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Fresh Peach Crumb Bars with a buttery crust
This simple, easy recipe can be adapted to any of your favorite fresh summer fruits!
Everybody loves these delicious, easy to make fresh Peach Crumb Bars with an almond flavored icing. They’re terrific for any occasion like cook-outs, pot-lucks and summer extravaganzas.
Fresh ripe peaches make the best snack and desserts
There’s nothing like soft, fresh, dripping down your chin – juicy, sweet peaches baked in a simple crust to make me swoon. During peach season I often find myself walking through the kitchen picking up these tender, fuzzy fruits and inhaling the sweet aroma. I literally dream about these wonderful Peach Crumb Bars.
Whether eaten out of hand, diced and added to a bowl of yogurt, or baked in a luscious dessert like these Fresh Peach Crumb Bars, peaches are an amazingly delicious fruit!
Overview: Ingredients
For the crust and crumble topping:
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
- large egg
For the peach filling:
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- ground cinnamon
- large peaches, peeled and sliced
- fresh lemon juice
Optional icing:
- powdered sugar
- almond or vanilla extract
- milk
These easy dessert bars can be made with many kinds of fruit or berries or a combination of both.
A blueberry and peach combo would be nice here or your favorite stone fruit. Think apricots and plums – so good! Don’t forget about apples too. Apple crumb bars with an easy vanilla icing mixed with a little bourbon is sublime – oh yes!
Here are a few tips for picking the best peaches for our Fresh Peach Crumb Bars:
- Select peaches that are firm with no shriveled skin;
- The peaches should be very fragrant, take a whiff;
- The fruit should be slightly soft when gently squeezed;
- Check for bruises and avoid damaged fruit;
- Color is a good indicator of great fruit, pick those with deep, rich hues;
- Large peaches have the most sugar, select medium to large peaches;
- Buy local if you can. Local peaches spend less time traveling and more time on the tree to ripen!
Overview: How to make fresh peach crumb bars
1. First prep the pan and preheat the oven
Lightly grease or spray a 13×9-inch baking pan.
If using a glass baking dish, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If using a metal pan, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Next make the crumb mixture
Combine sugar, flour, baking powder salt and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, blend in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the lightly beaten egg and mix until the dough starts to hold together.
Gently press a little more than half the mixture into the prepared pan.
3. Prepare the peach mixture
Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add the diced or sliced peaches and toss to combine. Drizzle lemon juice over the peach and toss to coat. Pour the peaches over the crust and spread evenly.
Using your hands, press together handfuls of the remaining dough to create clumps. Scatter the clumps and remaining crumbled topping over the fruit layer leaving some peaches showing through.
This freeform, easy dessert is perfect for the novice baker!
4. Bake and cool
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely then chill before cutting and icing. You can also skip the icing and serve the bars slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What an incredible treat!
5. Ice and serve
Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk, Drizzle the icing over the bars and serve. Enjoy!
These Fresh Peach Crumble Bars also travel well and keep for days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Thanks for PINNING!
Fresh Peach Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup granulated sugar (222g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (378g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes (8oz or 226g)
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
For the peach layer:
- ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 large peaches, peeled and diced (about 4 to 5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the icing: (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon milk (more or less for desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F if using a glass pan or dark metal pan, or 375°F for a light metal pan. Lightly grease or spray a 13x9-inch baking pan and set aside.
For the crust:
- In a medium bowl whisk together 1 cup of sugar, 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, blend in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the lightly beaten egg and mix until the dough starts to hold together, but is still crumbly. Gently press a little more than half the dough into the prepared pan. Â
- OPTIONAL: you can also process the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and pulse until the dough starts to hold together.
For the peach mixture:
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add the diced peaches and toss to combine. Drizzle the lemon juice over the peaches and toss to coat. Â Pour the peach mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
- Using your hands, press together handfuls of the remaining crumb topping to create clumps. Scatter the clumps and remaining crumbled topping over the fruit layer leaving some peaches showing through.
- If using a glass pan, bake at 350°F degrees for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned.  If using a metal pan, bake at 375°F degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely then chill before cutting and icing.
To prepare the icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk. Drizzle on the bars just before serving. Â
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Originally posted July 2014, updated August 2019
Looking for more delicious peach recipes?
Finally, if you’re obsessed with peaches like me, you might also like this Easy Peach Crumble, or these amazing Peach Hand Pies.
And who can pass on a slice of old-fashioned fresh Peach Pie? Not me!
Another favorite is our delicious Peach & Almond Shortcake recipe perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert!  And, just when I think I’ve had enough peaches, I made this refreshing Peach Lemonade too.
Linda
I made these came out great. I will use this recipe. Many times my only mistake and it was. My mistake was pressing too hard on the crust. It made it a little hard other than that every aspect of this recipe is wonderful.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Linda. It’s so easy to over-press the crust. Great tip for sure!
Jenna
Super yummy and easy recipe to follow! We may have needed to bake a little longer or not made our crust thick since it was a bit floury. But very delicious overall! Definitely recommend 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Jenna!
Claire
These were absolutely scrumptious- not too tart, not too sweet. The flavors were perfect and the texture was rich and they held together well. I didn’t have quite enough peaches so I threw in some nectarines. So delicious!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Claire! So glad you enjoyed these bars.
PamH
These are absolutely delicious. I made a pan and sent them in to work with my daughter and they were a big hit. So much, in fact, that they asked for them again. I made another pan for us at home, too. The only thing I wish were different is that the crust gets soft and soggy from the peaches. I don’t know if there’s a way to fix that. It still tastes great, so it’s not a deal breaker. I will make these again whenever I have fresh peaches.
Tricia Buice
Hi Pam. Thanks for the feedback! You can try baking the crust until set before adding the peaches if desired.
Janice
My husband and I can’t eat the whole batch. Can they be frozen either after baking or before? They are soooo delicious!!!
Tricia Buice
Yes they can be frozen Janice. Enjoy!
Renee
Frozen before or after ?
Tricia Buice
Hi Renee. I would freeze after baking for best results. Thanks!
Hannah
Hi! Do you think this would convert well into muffin tins? I would love to make mini peach crumb bites!
Tricia Buice
I LOVE this idea Hannah. I do think it would work well. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Gretchen
Nice recipe. I was getting tired of peach cobbler. I reduced the amt of sugar in both parts, crust and peaches. My peaches were very sweet. I added a touch a cardamom in both parts. I left the skins on my peaches since the skins have the most fiber (trying to increase the fiber content). For the topping I added 1/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. I also used King Aurthur whole wheat flour instead of white flour. I am hoping to get a bar that is roughly 200 cals each with a touch more fiber and whole grain. Thank you for a great recipe!
Tricia Buice
Love your changes Gretchen! I’m so glad they were a hit.
Kathy B
Always a hit. Delicious! Love the O’Henry peaches this time of year!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Kathy! I don’t think I’ve ever had an O’Henry peach. Since they are grown in California perhaps they don’t make it all the way to the East coast. Enjoy and thanks for commenting.
Doreen Wigley
I reduced the amount of sugar and drizzled the cooled fresh peach crumb bars with melted chocolate. Delicious and very moorish.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Doreen. I’ve never had a peach dessert with chocolate but it sound divine!
Nora Z.
Delicious!! This was such a fun take on peach crumble. I was gifted a ton of fresh peaches from a neighbor with peach trees and I’ve been trying many peach recipes, but so far this is my favorite. Really easy, no fancy ingredients, and tastes delicious with a little whipped cream.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Nora! You are one lucky lady to be gifted fresh peaches. Yum!!!
Brenda
Do you leave the skins on the peaches? Wondering if that matters.
Tricia Buice
Hi Brenda. I do not but you can if you want to. Enjoy!
Sarah
Hi; This questions I have to always ask. It is very troublesome.
I want to make a small batch. I just thru away most of a coffee cake with lots of brown sugar, butter and lots of cinnamon. TOO MUCH>!!
How to halve this recipe for only 2. please.
Tank you
Tricia Buice
Hi Sarah. You can easily half this recipe and bake in a 8-inch square baking pan. When you go to print the recipe change the quantity to half the yield. Since the recipe will then call for 1/2 an egg, simply whisk one egg and add only half. You can weigh it to be precise but that’s not needed. Save the other half egg for your morning scramble. Or, freeze leftover bars for later, share with a neighbor or send some to work!
Dee
I had only about two cups worth of peaches but needed to use them up, so I halved the recipe (but still used a whole egg). Came out really nice!
Baked in a round 8″ cake pan at 375 for 30 minutes
Tricia Buice
Thanks Dee! So glad you enjoyed it.
Joana
How many days ahead can these be made? Can they be frozen and defrosted? What’s the best way to store them?
Tricia Buice
Hi Joana. You can make these one day ahead. Yes they can be frozen. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight. The best way to store the bars is in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Faith
Can I use salted butter? Going to make these tomorrow and use some of the speeches from our tree. Tremendiys am out of fruit I need to do something with and have never cooked anything usinf peaches.
Tricia Buice
Yes you can Faith. Cut the added salt in the recipe half what it calls for. Enjoy!
Trista
Just made these and oh my goodness they are fantastic! The only thing I did extra was add two extra peaches. This is definitely my favorite peach dessert now. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Trista! We truly appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Kris Crider
I make these every year, when the Palisade Peaches come out. It is a great recipe. I would NOT use a glass pan. There are reasons there are no glass pans in commercial kitchens – they tend to stick and it can be more difficult to get the bars out of the pan. Use a sheet tray lined w/parchment paper. Also, make the base layer a bit thicker so you can eat it once it is cut into bars. These freeze really well. Enjoy!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kris. So glad you’ve been enjoying these bars. Yes they do freeze well! Thanks again.
Patricia
These bars are incredible! They are the perfect dessert for delicious summer peaches. I’ll definitely make these again and again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Patricia. Enjoy!
Diane
Can you use frozen peaches?
Tricia Buice
Hi Diane. Yes you can. No need to thaw them all the way. Partly frozen works well. Enjoy!
Leslie
Great recipe. Here are my tweaks- I used gluten free flour, I cut back a bit on the sugar, I put a half teaspoon of almond extract in the filling mixture, and I put crushed pecans over the top. Skipped the icing. Served warm with almond milk ice cream, healthy and yummy!
Tricia Buice
Oh I love your tweaks Leslie! Sounds fantastic for sure, especially with ice cream yum.
Daniela
loved it!
did it with half the ingredients to try it since I wasnt sure everyone would enjoy it and it didnt last the night!!
will definetively re-do it, it was delicious & fresh, just what you would expect!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Daniela! So glad you enjoyed these bars. Bravo!
marion
turned out perfect and delicious! easy to make… thanks for this awesome recipe… definite keeper… and as much as you are going to want to eat these immediately wait til you refrigerate them unbelievable yum!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Marion! These are the perfect summer treat.