This recipe looks delicious, I’m making it now! I’d been looking for a peach cobbler recipe, this one will work - I’ve always had success with your recipes!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Leslie
Thank and I'm so happy to hear that my recipes are working for you. Please let me know how the peach crumble goes.