This delicious, gently spiced & super easy to make pear crumble makes for such a comforting dessert. You will love its granola style topping which is simply out of this world!
Who doesn't love good old-fashioned crumble?
I must say, when I think about comfort foods, fruit crumbles are definitely at the top of my list.
This easy pear crumble recipe is one of my very favourite ones amongst all other fruit crumbles and it's all thanks to subtle sweetness of pears gently spiced with some earthy spices: cinnamon, ginger & mixed spice.
To make the crumble that bit more special I've come up with a topping that's been enriched with plenty of nuts and seeds for that extra crunch and granola like texture. It's a winner!
If you love fruit crumbles make sure to check out my super popular Rhubarb Crumble recipe.
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✔️ Why should you make it?
- Quick & easy
- Delicious & crunchy granola style topping that doesn't go soggy
- Perfect comfort food
- Can be made ahead
- Easy to customise and adapt
- Vegan
- Great way of using up pears (even those slightly overripe ones)
- Loved by all
🥘 Ingredients & substitutions
Filling:
Pears - Most varieties will work well here (see below). I like to slice my pears but you could cut them into chunks which will work best if your pears are slightly overripe.
Spices - I like using earthy and warming spices here (cinnamon, ground ginger & mixed spice). Feel free to adjust the amount as per your liking.
Brown Sugar - You don't need a lot of extra sweetness here especially if you're using nice and juicy fruit. Addition of some brown sugar, however, will add that lovely caramel like flavour and help pears to release their juices too.
Vegan Butter - Frying pears in a little bit of vegan butter will add lovely richness and again help with caramelisation but you can leave it out if you want to and cook your pears with a dash of water instead.
Crumble Topping
Plain (All-Purpose) Flour - I have also successfully used mixture of wholemeal & white spelt flours.
For gluten-free version you could try and use your favourite gluten-free flour here but personally I haven't tested this recipe using gluten-free flour.
Brown Sugar - You could also use demerara sugar here instead.
Vegan Butter - I use unsalted vegan block butter - Flora Plant, Stork or Naturli (UK).
Porridge Oats - For even more texture you could use jumbo oats instead.
Ground Almonds - Add lovely nutty flavour but if you don't want to use them simply increase the amount of flour.
Walnuts & Sunflower Seeds - They add lovely crunchy texture to the crumble and keep it crisp without going soggy even when you reheat it!
You could of course try and swap these for different nuts and perhaps use pumpkin seeds or a mixture of both but for me this is a winning combination.
What pears are best to use in a crumble?
Ideally you'd like pears that are ripe and sweet yet still hold their shape although slightly overripe ones will work as well (you won't need to cook them on the hob for as long, only until sugar has dissolved).
As for the variety British grown Conference or Williams will do nicely. So will Anjou, Packham or Comice.
🍽 Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this pear crumble although if you've got food processor you could use it for making your topping.
I usually use round pie dish for my crumbles but any shape will do here. You could even make it in individual ramekins.
💭 Top Tips
- You can squash crumble into little clusters if you'd like more body into your crumble or you can keep it nice and fine.
- If your pears are slightly overripe and too juicy to handle, don't worry about slicing them but cut them into chunks instead.
- If your pears are not particularly juicy or you are not frying them in butter, you might want to add a splash of water as you're cooking them to help them along a bit.
- All of you cast iron skillet owners, feel free to caramelise your pears in it, top with crumble and bake (all in one pan) saving on washing up.
- This recipe yields quite a lot of crumble. Don't feel like you need to use it all if you prefer higher ratio of filling to the topping. Unbaked crumble leftovers can be frozen for other time or you can bake it on the baking tray at 180C/350F for about 20 minutes until crispy and use as a topping for yogurt, fruit salad etc.
You can also use any leftover crumble to top these delicious Rhubarb Muffins with.
📖 Variations
This vegan pear crumble is super easy to adapt with whatever fruit you fancy or is currently in season.
We love using half and half apples and pears for Apple and Pear Crumble but stone fruits like peaches or apricots will work well as well.
Another great option would be pairing pears with blackberries when in season for Pear and Blackberry Crumble - perfect late summer dessert!
🥡 Storing & Freezing
Leftover pear crumble can be cooled and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat I find microwave works really well and due to extra crunchiness of the topping it doesn't even go soggy. All you need is 20-30 seconds per serving (depending on your microwave).
Pear crumble leftovers can also be frozen but here the topping might go a little bit soggy unless you defrost it first and them reheat it in the oven and not microwave.
Uncooked pear crumble freezes really well and you can freeze it assembled (for up to 3 months) as long as your dish is freezer & oven proof. When freezing make sure pear crumble is completely cool and wrap your dish well to prevent freezer burn.
Once ready for your crumble you can either defrost it in the fridge first or simply bake from frozen adding approx. 10 minutes to the baking time.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
For me there are only three ways of serving pear crumble and it's either good vegan vanilla ice cream, my plain vegan banana nice cream or vegan custard!
I'll let you choose your favourite!
❓ FAQs
Yes it is, with crumble being used predominantly in the UK and crisp in America.
The best pears to use are the ones that are ripe and juicy yet still hold their shape without being mushy. I wouldn't use underripe pears in a crumble as flavour will simply not be there!
Having said that slightly overripe pears will work here as well although they are likely to fall apart during cooking.
You can make pear crumble up to a day in advance and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.
🔪 How to make Pear Crumble?
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
One: Start by preparing your crumble topping. Put flour, sugar and cubed, cold vegan butter in a large bowl and start working the butter into the mixture with your fingers, squashing it gently as you go until more or less incorporated and you get that breadcrumbs like consistency.
Two: Next add oats, ground almonds, chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds and incorporate them into the crumble by mixing in with your hand. Once crumble is ready set it aside and get on with preparing spiced pears.
Three: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Four: Peel, core and slice the pears. If your pears are a bit overripe and falling apart a bit, don't worry about slicing them but cut them into chunks which will be fine as well.
Five: Melt some vegan butter in a pan or ovenproof skillet. Add pears followed by spices and sugar, give it all a gentle mix.
Six: Gently fry the pears until sugar has dissolved and pears softened a bit (5-10 min). The timing will depend on your pears and whether they were quite firm or a bit overripe.
Seven: Transfer your pear mixture into lightly buttered pie/crumble dish ( I used 25cm/10inch glass pie dish) and top it with the crumble.
Eight: Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the crumble is nice and golden and pear mixture is bubbling.
Nine: Serve and enjoy!
Have you tried my Easy Pear Crumble?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below.
😋 More delicious bakes & puddings
Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding (Gluten-Free)
Easy Rhubarb Tart (Vegan)
Easy Pear & Fresh Ginger Cake
Rhubarb Muffins (Vegan)
Vegan Blueberry Muffins
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📋 Recipe
Pear Crumble with Granola Topping (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 700 g pears (approx. 4-5 pears) ripe but still holding their shape are the best
- 25 g unsalted vegan butter I use Flora Plant
- 30 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
Crumble
- 75 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 30 g porridge oats you could use jumbo oats here for more defined texture
- 30 g ground almonds
- 75 g brown sugar
- 75 g vegan block butter I like unsalted Flora Plant
- 30 g walnuts roughly chopped
- 30 g sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Start by preparing crumble topping. Put flour, sugar and cubed, cold vegan butter in a large bowl and start working the butter into the mixture with your fingers, squashing it gently as you go until more or less incorporated and you get that breadcrumbs like consistency. This part can be also done in a food processor.
- Next add oats, ground almonds, chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds and incorporate them into the crumble by mixing in with your hand. Once crumble is ready set it aside and get on with preparing spiced pears.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Peel, core and slice the pears. If your pears are a bit overripe and falling apart a bit, don't worry about slicing them but cut them into chunks which will be fine as well.
- Melt some vegan butter in a pan or ovenproof skillet. Add pears followed by spices and sugar, give it all a gentle mix.
- Gently fry the pears until sugar has dissolved and pears softened a bit (5-10 min). The timing will depend on your pears and whether they were quite firm or a bit overripe.
- Transfer your pear mixture into lightly buttered pie/crumble dish and top it with crumble topping.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the crumble is nice and golden and pear mixture is bubbling.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving based on 6 servings and should be treated as as rough guideline only. Ice cream or custard you might serve your crumble with haven't been included in the calculations.
- Leftover pear crumble can be cooled and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer friendly both baked or unbaked (see Storing & Freezing).
- You can squash crumble into little granola like clusters if you'd like more body into your crumble or you can keep it nice and fine.
- If your pears are slightly overripe and too juicy to handle, don't worry about slicing them but cut them into chunks instead.
- If you own cast iron skillet, feel free to caramelise your pears in it, top with crumble and bake (all in one pan) saving on washing up.
- This recipe yields quite a lot of crumble. Don't feel like you need to use it all if you prefer higher ratio of filling to the topping. Unbaked crumble topping can be frozen for another time or you can bake it on the baking tray at 180C/350F for about 20 minutes until crispy and use as a topping for yogurt, fruit salad etc.
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