Deliciously Easy & Healthy Gluten-Free Peach Crisp with Blueberries: Your Perfect Summer Dessert

Embrace the fleeting joy of peach season with this irresistible gluten-free peach crisp, featuring a delightful addition of blueberries. It’s incredibly easy to prepare, naturally sweetened to perfection, and stands as the ultimate dessert for warm summer days.

There’s nothing quite like the taste of a homemade crisp, especially when it’s bursting with the juicy sweetness of ripe peaches. This **healthy peach crisp** elevates the classic comfort dessert with a delightful, cinnamon-spiced oat crumble topping that is entirely gluten-free and free from refined sugars. Each spoonful offers a harmonious blend of tender fruit and crunchy oats, making it an absolute summer essential. While it’s heavenly on its own, I particularly love serving it with a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream for an extra touch of creamy indulgence. If you’re a fan of traditional toppings, a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream is also an undeniable winner. You truly can’t go wrong with this versatile and incredibly satisfying treat!

Why This Peach Crisp is So Healthy & Delicious

What truly sets this recipe apart, making it a star on the healthy dessert scale, is its mindful approach to ingredients. The luscious peach and blueberry filling contains absolutely no added sugars. In my experience, the natural sweetness of perfectly ripe fruit is more than enough, eliminating the need for any extra sweeteners, even the natural kind. This allows the vibrant flavors of the peaches and blueberries to shine through purely. The golden, crumbly crisp topping is thoughtfully sweetened with coconut sugar, ensuring the entire dessert remains **refined sugar-free**. This isn’t just a dessert; it’s a guilt-free indulgence that perfectly aligns with a clean eating lifestyle. Frankly, it’s so wholesome and nourishing that I’ve often enjoyed it for breakfast – and wholeheartedly recommend you do too! It’s official: this delectable creation effortlessly transitions from a delightful dessert to a wholesome breakfast option.

Looking to incorporate more peachy goodness into your diet? Be sure to try my equally delightful peach and goat cheese salad, a refreshing peach banana smoothie, and for a grab-and-go option, these incredible peaches and cream overnight oats. Each recipe celebrates the incredible versatility of fresh peaches!

Essential Ingredients for Your Gluten-Free Peach Crisp

Crafting this wonderfully healthy peach crisp requires just **9 simple ingredients**, each playing a crucial role in creating its incredible flavor and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:

• Peaches: Naturally, the star of our show! For the best flavor and texture, choose ripe, fragrant peaches. Clean food tip: Peaches frequently appear on the “Dirty Dozen” list, so opting for organic varieties is highly recommended whenever possible to minimize pesticide exposure.
• Blueberries: I love adding a vibrant burst of blueberries to this crisp; their tartness beautifully complements the sweet peaches, creating a truly irresistible flavor combination. While blueberries aren’t typically on the Dirty Dozen, berries in general can be prone to pesticide residues, so organic is a wise choice if available.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: A splash of fresh lemon juice is essential. It brightens the fruit flavors, preventing the crisp from tasting too flat, and helps balance the sweetness beautifully.
• Cinnamon: No fruit crisp is complete without the warm, aromatic embrace of cinnamon! This spice infuses the baked fruit filling with a comforting depth that is simply perfect.
• Arrowroot or Tapioca Starch: This vital ingredient acts as a natural thickener. It helps transform the delicious juices released by the baking fruit into a luscious, jam-like filling, preventing your crisp from becoming a watery “fruit soup.”
• Certified Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: These oats form the backbone of our wonderfully crunchy, crumbly topping. To ensure your crisp is truly gluten-free, it’s crucial to use oats that are specifically certified gluten-free. These are also often labeled as “old-fashioned oats.”
• Almond Flour: A fantastic gluten-free alternative to traditional wheat flour, almond flour contributes a tender, slightly nutty flavor and a delicate texture to the crisp topping. It’s key to maintaining the gluten-free status of this dessert.
• Coconut Sugar: This unrefined sweetener is used to sweeten the crisp topping. It offers a caramel-like flavor and is an excellent choice for keeping the entire dessert refined sugar-free, without compromising on taste.
• Coconut Oil: To ensure this gluten-free peach crisp is also dairy-free, we use solid coconut oil in the topping. It helps bind the dry ingredients and creates that desired crumbly, buttery texture.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make This Irresistible Peach Crisp

You’ll be delighted to know that this gluten-free peach crisp comes together with minimal effort, requiring only about 10 minutes of active preparation time before it bakes to golden perfection in roughly 45 minutes. Here’s how to create this simple yet spectacular dessert:

1. Prepare Your Peaches: Begin by washing and slicing your peaches into approximately ½-inch thick segments. To do this efficiently, cut the peach in half all the way around the core, then gently twist each half in opposite directions to separate. Once halved, slice each piece into uniform segments. This ensures even cooking and a beautiful presentation.
2. Create the Fruit Filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the freshly sliced peaches, plump blueberries, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, the warming cinnamon, and your chosen thickener – arrowroot or tapioca starch/flour. Toss all the ingredients gently until the fruit is evenly coated with the spices and starch. This coating is crucial for thickening the juices during baking. Once mixed, scoop this vibrant fruit mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an 8×8 baking dish, spreading it out evenly to form the base of your crisp.
3. Assemble the Crumb Topping: To save on dishes, you can quickly rinse and reuse the bowl from your fruit filling. Add the certified gluten-free rolled oats, almond flour, coconut sugar, and a pinch of sea salt to the bowl. Mix these dry ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. Next, introduce the cold coconut oil, adding it in small, tablespoon-sized chunks. Using the back of a sturdy spoon, work the coconut oil pieces into the oat mixture. Press and mash the oil into the dry ingredients until it begins to form small, distinct crumb-like pieces and the oil is fully incorporated throughout the topping mix. The goal is a sandy, crumbly texture.
4. Bake to Perfection: Evenly sprinkle the prepared crumb topping over the peach and blueberry mixture in your skillet or baking dish. Place it into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and **bake for 40-45 minutes**. You’ll know it’s ready when the crumb topping is beautifully golden brown and the fruit filling beneath is bubbling enticingly.
5. The Crucial Resting Period: This step is **very important** for achieving the perfect consistency. Allow the peach crisp to sit and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. This resting time gives the arrowroot starch a chance to fully thicken the fruit juices, preventing a runny, soupy result.
6. Serve and Savor: Once rested, your glorious gluten-free peach crisp is ready to be devoured! Serve it warm with a dollop of coconut whipped cream, a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, or simply enjoy it as is. Each bite promises a taste of pure summer bliss!

To Peel or Not to Peel: Peach Skin in Your Crisp

This is a common question, and ultimately, the decision is entirely yours. Personally, I don’t bother peeling the peaches for this crisp. It’s an extra step that isn’t necessary for the texture or flavor, and honestly, I don’t mind the slight chewiness the skin adds. Plus, leaving the skin on is actually healthier, as it contributes additional fiber and nutrients to your dessert! The skin tends to soften significantly during baking, blending seamlessly into the fruit filling.

However, if you prefer a completely smooth fruit filling and wish to remove the peach skins, you certainly can. The easiest method is blanching:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Carefully place 2-3 peaches (or more, depending on your pot size) into the boiling water for about 1-2 minutes. You might see the skin start to loosen slightly.
3. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the blanched peaches into a large bowl filled with ice-cold water. Let them sit there for another minute or two to stop the cooking process.
4. Once cooled, remove the peaches from the cold water. The skin should now easily peel off with your fingers or a small paring knife.

Helpful Ingredient Substitutions and Variations

This recipe is quite adaptable, allowing for several substitutions to suit dietary needs or simply what you have on hand. Here are some common alternatives:

• Peaches: If fresh peaches are out of season or unavailable, you can absolutely use sliced frozen peaches. Just be sure to let them thaw completely first and drain any excess liquid to prevent a watery crisp. Frozen peaches naturally release more juice than fresh ones, so draining is key!
• Coconut Oil: For those who are not dairy-free, feel free to substitute regular cold butter (cut into small pieces) for the coconut oil in the crumb topping. It will still yield a delicious, rich crisp.
• Coconut Sugar: While coconut sugar keeps this crisp refined sugar-free, you can use other granulated sugars like light brown sugar or regular white sugar if preferred. Just be aware that using these alternatives will change the “refined sugar-free” status of the dessert.
• Almond Flour: If you have a nut allergy or simply don’t have almond flour, you have a few excellent alternatives for the topping:
  • Oat Flour: For a continued gluten-free option, finely ground oat flour works wonderfully.
  • Gluten-Free Flour Blend: A commercial gluten-free all-purpose flour blend can also be used.
  • Regular Flour: If gluten-free isn’t a concern, regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour can be used. I recommend whole wheat or white whole wheat flour for their added nutrients and less refined nature. Note that using regular wheat flour will mean your crisp is no longer gluten-free.
• Arrowroot Starch: Also known as arrowroot powder or arrowroot flour, this can be directly replaced with an equal amount of tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) or corn starch. All three are effective thickeners.
• Blueberries: As much as I adore the peach and blueberry combination, feel free to get creative! Blackberries, raspberries, or a mix of your favorite berries would also be delicious. Alternatively, you can omit the blueberries entirely and use two additional peaches to make it a pure peach crisp.

More Delicious & Healthy Recipes You’ll Love

If you’re a fan of comforting, wholesome desserts, you might also enjoy these recipes:

Gluten-free Apple Crisp
Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream

If you create this delightful **gluten-free peach crisp recipe**, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts! Leave a comment and a star rating below, or even better, share a photo on Instagram and tag @CleanPlateMama. I love seeing your creations!