Homemade flaky crust, sweet, juicy filling with fresh peaches, and a buttery golden brown topping make this a perfect dessert when peach season hits. The pie shell and crumb mixture can be made in advance, so it's much easier to put together than it looks.
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A must-summer pie
At this house, we take advantage of juicy peaches, dig into the peach recipes archive and make this peach crumble pie, the less laborious peach crumble, this perfect peach cobbler, and our newest obsession: peach muffins.
This pie is almost a deep-dish one, a great recipe with a thick layer of juicy filling that will ooze when you cut it.
The crumble topping bakes to a golden brown, and the pie crust doesn't get soggy because it's blind-baked, a technique I explain further down this post.
It can be made with nectarines, similar to peaches but with thinner skin, which is the way to go if you don't want to take the extra step of peeling fruit.
Testing Notes
Crust: You can have the pie pan lined and waiting in the freezer. Blind bake it for this pie; it's important so the peach juices don't soak too much into the pie crust and make it soggy.
Crumble: refrigerate it before adding it to the pie. It will bake crisper. Brown sugar crumble: I sometimes use just brown sugar for both filling and crumble. It bakes to a more golden brown and adds a more intense caramel tone.
Ratio: When it comes to crumble pies, the amount of filling to topping is relevant as we need both to bake and be ready at the same time, and the fruit flavor to shine. So don't overdo it with the topping.
Make ahead: You can make the crust and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month, well wrapped, before rolling it. You can line the pan, wrap it with plastic wrap and freeze it for a month. The crumble topping keeps in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in an airtight container. And frozen for a month.
FAQ
Add thickening ingredients such as cornstarch, flour or tapioca to the filling. This is necessary if you want a filling that holds up a little. The more of these types of ingredients you add, the firmer the filling will be. But don't overdo it because the flavor will not be good. It's best to follow the recipe.
The filling didn't thicken enough, or the pie didn't have time to cool enough for the filling to settle and firm up. This can be due to a lack of a thickening agent (cornstarch, flour, tapioca), or it wasn't baked long enough. If using frozen peaches, they might've released more juice than average, so they never thickened as they should.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Pie crust
All pie crusts can be made in advance and have posts devoted to them, with detailed images, step-by-step instructions, and videos.
- Traditional crust: My go-to recipe is the basic pie crust with butter. It's easy to work with and good enough for beginners. The flaky pie crust, made with both butter and shortening, also works.
- Sweet crust: If you're into sweet, more European-style desserts, you can use the homemade sweet shortcrust pastry or pâte sucrée.
- Store-bought crust: Homemade pie crust is always the best choice, but you can substitute it for a good (all butter is better), store-bought, bakery-style one at any time.
Blind baking
This is a technique that half-bakes the pie crust so that the wet filling doesn't immediately seep into the dough, thus avoiding a soggy crust (as much as it can) after it's baked.
It's all explained in the recipe card, but you can also read this post about blind baking for more information and details.
Crumb topping
Also called a streusel topping, it adds a layer of buttery crunchiness to this delicious peach pie! It's a basic crumble recipe with only 3 ingredients: butter, sugar, and flour.
How to make it
Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, add the cold butter pieces, and integrate with a pastry blender (or pastry cutter), your hands, or a fork. Stop mixing when you roughly have pea-sized pieces of butter.
You can also use a food processor; just be careful not to over-process everything and end up with a paste. We want a clumpy, coarse meal.
It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator or the freezer. I like to have frozen crumble at all times to add to cakes, pies, and muffins. It's a nice way to add crunchiness.
Peach filling
Sliced peaches: you can peel all of them, half or none, your choice. I like peeled peaches as the baked pieces of skin are not nice to bite into.
Mixing: Use a large bowl to combine the peaches with the brown sugar. Dissolving the cornstarch with the lemon juice first makes sure it's well mixed with the fruit.
Final assembly
Sprinkle the cold crumble on top of the peaches, leaving a sliver of space around the edges to allow the juices to bubble.
Baking
It all turns into a golden brown showstopper.
If the crust is browning too quickly before the crumble or the peaches had a chance to soften, tent the pie lightly with foil.
Serving ideas
Plain: This pie has enough going on to serve it as it is. I like it semi-cold, but it's just as good at room temperature.
Topping: serve it slightly warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or ginger ice cream). And a drizzle of caramel sauce or homemade dulce de leche if you want a decadent dessert!
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Peach Crumb Pie
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- ½ recipe all-butter pie crust, I usually use this shortcrust pastry, but sometimes this flaky pie crust recipe with shortening.
For the crumble:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and warm, not hot
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Have ready a 9-inch pie pan with at least 2-inch high sides. I like it with a removable bottom but you can use a nice ceramic or glass pie plate and serve it directly from it.
- Roll ½ recipe all-butter pie crust on a lightly floured surface until it's about ¼ inch thick and about 3 inches larger than the pan.
- Transfer the dough carefully to the pie plate, letting it slide into it and gently fitting it into the dish, not forcing or stretching it as you go. Make sure it adheres to the whole surface and crimp the edges.
- Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork, and place the lined pan in the freezer for 20-30 minutes while the oven gets to the right temperature. This will prevent the dough from shrinking as little as possible as it bakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). While the dough is chilling, make and refrigerate the crumble.
- Blind bake the crust: Cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Add some weight (small ceramic balls, raw rice, chickpeas, lentils or even flour). Any ingredient that doesn't burn but will weigh the paper down works. Use a cheap one as you won't be able to use it after this. Bake for 15 minutes until you can remove the paper with the weight. Do this carefully to make sure you don't burn your hands and take out the whole thing at once without tearing the crust. Bake the pastry 5-10 minutes longer, until barely colored and dry. You don't have to completely bake it at this point.
Make the crumble:
- Stir to combine ¾ cup all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt, ¼ cup white granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl.
- Add ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, and stir with a fork until it's integrated with the dry ingredients. It will be crumbly. Refrigerate it while making the filling.
Prepare the peach filling:
- Peel and core about 8 peaches to make 6 cups peach pieces. Cut them into 1-inch chunks or wedges. Here's how to peel fresh peaches.
- Make sure the crust is blind-baked before starting with this part. In a large bowl, gently mix the peaches with ⅓ cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir to coat. Sprinkle ½ cup flour over the fruit and stir with a spatula or spoon to coat thoroughly. Make sure all the flour is moistened.
- Pour the peach mixture into the pre-baked crust, distributing as best as you can. Sprinkle the peach mixture with the cold crumble, breaking up any large clumps.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly and the crumble is golden. If the crust is browning too quickly, tent with foil and continue baking.
- Cool on a wire rack until it's at room temperature. I like to refrigerate it, covered, for a few hours before serving. It's easier to cut and the filling has a chance to solidify a bit.
Juliana says
As soon as I found peaches at the store, I'm making this pie! Sweet Georgia peaches and all that butter makes me happy