Here's one more delicious way to eat that gorgeous, colorful stone fruit flooding the markets right now: an easy vegan fruit crisp with peaches and plums. It makes a terrific breakfast but it can effortlessly double up as dessert.
I make this crisp several times during summer, when stone fruit like peaches and plums are at their peak. But you can make it any time, really, with any fruit. Berries would be great in here, as would apples. And putting it together requires no more than 15 minutes: the time you'd need to cut the fruit and make the easy oat topping.
With all that delicious fresh fruit and the crunchy, sweet topping it goes without saying that this is an everyone-friendly dish. But it's also gluten-free (you can make it with wheat flour if you wish), and it's nut-free and soy-free.
Why you'll love this vegan peach and plum crisp
- It's delicious, and it harnesses the freshness and sweetness of summer fruit that's at its peak.
- It's so easy to make. The awesome thing about making a crisp like this one is that you do not need any particular skills. You don't need to make a biscuit topping, as you would for a cobbler, nor do you even need to make a dough, as you would for a pie or pandowdy. Instead all you need to do is mix in a bowl an oat-flour-sugar topping that's just scattered over the fruit--with delicious results.
- It's everyone friendly. Like I said before, it's gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free, and it's so delicious that everyone, children to adults, will love it.
- You can eat it for breakfast or dessert. All that fruit makes this a great dish for breakfast. But if you want to serve it for dessert, it's sweet enough and special enough to be a good fit. Top with some vegan vanilla ice cream, in that case, and everyone will be in love.
- It's tweakable. You can make this crisp with any stone fruit, including pitted cherries, but you can also make it with apples or berries or a mix of it all. And although it works great with summer fruit, you can make it any time of the year.
Ingredients
- Peaches and plums. You can just use one or the other and/or any other fruit you have. Try and use really ripe fruit. I like using both peaches and plums because the blend gives more color than you would get with a plain peach crisp or a plain plum crisp, and the blend also adds texture. I used about three pounds of the fruit, which included five peaches and four plums (around eight cups after cutting).
- Gluten-free flour (or regular unbleached all purpose flour). I made this cobbler gluten-free but you can just sub the gf flour with all purpose wheat flour if you'd prefer.
- Sugar. If you have brown sugar, use that. Or use turbinado. If you use just cane sugar that's fine too. If possible stir in a teaspoon of molasses into the cane sugar for a deeper, richer taste, although it's not necessary.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg. You can use one or the other of these spices, but I love both in this fruit crisp because their flavors are so lovely with the peaches and plums and complement them perfectly.
- Rolled oats. These make the topping extra crunchy--and extra healthy.
- Vegan butter. This is for the oat-flour topping, to help it crisp up and make it even more delicious.
- Lemon juice. Squeezing in a bit of lime or lemon into the filling really brings out the sweetness of the fruits and ties all the flavors together.
How to make the vegan peach and plum crisp
Slice fruit into eight pieces each. 
Add sugar, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lime juice. 
Mix all ingredients into the fruit. 
Place crisp topping ingredients in bowl, including oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vegan butter. 
Mix with fork or pastry cutter until a crumbly mixture forms. 
Assemble crisp by putting fruit in baking dish and topping with crisp. Bake.
Tips and FAQs
Most stone fruit would work here, including cherries, nectarines and apricots. You can also make this crisp with apples, strawberries, or a mix of berries, including blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.
The fruit base of this crisp is oil-free, but there is some vegan butter in the crisp topping to help it crisp up. I would really advise using it for the best texture. But if you absolutely can't or won't eat any butter you can use half a cup of applesauce to make a crumbly crisp topping. You won't get the same crunchy texture to the topping as if you would if you used the vegan butter, but it will be differently delicious--and healthier.
Yes. In that case cut down a bit on the flour you would mix with the fruit--make it 3 tablespoon instead of ⅓rd of a cup.
Make ahead and storage tips
Make-ahead: You can definitely assemble this peach and plum fruit crisp beforehand and put it in the oven at least an hour, and preferably two hours, before you plan to serve it. Make the fruit filling and topping a day or two before and refrigerate them separately. Assemble before you bake, for best results.
Storing and refrigerating leftover crisp: You can leave the crisp out at room temperature for a day or two at most, but refrigerate it after that, where it should be fine for five days. For longer-term storage freeze the crisp. Thaw and reheat in a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
More delicious vegan fruit-based desserts
If you make this vegan peach and plum crisp I'd love to hear! Let me know in the comments below or take a photo and tag me @HolyCowVegan on Instagram.
Vegan Peach and Plum Crisp
Equipment
- Two-quart baking dish
Ingredients
For the fruit filling
- 3 pounds peaches and plums (you can also use one or the other or any of the other fruit listed above in the FAQs. Remove the stone and cut each fruit into eight pieces. If using smaller sized fruit cut into halves. You can leave small berries whole.)
- ½ cup sugar (use ⅓ cup if fruit is tart, or more)
- ⅓ cup gluten-free all purpose flour (can use regular all purpose wheat flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (you can use either cinnamon or nutmeg only. In that case use more)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the crisp topping
- ¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour (can use regular all purpose flour)
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup sugar (Use more sugar if the fruit is tart, up to ¾ cup)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 5 tablespoon vegan butter (cold, cut into small cubes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make the fruit filling
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Place the filling in a two-quart baking dish in an even layer. Set aside while you make the crisp topping.
Make the crisp topping
- Mix all the ingredients for the crisp in a bowl and cut the butter in using a fork or a pastry cutter until everything is crumbly and well mixed.
Assemble the fruit crisp
- Scatter the crisp over the fruit filling in an even layer. This recipe makes a good amount of crisp topping but you will need it. Just heap it on.
Bake
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any juices that might overflow, then place in the preheated oven. Bake 45 minutes or until the crisp is turning golden and crunchy.
- Let the crisp stand at room temperature on a rack in a cool spot for at least 15-20 minutes, or longer if possible to let the juices thicken. Serve.
Nandini
Wonderful recipe! What is the size of baking dish to use?
Vaishali
A two quart baking dish would work.