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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):
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 just want to say that this is a homerun! My husband is very critical and he really liked it! Thanks for your recipes.
I’ve made this twice in 10 days now its so delicious(and guilt free)! I didn’t have enough peaches the first time, so I subbed a bunch of small macoun apples I had and it turned out so good 🙂 I made more today and have it cooling on the counter right now, but I used more peaches this time and 2 small macouns I needed to use up and 1 large Fuji apple. The pan is more full this time and I can hardly wait to let it cool enough to eat!
This looks great! However, I’m counting calories…would you have the calorie count for this or any of your other recipes?
You can always enter recipes on SparkPeople.com and get calorie counts.
I couldn’t believe how wonderful this tasted. My wife and I had to stop ourselves from eating all of the crumble before I put it on the top. I froze a box of Palisdaes peaches from Colorado this Summer so we’ll be able to enjoy this dish through most of the Winter.
Update: Made this today for my father’s birthday who suffered a stroke last year. I only had mixed frozen berries on hand, and it was delicious. Thank you much for these inspirational and healthy recipes, God bless you!
Tried the recipe with apples and chai spices. It was amazing with the hint of coconut! So excited for your cookbook.
Hi Shay!
Just curious how many apples you used in your recipe? I want to try as well! Thank you!
Hi Samantha
I wish I could remember how many apples I used, sorry. I just used what I had in the fridge (3-4 apples?) cooked them all, filled the 9 inch pan and put the remaining in the freezer for another batch. If the second batch is not enough for a 9 inch pan I will use a smaller pan and save the crumble.
Shay
I made this as a treat for my mom. I’m not a fan of fruit based desserts, but I really enjoyed this one! (So did Mom.) Thank-you Megan! I plan on making it again, but with fresh blueberries.
Could I use apples instead of peaches?
I don’t see why not!
This was fantastic!! I made it last night. It is great eating desert and not feeling so guilty.
To Molly asking about how many peaches equal 2lbs. I used 4 large peaches and it seemed to work ok. If you like it a little more peachy you could probably use 5 peaches.
I will be substituting apples for the peaches next time. I eat a lot of the Fuji hope this will be a good apple to use in the cobbler. I am already thinking about Thanksgiving and making this as a apple cobbler. Mmmmm warm and juicy.
Thanks for sharing…
Love this recipe! I used desiccated coconut as it was all I had but also put some nutmeg as well as the cinnamon for an extra dimension. Might be worth adding some icing sugar to the peach mix if you want a thicker sauce and sweeter taste. I prefer without though. A small amount of corn flour would also thicken without sweetening. Think plums would work really well too, or even a peach/plum combo 🙂
This is cooling on my counter as we speak…..I think that I used too many peaches so it was very soupy and I did not feel like I had enough topping…it smells amazing though and I bought some vanilla frozen yogurt so too many peaches will NOT be a problem!