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This simple pear crisp is a must for fall baking! Sweet cinnamon and ginger spiced pears are topped with a crumbly oat topping and baked until browned and bubbly. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an easy a delicious dessert!
One of my favorite desserts to make year-round is a fruit crisp. They’re easier to make than pie, you can use whatever fruit is in season, and quite frankly, I love that crisp crumble topping better than pie crust.
I love to make this gluten free peach crisp in late summer when the Colorado peaches are at their peak. During the fall and winter it’s all about apples and pears. Since apples tend to get used the most in fall fruit crisps, I wanted to give pears some love.
Sweet, juicy pears spiced with cinnamon and ginger, were absolutely delicious in this simple pear crisp!
Ingredients For Pear Crisp
- pears
- maple syrup
- lemon
- vanilla and almond extract
- cornstarch
- ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- rolled oats
- white whole wheat flour
- dark brown sugar
- pecans
- unsalted butter
How To Make Pear Crisp
To make the pear crisp, start by slicing the pears. You can peel them or leave the skin on. Cut them into about 1/4 inch slices. You don’t want the pear slices to be too thin or they’ll just fall apart and turn to mush in the crisp.
Put the pear slices into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle them with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and the cornstarch. Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extract over the pears and then mix everything together gently with a rubber spatula until combined.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans. Melt the butter and then pour it in and mix everything until crumbles form. Pour the pears into a 9 inch cast iron skillet or an 8×8 baking pan.
Sprinkle the oat topping all over the pears and then bake the crisp for about 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the pears and juices should be bubbly. Be sure to let the crisp sit for 10 minutes or so before serving. See below for serving suggestions.
What Kind Of Pears Are Best For Baking?
Several commonly found varieties of pears that are good for baking are, Bosc, D’Anjou, and Bartlett. All of these pears will hold their shape well when baked, however Bartlett pears should be used when they are slightly underripe.
For this pear crisp I used primarily D’Anjou with a Bosc and a Bartlett thrown into the mix. I think using a variety in your baking yields are more interesting flavor.
When picking out pears, test them for ripeness by gently apply pressure to the neck or stem end of the pear. If it gives slightly then it’s ripe.
How To Serve Pear Crisp
My favorite way to serve pear crisp or any fruit crisp for that matter, is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also drizzle the pear crisp with caramel sauce like I did with my caramel apple crumb pie. Fresh, homemade, whipped cream is also a great option.
Frequently Asked Questions
All you need to do to make this crisp gluten-free is substitute the white whole wheat flour with the same amount of all purpose gluten free flour.
I highly recommend that you use cinnamon. As far as the other spices, try substituting with ground cloves, allspice, cardamom, or even an apple pie spice blend if you have access to one. I would use no more than a 1/4 teaspoon of cloves or allspice.
Yes. The make the pear crisp in a freezer friendly baking dish and cover it with an airtight lid. The crisp will go into the freezer unbaked and can be stored there for up to 3 months.
To bake the frozen crisp, simply put it in the oven frozen and cover the top with a piece of foil. Let it bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 35-45 minutes.
The pear crisp can sit on the countertop for 2 days after baking. After that you will need to store it in the refrigerator, covered, for no longer than 5 days from the day it was baked.
Pear Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 1/2 pounds pears sliced approximately 1/4 inch thick
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour all purpose, or gluten-free
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Add the peeled and sliced pears to a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining filling ingredients, then stir together gently until combined.
- In a smaller mixing bowl combine all of the topping ingredients except the melted butter. Stir together to combine and then pour in the butter.
- Stir together until crumbles form and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the pears. Bake in a 9 inch cast iron skillet or an 8×8 baking pan for 40-45 minutes or until the top is browned and the filling is bubbly. Let the crisp cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
