Perfectly seasoned juicy pears under a crunchy, buttery topping, this pear crisp is an incredibly flavorful dessert everyone will love. A twist on the classic apple crisp, this pear crisp recipe is a great way to use up extra pears you have in the kitchen. If you love apple crisp, then you’ll love this pear version.
It’s such an easy dessert to prepare in a few minutes, so you can quickly whip it up, whether it’s for a weeknight dinner or a holiday gathering. It’s practically a dump-and-bake dessert that anyone can make. Thanks to the filling’s cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, your house will smell absolutely amazing. You’ll want to make this again and again. Want another easy dessert recipe using pears? Try my baked pears recipe or my chocolate pear cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Pears — fresh just-ripe pears are best as you want them to be a little bit firm. Canned pears and overly ripe pears won’t hold up as well after you bake the crisp.
Lemon juice — I recommend using fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Bottled lemon juice has a less bright and fresh flavor.
Sugar — you’ll need both granulated and brown sugar for the filling and topping. They add sweetness and moisture. The brown sugar adds a nice caramel flavor. I recommend using light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar, so it doesn’t overpower the rest of the dish.
Warm spices — I use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to create its classic warm fall flavors.
Cornstarch — the pears release quite a bit of juice, so the cornstarch helps absorb and thicken the filling.
Flour — you don’t need anything fancy for the topping. All-purpose flour help bind the topping together and gives the topping a crumbly texture.
Rolled oats — you need to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or steel-cut oats. Quick oats will fall apart, and steel-cut oats will not give you the right texture.
Butter — I recommend using unsalted butter to avoid the topping from tasting too salty.
How to Make Pear Crisp
1. Place the sliced pears and lemon juice into a greased 8-inch square baking dish and toss to coat.
2. Add the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla, tossing well to coat.
3. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and stir until well combined. Press into an even layer.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, pecans, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Pour in the melted butter and stir until all of the flour is moistened, and the mixture is crumbly.
6. Scatter the topping all over the pears. Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is very bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- I prefer Barlett pears, but any pear that will soften during baking, like Anjou or Bosc, will work! I’d avoid more fibrous varieties like Asian pears.
- If your pears aren’t quite ripe, toss them with the lemon juice, sugar, and spices, holding the cornstarch, and let the mixture sit for up to 2 hours. The sugars will help to soften the fruit. When you’re ready to bake, stir in the cornstarch and make the topping.
- Avoid serving immediately. Giving the pear crisp a chance to cool will give the filling time to set up so it doesn’t fall apart when you try to serve it.
- You can easily make this pear crisp gluten-free by swapping the flour for gluten-free flour.
- If you do not have enough pears to make the recipe, you can add an apple to the mixture.
- Not a fan of pecans? Swap for walnuts or almonds.
- Room temperature pears bake more evenly. Bring them out of the fridge ahead of time.
- It’s better to slice the pears thicker than thinner. If you cut the pears too thin, they might become mushy instead of tender. Also, try to cut them as uniformly as possible.
- If the top of your crisp browns too quickly, you can place a piece of foil on top to protect it.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend peeling the pears, as when baked, the skin doesn’t soften or break down. You’ll be left with an unpleasant tough texture if you skip peeling the pears.
You can assemble the entire pear crisp ahead of time, cover it with foil or plastic wrap, then refrigerate the crisp until ready to bake. Bake according to directions, but add an extra 5-10 minutes due to the crisp being cold from the fridge.
Once the pear crisp has completely cooled to room temperature, cover it tightly with plastic, and store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. If it’s still warm, condensation forms, and the crispy topping will become soggy.
You can freeze the crisp before or after baking. If unbaked, tightly wrap it up and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, bake from frozen for an extra 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. If baked, let the crisp cool completely before tightly wrapping it up and freezing it for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat it in the oven until it’s warm and bubbly.
You can reheat the crisp in the oven or microwave. Microwave for 30-second intervals until warmed through. If reheating in the microwave, it won’t be as crispy. If reheating in the oven, place the baking dish in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or so.
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If you’ve tried this Pear Crisp recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Pear Crisp
Equipment
- 8″ baking dish
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 4 large pears peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar (73g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1 cup rolled oats (112g)
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans (56g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (55g)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g/120ml)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- Place the sliced pears and lemon juice in the baking dish and toss to coat. Add the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla, tossing well to coat. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and stir until well combined. Press into an even layer.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, pecans, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until all of the flour is moistened and the mixture is crumbly. For large chunks, squeeze some of the topping in your fist. Scatter the topping all over the pears.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is very bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- I prefer Barlett pears, but any pear that will soften during baking, like Anjou or Bosc, will work! I’d avoid more fibrous varieties like Asian pears.
- If your pears aren’t quite ripe, toss them with the lemon juice, sugar, and spices, holding the cornstarch, and let the mixture sit for up to 2 hours. The sugars will help to soften the fruit. When you’re ready to bake, stir in the cornstarch and make the topping.
- Avoid serving immediately. Giving the pear crisp a chance to cool will give the filling time to set up so it doesn’t fall apart when you try to serve it.
- You can easily make this pear crisp gluten-free by swapping the flour for gluten-free flour.
- If you do not have enough pears to make the recipe, you can add an apple to the mixture.
- Not a fan of pecans? Swap for walnuts or almonds.
- Room temperature pears bake more evenly. Bring them out of the fridge ahead of time.
- It’s better to slice the pears thicker than thinner. If you cut the pears too thin, they might become mushy instead of tender. Also, try to cut them as uniformly as possible.
- If the top of your crisp browns too quickly, you can place a piece of foil on top to protect it.
This was really very nice. I made the recipe as written, but I’m itching to try it again using hazelnuts in place of pecans. Thank you for an excellent recipe.