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A blue plate with a serving of pear crisp with a scoop of ice cream on top.
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Pear Crisp

Made with simple ingredients, this Pear Crisp recipe comes together in a few quick steps! Perfect for when pears are in season.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 863kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 863kcal | Carbohydrates: 137g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 84g | Vitamin A: 776IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg