This Pear Crisp recipe transforms ripe pears into a soft, sweet filling topped with a golden, crunchy crumble that tastes like pure comfort. It’s an easy, no-fuss dessert you can serve warm with ice cream and watch everyone go back for seconds!
Table of Contents
What is Pear Crisp?
A pear crisp is a baked fruit dessert made with sliced pears layered under a buttery, oat-studded crumble. As the fruit cooks, it turns soft, syrupy, and fragrant while the topping browns into a crisp, textured layer. The contrast is warm, rustic, and super satisfying.
Unlike a cobbler, which uses biscuit-style dough, a crisp is built with a streusel topping made from oats, sugar, flour, and butter. This lets the fruit shine while still giving you that golden, crunchy finish. It’s one of the easiest ways to highlight pears and feels especially cozy when served warm with melting ice cream.
Ingredients You Need
- Firm Pears – We love using pears for a crisp that’s full of fall flavor. Make sure they’re firm so that they don’t become overly soft while baking.
- Granulated Sugar – Sugar adds balanced sweetness and pulls just enough juice from the pears for a syrupy base.
- Corn Starch – This is what we use to thicken the juices so the crisp doesn’t become watery.
- Cinnamon – This spice adds the perfect amount of cozy warmth.
- Ground Nutmeg – We add nutmeg for even more warm depth that complements the pears.
- All-Purpose Flour – This helps the topping form crisp, golden clusters as it bakes.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – Oats create a hearty texture in the classic crisp topping.
- Baking Powder – This adds a subtle lift so the topping stays light instead of becoming dense.
- Light Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds caramel-like sweetness and helps the topping to brown.
- Unsalted Butter – This ingredient is a great way to create a crisp, buttery texture in the topping, especially when kept cold.
- Raw Walnuts – We love using walnuts because they add an earthy crunch and toast up perfectly in the oven.
- Sea Salt – This balances out the sweetness and makes the other ingredients pop.
- Flaky Sea Salt – We love sprinkling a little salt over top for a crisp, textured finish and fun sweet-and-salty flavor.
- Vanilla Ice Cream – This adds a cool, creamy contrast to the warm crisp.
How to Make Pear Crisp
- Prep the pears. Peel and slice the pears, then spread them in an even layer inside your baking dish.
- Coat the filling. Mix the sugar, corn starch, and spices, then toss with the pears.
- Build the topping. Stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Cut in the cold butter until coarse, then fold in the walnuts.
- Add the crumble. Scatter the topping over the pears without pressing it down.
- Bake the crisp. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake until the streusel turns golden and the fruit bubbles underneath.
- Finish and serve. Let the crisp rest briefly, then serve with vanilla ice cream and flaky sea salt.
Variations
- Nuts – Swap the walnuts out for pecans for a buttery richness and a softer crunch.
- Zest – Lemon or orange zest brightens the filling and balances the sweetness.
- Fresh Ginger – Ginger adds warm spice and a fresh, fragrant kick.
- Almond Extract – Almond extract introduces a floral, nutty note that pairs perfectly with pears.
- Dried Cranberries – Bright, tangy cranberries add contrast to the soft fruit.
Can I Store Leftovers?
Leftovers soften slightly as the topping absorbs some moisture, but the flavor stays delicious. To crisp it back up, reheat it in the oven.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months.
Common Questions about Pear Crisp
You may need to use firmer pears. Also, be sure to use enough corn starch — it helps keep the filling thick.
You can, but fresh pears offer better texture. If using canned, drain well and reduce any added sugar.
We like to use Bosc or Bartlett pears (or a mix of both). They hold their shape well and provide balanced sweetness!
Yes! Prepare the filling and topping separately, then assemble and bake when ready.
More Crisp Recipes
Fruit is always a hit for dessert in our homes, and nothing could be easier than a crisp! Take a look at our other popular crisp recipes.
Pear Crisp
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Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled & sliced firm pears roughly 5-6 medium pears, such as Bosc, or a mix of Bosc and Bartlett
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for the topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup raw walnuts roughly chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Flaky sea salt + vanilla ice cream optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (about 175 °C).
- Place the peeled, diced pears in a 12×8-inch baking dish.4 cups peeled & sliced firm pears
- In a small bowl, toss together the ⅓ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp nutmeg. Sprinkle that mixture over the pears and stir gently until coated evenly.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 tbsp corn starch, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the 1 cup flour, 1 cup oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp sea salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to work it in until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs and looks pebbly. Add the walnuts and mix again.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ¼ tsp baking powder, ¾ cup firmly-packed light brown sugar, ½ tsp sea salt, 10 tbsp unsalted butter, 3/4 cup raw walnuts
- Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the pear mixture, leaving it loose and airy (don’t press it down).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown and the pear filling is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let it settle for a few minutes.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of caramel (if you like), and a pinch of flaky sea salt for that perfect sweet-and-salty finish.Flaky sea salt + vanilla ice cream
Notes
- If you want extra depth of flavor, try using 1/2 sweet pears (like Bosc) + 1/2 more tart style (like Bartlett) to give contrast.
- To keep your topping crisp: make sure the butter is cold, sprinkle the topping loosely (not packed tight), and bake without covering.
- Leftovers? Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat at 350 °F for ~15-20 minutes (if thawed) to bring back that crisp texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
