Pear Crisp is a wonderfully easy dessert that features spiced pears baked to tender perfection beneath a buttery, crispy, warm topping! Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream. It’s the perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving table!
Pear Crisp
Move over apples, pears are here to take the spotlight. Apples seem to take center stage when thinking of classic fall flavors, but pear season is actually during the fall as well! When you’re looking for something a bit different to serve for the holidays or just a weeknight get together, this pear crisp is simply perfect. Easy to toss together with ingredients you probably already have. Add in some fresh, juicy pears tossed in sugars and spices and topped with a crunchy yet soft oaty topping that has a texture to die for. Throw in some pecans or walnuts for extra crunch, serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel, sink into a cozy dessert that can feed a crowd with minimal effort.
Cozy weather calls for more cozy desserts. Try this Easy Fruit Galette or amazing Butterscotch Apple Blondies the next time you want to elevate your dessert game!
Can I use canned pears instead of fresh?
While fresh pears are truly delicious, sometimes the craving for a pear dish hits out of season. You can use canned pears but make sure you choose ones with no sugar added. Drain the juice and follow the recipe as directed. Limit the bake time to 20-30 minutes as the canned pears will already be soft and you don’t want to over bake them into mush. You can also use apples in place of pears!
How To Make Pear Crisp
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Mix. Mix the pears, brown sugar, white sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg until combined.
- Whisk. Using a separate bowl, whisk together flour, old fashioned oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Form. Add in the cold butter pieces and work into the oats mixture. You can use your hands or a pastry cutter. Keep incorporating it until a crumbly texture has formed.
- Spread. Spread the pear mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble topping over top.
- Bake. Bake the crisp for 50-60 minutes. The pears should soften and the top should be a golden brown when ready.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes or so. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Storing Pear Crisp
Leftover pear crisp can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Make sure it has cooled completely before storing. Reheat in the oven or pop a single serving into the microwave for a minute or so until warmed through.
Ingredients Notes for Pear Crisp
For the pear filling:
- Pears – When choosing fresh pears, you want them to be ripe but not too mushy as they will soften when they bake. Bartlett or Anjou pears are great. Just be sure to peel, core, and roughly chop them when prepping.
- Sugars – You’ll need both light brown sugar, and white granulated sugar.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice is key!
- Vanilla – Opt for real vanilla when you can as opposed to vanilla extract. It has a much richer flavor without that artificial tinge.
- Spices – Cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg are the perfect combo here.
For the crisp topping:
- Flour – Regular all purpose for our base. You can substitute with gluten free flour but it may change the taste just a bit.
- Oats – Old fashioned rolled oats are the best for this recipe, however you can use quick oats in a pinch. I don’t recommend steel cut as they give off too much of a grainy texture and can make the crumble topping too tough.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar works here.
- Cinnamon – You could also toss in a dash of nutmeg or cloves to add even more warm spices.
- Salt – A pinch of salt won’t make the dish salty but will elevate the sweet flavors in the sugars when baking.
- Butter – You want to use salted butter for this recipe and make sure the butter stays cold before cutting into pieces and working it into the crisp! No room temp butter in this one.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Pear Crisp
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 4 Pounds Pears peeled, cored and chopped
- 1/2 Cup Light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Stick Butter, COLD & CUT INTO PIECES
Instructions
FOR THE FILLING
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix all the ingredients for the pear filling in a large bowl.
FOR THE TOPPING
- Whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work in the butter until incorporated and a crumbly texture forms.
- Spread the pear mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan and evenly sprinkle on the topping.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden and the pears have softened to your liking.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Am I overlooking it? I don’t see the amount of oats in the ingredients list. Thank you!
Hi! Sorry about that, we have fixed it now 🙂
Which ingredient amounts are for the filling? And the crisp ingredients such as oats and flour are missing amounts.
Hey! I apologize, the recipe card is fixed now. Thank you for bringing that to my attention 🙂