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.
🍑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 starting with this Cast Iron Peach Crisp.
This crisp exemplifies 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. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card below. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
For the Brown Butter Crumble
- Butter and salt: In this recipe, the butter is browned to give it a deep, nutty flavor that goes perfectly with the sweet peaches. I typically use unsalted butter, but salted butter is also ok if you omit the added salt. Just be sure you’re using stick butter and not a whipped butter spread or margarine.
- 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.
- Ground 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, leave it out.
- Flour: Just a little all-purpose flour to help bind the crumble together.
- Toasted nuts: My favorite nuts to use in this recipe are pecans or hazelnuts. Walnuts and almonds can also be used.
How to Toast Nuts
Turn your oven to 350ºF and spread the nuts across the top of a baking sheet in a single layer. Place the tray in the oven for 5-8 minutes until the nuts have browned and smell toasty. For best results, use a spatula to flip and gently stir the nuts every 2-3 minutes for even toasting. Cool on the baking sheet before using.
For the Peach crisp filling
- 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, ripest, juiciest peaches you can find. This crisp will just NOT taste good when made with hard, sour, or tasteless fruit.
- Brown Sugar
- Lemon juice: The tart lemon juice helps balance out the natural sweetness of the peaches and added brown sugar. Fresh juice is always best, but bottled juice will also work.
- Cornstarch: As the peaches cook they release a lot of juice, and cornstarch helps to thicken the filling and keep it from becoming watery. If you don’t have cornstarch, substitute flour instead.
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
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.)
- 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.
- Baking sheet: If you plan to toast the nuts for the crumble, you’ll need a baking sheet.
- 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.
🍑More Peach Desserts
If you’re in a peach state of mind, don’t miss these beloved peach desserts:
Leave a Review!
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Cast Iron Peach Crisp (With Brown Butter Streusel)
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:
- Brown the butter: 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.
- Mix crumble ingredients: Stir together the brown butter and the remaining crumble ingredients in a medium bowl, and squeeze it between your hands to form small clumps.
- Chill, optional: 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:
- Prepare to bake: 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.
- Prepare peaches: 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.
- Assemble crumble: Pour the peaches and all their juice into the prepared skillet, and scatter the crumble on top.
- Bake: Bake the skillet crisp for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the peaches are bubbling around the edges.
- Cool and serve: Let cool for a few minutes, then serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream on top.
- Make-ahead and storage: To prep in advance, you can make the crisp topping and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The peaches should be prepared and baked on the same day. 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.
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
📸Photo Tutorial: How to Make Peach Crisp in a Cast Iron Skillet
Here’s a quick look at how this peach crisp comes together! Full instructions are included in the recipe card above.
Brown the Butter
- 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!)
- Cool: Let the butter cool for 3-5 minutes.
- Variation: One of the things that makes this recipe REALLY special is the browned butter used in the crisp topping. It adds an extra step (totally worth it in my opinion), but you can also melt your butter in the microwave and proceed with the recipe as written.
Make the Crisp Topping
- Combine crumble ingredients: Mix the cooled browned butter with the rest of the topping ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, flour, and nuts).
- Chill, optional: 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
- Prepare to bake: Set oven to 350ºF and grease a 10-inch oven-safe skillet with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice 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!)
- Rest peaches, assemble crisp: 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.
Bake and Devour!
- Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and you see juices bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Cool and serve: 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!
💡Tips and FAQs for Success
Here are some common questions people have with this recipe:
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.
Other stone fruits work great in this recipe! Try it with nectarines, apricots, or plums, or a mix of all of the above!
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.
Nope again! They can be omitted if you’d prefer. You can also swap in some rolled oats or coconut flakes instead.
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.
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 and 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. 🙂
This looks absolutely incredible. You had me at brown butter. I love the simplicity of this dessert. Everyone in my family would love this.
Thank you, Katie! Sometimes the simplest desserts are absolutely the best!
So, you take my favorite fruit and add some pecans and crumble? What’s not to love? I would like to sample this, please.
Haha, guilty as charged! Thanks!
Looks delicious love it. I need to try it.
Thanks Swathi! Let me know what you think if you give it a try!
This looks incredible! I love peach crisp!
Me too! And berry crisp. And apple crisp. Okay, I guess I just love any fruit crisp. 😀 Thanks Sara!
Your Brown Butter Skillet Peach Crisp looks like the perfect dessert in my book! Thank you for sharing a delight!
Thanks so much, Heidy!
This does sound like the perfect comfort food! Peach crisps are the best!
Warm, with ice cream on top? There’s nothing more comforting in my book! Thanks Miranda!
I just moved to SLC. Where is this magical fruit stand?
Wahoo! Welcome! It’s Kuwahara Farms in Draper (near Riverton): https://www.facebook.com/KuwaharaFarms/
The peaches might be gone now but as of last week they still had a great deal on pears. And don’t quote me on this but I believe they also have a few other locations in SLC where they sell their produce, aside from the farm itself.
Made this exactly as written today and oh.my.word – soooo good! Found the crumble topping too sweet for our liking so will cut back the sugar next time but other than that – will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Love to hear it!! Crisps are some of my favorite. And hey, if you can get away with less sugar, that is the best way to go!
I don’t have unsalted butter on hand is salted gonna be ok as far as taste ?
Hey Doc, salted butter should work perfectly fine! I would suggest to just omit the salt other than a small pinch in the recipe since you will have salt in the butter. Of course you can add more according to preference and taste if desired! Thanks!
Can you use frozen peaches in this recipe ??
Yes, definitely! I would probably let them partially defrost before tossing with the sugar etc, so they let off some liquid and the filling isn’t too runny. But honestly a juicy filling isn’t the worst thing in the world, either! 😀
I will have to try this recipe…looks yummy!
Thanks Jeanne! Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try! 😀