My Favorite Fresh Peach Pie {Lattice or Crumb Top!}

Looking for a tried-and-true fresh peach pie recipe? This is the one! It’s my favorite peach pie for good reason: simple and so delicious! Plus, you can top it with a traditional lattice crust OR a buttery, yummy, sweet crumb topping. 

I mean, I’m pretty sure we can agree, most of us, that the eating of a homemade pie falls in the strong “love it” category. But what about the making of the pie? Is it therapeutic? Stressful? Fun? Swear word inducing?

I have to admit that I love making pie. It falls into the therapeutic (dare I say, nerdly?) category for me. But this hasn’t always been the case. Pie used to scare me. Or rather, pie crust used to scare me.

I had some bad, frightful, scarring experiences and spent many years wondering why anyone would ever make pie from scratch.

Several years ago, I decided it was high time I conquered my fear of homemade pie crust. I felt like it was the right thing to do considering I was pretty much a functioning adult with a couple kids and a food blog. Pie crust seemed like the next necessary step in life.

Most of you know how this goes. Basically, I found the love of my life in the form of pie crust, and I’ve never looked back.

This amazing pie crust recipe changed my life (seriously).

If pie crust has scared you in the past, promise me that you’ll join me in the land of functioning adulthood and start conquering that fear.

There’s a detailed picture tutorial in that post AND a video tutorial if you scroll to the bottom. Plus, I still regularly answer the questions on that post, so don’t be afraid to ask for more help!

Homemade pie makes me so happy…and boosts my confidence in the kitchen like nothing else.

Sometimes I pull a pie out of the oven, caress it gently with the oven mitt while gazing lovingly down at it and think: “did I really just make this? I am srsly amazing”

Until I see one of my kids quizzically side-eyeing me with a slightly worried expression on their face, and I realize that I have some serious issues.

Issues or not, I’ve wanted and needed and dreamed of a perfect fresh peach pie recipe that I can use every time fresh peach season rolls around.

I love this time of year! Elberta peaches are just coming on in my neck of the woods, and I’m almost giddy with excitement. And while usually, I’m bottling up those peaches and canning my guts out to get jars and jars of them on the shelves to last us until next year, I always reserve quite a few of the fresh, juicy peaches for peach pie.

Or peach cobbler…or this peaches and cream cake…or this no-bake peach sensation number. I love me some peaches.

There are a lot (a lot, a lot) of peach pie variations out there. Some with mashed peaches, some with almond extract, some with a top crust, some without. I’ve tried some great ones over the years, but for my tried-and-true file, I want a classic peach pie that is no-fail and just straight up delicious.

This fresh peach pie is the one! I’ve made it many, many times.

That’s why I know that sometimes a lattice top crust seems appropriate, while other times, there’s no other choice but to toss a streusely, buttery crumb topping on there (both options listed below in the recipe!).

The peach filling is classic and delicious without any fussy steps or weird, overpowering spices. You’ll note in the recipe below that my favorite starch/thickener of choice for this pie (and cherry pie, incidentally) is tapioca flour.

However, since I recognize not everyone makes a batch or three of pao de queijo every day of their lives and may not have tapioca flour on hand, cornstarch works as well.

The tapioca lends a slightly firmer, thicker filling (that even increasing the cornstarch won’t do – this usually leads to a gummy pie) that I really enjoy, but cornstarch works, too, so don’t panic if tapioca flour isn’t in your pantry.

Take advantage of the fresh peaches popping up, and get some fresh peach pie going in your life! If you have been wanting to tackle homemade pie (and feel like a rock star in the kitchen), peach pie is a great place to start.

One Year Ago: Piled High Zucchini and Cheese Topped Pizza
Two Years Ago: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Three Years Ago: Classic Pesto {And A Quick Tip on Freezing To Use Later}
Four Years Ago: No-Bake Healthy Granola Bites
Five Years Ago: Oreo Truffle Brownies

My Favorite Fresh Peach Pie

Yield: 8 Slices (9-inch pie)

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

4.59 stars (124 ratings)

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Ingredients

• Double crust pie dough, unbaked for lattice top or single crust pie dough if using crumble topping (see note)
• 6-8 large ripe peeled and sliced peaches
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup (71 g) white sugar
• ⅓ cup (71 g) brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of table salt
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch OR 1/3 cup tapioca flour (see note)

Crumb Topping:

• ⅔ cup (141 g) light or dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 8 tablespoons (113 g) salted butter, melted

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Instructions 

• Roll out the bottom pie crust to a 12-inch circle, gently lifting the dough to fit into the plate instead of stretching and pressing (doing this can cause the pie dough to shrink while baking). Trim the edges to about 1/2-inch beyond the rim of the pie plate. If using the crumb topping, fold the pie crust under so it is even with the edge of the pie plate and crimp the edges. Refrigerate the pie crust while preparing the rest of the pie.
• Peel the peaches with a paring knife OR gently place the peaches in a pot of boiling water for 45-60 seconds and then immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water; the skins should easily peel/slide right off.
• Halve the peaches, remove the pit, and cut each half into 1/4-inch slices (or thereabouts) for about 6 1/2 – 7 cups (45-48 ounces) total. Add the peaches to a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cornstarch or tapioca, and toss to combine well until there are no dry streaks of cornstarch or tapioca flour.
• Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Add the peach filling evenly to the bottom crust.
• If using a lattice top, roll out the remaining pie dough to a 10-inch circle. Cut into about 12 strips (pizza wheel works great here) and arrange across the top of the pie in a lattice design (picture tutorial here, if needed). Trim just the lattice pieces to the edge of the pie plate, leaving the bottom crust with a longer overhang. Fold the bottom crust over the top of the lattice crust, press lightly, and crimp the edges. Optional: brush the top of the lattice crust and edges with an egg wash mixture (1 egg white whisked together with a tablespoon of water) and sprinkled with coarse sugar.
• If using a crumble top, in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until small clumps form and the mixture is evenly combined. Scatter the crumb topping over the peaches.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a large, rimmed baking sheet upside down on an oven rack in the middle position and let it heat for 10-15 minutes (this will help minimize the soggy crust factor common to fruit pies).
• Place the pie on another foil-lined baking sheet. Slide this baking sheet on top of the baking sheet preheating in the oven. Cook the pie for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minutes until the pie is bubbling, the peaches are tender, and the crust is golden and browned. If the top or edges of the pie crust are burning or darkening too quickly, tent with foil for the remainder of the baking time (keep an eye on the bottom of the crust, as well; if it looks like it may be burning – you’ll only be able to tell if using a glass pie plate – remove the overturned baking sheet from underneath).
• Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely, 3-4 hours. It will thicken as it cools. It can definitely be served warm, but just keep in mind the filling might be runnier than when it is completely cooled.

Notes

Pie: here is my favorite pie crust recipe. 

Thickeners: I’ve baked this peach pie using cornstarch and tapioca flour as thickeners (in separate pies, of course). I prefer using tapioca flour, personally. I like the texture, and I think it thickens this pie a little bit better, plus I always have it on hand because we make pao de queijo nonstop, but if you don’t have it on hand, cornstarch will work, too. 

Topping: I find that when using the crumble topping instead of the lattice top, the pie bakes up and cools with a slightly thicker filling (probably thanks to the flour in the crumble topping). 

Preheated Baking Sheet: also, you can skip the whole overturned preheated baking sheet step for baking if you don’t mind a softer (dare I say, soggier) bottom crust. Baking the pie on the preheated baking sheet helps minimize the soggy factor when baking fruit pies (but isn’t mandatory; I’ve even many a fruit pie baked the regular ol’ way and survived). 

Author: Mel

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Slice, Calories: 555kcal, Carbohydrates: 84g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 282mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 46g

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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (baking method adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated)

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No-Bake Peaches and Cream Sensation Dessert

The Most Amazing Fresh Peach Pie {No Bake Filling}

Classic and Delicious Peach Cobbler

Peaches and Cream Cake