These Almond Flour Peach Crisp Bars have a buttery, gluten-free crust and oat crumble topping (made from the same recipe!) and a sweet, juicy homemade peach filling. While there are a few steps to assembling these bars, they’re still simple to make, bake up quickly and can be made in advance for an easy dessert. Serve them chilled or warm with a scoop of ice cream. Peach season is short, but when it’s over, no worries. You can make these peach bars with frozen peaches so they can be enjoyed year round!
This recipe was originally published in August 2019. It has been substantially changed to simplify it and use more pantry friendly ingredients and less specialty items. The new recipe is a variation of these almond flour cherry pie bars and the changes make them better than ever!
If you need more dessert inspiration to enjoy fresh peaches, this peach ricotta cake is also a must try!
Table of contents
Key ingredients and substitutions
Below is a note on a few of the key ingredients. The recipe card at the end of this post includes all of the ingredients and the exact quantities used.
- Peaches – You’ll need 1 1/2 pounds of fresh peaches for the filling, which is about 6 medium-sized peaches, peeled and chopped into chunks. They should be ripe but firm without any soft spots or blemishes. Since we’re peeling them, firm is best. You don’t want them too hard, but if they’re too soft, they may be a bit mushy in the filling and you’ll have trouble peeling them.
- Almond flour – My preference is to always use fine blanched almond flour when baking as it has a finer texture than almond meal. Since this is a crumble dessert and not cake or cookies, almond meal will likely work just fine, but I haven’t tested it.
- Oats – Large flake rolled oats are best for a crisp and to keep these bars gluten-free, make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
- Cornstarch – You’ll need cornstarch to help thicken the peach filling, but you’ll also need some to add to the oat mixture. This will keep the base of the bars tender and the crumble topping crisp.
- Unsalted butter – 3/4 cup of melted butter helps bind the oat mixture together and crisp everything up. If you use salted butter, just be sure to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe.
A note on measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you’ll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you’ll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
How to make peach bars with almond flour
As mentioned above, there are a few steps to this recipe, but they’re all quick and easy. These bars bake up fast because we’re cooking the filling first and pre-baking the crust. Once assembled, these bars are hot, bubbling and golden brown in just 15-17 minutes!
Tips for making the best gluten-free peach crisp bars
- Peeling the peaches. Some people like to blanch the peaches in boiling water to make the skins easier to peel. To be honest, I’ve always found it easier to just peel them with a vegetable peeler. Just note that this works best with firm peaches.
- Cook the peach filling first. The crumble topping gets crispy and golden brown fast, so it’s best to use a peach filling that’s already cooked. I tried making these bars like a traditional peach crisp where the filling cooks underneath the crisp topping, but the peaches were still too firm when the topping was fully baked. When making the filling, you’ll want to cook the peaches until they are just softened. You don’t want them too soft as the filling will be mushy.
- Pre-bake the crust. We’re using a lot of juicy peach filling, so pre-baking the crust for 10 minutes and letting it cool will ensure the crust is firm enough to hold up the filling. Also, as the crust cools, the middle sinks slightly, creating a nice edge around the crust for the filling to settle into.
- Chill the bars. Once the bars are baked, you’ll want them to firm up at room temperature first, and then chill them for a few hours. This will ensure they cut into neat squares.
- Option to serve warm. If you don’t care about neatly cut bars and want to enjoy this more like a traditional crisp, feel free to cut into these bars while they’re warm. They will fall apart and be a little messy, but serving them warm with some vanilla ice cream is delicious.
Recipe FAQs
It’s not absolutely necessary but I prefer the texture of the filling with peeled peaches.
Yes. Just thaw the peaches first and drain off any excess liquid. If they’re sliced, chop them into chunks for the filling.
I haven’t tried this but I don’t recommend it. Canned peaches are already sweetened and softened so they will likely make the filling too mushy and sweet.
These bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will stay crispy and delicious for 3-4 days. I’m not a fan of freezing these bars. They just don’t have the same crisp texture once defrosted.
More almond flour recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Almond Flour Peach Crisp Bars
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Almond Flour Peach Crisp Bars have a buttery, gluten-free crust and oat crumble topping (made from the same recipe) and a sweet and juicy homemade peach filling!
Ingredients
For the crust and topping:
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) large flake rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups (130g) fine blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (57g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted
For the peach filling:
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, about 6 medium-sized peaches, peeled and cut into chunks (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons water (*see note)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8-inch square pan with overhanging parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the crust and topping. Add the butter and vanilla and mix together with a fork until well combined.
- Press 3/4 of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the rest in the fridge until ready to use.
- Bake the crust for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown. The middle will not look set but that’s okay. We want it to sink a little as it cools so there is a nice edge around the crust to hold the filling. Let cool while you make the filling.
- Add the peach filling ingredients to a small saucepan and stir to combine.
- Heat over medium heat until the peaches soften slightly and the mixture thickens. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Spread the filling over top of the cooled crust and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 of the oat mixture over the peach filling.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and the peach filling is bubbling. The bars will not look set when you pull them out of the oven (they’ll have a little jiggle) but they will set up as they cool at room temperature.
- Chill the bars for 2-3 hours, or overnight, before slicing into squares.
Notes
- The amount of water you add to the peach filling depends on how much juice is released as the peaches cook. I suggest starting with 3 tablespoons of water and adding another tablespoon if the filling is too thick.
- You can use frozen peaches, just make sure they are peeled and chopped. Let them thaw first and drain off any excess liquid before making the filling.
- When making the filling, you’ll want to cook the peaches until they are just softened. You don’t want them too soft as the filling will be mushy.
- To keep these bars gluten-free, make sure you use certified gluten-free oats.
These Peach Crisp Bars look wonderful, Leanne. The coconut oil and coconut sugar would be such a pleasing pairing with peaches. I love that your recipe is gluten and dairy free. Many thanks for sharing. 💗🍑
Thanks Denise! They’ve been on repeat lately!
Leanne, this peach crisp bars just look irresistible! I love that they are refined sugar free and LOADED with peaches! Totally my type of bar. I’ll be so very sad when peach season is gone!!
I’ll miss peaches too! Thanks Haylie!
I love the treats you come up with, Leanne! These peach crisp bars look delicious, nutritious and gorgeous!
Thanks so much Marissa! Very kind of you to say 🙂
These look super delicious and perfect for us right now (trying to avoid too much sugar) — grabbing some peaches at the market today! Thank you!
Hope you get a chance to make them! Thanks Aline!
Love that this is gluten-free! And I wouldn’t care if they crumbled. Eating them in a bowl would be just fine with me!! We had hundreds of peaches on our tree this year, most are tucked away in the freezer, but soon to come out to make these bars!
Peach trees! I wish we were neighbours Elaine! Hope you get a chance to make these bars! Thanks!
These bars look amazing! I love that they are vegan too. Pinning for when my daughter comes home for her birthday.
Thanks for pinning Bernice!
Oh my gosh, I love that there’s no refined sugar in here! This looks amazing, Leanne! I’m sending it to my mother, who loves peaches but avoids sugar (yeah–she and I really are related). She’ll go crazy for it!
I hope your mother gets a chance to make them! Thanks Kelsie!
I like almost anything that is a ‘crisp’, but when I saw the word healthy before it I had to do a double-take. These look so delicious, I can’t see them lasting in my household for more than a day!
Thanks Matt! I had to ration them out 😉
I want to reach through my screen and grab a few of these Leanne! Peaches are one of my favorite things about summer! Delicious work!
So sweet of you to say! Thanks Mary Ann!
It’s almost the end of August, but I just started hanging on to peach season – they’re just the best right now. These bars look fantastic! I actually never realized you could use chia seeds in making, but this totally makes sense as they perfectly “glue” the filling. Delightful!
The chia seeds really are the glue! Thanks for stopping by Ben!
What a delicious peach treat… I NEED to make these!!
Thanks Heidi!
I love that you can use frozen peaches for these! And such simple ingredients. Good one, Leanne! I just want to eat these for breakfast every day for a week. Happy Monday!
Thanks Katherine! They’re great for breakfast! And frozen peaches mean we can enjoy them all year! 😉
Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, so I’m in love with these crisp bars! I’m still dying to try your strawberry version and will add these to the list. These are full of ingredients that I love!
Thanks Marcie! I hope you get to try both some time!
Peaches are going strong here, right now. So beautiful this year and this is a perfect way to enjoy them!
Thanks Jennifer! Enjoy the rest of peach season!
Breakfast, dessert…no bad time for this delicious crisp! I just happen to have picked up some peaches yesterday! Bingo!
Thanks Annie! It was meant to be! 😉
These bars are such a great idea. I’d bring them to a picnic any time during peach season. Thinking of the upcoming weekend:) Thank you for the detailed pictures! Pinned.
Thanks for pinning Milena and a picnic is a great idea!
Another great recipe! I love the idea of having these for breakfast, although hard to pass up ice cream on these for desert!
You could have ice cream with them for breakfast! Balance, right!? 😉
Can’t believe the filing has only two ingredients! That’s awesome! Every Monday should start with a dessert, don’t ya think? And since this one is on the healthier side, I wouldn’t mind enjoying a couple of pieces 😉 Such a delicious use of one of summer’s best! Pinned! Happy Monday 🙂
Dessert Monday! I like the sound of that Dawn! Thanks!