I have extremely high standards for crisps. They must contain butter and brown sugar. They must be oaty. They must have a 2:1 fruit to crisp ratio (because I’m so healthy, clearly). And they must pair well with vanilla ice cream – non-negotiable.
Because like my new favorite summer catch phrase goes, if there’s no vanilla ice cream, it’s like, “What’s the point?“
This crisp pairs two of my favorite summer fruits: strawberries and nectarines. And it’s topped with a seriously nutty, not-too-sweet gluten-free crisp that is worthy of the dessert gods. Trust.
The recipe was inspired by one found in my new favorite book, “Bread and Wine” by Shauna Niequist. Shauna grew up eating hand-picked blueberry crisp and vanilla ice cream with her family most Sunday evenings, and it’s a tradition she now carries on with her own family. That’s a pretty OK Sunday tradition, if you ask me. Perhaps we should institute that in our household, at least as long as nectarines are dirt cheap and as sweet as candy.
I was shocked out how much I LOVED this flour-free version. I expected there to be a lack of cohesiveness and crumble, but that was certainly not the case. It was borderline perfection.
The pecans were THEE perfect nut to help marry the flavors together, and the almond meal acted as the wholesome, hearty binder.
Nectarines and strawberries became best friends in my bowl, complementing each other perfectly. And the moment the vanilla ice cream started to melt against the heat of the crisp was the moment I could’ve wept and died a happy woman. No exaggeration.
Yes, I could get lost in a bowl of this crisp daily. Maybe that’s why I’ve already made it twice in a matter of 5 days. Oops.
If you aren’t a big strawberry or nectarine fan, simply sub in your favorite summer fruit.
As the original recipe noted, blueberries are kind of perfect here. I’d also like to try this recipe with all peaches, a mixture of nectarines and blueberries, and perhaps a triple-berry version of some kind. I might even splurge and make John’s half-joking, half-serious request of “Oops, all crisp.”
Either way, you can’t go wrong. This has officially become my new go-to crisp and I hope it becomes yours, too. Cheers!
Gluten-Free Strawberry Nectarine Crisp
Ingredients
- ~4 cups strawberries and nectarines (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 4 Tbsp cold butter (dairy-free for vegan // or sub olive oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and butter an 8×8 (or similar size) baking dish (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- Add fruit directly to the dish as you chop it and spread until flat.
- To a mixing bowl add crisp ingredients and, using your hands, mix until all of the butter is evenly distributed.
- Add to the top of the fruit in an even layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is crisp and golden.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)
*Adapted from Shauna Niequist’s Blueberry Crisp from her book”Bread and Wine.”
E S says
I made this for the first time today. It was delicious and very hard not to eat more than one serving 🤤. Only changes I made were forgetting the pecans and adding some cinnamon and nutmeg. I served it with Forager vanilla cashew yogurt and it was yum. Definitely a recipe to bookmark.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this crisp! Thank you for the lovely review!
Mandi says
Another delicious recipe. Used apricots from a neighbour’s backyard…yum!
Yum, that variation sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing, Mandi! xo
Laura says
I’ve made this crisp many times, as a topping for all sorts of fruit bases! I especially love it with peaches, blueberries, strawberry rhubarb, and pear. Friends and family always rave about it, and I’m delighted every time to tell them how simple it is! Major bonus points that it is GF for when I am serving someone with dietary restrictions.
The only downside is I don’t often have pecans (or other nuts) on hand. Has anyone tried this without the addition of nuts? Did you modify the other ingredients at all? Don’t get me wrong, I love the addition of the pecans, but I don’t always have the opportunity to head to the store if I’m making this last minute.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Laura! And love that you’ve had success with so many fruits. Thank you for sharing! We think you could sub more oats in place of the pecans and it would still be very delicious!
Tavi says
I turn to this recipe time and time again. l mostly use it for the topping and just use whatever frozen berries I have on hand. It turns out SO yummy every time! I’ve had multiple people reach out to me asking for the recipe and I happily send them this link :)
Amazing! We love to hear this, Tavi. Thanks for the lovely review, we’re so glad it’s enjoyed by so many! xo
Maria says
Looking forward to trying this recipe but I wanted to ask two or three questions first. When you say 4 cups nectarines and strawberries, did you mean 4 cups total or 4 cups each? If total, what’s the suggested rations, half and half? Also, can I use almond flour which is finer instead of almond meal which is coarser (I know in many recipes, you can’t substitute using the meal if it calls for the flour because of this difference but wasn’t sure if it worked or not in reverse)?
Hi Maria, we’d suggest ~2 cups each. Almond flour would be fine. Hope that helps!
Maria says
Thank you for the quick reply to my questions. Made a double batch two days ago and between my family it’s already gone (making another now). I was short on nectarines (not all were ripe enough) and did 4 cups strawberries (since it was a double batch), 2 cups nectarines, 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup blackberries. Also subbed coconut sugar instead of brown sugar since that’s what I had (and I have heard it’s healthier). Loved the nut ratio. My mother is dairy free so we used cocowhip instead of ice cream
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Maria!
M Rutland says
Last year, I asked if this freezes well. You asked me to let you know what happened when I froze it. After a winter of experimentation, I found a simple method to freeze this delicious cobbler/crisp. I simply measured out the fruit and froze it in an aluminum pan. I premixed the topping and poured it into a sandwich bag. When I wanted a cobbler, I pulled out a pan, sprinkled the topping on top, and baked until bubbly (usually an additional 10 minutes or so). Perfect, no fuss!
Thanks so much for getting back to us and sharing!
Carla says
Just perfect! I completely left out the sugar because of a friend with diabetes, and it didn’t effect the greatness of the recipe in any way.
Annie says
This recipe was highly praised at a potluck I brought it to! I couldn’t find almond meal so I used chickpea flour instead to keep it gluten free, and I used the suggested substitution of olive oil, which worked perfectly.
Thanks, Annie!
M Rutland says
Question: how well does this crisp freeze?
Hi! We haven’t tried freezing it, but don’t think it would work well. The fruit portion would likely retain too much liquid. But if you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
Amanda says
I am so obsessed with this recipe. Best cobbler I’ve ever had! I did half coconut oil half earth balance for the butter, and half almond flour and half GF blend for the almond meal. I did mixed frozen berries and added 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and a little lemon juice with the berries. Oh and coconut sugar for brown sugar. It was perfect! I’ve been looking for a cobbler without 5 cups of butter and sugar ? I’ve never been disappointed with a minimalist baker recipe yet- and I’ve made tons! This one is a must! I topped it with nadamoo cinnamon snickerdoodle ice cream and it couldn’t have been better.
Thanks for sharing, Amanda!!
Faye says
This was the best fruit cobbler recipe I have every made and eaten. Used fresh blueberries and strawberries. Just amazing! Thanks!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Faye! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Ariel says
So delicious! I was looking for a gluten free/dairy free crisp and found this recipe. I subbed coconut oil and a bit of ghee for the butter, macadamias for the pecans (that’s what I had on hand), and turbinado sugar for the brown sugar. I also added a couple of handfuls of blueberries to the fruit. It turned out so well! That crisp topping is the best gf I’ve had – I will need to find more ways to use almond flour – it has a lovely texture. Thanks so much for posting this recipe :)
Thanks for sharing!
Amber says
Hi there :)
I live in Washington state and Fall is definitely on its way if not here which means less fresh fruit. If I do this with frozen assorted fruits (can’t have stone fruit so thinking berries??) is there anything different I need to do? I’m assuming cornstarch to deal with the ice/water?
Thanks!!
Hi Amber! This recipe may be of interest to you! For frozen berries, I’d recommend using just a tad more arrowroot than what was called for. Good luck!
Jenny Harrison says
Hi there.
I don’t think any arrowroot was called for? I am making this now and ended up throwing in a little corn starch with the berries after reading this comment. :) (This is baking now.)
Hi Jenny, the arrowroot comment was in reference to the berry crisp link. Hope that is more clear!
Jenny Harrison says
Of course! That makes perfect sense. :) I made this receipt with strawberries and peaches and sliced almonds since I didn’t have pecans. It turned out great!
Cydni says
I was trying to think of something that looked fiery for a themed meal and thought to use strawberries and peaches in a crisp. Luckily when I googled gluten-free crisp (not even mentioning the strawberries and peaches), this recipe came up! I love all of your recipes so trying this one was a no brainer and as expected it was delicious! My family loved it. I followed the recipe exactly.
Crystal says
Can u prepare this ahead and then bake it?
Hi! Yes you can!
Julie says
AMAAAAZING!!! :)
Raquel says
I bought a house last year and we were so shocked to come home from a vacation and find that one of the trees in our new backyard was loaded with right, juicy peaches. In Tucson of all places. I made this with 100% peaches because we’ve got about 1000 of them and it’s in the oven cooking. Although I haven’t tasted the final product, I tasted the raw topping and I can tell you it’s the most delicious crisp topping I’ve ever tasted in my life. The pecans really make a huge difference. This recipe is a keeper
heather says
i made this with 2 gala apples, a bit of frozen raspberries, coconut sugar, and almond flour instead of meal because it’s what i had on hand. i think i had to cut the time a little short though, but yum! such a great flexible recipe. Thanks!!!
Amanda S says
I don’t have almond meal, only almond flour. Is that ok to use, is there another sub?! Or can I just omit?!
P.S…… my daughter has some autoimmune issues and dietary issues. You site and recipes truly help me keep her healthy !!! Thank you!!
Hi! I haven’t tried using almond meal but if you do, report back on how it goes! Thanks for being a fan! :D
Shannon says
I made this crumble a few weeks ago and my family have wanted it 3 times since, so it’s turned into a definite family favourite! So simple yet so good. I’m so glad I’ve come across your recipes (I’m GF and DF), everything I’ve made so far is amazing. Had the lentil sauce with zucchini noodles last night and trying the sundried tomato chickpea burgers tonight! Thank you endless amounts xxx
Stephen Wolf says
This is my all time favorite dessert – people cannot believe it when I make it. One question – since the nectarines are out of season, I am wondering if I can use apples instead?? Will it still be delicious?
Love your blog by the way!!
I think that would work well! Use this filling as inspiration. xo!
Manda says
Can I use coconut oil to sub butter?
Jess Macauley says
Wonderful! The best crumble recipe ever. I have simplified it a bit, just using mixed nuts and pulsing them in the blender until some are fine and some a bit coarse, with no rolled oats. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Leah says
Love love love this recipe. Making it for the 3rd time. I’ve used peaches and nectarines, nectarines and strawberries, and today I’m trying peaches and plums. I love that there is no sugar added to the fruit. I haven’t used a different crisp topping since trying this one. I’m addicted to the flavor of the roasted pecans. Yum!
Cristina says
Agree this looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it! My husband’s grandmother and I are both lactose intolerant and I am gluten intolerant so I’m always in charge of making a dessert for family gatherings that she and I can both eat! Probably a dumb question- but is it okay to make this and then serve room temperature later?
Liz says
This crisp is a-mazing!! I agree, best crisp topping I’ve ever had, even before I was diagnosed with celiac’s and could eat the flour and sugar laden versions. I made it with just peaches since I didn’t have any strawberries and it was absolutely delicious. I’m SO happy to have found your site! Can’t wait to try all of your other recipes!!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Liz! Thanks for saying hello. Hope you’ll stick around! -Dana
Mia W says
Thank you for the delicious recipe! I’ve been a subscriber for a while but found this gem after a google search this evening looking for a good GF way to dispatch some blackberries, a huge peach and a nectarine. I can confirm the taste lives up to your beautiful photographs- can’t wait to re-hash it with apples in the fall once I work through every berry and stone fruit in my path for the remainder of the summer!
Michelle says
Can the almond meal be substituted for another gluten free flour?
Yes! Any blend should do :D
Sharleen says
This looks delicious. I’m new to a gluten-free diet but I thought oats were considered to have gluten? Can you provide some advice?
Just look for oats that are gluten free!
Julia says
This looks delicious! How can I store any leftovers?
In the fridge! For up to a few days :D
Julia says
Thanks!
Josephine says
I am actually planning on making a single serving by quartering the recipe which should be easy enough but my question is how long to bake it? I am planning on using a mini pie pan (5.5 inches). Thanks!
I would halve the baking time and then check every few minutes thereafter. Hope that helps!
Josephine says
Yup! Thanks for the quick reply. Worked great. My GF friend loved it!
Abigail says
I made this today – substituted oat flour for the almond meal, walnuts for the almonds and used 1/2 butter and 1/2 grapeseed oil. I baked it for 35 minutes. It was delicious.
rachel says
I am so going to make this for my mother in law. She loves peaches though. She recently found out she has celiac…I hope she enjoys this with peaches.
Maryann says
I tried this recipe last night for and brought it over to a dinner party. It was delicious and so easy to make! Thank you
Jen says
This looks delicious. I usually stick to the same recipe for the crisp (crumble here!) but this looks so yummy I might have to give it a go!
Emma says
I like my crumble oaty too so this flour-free version sounds perfect. Strawberries and nectarines sound amazing too. I bet they get super sweet after a stint in the oven.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
I’m absolutely loving the strawberry-nectarine combo!
Jess says
I couldn’t get this out of my head after you first posted it, Dana, so I made a mini batch of this crisp last night for the two of us! AMAZING! I put it over mangos (hello, I live in the tropics) and it was absolutely perfect – I actually love it without the flour – just more of the good stuff. Great recipe!
YAYAYAYAY! I kinda of love you for this. Thanks for sharing, friend! So glad you and the hubs enjoyed a bowl. This is my favorite crisp as of yet! And relatively healthy : )
Emilia says
I love crisps so much, I wonder why I don’t make them more often. This version looks absolutely delightful! I’ve never thought about ice cream pairing as a requirement for a good crisp, but I could be convinced ;)
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
I love the addition of pecans! I agree that vanilla ice cream is most definitely an essential crisp topping. Can’t wait to dive into a bowl of this!
Lisa says
LOVE anything CRISP! Yum!!!
Bek says
Looks so good! Can’t wait for Summer to arrive here in the southern hemisphere so I can try this!
Michael says
This looks absolutely delicious! I am going to pick up fresh nectarines and strawberries from the Market this afternoon and will be making this tonight. Thanks for this.
Donna says
May I just say that that last large shot with the melty vanilla ice cream is quite possibly the most beautiful photograph EVER MADE of a fruit crisp?…Really…I have never seen one of my all-time favorite desserts presented in such an elegant, minimalist way…
This is to be archived, treasured and referred to…again and again. I love strawberries and nectarines together (did a wonderful vanilla bean french toast(with nectarines)…and added the strawberries for the color, beauty and taste… from Simply Scratch this morning which was superb!)…and I cannot wait to try out your salute to this dynamic duo of fruit bliss! Thank you for sharing your beautiful culinary world!
Donna! I wish I could hug you through my screen right now. Thanks so much for the kind words! You’re too sweet.
Rho Mueller-Warrant says
I have a question. I do not own a food processor. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed almond meal being sold. Could I make it by chopping almonds very finely? Thanks.
You sure can!
Ash- foodfashionparty says
Totally agree, if you are going to have crisp and icecream, make it the best. Yours looks crisp and delish.
Tammela says
“All-crisp” sounds good to me! Or maybe a “some fruit with your crisp?” variation.
Maggie says
1. Totally printing this recipe so I can make it for my family at the cabin next week.
2. Totally have that yellow Old Navy dress.
My friend was wearing that gorgeous yellow dress in the picture, and now I totally want it. You two have good taste!
Tieghan says
So pretty and strawberries and nectarines are my very favorite!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This is such a fabulous flavour combination for a crisp! I’m a crisp snob too and this looks perfect!
Sarah says
Ugh, I can’t handle all this summer fruit! All I want is to crisp-it-up with nectarines and berries, and yet I’m in a more of pears and apples. Summer can’t come soon enough!