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 agave 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
I’m curious on seeing your grandmother’s original “secret” version. Any chance you would be willing to share that recipe as well? 🙂 Thanks, Mindy
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Mindy! My grandma still prefers to keep her original peach pie recipe within the family, but I’m working on creating a healthier version of it to share here on my blog. My version isn’t quite perfect just yet, but I have my fingers crossed I’ll be able to nail it soon! 🙂 In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of this crumble if you decide to try making it!
Hi Amy,
Do you peel your peaches for this healthy crumble?
I’d love not to, but I always have thought you have to peel peaches for best results baking.
Thanks!
Beth
It’s entirely up to you, Beth! I typically do with peaches because some of my family members don’t like the texture of peach skin (although they’re fine with apple peels in their apple crumbles — go figure!). If you don’t mind the texture, then you can definitely leave them on. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this peach crumble!
So easy! I love that natural sugars in the peaches are the main sweetener, the peach flavor is so strong and it’s delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this crumble Eliza! Thank you for taking the time to let me know too — that truly means a lot to me! 🙂
Do you leave the skin on the fresh peaches?
I typically peel mine, but it’s up to you! If you don’t mind the texture of the peel (or you’re feeling a little lazy!), it’s fine to leave the skins on. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this peach crumble, Nancy!
Hi! So great of you to respond:)). I am totally getting into healthy baking so am very
excited to follow your blog. I did peel them. For the same reason. I made a small
batch last night of this crumble and we couldn’t stop eating it. I was skeptical about
using almond extract…but it was great!
Thanks!! I used coconut oil instead of butter as I’m having a vegan friend over this
weekend and try to have vegan desserts up my sleeve.
Have a good day.
It’s my pleasure, Beth! I’m always happy to help! 🙂 I’m SO excited that you loved this crumble — and that truly means the world to me that you’d trust me and use the almond extract!! I’m really glad you loved it! That’s the best kind of compliment if you found it hard to stop eating. 😉 Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
You’re so sweet to make this for your vegan friend too — they’re so lucky to have you! Since certain family members are allergic to eggs and lactose intolerant, I’m really familiar with veganizing my recipes so they can eat them too. 😉 If you ever find any of my recipes that you’d like to convert to a vegan-friendly diet, just let me know! I’m happy to help! (And I have an entire section dedicated to vegan recipes here too!)
Thankyou for this recipe. I was skeptical when I put it in the oven because the topping was so “scant” but it turned out just delicious. I am using it as an exercise bribe (cause that’s the way I roll)…..it is encouraging to reward myself with a tasty treat that is also good for me…win, win!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this crumble, Michele! That truly means a lot, especially knowing that you were skeptical before you put it in the oven. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know! 🙂 And I’ve definitely done the same thing with exercise before too — I love those win-win scenarios! 😉
My peaches must not have been ripe because this was kind of sour. I will try again though because I like the idea of a healthier version. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh no!! That sounds disappointing and not like how this crumble is supposed to turn out at all. It should be sweet and juicy, so I’m guessing you’re right. I typically wait until my peaches are incredibly ripe (and almost overripe!), and that seems to yield the best flavor. I’d love to hear whether your second crumble turns out any better with riper peaches, Julie! It really means a lot that you’d like to try this recipe again! 🙂