Pear Crumble

With a lightly spiced, buttery crumb topping and sweet, juicy pears, this easy pear crumble will be your new favorite fall dessert!

This post is sponsored by Sprouts. As always, opinions are 100% my own—thank you for supporting the brands that make IBK possible!

Who else is excited for pear season? If you’re anything like me (and you probably are since you’re here for a pear crumble recipe) you love ANYTHING made with pears—and your local Sprouts has a great selection of seasonal pears for all of your baking (and snacking) needs.

For this recipe I went with sweet, juicy Bartletts because I can’t get enough of their tender texture paired with the buttery crumble on top of this fabulously simple dessert. 

If you’re looking for a quick and easy dessert to serve for the holidays then this recipe is a must. And you can find all of the ingredients at your local Sprouts—dessert couldn’t get much easier than that!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• The ingredients are all simple and easy to find; you probably have most of them on hand already
• Even if you don’t bake often, this crumble is easy enough for you to make successfully
• This crumble only takes about 15 minutes to throw together—less than that if you have someone help you slice the pears while you make the topping

How to make your crumble

• Arrange sliced pears in a baking dish and sprinkle with a little lemon juice
• Combine the topping ingredients EXCEPT butter in a large bowl, then stir to combine; you can use a spoon but I just use my hands to toss them all together
• Use your hands to cut the butter into the rest of the ingredients; mix until the topping forms crumbles
• Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pears and bake for about 30 minutes

Recipe notes and tips

• You’ll need about 24 to 26 ounces (roughly 1 1/2 pounds) of fruit. That should work out 3 to 4 pears depending on their size.

• I used Bartlett pears because they’re typically easy to find and I love their texture when they bake.

• Slice your pears into 1/4-inch slices. I didn’t peel mine but you can if you prefer.

• This crumble is best served the day you make it; I think it’s delicious slightly warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or a little whipped cream. 

• I used a little bit of ground ginger in my topping but you can substitute nutmeg, allspice, cloves, or additional cinnamon if you prefer.

How to store your crumble

If you have any leftovers they can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Be sure to let your crumble cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating. Covering it while it’s still warm could cause it to sweat and get soggy.

What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp?

While both crumbles and crisps are made with fruit (fresh, frozen, or even canned), they are a little different.

Traditionally, crumbles are topped with a streusel topping while crisps are topped with a buttery crumble topping, made with oats, sugar, and (sometimes) nuts.

The oats “crisp” while baking, hence the name. The topping on a crumble stays softer, especially if you add a little baking powder like in this pear crumble recipe.

A few more recipes you might enjoy
Pear Crisp
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Caramel Apple Crumble

Did you make this crumble? That’s great! Leave me a comment and rating below! And post a pic on Instagram. Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!

Print

Pear Crumble

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

This easy pear crumble comes together in just minutes and makes a delicious dessert for fall and winter.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Filling

• 5 cups sliced fresh Bartlett pears*
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

Instructions

Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square (or 11- by 7-inch) baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Arrange the pears into an even layer in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice, then make the crumble topping.

Topping

1. Stir the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Add the butter and use your fingers to cut it into the mixture until it comes together and forms large crumbles. (If you want a few really big crumbles, just squeeze the topping in your hands to form larger ones.)
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pears.
4. Set the baking dish on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices that might spill over and bake 25 to 35 minutes, until the pear juices are bubbling around the edges and the topping is light golden.
5. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes to let the juices set up a little bit, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

• *You’ll need roughly 24 to 26 ounces of fruit (roughly 1 1/2 pounds). That will be probably 3 to 4 pears depending on size.
• Slice the pears into 1/4-inch slices. I didn’t peel mine but you can if you prefer.
• The crumble tastes best the day it’s made (I like it warm!), but you can store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Be sure to let your crumble cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating.
• If you don’t like ginger, you can substitute nutmeg, allspice, cloves, or additional cinnamon in the topping.