This post may contain affiliate links.
Peach Bars layer a buttery shortbread crust, juicy fresh peaches, and a golden crumble topping into the easiest summer dessert you will make all season, and I baked a pan one sticky August afternoon when our counter was overflowing with ripe peaches and Maddie kept sneaking slices. If you love our strawberry dump cake, these sliceable peach bars are the grab-and-go version.
They come together in one pan with simple pantry staples, and that crumble-topped peach filling tastes like peach cobbler you can eat with your hands.
Peach Bars Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 60 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 bars
- ⚡ Calories: 284kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery shortbread, sweet juicy peaches, and cinnamon crumble
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our strawberry cheesecake bars
Quick Answer
Cream butter, sugar, and an egg, then mix in flour, cinnamon, and salt to make a shortbread base. Press it into a 9×13-inch pan and chill. Toss sliced peaches with sugar and lemon zest and spread over the chilled crust. Sprinkle a brown sugar crumble on top and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The shortbread base is sturdy and buttery. Creaming butter, sugar, and egg before adding flour gives you a crust that holds up to juicy peaches without turning soggy.
- Chilling the crust is the secret. A quick chill firms up the base so it bakes into a clean, sliceable bottom instead of melting into the fruit.
- Fresh peaches plus lemon zest taste like summer. A little sugar draws out the peach juices while lemon zest keeps the filling bright instead of one-note sweet.
- The crumble adds the perfect crunch. Brown sugar, flour, and butter rubbed into pea-sized crumbs bake up golden and craggy for cobbler-like texture on top.
- One pan feeds a crowd. A 9×13-inch pan yields 15 bars, so it is perfect for potlucks, picnics, and lunchboxes.
- They slice clean once cooled. Letting the bars cool fully sets the filling so you get neat squares instead of a scoop.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All the flavor of peach cobbler in a portable, sliceable bar.
- It uses simple pantry staples plus a few fresh peaches.
- Make-ahead friendly and great warm or chilled, any time of day.
Key Ingredients
Here is what goes into these peach bars. The crust and crumble share most of the same staples.
- Fresh peaches: ripe but firm peaches hold their shape and bring that summer flavor. Peeling is optional.
- Butter: softened, for both the buttery shortbread crust and the golden crumble topping.
- Flour, sugar, and egg: the base of the tender shortbread crust that anchors the bars.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: warm, caramel notes in the crumble that play perfectly with peaches.
- Lemon zest: a bright pop that keeps the sweet peach filling from tasting flat.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Peach bars are easy to adapt. Here are a few favorite swaps.
- Use frozen or canned peaches: thaw and drain frozen, or drain canned well, if fresh are out of season.
- Swap the fruit: ripe nectarines, plums, or a mix of berries all work beautifully.
- Add oats: stir 1/2 cup rolled oats into the crumble for an oat-streusel crunch.
- Add nuts: chopped pecans or sliced almonds in the topping add toasty crunch.
- Make it gluten-free: use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the crust and crumble.
- Love fruit bars? Try our strawberry cheesecake bars next.
How to Make Peach Bars
- Grease and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and egg with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt, mixing on low just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Press the crust evenly into the pan and chill in the fridge while you prep the rest.
- Stir the sliced peaches with sugar and lemon zest until combined.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt into pea-sized crumbs for the topping.
- Spread the peaches over the chilled crust, then sprinkle the crumble evenly on top without pressing down.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes until golden and bubbling. Cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then completely before slicing into bars.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill the crust before topping. A firm base bakes up clean and keeps the bottom from going soggy.
- Do not overmix the shortbread. Mix the flour in just until combined for a tender crust.
- Keep the crumble in pea-sized pieces. Rub the butter in with your fingers until craggy crumbs form, then stop.
- Use ripe but firm peaches. Too soft and they turn to mush; too firm and they will not soften enough.
- Cool completely before slicing. Warm bars fall apart; chilled bars cut into clean squares.
- Line the pan with parchment so you can lift the whole slab out for easy, even cutting.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These peach bars are fantastic on their own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream turns them into a true peach cobbler moment. Serve them slightly warm for the coziest version.
They are a potluck and picnic dream because they travel and slice so well. Set them out next to a pitcher of iced tea or our cherry limeade for a summer spread.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy them cold straight from the fridge or warmed for a few seconds, any time you need a little summer.
Peach Bars FAQs
Ripe but still firm fresh peaches are ideal because they hold their shape and bring the best summer flavor. Yellow peaches are classic, but white peaches work too. Peeling is optional; the skins soften nicely as the bars bake.
Yes. If fresh peaches are out of season, use well-drained canned peaches or thawed and drained frozen ones. Drain them well so the extra liquid does not make the bars soggy. You may need a minute or two less bake time.
A ripe peach gives slightly when you press gently near the stem and smells sweet and fragrant. If yours are firm, leave them on the counter for a day or two. For these bars, just-ripe peaches that still have a little firmness work best.
Keep them covered at room temperature for up to a day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Because of the fresh fruit, the fridge keeps them freshest. You can also freeze the cooled bars for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge.
Absolutely. They actually slice cleanest after a few hours of cooling, so making them the night before is perfect. Store them covered and bring to room temperature, or warm briefly, before serving to your crowd.
Soggy bars usually come from too-juicy fruit or skipping the chill step. Drain canned or frozen peaches well, do not overdo the sugar that draws out juice, and always chill the crust before adding the filling so the base bakes up firm.
Keep the summer baking going with our strawberry dump cake and tell us which fruit dessert wins at your house.
Peach Bars
Ingredients
Base:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 1 pound + 6 ounces peaches sliced (peeling is optional)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Zest 1 lemon
Crumble:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease and line a 9″ x 13” baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Blend butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl with a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer on medium-high until creamy and light, 3 minutes.10 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg
- Add flour, cinnamon, and salt blending on low until just combined. Do not overmix.1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Press the bottom crust mixture into the prepared pan. To make this easier, put several large dollops of the mixture in different spots of the pan and push them together with your fingertips. Pat into an even layer.
- Place in the fridge to chill while we prepare the next steps.
- In a large bowl, stir the sliced peaches with sugar and lemon zest until combined, set aside.1 pound + 6 ounces peaches, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, Zest 1 lemon
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt on low speed until just combined into small crumbles but still a bit powdery.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Toss further with your fingers until slightly larger crumbs form (no larger than a pea).
- On the chilled base, spread the peach mixture in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top of the peaches as evenly as possible, but do not press down.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown on top and peaches are slightly bubbling along the edges.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before removing and cool completely before eating. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
- I love the peaches in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with any kind of fruit you like! I think a half-strawberry, half-peach concoction would be scrumptious.
- To peel or not to peel? I think the skin of peaches is almost the best part as it softens during the baking process, but this is a matter of personal preference.
- I use the same bowl to make each layer to cut down on dish clean-up!
- You can use any peach variety that you like.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
Divine. These bars taste like fresh sunshine.