Every spring, I count down the days until summer the way a little kid eagerly eats chocolate out of an Advent calendar to cross off the nights until Christmas Eve. No, I’m not waiting to grill dinner on the 4th of July, and I’m not even drooling over chocolate desserts to celebrate my birthday. Instead, I turn giddy with excitement over…
Peach season.
As soon as grocery stores advertize peaches as $0.99 per pound, my mom and I stock up as if we’re preparing for a fruit Armageddon. She and I buy them 6 at a time, basically on a weekly basis. We rarely nibble on them fresh, practically swatting at my dad and guy if they reach for one as a snack, and always slice them up to bake my grandma’s peach pie.
Mom saved Grandma’s recipe, a family secret, on a large handwritten index card, yellowing and fading with age, in a manila folder in her kitchen cupboards. But she’s baked it so many times that she rarely pulls it down to consult the measurements anymore!
With the two of us working together, Mom on the no-roll shortbread crust and me on the juicy filling, we can assemble the pie and pop it in the oven in less than 20 minutes. Between the four of us—Mom, Dad, my brother, and me—we can easily polish off the entire dessert in a single night. No shame!
However, that rich buttery shortbread crust sometimes tastes a little too heavy, especially after grilling burgers for dinner! So this past week, I decided to skip the crust and created a crumble instead with a similar summery filling and sweet oat topping.
My resulting Clean Peach Crumble disappeared just as quickly as Grandma’s special pie! Just like in her dessert, I sprinkled a really thick layer of sweet crumbs—basically the best part!—on top of the soft fruit. But unlike Grandma’s pie, my crumble is clean-eating friendly, with gluten-free and vegan options too. It’s the sweetest way to eat your daily servings of fruit!
The filling consists of just 4 ingredients: peaches, cornstarch, cinnamon, and almond extract. The almond extract was one of Grandma’s secrets in her pie filling, and it lends a subtle sweetness to the peaches. I promise they don’t taste nutty at all!
With my peaches overly ripe, I decided against adding any extra sweetener to the filling. If yours aren’t quite as juicy, feel free to mix in a few teaspoons of agave or honey (or brown sugar, but then it wouldn’t be clean-eating anymore).
The crumble topping is unbelievably simple—even more so than the filling! Many crumb toppings call for cutting cold butter into the oats and flour, but I felt lazy and opted for melted butter instead. It’s so much easier to mix into the dry ingredients!
Because of the liquid agave, this crumb topping is initially much moister than your typical recipe, and it will probably stick to your fingers when you sprinkle it over the filling. But don’t worry—it still crisps up in the oven the same way your traditional brown and white sugar crumb toppings do. It’s the perfect textural contrast to the soft fruit beneath!
Naturally sweet and lightly spiced, my Healthy Peach Crumble tastes like the epitome of summer, reminiscent of sun-kissed skin, lazy backyard barbeques, and warm starry-skied nights. Topped with a little vanilla ice cream, it’s a positively irresistible sweet and luscious treat!
Trust me, I would know… I shamelessly savored 3 slices in a single day!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy peach crumble!
| Healthy Peach Crumble | | Print |
- 4 extra large (490g) peaches, diced (or 5-6 medium)
- 2 tbsp (16g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- ¾ cup (75g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour or millet flour (measured like this)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the diced peaches, cornstarch, almond extract, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, flour, and remaining cinnamon. Add in the maple syrup and butter, mixing until completely incorporated.
- Spread the peach mixture into the prepared pan, and evenly sprinkle the oat crumbs on top. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the peach juice is bubbling and the oat mixture turns crunchy. Cool completely to room temperature. For best results, let the crumble rest for at least 2 hours after coming to room temperature before serving to allow the juices to thicken.
Instant oats (gluten-free if needed!) may be substituted for the old-fashioned oats.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Any gluten-free flour except coconut flour may be substituted for the millet flour.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
VEGAN + DAIRY-FREE VERSION: Substitute Earth Balance buttery sticks for the best results. Coconut oil will also work, but the flavor and texture of the topping will be slightly different.
If you prefer to enjoy your crumble warm, then reheat individual portions once it has rested for 2+ hours at room temperature.
{gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free option, vegan option, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble
♡ Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble
♡ Healthy Almond Berry Crumble
♡ Healthy Strawberry Poppy Seed Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Mango Crumble
Take two was successful! Added maple syrup and also peeled the peaches, which I think made a bigger difference than I expected.
Fantastic!! I’m so happy to hear your second crumble turned out so well. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it really means a lot! 🙂
Would this recipe still work if I half it? I would love to try this recipe but I don’t have that many peaches.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Angela! If you have an 8×4″ loaf pan or a 6″-square pan (or a 6″-round pan!), you should be able to use one of those to make a half recipe. You could also make a half batch in two mini loaf pans (if they’re about 3×5¾”). 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this peach crumble if you try making it!
Could I use vanilla instead of almond?
Yes, vanilla extract will work in place of the almond extract! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this crumble if you try making it, Lisa!
I love this recipe so much!! I love to double the recipe and bake in an 8×8 dish — it makes the perfect amount of filling:crust ratio. I also like to add in some strawberries and blueberries if I don’t have enough peaches. This is the perfect, simple and versatile recipe, thank you so much!
I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying this crumble, Amanda! I love your idea of adding strawberries and blueberries too. That sounds like something I need to try — thank you for sharing! 🙂
This was absolutely delicious. Hit all the cravings without the sugary sweetness of most recipes. Definitely on our rotation and will be trying it with other fruit too. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cindy! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you already think it’ll become part of your rotation. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it means a lot!
This recipe is SO tasty and super easy!! This one will be a new staple in our household for sure. Only things I did different were using oat flour inside of the whole wheat and I added both almond extract and vanilla. Did the full 45 min bake and it was perfect!! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I’m really glad you enjoyed this crumble, Teagan! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. It means a lot! 🙂
I am excited to try this. If I have extra peaches, can I freeze them and use it in this recipe later?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Carrie! Yes, you should be able to use frozen peaches to make this crumble. If using them straight from the freezer, then I’d recommend adding an extra ½ tablespoon of cornstarch to compensate. You may need to bake it slightly longer too, but the flavors and textures should remain about the same. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this peach crumble if you do end up making it!
Would frozen peaches work?
Yes, you should be able to use frozen peaches to make this crumble. If using them straight from the freezer, then I’d recommend adding an extra ½ tablespoon of cornstarch to compensate. You may need to bake it slightly longer too, but the flavors and textures should remain about the same.
I’m so sorry I’m just now responding too. I had some family things I needed to take care of, but if you do end up making this peach crumble, I’d love to hear what you think of it Karen!
Sorry, but I was not a fan of the peach mixture. I think it was all that cornstarch!
Oh no! That doesn’t sound like how the peach filling is supposed to turn out at all. I’d love to help figure out why that happened to you!
Did you use fresh peaches? If so, what variety?
How ripe and juicy were they?
Did you measure them before or after dicing?
How did you measure the cornstarch? If you used a measuring spoon, rather than a kitchen scale, did you happen to dip it directly into the container, by any chance?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of why you experienced that issue and how to fix it once I know your answers to all of them, Tia!
Made this last night. Didn’t have the flour so I substituted Whole Wheat Panko crumbs, which added a nice crunch. I prefer it a little sweeter if eaten by itself. But when I eat it with Fat-Free Cool Whip, it’s sweet enough.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Paula! Your substitution of Panko for the whole wheat flour is really creative. I’m so glad that worked out; thanks for taking the time to share!