Gluten Free Peach Crisp

Are you looking for the perfect gluten free peach crisp recipe? This is the one! The best, easiest dessert for summer, fall, and even winter. 

When I was a kid, my mom would make gluten-free apple crisp in the winter and peach cobbler in the summer. I don’t think I’d ever had any other fruit crisp, but one summer, when my sister and I decided to try using our beloved apple topping with peaches instead of cobbler, we were gobsmacked. It was so good and has become one of our favorite summer desserts.

The main changes we made were adding a bit of cloves to the peaches and pecans to the topping – they complement each other so well! 

It’s been a favorite ever since. 

Pro tip: Serve peach crisp hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. So good!

How to prepare peaches 

Fresh, ripe peaches are always superior. In this recipe, you can use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches – whatever you prefer or have on hand. 

But there are a few notes: 

• If using fresh peaches, see this peach jam recipe for how to easily peel them, or if you don’t want to peel peaches, dice instead of slice them to ensure you don’t end up with any long strips of papery feeling peels. 
• For frozen peaches, I prefer to let them thaw before making this. Otherwise, the peaches are often not done through before the topping is brown. 
• Canned peaches are perhaps the simplest, but you need to make sure you drain them well to make sure they don’t end up making your crisp soggy. I might even skip the lemon juice if you’re using canned. It will simplify the flavor, but it will also help guard against sogginess. 

What kind of gluten-free flour to use

The key to making good gluten free crisp topping is to make sure you use flour, not a flour blend. 

Most flour mixes contain a starch. This is great for most baking, but unfortunately, when the butter melts and begins to bake, it will mix with the starch and make a gooey mess. 

So, go to the store or hop online and get some flour. 

My top suggestions are sweet white sorghum flour, brown rice flour, or a mixture of quinoa and teff flour. You can also use half or less almond flour.

Ingredients and substitutions for Gluten-Free Peach Crisp

Here’s the ingredient list for your gluten free peach crisp: 

• Butter
• Brown sugar
• White sugar
• Gluten-free oats 
• Gluten-free flour
• Chopped pecans
• Sliced or diced peaches
• Lemon juice
• Cornstarch
• Cloves

These are fairly straightforward ingredients, but if you happen to not have one on hand, here are some ideas for substitutes: 

• All brown sugar or all white sugar. I like the combination of peaches with brown sugar, though
• Turbinado sugar or evaporated cane juice in place of both sugars
• Coconut sugar in place of both sugars
• Use quick oats if you like a finer texture, and rolled oats if you like it more chewy
• Pecans can be omitted if necessary or swapped for other nuts, such as chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
• You can also use like juice instead of lemon juice
• Arrowroot powder works well in place of cornstarch
• Cloves can be omitted or swapped for cinnamon
• And, of course, you can make this a vegan peach crisp if you substitute the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.

Instructions for gluten-free peach crisp

To make gluten-free peach crisp, combine the flour, sugars, and butter until it is crumbly, then mix in the chopped pecans.   

In the baking dish, combine peaches with lemon juice, a Tablespoons of sugar, cloves, and cornstarch

Top with the crumbled topping.

Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until peaches are done and crisp is golden.

Remove and serve. 

Tips for Success

This is such a simple recipe, but I do have a few tips for you to make sure your crisp turns out perfectly every time. 

• Make sure you use room-temperature butter. Cold butter is very hard to mix in. Melted butter works well, but it does change the texture of the crisp.
• As mentioned above, make sure you use a gluten-free flour, such as rice or sorghum flour, not a gluten-free flour mix, which will contain too much starch. 
• You can, of course, combine more than one flour if you prefer; just make sure they’re flours and not starches

How to store leftovers

If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. You can reheat them by transferring them back to a baking dish and baking in the oven until hot or microwaving them, but they’re also good cold. 

I don’t recommend freezing leftovers, but if you want to, make sure they’re in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn and let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. 

Other recipes you may enjoy

• Gluten-free blueberry crisp
• Gluten-free Blackberry Crisp
• Gluten-Free Georgia Peach Pound Cake
• Gluten-free peach sheet cake

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