Peach Crisp in a cast iron skillet? You betcha! This is the BEST peach crisp I’ve ever had, and if you try it, I think you’ll agree! Fresh, juicy peaches are tossed with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar, and the whole thing is topped with a delicious brown butter streusel. You’ll have this recipe on repeat all summer long.

Spoon taking a big scoop of peach cobbler out of a cast iron skillet

Brown butter peach crisp – in a skillet!

When temperatures rise, I desire only a few things: to sit poolside every day with a frosty beverage, to have an ice cream butler to keep me in constant supply, and to eat ALLLLLL the peach desserts. The first two things might be mostly wishful thinking, but at least I can make all my summertime peach dreams come true.

Peaches are wonderful because there’s almost no wrong way to prepare them. If you love them fresh, try them in a Fresh Peach Tart or an easy Peaches & Cream Trifle.

More of a baked peach person? This Peach Upside-Down Cake is a fun twist on the pineapple classic! And baking isn’t your only option–you can even cook peaches on the grill, and pair them with pound cake for a delicious way to end your barbecue.

Cast iron skillet of peach crisp with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top

This Cast Iron Peach Crisp is rustic simplicity. Picture: fresh peaches, tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon, layered in the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Now top those peaches with a crispy crumble made with brown butter, more brown sugar, and toasted nuts, then bake the whole thing until it’s crunchy and bubbling and steaming. You feel me?? Let’s do this!

Table of Contents

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

This classic recipe doesn’t require much in the way of specialty ingredients. As always, I recommend making this recipe exactly as written for the best results, and here are some tips as you assemble ingredients.

  • Peaches: These are the star of the show, and the MOST important ingredient to get right! All of the flavor comes from the peaches, so it’s vital to get the most flavorful, ripe, juiciest peaches you can find. This crisp will just NOT taste good when made with hard, sour, tasteless fruit. So it’s worth waiting for great peaches to come into season before making a peach crisp.
  • Butter: Butter is the second star of the show! In this recipe, the butter is browned to give it a deep, nutty flavor that goes perfectly with the sweet peaches. You can use either salted or unsalted butter, but be sure you’re using stick butter and not whipped butter spread or margarine.
  • Brown sugar: Brown sugar gives a delicious caramelized flavor to the peaches and crisp topping. Granulated sugar cannot be substituted, but you can use either light or dark brown sugar, depending on what you have on hand.
  • Cinnamon: I love the warm, cozy undertone cinnamon gives to this crisp, but if you don’t like it or don’t have it on hand, you can leave it out.
  • Nuts: My favorite nuts to use in this recipe are pecans or hazelnuts. Walnuts and almonds can also be used.
  • Lemon juice: The tart lemon juice helps balance out all the sugar in the recipe and the natural sweetness of the peaches. Fresh juice always tastes best, but bottled juice works fine if that’s what you have.
  • Corn starch: As the peaches cook they release a lot of juice, and corn starch helps thicken the peach filling and keep it from becoming too watery. If you don’t have corn starch, you can substitute flour instead.
Cast iron skillet filled with sliced peaches

Equipment

You need just a few tools to make this easy peach crisp. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

  • Cast iron skillet: It won’t surprise you to learn that you’ll want a cast iron skillet to make Cast Iron Peach Crisp! I use and love this 10-inch Lodge skillet. No skillet? No problem! Bake your peach crisp in a 9×9-inch pan instead.
  • Small saucepan: You’ll want a small saucepan or skillet to brown the butter. This 1-quart saucepan works great, and the light color of the pan makes it easy to keep an eye on the color of the butter as it cooks.
Sliced peaches in skillet with brown butter crumble on top

📋 Instructions

Here’s an overview of how to make this cast iron peach crisp. Full printable instructions are included in the recipe card down below.

Start by browning the butter

One of the things that makes this recipe REALLY special is the browned butter used in the crisp topping. It adds an extra step, but in my opinion it’s completely worth it!

To brown the butter, cut the butter into pieces and place it in a light-bottomed saucepan. Cook it over medium heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the butter is golden brown, smells nutty, and you see small brown flecks in it. (These flecks are good!)

Spoon resting in skillet with scoop of peach crisp in spoon

Make the crisp topping

Once the butter is brown, mix it with the rest of the topping ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour, and nuts). At this point, I like to chill the crisp topping in the refrigerator for 30 minutes–this helps it hold together in clusters while baking. This step is completely optional, and can be skipped if you’re short on time. The end result will still taste delicious!

Prepare the peaches

Slice the peaches into thin slices–no need to peel them, unless you hate the texture of peach skin. (I hate peeling peaches and don’t mind peach skin, so I always leave them on!)

Combine the peaches with the rest of the peach filling ingredients, and let them sit for about 5 minutes, until the peaches start to release their juices. Then pour everything into a cast iron skillet, and top with the crisp mixture.

Bowl of peach crisp with cast iron skillet in background

Bake and devour!

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and you see juices bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Let the crisp cool until it is no longer scorching, but still warm. (In my opinion, warm peach crisp is THE way to eat it!) Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Cast iron skillet of peach crisp with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top

💡 Tips and FAQs  

Here are some common questions people have with this recipe:

Can you use frozen or canned peaches?

Can you? Yes. Should you? Welllllllll…in my opinion, peach crisp always tastes best with ripe fresh peaches, but if canned or frozen is what you can find, then yes, go for it! My biggest gripe with canned and frozen is that they don’t usually have the vibrant peach flavor that fresh peaches have, but fortunately, the awesome crisp topping helps make up for it.

To use canned peaches, drain them very well before combining with the peach filling ingredients. If the peach slices are very thick, consider slicing them thinner so they cook evenly. To use frozen peaches, let them defrost in a colander at room temperature, so any excess water drains away, then proceed with the recipe.

What other fruits can you use?

Other stone fruits work great in this recipe! Try it with nectarines, apricots, or plums, or a mix of all of the above!

Do I have to brown the butter?

Nope! If you want to make this as quickly as possible, skip the browning step. Use 2.5 oz of butter, melt it in the microwave, and proceed with the recipe.

Do I have to use nuts?

Nope again! They can be omitted if you’d prefer. You can also swap in some rolled oats or coconut flakes instead.

Do I have to use a cast iron skillet?

No, the skillet isn’t necessary. You can use a baking pan or cake pan that’s 9- or 10-inches across. Depending on the material the pan is made of, the crisp might cook a little faster or slower, so just keep a close eye on it past the 30 minute mark in the oven.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

There is nothing like freshly made peach crisp with a scoop of melty ice cream on top! But if you need to do some prep in advance, I recommend making the crisp topping and keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The peaches should be baked the same day you slice & prepare them.

Leftover peach crisp can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Warm it up in the microwave before serving, and it’ll be almost as good as the day it was made. 🙂

Bowl of peach crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

🍑 Try these peach desserts

If you’re in a peach state of mind, don’t miss these beloved peach desserts…

Leave a Review!

If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!

Spoon with a scoop of peach crisp from a cast iron skillet

Cast Iron Peach Crisp

5 from 8 votes
Peach Crisp in a cast iron skillet? You betcha! This is the BEST peach crisp I’ve ever had, and if you try it, I think you’ll agree! Fresh, juicy peaches are tossed with a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar, and the whole thing is topped with a delicious brown butter streusel. You’ll have this recipe on repeat all summer long.
Prep40 minutes
Cook40 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Total1 hour 50 minutes
Yields12 servings

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter Crumble:

  • 3 oz unsalted butter
  • 3.75 oz brown sugar, (1/2 cup)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 oz all-purpose flour, (2/3 cup)
  • 2 oz toasted nuts, (1/2 cup, coarsely chopped) Pecans or hazelnuts recommended

For the Peaches:

  • 3 lbs ripe fresh peaches, (about 8 large peaches)
  • 2.5 oz brown sugar, (1/3 cup), or more to taste
  • 3 TBSP lemon juice, fresh-squeezed recommended
  • 2 TBSP cornstarch
  • 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions 

To Make the Brown Butter Crumble:

  • Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook it, stirring and swirling it occasionally, until the butter browns, you see toasted bits on the bottom of the pan, and it has a delicious toasty smell. Watch it carefully towards the end, and pull it off before it turns black. The butter should be a beautiful amber color. Let it cool for a few minutes.
  • Stir together the brown butter and the remaining crumble ingredients in a medium bowl, and squeeze it between your hands to form small clumps. Spread the crumble out on a baking sheet and chill it until firm, about 30 minutes. (This step helps the crumble keep its clumps while baking, but can be skipped if you want.)

To Make the Peach Skillet Crisp:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (or cake pan, or baking dish) with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
  • Slice the peaches into ½-inch slices and put them in a large bowl—no need to peel them, unless peach skin really bothers you. Toss them with the remaining ingredients for the peaches, and let it sit for 5 minutes, until the peaches release some juice.
  • Pour the peaches and all their juice into the prepared skillet, and scatter the crumble on top.
  • Bake the skillet cake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the peaches are bubbling around the edges.
  • Let cool for a few minutes, then serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 545IU | Vitamin C: 8.9mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.
Picture of Cast Iron Peach Crisp with text overlay for Pinterest
Elizabeth LaBau

About Elizabeth LaBau

I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from my About page, or connect with me on social media:


Meet Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth — a trained pastry chef, cookbook author, video instructor, and your new Baking BFF! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to be a sugar hero. ❤️

Related Recipes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe!




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

33 Comments

  1. I think it’s quite possible I am drowning in a “delicious peach tidal wave “ just from reading your very descriptive words!! In all honesty, I didn’t need to read your text to know this would be so good. I know anything you make is good , but I also love any fruit crisp.
    Bake on, sweet friend!!
    Ps) I do have one question: is salt mandatory forbaked goods? During my 18 year marriage, my father in law couldnt haveit, so i got used to not using it.

    1. Jeannette I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the peach crisp! This is on my must-make list very summer. 🙂 To answer your question, you can definitely omit the salt from desserts! Most people (myself included) prefer a bit of salt, because to my taste it cuts a little of the sweetness and makes the flavor more complex and dimensional. Sometimes desserts, especially very sweet ones, can taste “flat” without a bit of salt. But it’s absolutely personal preference and I can’t think of many, if any, desserts where it would actually be ruined if you left it out. 🙂

  2. This summer-inspired peach crisp is the best! I could not hold myself from making it after I saw your mouthwatering picture. Thanks for posting!

    1. Thanks Irina! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, and so appreciate the kind words. 🙂

  3. Such a simple but delicious dessert! I love peaches so will definitely be making this time and time again for the family.

  4. Peach crisp is one of my favorite summer desserts! And brown butter makes everything better! Thanks for the recipe!

  5. Even looking at these photos makes me hungry! What a wonderful sweet treat to enjoy this summer.

  6. Peach crisp is one of our favorite desserts to make! Always a hit her especially when family comes over! We can’t wait to make this recipe again!