Is there anything better than a crisp in the summer? There's something about having a hot crisp with fresh and in-season fruits and a crumbly oat topping. For this crisp, I decided to keep it to stone fruits since they're in season right now, plus they're delicious. And this healthy peach crisp just happens to be low in sugar, packed with fibre and makes a perfect breakfast or dessert. Obviously, if you have it as a dessert, a scoop of ice cream or coconut whipped cream is highly recommended.

What's the difference between a peach crisp vs. crumble or a cobbler?

When I first started researching this recipe, I quickly learned that there is a difference between a crisp, a crumble and a cobbler. What I learned is this:

• A crisp has a crumbly streusel topping usually made from oats, butter and sugar. For this peach crisp, I swapped the butter for coconut oil and the sugar for coconut sugar. I wanted to be able to enjoy this crisp for breakfast, a snack or a dessert, so I lessened the amount of sugar I used considerably.
• A crumble has a topping made from flour, sugar and butter without oats.
• A cobbler has a cake or biscuit like batter, and generally the topping is scattered on top in dollops rather than all over like a crisp.

Gluten Free Peach Crisp

In order to keep this peach crisp gluten free you'll need to ensure you use gluten free oats. Certified gluten free oats are the only way to make sure the oats are gluten free. Yes, by nature oats are gluten free, but the facility they are produced in needs to be manufactured in a dedicated gluten free facility.

These are the oats I use.

Ingredients for this Healthy Peach Crisp

This healthy peach crisp is pretty easy and straightforward to make, requiring minimal ingredients. I've broken down the exact ingredients you'll need for both the filling and the topping.

peach filling ingredients

Peaches

You'll need about 6 peaches (or 4 cups) of pitted and sliced or cubed peaches. Depending on your personal preference, you can choose to cube or slice them. Personally, I included a little mix of both.

Cherries

You'll need 2 cups of pitted and halved cherries.

Lemon

To offset all the sweetness, you need to balance that with a little but of sour. You'll need about half a lemon juice and zest.

Arrowroot powder

To thicken the fruit filling, you need a little bit of arrowroot powder. This helps make the filling even thicker and more jammy. You can also substitute cornstarch or tapioca flour for the arrowroot.

Coconut Sugar

If you're using in season cherries and peaches, you won't need much coconut sugar. But a little bit goes a long way in making your healthy peach crisp taste even more delicious. You'll need a little for the filling and the topping.

Cinnamon

For the filling and the topping, you'll need a good pinch of cinnamon. This adds a nice touch to the peach crisp.

topping ingredients

Almond flour

I used almond flour for this recipe along with oats. It adds a nice nutty touch to the recipe and keeps the recipe gluten free.

This is the brand I use for almond flour.

Oats

Rolled oats are obviously a main part to this healthy peach crisp. You'll need about 1 cup rolled oats.

This is the brand of GF oats I use.

Coconut Oil

Rather than using butter, I've used coconut oil to keep this healthy peach crisp vegan too. You could also use butter or ghee instead if you want.

Pecans

I love adding nuts to my stone fruit crisp because it adds a nice crunch. And there is something about pecans that just make my mouth happy.

How to Make this healthy peach fruit crisp

In order to make this gluten free crisp, all you need are two bowls, the ingredients listed above and a baking dish.

First you'll need to chop up the peaches and cherries. Then add them to a large bowl.

Add in the remaining filling ingredients, from the lemon (juice and zest), coconut sugar, arrowroot powder and cinnamon. Mix it up well and set it aside.

In another medium sized bowl, add together the topping ingredients from the almond flour, oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix that up well, and then add in the coconut oil.

Using a fork, or even your hands, mash it together until it comes together well and sticks together. Toss in the chopped pecans and give it a quick stir.

Add the filling ingredients to a baking dish. Add the topping and then place it in the oven to bake. It will take about 35 to 40 minutes to get the fruit all bubbly and the topping all crisp.

How to serve your vegan fruit crisp

You can serve this healthy peach crisp in a number of ways. If you want to have it for breakfast, you totally can do that! I have. Because the sugar is fairly low in this, the main ingredients are fruit and oats, similar to a bowl of oats in the morning. Or, have a little more fun and serve it with a dollop (or two) of ice cream or coconut whipped cream. Either way, it's so delicious!

Recipe Adaptations

Almond Flour

Swap out the almond flour for another type of flour. Oat flour, all-purpose (GF or not), spelt or buckwheat would all work. Use what you have on hand, this recipe is pretty failproof!

Coconut Sugar

Swap the coconut sugar for brown sugar or white sugar. You could also try with a natural sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit as well if you want.

Pecans

You can omit the pecans, or use another nut on top, such as almonds or hazelnuts.

Fruits

Any fruits will do in this healthy peach crisp. Nectarines, plums or even berries will all work. Just aim to keep the ratio about the same. If fruits are not in season, you can also use frozen peaches and cherries.

How to Store Your Healthy Peach crisp?

Store any leftover healthy peach crisp in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week. When you want to eat some, heat up the oven and warm up your peach crisp for about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with optional ice cream and enjoy!

You can also enjoy your peach crisp cold as well, either way it'll be delicious!

If you're looking for other ways to enjoy peaches, check out my gluten free buckwheat pancakes with roasted peaches, mascarpone and hazelnuts!

If you make this healthy peach crisp, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to tag me on Instagram, and/or leave a comment, rating or review below.

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