Peach Crumble (With Video and Step-by-Step)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

50 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 15 mins

Servings:

8

Perfect for potlucks, BBQs, and family dinners, peach crumble is one of the easiest summer fruit desserts to make. It's sublime served with vanilla ice cream—or crème fraîche if you prefer a less sweet accompaniment.

If you’re not familiar with crumbles, they're a relative of crisps and cobblers. For this dessert, a simple crumb topping of butter, light brown sugar, and flour goes over sliced fresh peaches (or nectarines) that have been tossed with sugar, lemon juice, and a touch of cornstarch to thicken the juices. Plus, you don’t need to be an expert baker to ace peach crumble: it doesn't rise and doesn't fall—it bakes just fine if the oven is a little hotter or cooler than the recipe specifies.

The Peaches

Peach crumble is an easy way to showcase peak summer fruit. The peaches should be ripe, but they don’t need to be perfect because you’re slicing and baking them into a jammy filling. If you want to make peach crumble outside of peach season, use thawed and drained frozen peaches rather than out-of-season fresh fruit which tends to have less flavor.

Other Fruits to Use

Nectarines are an easy swap for peaches in this recipe and have a similar juicy, sweet flavor and aroma. You can also substitute an equal amount of fresh apricots.

Skin-on Fruit

We don’t peel the peaches when we make this crumble because we don’t think you need to. Not peeling the fruit saves time, as to peel the peaches you’d need to blanch them in hot water to loosen their skins.

The Crumble

Crumble topping is so easy to make and forgiving to bake. All you need is all-purpose flour, light-brown sugar, unsalted butter, and salt. Mixed together, they create a crumbly, clumpy topping that bakes up toasty and buttery.

Our fruit crumble recipe features just four teaspoons of cornstarch. It might not seem like enough to thicken all of those juicy peach slices, but remember that the topping contains flour—another starchy ingredient. The flour and cornstarch will work in tandem to turn the fresh fruit into a jammy, scoopable filling as it bakes.

How to Pit Stone Fruit

To remove the pit from stone fruit, like the peaches in this crumble filling

Use a paring knife to cut along the seam that runs from the top of the fruit to the bottom.
Twist to separate the two halves, then use either your finger or the tip of a paring knife to pop out the pit. (It should release easily from very ripe fruit but may require a bit of prying if your fruit is on the firm side.)

Making Peach Crumble Ahead

This is an easy dessert that is best the day it's baked. To cut down on day-of prep work, you can make the crumble topping ahead of time. After mixing the ingredients together, refrigerate the topping for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Since the topping freezes well, we suggest making a double batch and saving half for another day.

Baking Peach Crumble

Our peach crumble recipe bakes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. You can see when a crumble is sufficiently baked because the topping will be golden brown and the fruit filling bubbling around the edges. If the crumble starts to brown before the fruit filling is cooked, cover the dish loosely with foil so the dessert continues to bake but the topping won’t take on more color. (This technique is called tenting.)

Directions

Peach Crumble Ingredients — Grant Webster

Preheat oven and make filling:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the filling: Combine peaches, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt.

Grant Webster
Add filling to baking dish:

Transfer filling to an 8-inch square baking dish.

Grant Webster
Beat butter and sugar for topping:

In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium until light and fluffy.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster
Add flour and salt and mix:

Add flour and salt and, with your hands, mix until large pieces form.

Grant Webster
Scatter over filling:

Scatter topping over filling.

Grant Webster
Bake:

Bake until center is bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes, covering baking dish loosely with foil if topping is browning too quickly. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Grant Webster

How to Store Leftover Peach Crumble

If you have leftovers, make sure they are completely cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Crumble will last for three days, but you may notice the topping gets softer the longer it sits.

Serving Peach Crumble

This buttery fruit crumble is delicious served warm, but you'll want to wait at least 20 minutes after it comes out the oven until you dive in. It'll give the filling time to cool slightly and set up, making it easier and more enjoyable to eat. You can also cool the crumble completely and serve it at room temperature.

We strongly recommend pairing it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of freshly whipped cream, or even some creme fraiche for a tangy contrast.

Peach-Berry Crumble Variation

Add a cup of raspberries, blueberries, or halved blackberries to the peaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a peach crumble and a peach cobbler?

Both are baked fruit desserts with a peach filling. Crumble has a simple streusel-like topping made with butter, flour, and sugar. A cobbler has a biscuit dough topping, sometimes with carefully cut-out biscuits, but usually it's more homey with the biscuit dough dropped in spoonfuls over the filling.
Is a crumble the same thing as a streusel?

No, a crumble is technically not the same thing as a streusel. While both are made with butter, sugar, and flour and form a clumpy topping that crisps up in the oven, they are used in different ways. A crumble is added in a solid layer over a fruit filling for the baked fruit dessert known as a crumble, whereas streusel is scattered over a coffee cake, muffin, or pie before baking.
Should a crumble be made with melted butter?

No, a crumble should not be made with melted butter. Instead, it should be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to come to room first. This will allow it to blend better and more quickly when combined with the sugar.