This Gluten-Free Peach Crisp is one of my favorite summer desserts. I love that it’s naturally sweetened and topped with a crispy grain-free topping, so it shouldn’t spike your blood sugar as much as the traditional version, but it’s still just as satisfying!
How to Make a Healthy Peach Crisp
This gluten-free peach crisp is easy to make, using fresh or frozen peaches. When they are in season, I love using fresh peaches because all you have to do is slice them up before getting started. I don’t even bother to peel them, since there’s nutrients in their skin! (This does lend a red hue to the filling, though.)
When using fresh peaches with the peel on, I like to slice them very thinly, so that they will cook quickly and become very tender. If you prefer to skip the slicing process all together, use frozen peaches that are already peeled! You’ll just need to let them thaw completely before moving on to the next step.
Once your peaches are sliced (or thawed and drained) you’ll place them in a large pot over medium-high heat with maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir and cook the peaches until they are fork-tender.
How to Make a Gluten-free Crisp Topping
While you’re waiting for the peaches to soften up, you can throw together this easy crumble topping! All you need is some walnuts (or any other nut that you love), shredded coconut, along with a little coconut oil and maple syrup. I like to add a splash of almond extract for a pop of flavor, but you can leave that out if you don’t care for almonds. Process it all together until it’s crumbly.
When the fruit is tender, pour it into a baking dish and sprinkle the crumble over the top. Then you’ll just bake it until the top is crisp and golden.
What is the Difference Between Peach Cobbler and Peach Crisp?
Peach cobbler and peach crisp are both baked fruit dishes, but cobbler reminds me more of a “dump cake,” where you pour a prepared biscuit mix or cake mix over the top of cooked fruit, while a crisp is more, well, “crispy” on top. In my experience, peach cobbler usually turns out with the peaches and cake batter more mixed together in the final baked dish, while a peach crisp stays in layers, with the fruit on the bottom and the crisp topping over that.
I hope you’ll enjoy this flourless dessert as much as my family does! We like to top it with a scoop of ice cream or coconut whipped cream for serving.
How to make Gluten Free Peach Crisp (1-Minute Video):
Gluten-Free Peach Crisp (Vegan & Paleo)
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 lbs fresh (or thawed from frozen) peaches, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crumb topping:
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large sauce pot over medium heat, combine the peaches, maple syrup, vanilla, and ground cinnamon. Stir well until the syrup comes to a boil, then allow to simmer until the syrup has thickened a bit and the peaches are fork-tender. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit while you make the crumble.
- To make the crumble, place the walnuts and shredded coconut in the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade. Process until a crumbly texture is formed, then add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, salt, and almond extract. Process again, until a sticky and crumbly mixture is formed.
- Pour the peach filling into a 9-inch square baking dish, then sprinkle the crumble over the top evenly. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden, then serve warm.
- Store covered leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Video
Nutrition
Gluten-Free Peach Crisp Nutrition (1 of 8 servings): Calories: 284, Fat: 20g, Carbohydrates: 26g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 5g
Recipe Notes:
- I have a feeling this recipe will work well with any other fruit in season, so feel free to experiment! (And please let us know if you have any success in the comments below.)
- I love the buttery texture that walnuts add to the crisp, but pecans will create a similar result. Feel free to try sunflower seeds for a nut-free version, but you may want to add a touch more sweetener to balance out their bitter flavor.
- If you love this recipe, you’ll also enjoy my Blueberry Crisp (made with almond flour), Paleo Apple Crisp, and Paleo Berry Crisp.
If you do try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. If you make a substitution, please let me know what you tried, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite fruit-flavored pie or crisp?
I accidentally overcooked mine, but it still tasted great. The fruit mixture made my house smell amazing, and I could probably eat just that by the spoonful. Some vanilla ice cream definitely would have paired nicely with this.
I cannot wait to try this! We just got a large batch of fresh peaches, and this recipe looks amazing. Question: do you think pecans could be substituted for the walnuts? I love walnuts, but we have a lot of fresh pecans on hand. Thanks!
Yes, I think pecans would work just fine!
Love the ingredient list for this dish. Any suggestions as mine did not get crispy, even though I cooked it longer and put it under the broiler for a bit? Thanks!
I”m going to try with a Mango/Peach combo!
Made this tonight exactly as recipe asks. It was AMAZING! Thanks Megan!
Just made this . It is sooooo good!!! I topped it with blackberries that I had to use up. Will ba having this for breakfast too.
Do I have to peel the peaches?
You can probably peel them if you like. I didn’t and it was yummy. I did notice a few peels that came off but it was not a problem.
Looks and sounds so delicious! Can’t wait to make it!
Any substitutions for the coconut flakes and coconut oil for someone with a coconut allergy?
I would like to know how many carbs per serving. Any idea?
Is the calories for the entire dessert or per serving?
Per serving.
Megan, this looks delicious! I have an abundance of nectarines and this looks perfect to use some of them up. Is there something that can be substituted for the walnuts? Perhaps using oats instead?
I loved the crisp part. But fruit was too tart for me.
This sounds soooo good! Can’t wait to make it! I’m wondering if I could do it in the Instant Pot to avoid heating the oven. Has anyone tried this?
I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it might work similarly to the Apple Crisp in my Instant Pot book. I’ll let you know if I give it a shot!
I tried it, but it didn’t work out. The “crisp” was just mush. I first cooked it under high pressure for 8 minutes, natural pressure release for 10 min. Then I cooked it for another 4 minutes with 5 minutes natural pressure release… Still mush :/ Also, it was kind of bitter. I wonder if my walnuts were too old or something. I’ll have to try it in the oven next time.
Oh, darn! Sorry it didn’t work out as well in the pressure cooker and THANK YOU for letting me know! It makes sense that it wouldn’t get as crisp as the oven would, since the Instant Pot uses steam to cook, but I was hoping the nuts would still retain some crunch!
This peach crisp was SO good. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love peach cobbler and this was no doubt better than any I’ve ever had! AND I felt no guilt eating this one. 🙂
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for letting me know!
This was phenomenal. Thank you so much for this absolutely deliciously perfect dessert. I added some blueberries and it’s seriously amazing. I love your recipes and I can always trust that they come out exactly right. Three of us ate the entire thing!🤣 I’m making it again today!
Hi there~ I had fun cruising around your website/blog.Your recipe for Peach Crisp caught my eye. I never would have thought of using maple syrup, but I have to say it was delicious. I used the frozen peaches, as I already had them in the freezer. The Peach Crisp turned out great and everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!!
My first try at one of your recipes – wanted a guilt free sweet treat – oh my stars this was wonderful!
Wow!… SO incredible! It came out even better than I imagined. I subbed White Peaches as they´re in season right now, and I grabbed a bunch from my local farm. I had to use a combo of nuts based on what I had left in the cupboard… It ended up being 1/2c Raw Pecan halves, 3/4c Raw Walnut halves, and 1/4c raw cashews. As a modification, I added approximately 1/2c Coconut sugar to the crumble as well. Holy cow, I WILL be making this again!… and trying other fruits as well!! Thanks so much!
SUPER DELICIOUS! I made it exactly as stated with the last of my Georgia peaches for the year (sob!). I ended up putting some blueberries in with the peaches during the last few minutes of stovetop cooking but it would have been equally delicious without! The entire family enjoyed this recipe and I look forward to trying it out with apples like previous posters have mentioned! Thanks for a great and easy recipe! I can see myself making this often!
I just made this. this is the first desert I have made since being diagnosed with Diabetes II. I am taking it to a church function. Cannot wait to try it. I love peaches and this looks so good!!!
I just made your peach crisp! We loved it! The only thing I changed was instead of the maple syrup, I used honey. My husband and I ate way to much of it in one sitting. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made this with apples since it was all I had until I get to go to the grocery store next. Worked perfectly, will make again!
Made this recipe as directed for my brother-in-law’s birthday as peaches are his favorite- he and the whole family loved it! So good with ice cream.
SO GOOD! I added 1/2 cup of gluten free oats to the crumble topping too & it was the best fruit crumble I’ve ever tasted! Thank you!!
I tried it with pecans. It is very tasty, but it was runny. The peaches were fork-tender so I know I cooked it long enough. I wasn’t sure how many fresh peaches to use so I used 8. Maybe I used too many. Anyway, I thought maybe I should have added some arrowroot or tapioca flour. But, I wasn’t sure at which stage in the process I should do it. Bottom line-we love the taste, but would like to make it again with something to make it less runny.
what can I use instead of nuts
Had this tonight and my husband and picky toddler really enjoyed it! My husband and I liked how it wasn’t too sweet or heavy on the stomach. The only thing different was I omitted the vanilla extract just because I recently discovered I have a food sensitivity to it. This was super delicious. Can’t wait to try it with other fruit! Thank you for sharing!
I love your recipes but this one didn’t work right. The crumble was delish but cooking the peaches on the stove did not work for me. It may have been because my peaches were very ripe but I was left with a lot of liquid that never thickened up. I thought about putting a cornstarch slurry together but didn’t in the end and it came out of the oven super wet and drippy.I love everything else about it but don’t know if I did something wrong or extra ripe peaches give off more liquid. Just curious.
Don’t have coconut oil. What else might work?
Butter is the most similar substitute, or any neutral-flavored oil.
This recipe was good but a bit runny. It may be that I didn’t cook the peaches long enough?? Not sure. I followed the recipe for the topping, but I was left wanting something more with it. Maybe more shredded coconut would do the trick to keep it GF and paleo.