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 agree 100% that crisps>pies. Crusts are such a pain, and besides, crumbles taste better than crusts! Your pictures are looking super pretty!
Excited to try this! Any substitute suggestions for the shredded coconut?
Hi,
Just wondering if you can freeze the crumb topping. Bringing out my food processor is an event. I like to make more than one thing. I would think you could put this topping on anything! I am thinking apples.
Great recipe, do you think I could use raw coconut nectar in place of maple syrup ?
I use coconut nectar every time someone uses maple syrup or anything like it. It still taste good.
That peach crisp looks unbelievable! I might try this with fresh blackberries. There’s a free place to pick and I’m going to load up!
Yum! I look forward to making this – thank you! I was going to say my favorite fruit crisp is peach or blueberry but then Tom mentioned blackberry – wow, & I’m sure raspberry would be amazing, too! I just love fresh, yummy fruit. I’m going to make this with peach, first & keep experimenting. I esp. want to see what this would be like with mangos!
Wow! You recipes never ever fail to astonish me and amaze my family. This is so delicious and easy. I love that you always use common ingredients that I have on hand. I made this and it was gone before it was cooled. No one even knew it was sugar free/grain free! Win for the whole family ;). Thanks and keep them coming!!
Thanks for this recipe!! My husband has been begging me for a “peach cobbler” but I have been unable to find a recipe that is both vegan and grain free. I would hate to go through a bunch of work of making a fancy dessert only to not be able to eat it. Fortunately this recipe is perfect for me!
Could you please let me know how many cups of peaches is equivalent to 2 lbs? Thanks!
I made this last night with 5 medium sized peaches
Loving peach season! I love good old English Apple crumble ( sounds like the same thing) with fresh ginger and cinnamon in – ideally with dairy free custard! How British!
I love this! I’m going to try it soon before peach season ends!
Oh my gosh I am SO making this! I’m one of those who just eats the filling and leaves the crust when I eat pie so a crisp is more my style. Can’t wait to go pick some peaches and make this now! I may even try adding some blueberries in there. Thanks for the recipe!
I agree! Team Crisp!
This was delicious!! I am partial to nutmeg + peaches, so next time I make it, I might swap out the cinnamon for nutmeg!
Can U substitute the coconuts for something else..?
I used gluten free oats. It was great
Wow, looks amazing! Must taste grate as well =)
Yup – Just made it but I’m on a cleanse so I left out the maple syrup and it was still fantastic!!
LOVE your crumb topping. Didn’t thought that there is a way of healthy-fying crumbs. Thanks a thousand times!
Terrific recipe! Just made this with my grandchildren, aged 3 and 4. Everyone loved it!
Tried this over the weekend….was FANTASTIC!!
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!
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 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…
Could I use apples instead of peaches?
I don’t see why not!
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.
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!
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.
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’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!
I just want to say that this is a homerun! My husband is very critical and he really liked it! Thanks for your recipes.
We made this last night with cherries and it was so good! I had to play with the topping recipe a little because we didn’t have shredded coconut, so I pulsed the rest of the ingredients and added coconut flour afterward instead. I have to say that it tastes similar to cookie butter. I think I’m going to make a big batch of the topping for myself. Fruit is so overrated. 🙂
Any suggestions for adding GF oats to bulk up the recipe a bit? And/or using almond pulp (leftover from making almond milk?)
Thank you!
Hey – just a suggestion…if the recipe turns out “runny” you could make extra of the crumb mixture and put a layer in the bottom of the pan before adding the fruit mixture in. I have found this works well with strawberry-rhubarb crisps.
Made this with raspberries, blackberries and a small amount of blueberries. Pretty juicy but delish nonetheless. I would change the ratio and add more blueberries and less raspberries next time to cut down the juice. The topping is over the top!!!! Seriously good.
I mixed some plumcots in and WOW! The plumcots gave a tangy bump to the peaches that was amazing! I plan to use plumcots for berry pops, crisp, and anything that needs a little zing.
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much, Megan, for your inspiration to eat healthy while enjoying delicious food! My husband called this crisp phenomenal.
We made this with gala apples. I doubled the recipe since we had a lot of apples so I filled a 9×13 dish. 1 lb was 2 apples. We used butter instead of coconut oil and almonds instead of walnuts since that is what we had on hand. It was over the moon delicious!
Well my husband and I have been attempting paleo for about a week and he has turned his nose up at pretty much everything I have prepared – until this recipe! He LOVES his desserts and was really missing them the most. Thanks so much for sharing this, he loved it! I intend to try this recipe with every fruit I can find!
I made this with this season fresh peaches, it was wonderful! I am now addicted to the crumble topping. I add it to everything from oatmeal, to yogurt, to fresh fruit.
didn’t have enough peaches, so i added a mango..turned out yum and you can barely taste the difference between the two
I made the other night for myself and my partner (I cut the recipe in half) When I pulled it out of the oven, he said he didn’t want any. But after a taste from my bowl, he devoured half of it. Great simple and tasty recipe! LOVE the crumble. Thanks
Mmmm. I just made and this was really yummy. I double the recipe ….using about 8 Cups chopped up peaches
We made this with a combination of fresh peaches, pears & apples. Also substituted almonds for walnuts. Delicious! We will definitely be making this again soon!
We had a little mishap today with expensive maple syrup and oatmeal which led me to this recipe. I used mostly peaches, one plum, an apple, and some raisins, and used the oatmeal-with-your-maple-syrup and it turned out great! I second the seasonal notion.
I am new to some of these ingredients and for the crisp am wondering if the taste of coconut is noticeable. Have some family members who do not like the taste of coconut.
Hi there,
This looks amazing! I’m wondering if apples would work and if I could sub the coconut for rolled oats?
Thank you 🙂
Love this recipe! I have tried it with strawberries and other berries – whatever fruit I have on hand, really!
My family and I are new to the paleo diet and have tried sooooo many recipes and honestly I was worried this was going to turn out terrible and a waste of money like most everything I’ve tried. Buttttttttt (and no not your actual butt 😉 ) we love it. My six year old is eating the daylights out of it and when she asked for more I just cried a little inside yay. I just wanted to say thank you soooo much for sharing.
Made w honey instead of maple syrup (not vegan but kids react to maple syrup) and mango and pear for the fruit. It was wonderful.
I have used this recipe several times with different fruit. It is simple and turns out great every time. This is the only sweet treat that we can have. Thanks for sharing it with everyone!