Easy Peach Pie Recipe (One Crust, Homemade & Delicious)
This easy peach pie recipe features a buttery one crust base piled high with juicy, spiced fresh peaches and a golden crumble topping. The best homemade peach pie you will ever make.
The Only Easy Peach Pie Recipe You Will Ever Need
There is something almost magical about a homemade peach pie sitting on the counter in the middle of summer. The filling bubbles up golden and fragrant through a buttery crust, the kitchen smells like vanilla and warm spice, and everyone in the house suddenly finds their way to the kitchen. This easy peach pie recipe captures all of that. It is the kind of dessert that feels special without requiring a lot of fuss.
This is a one crust peach pie, which means you get all the buttery pastry goodness on the bottom while a golden brown crumble topping takes the place of a second crust. The result is a pie that is a little easier to assemble, with a lovely contrast of textures between the jammy, spiced peach filling and the sandy, crunchy top. It is, honestly, the best peach pie recipe for anyone who wants maximum flavor with minimal stress.
Before you start, it is worth knowing that the quality of your peaches and the tools you use genuinely shape the outcome here. A reliable pie dish that conducts heat evenly, a good pastry cutter, and ripe summer peaches are the three things that separate a great pie from a truly memorable one.
Why This Homemade Peach Pie Works So Well
A lot of peach pie recipes end up either too watery or too stiff. The trick to a filling that is silky, sliceable, and deeply peachy comes down to two things: cornstarch as the thickener and letting the filling rest before it goes into the crust.
When you toss the peaches with sugar and let them sit for 10 minutes, they release their natural juices. The cornstarch then binds those juices during baking into a glossy, lightly gelled filling that holds its shape when you cut a slice but still melts on your tongue. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the whole thing, and a touch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon adds a subtle warmth that makes people ask what your secret is.
Chef's Tip: Ripe peaches are essential, but overly soft ones will turn to mush in the oven. Look for peaches that give just slightly when pressed at the shoulder. If you are buying ahead, leave them on the counter at room temperature to ripen naturally rather than refrigerating them.
How to Make the One Crust Peach Pie Base
The crust here is a straightforward shortcrust pastry. Cold butter, flour, salt, and just enough ice water to bring it together. A few things to keep in mind:
- Keep everything cold. Warm butter melts into the flour instead of creating flaky layers. If your kitchen is hot, pop the flour and bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start.
- Work quickly with your hands. The heat from your fingers can soften the butter fast. A pastry cutter is ideal, but two knives or even a fork works fine.
- Do not overwork the dough. Mix it just until it holds together when pressed. A slightly shaggy dough is perfectly fine and will bake up tender.
Once the dough is chilled and rolled out, you will press it into the pie dish, crimp the edges, and then fill it right away. No blind baking required for this one crust peach pie.
The Crumble Topping: Easy Peach Pie's Secret Weapon
Instead of wrestling with a second pastry crust, this recipe uses a simple brown sugar crumble. It takes about three minutes to pull together and bakes up beautifully golden, adding a slightly caramelized, almost cookie-like layer over the soft peaches. You can make it chunkier by pressing the butter in less, or finer and more sandy by working it a bit longer. Either way, it delivers that easy, delicious peach pie topping that everyone reaches for.
Sprinkle a little coarse sugar over the top before baking for extra sparkle and crunch. It is a small touch that looks genuinely impressive.
Chef's Tip: If the crumble starts browning too early in the oven, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top for the last 15 minutes of baking. This protects the topping while the filling finishes cooking through.
Choosing the Best Peaches
For the best peach pie recipe, fresh, ripe, in-season peaches are unbeatable. Yellow peaches are the classic choice: they have a bright, tangy sweetness that deepens beautifully in the oven. White peaches are sweeter and more floral, which also makes a gorgeous pie if that is what you have on hand.
If fresh peaches are not available, frozen peaches are a solid backup. Thaw them completely, drain the excess liquid, and proceed with the recipe as written. Canned peaches work in a pinch too, just cut back on the added sugar.
Ready to bake the most satisfying homemade peach pie of your summer? Here is everything you need:
Easy Peach Pie Recipe (One Crust, Homemade & Delicious)
This easy peach pie recipe features a buttery one crust base piled high with juicy, spiced fresh peaches and a golden crumble topping. The best homemade peach pie you will ever make.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, for crust and topping
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp ice water, add one tablespoon at a time
- 6 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced about 0.5 inch thick
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated preferred
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, pure
- 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional
Instruction
Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour and 0.25 tsp of salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
Drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition, just until the dough comes together and holds when you squeeze it. Do not overwork it.
Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the filling and topping.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 0.25 cup of flour, the brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add 2 tbsp of cold butter and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture forms chunky, sandy crumbles. Refrigerate until needed.
Make the peach filling: In a large bowl, gently toss the sliced peaches with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the peaches release some of their juices.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing it gently into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any excess dough to leave about a 1-inch overhang, then fold and crimp the edges.
Pour the peach filling into the prepared crust, spreading the slices evenly. Scatter the crumble topping generously over the peaches.
Brush the crimped crust edges with the beaten egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the peach filling is bubbling around the edges. If the crust edges begin to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with strips of foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. This allows the filling to set properly.
Equipment
- 9-inch pie dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Rolling pin
- Plastic wrap
- Wire cooling rack
- Pastry brush
- Sharp knife or mandoline slicer
Notes
Serving, Storing, and Variations
This easy delicious peach pie is best served slightly warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of lightly whipped cream. The contrast between the warm filling and cold cream is, simply put, one of the great joys of summer baking.
Storing leftovers: Cover the pie loosely and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat slices in a low oven to revive the crumble topping rather than using the microwave.
Variations to try:
- Add 0.5 cup of fresh blueberries or raspberries to the peach filling for a beautiful mixed fruit pie.
- Swap the crumble topping for a lattice crust if you want a more traditional look.
- Stir a pinch of cardamom into the filling alongside the cinnamon for a slightly exotic, aromatic twist.
However you serve it, this one crust peach pie recipe is the kind of thing people talk about long after the last slice is gone.
