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
Hi, this looks great but I don’t currently have any almond extract. Could I use vanilla? I see a lot of other similar recipes use lemon juice?
Also, can I sub honey for agave?
Yes, you can substitute honey! Almond extract was my grandma’s secret ingredient in her irresistible peach pie, but if you don’t have almond extract, simply omit it. No need to replace it with vanilla! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the crumble Cara!
Will frozen peach slices work for this crumble?
Yes, frozen peach slices will work! You’ll need to add an additional 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and the crumble may need to bake longer than is written in the Instructions. It’ll be done when the topping feels firm to the touch and you see juices bubbling at the edges of the pan. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the crumble Kaitlyn!
My husband is Diabetic and I’m always looking for a healthy No sugar added recipe and so happy I found yours! I got a Can of Peach’s in Water that i’ll be using with Honey and going to add some Almonds with the Oats for a crunch and added protein. Thank you so much!
Your husband is so lucky to have you to make him diabetic-friendly sweet treats Virginia! I can’t wait to hear what you both think of the crumble! 🙂
Would coconut flour work instead of whole wheat or millet flour?
Or almond flour?
I’m sorry – you already answered that question! I’m trying this today – thank you!
No to coconut, but yes to almond flour! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble Christine!
My poor hubby has high cholesterol and diabetes; both of which are controlled by medication. Honey or agave are both sugar’s; could I use a sugar substitute? What could I use in place of the butter?
You can substitute a generous ¼ teaspoon of my favorite vanilla creme stevia + 2 tablespoons of milk in place of the agave. If you don’t want to use butter or margarine, then use coconut oil in place of the butter. I can’t wait to hear what you and your husband think of this crumble Phyllis!
This recipe looks so good! I have a bunch of nectarines that I won’t be able to eat in time, so I’m trying it right now with those instead of peaches. I hope the skins won’t be too tough and that it will turn out okay. Worth a try! Thanks for sharing.
I think nectarines are a wonderful idea! I can’t wait to hear what how your crumble turned out Britney! 🙂
It turned out great! My husband complained that it tasted like it had no sugar in it, but I loved it. 😉 I rarely add sugar to fruit-based desserts. I paired a warm scoop with some halo-top vanilla bean ice cream and it was so good!
I’m so glad you loved it Britney! I’m the same way — I feel like most fruit-based desserts don’t need much added sugar. I love your idea of vanilla ice cream on top! Yum!! 🙂
PEACHES are our favorite fruit. I got a box Thursday at the orchard. I need to try a low carb peach crisp/crumble. This looks great!
How perfect!! That sounds like it was meant to be! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble Charlotte!
With the weather so hot, I’m wondering if this could be done in the slow cooker?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lauren! I haven’t personally tried with this peach crumble, but I’m guessing that would work. You’d probably want to multiply the recipe ingredients by 1.5 or 2, depending on the size of your slow cooker, since this is for an 8″-square pan and most slow cookers are larger than that. I’ve made an apple crumble in the slow cooker (recipe here!), so I’d recommend following those instructions as your guideline! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble if you try it!
I just bought 25 pounds of peaches from The Peach Tree Tour and looking for a cobbler for people with diabetes. Your recipes are great for them. One question- did you peel the peaches or leave the skin on? I think it would probably work either way, but I wondered if you have a preference.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Babs! I peeled the peaches for this recipe. I’d love to hear what you think if you try this crumble! 🙂 And no, I haven’t shared my grandma’s pie recipe… I haven’t yet found a way to make it healthier and still taste just as delicious as the original. But I’m getting close!
P.S. Do you share you grandmothers peach pie recipe? That sounds delicious, too.
Delicious, even though my dish was a bit dry on top.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this crumble’s flavors, Pat! 🙂