Recipe for Pear Crisp

This recipe for pear crisp is big on fruit filling and perfectly complemented by the crunchy oat and brown sugar topping. It’s the perfect crisp recipe to devour anytime.

pear crisp recipe

Pear crisps are such a popular fall dessert and they’re perfect for beginner bakers. In fact, this easy crisp recipe only takes 20 minutes to prep. This particular recipe for pear crisp is all about the fruit filling, with just the right touch of crumbly brown sugar oat topping to set it off. Thanks to the warm and cinnamon-spiced pears, this crisp isn’t overly sweet, but just right. I highly recommend serving your classic pear crisp with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream to ultimately make the perfect dessert.

Now, you can easily swap the pears for apples in this recipe for pear crisp. But another option is to combine the two to make an apple pear crisp. How good does that sound?

All ingredients for recipe for pear crisp.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Cinnamon
  • Pears
  • Butter
  • Quick oats
  • Brown sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • White sugar

This recipe calls for a lot of pears, about 8 cups peeled and chopped. So just get however many you have and plan on having enough to fill up the dish once you’re done prepping them. When I say prepping, I mean peeling and dicing. When you’re doing this, make sure your sliced pears aren’t too thin.

Spraying oil on baking dish

Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.

Peeled and diced pears in baking dish.

Peel and dice all of your pears and place them in your 8×8 dish.

Cinnamon and flour sprinkled over diced pears.

Sprinkle your flour, sugar, and cinnamon over the pears in your baking dish.

Stirring diced pears in baking dish.

Stir them up until well coated.

Now, as our pears release their juices while they bake, those juices will be automatically thickened, lightly sweetened, and perfectly spiced.

Crisp topping ingredients in mixing bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, place your oats, brown sugar (light or dark, whatever you have), cinnamon, and butter. 

Mixed crisp topping ingredients in mixing bowl.

Cut that together with a long tined fork until it looks something like this.

Prepared pear crisp before going into oven.

Sprinkle that over your pears and bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.

Pear crisp in baking dish

This recipe for pear crisp can be served warm on its own, drizzled with caramel sauce, or topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I’ll leave that delicious choice to you!

Spoonful of pear crisp.

Recipe Notes

  • I recommend using fresh and firm Bartlett pears in this recipe for pear crisp. Just make sure they’re not too ripe or too sweet. I wouldn’t recommend using canned pears as they’re too mushy for this particular pear crisp recipe.
  • If you want, you can make this dessert up to 48 hours in advance. Once the crisp has baked and then completely cooled, place it into an airtight container in the fridge.
  • If you want a topping with extra crunch, sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts on top.
  • For something different, use crystallized ginger instead of cinnamon in the pear filling. Alternatively, opt for ground cinnamon and nutmeg – the ultimate fall spice combo!

Storage

  • Store your pear crisp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It’s best to reheat in the oven.
  • You can store the pear crisp before and after baking. If you choose to freeze slices after baking, make sure they’re completely cooled before wrapping them in a double foil layer and freezing for up to three months.

Recipe FAQs

What is a pear crisp?

A crisp is an American dessert, similar to a crumble, that includes a fruit filling topped with a crumbly mixture. The topping often includes brown sugar, butter, flour, oats, and cinnamon. This dessert screams fall, right?

What’s the difference between a crumble and crisp?

The main difference between these two desserts is that a crisp’s topping usually includes oats, while a crumble’s topping does not. But in the end, both dessert toppings are crumbly and deliciously complemented by the fruity filling.

Pear crisp in bowl with scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pear Crisp

This pear crisp is REALLY BIG on fruit and has just the right touch of crumbly brown sugar topping. When drizzled with caramel, it's guaranteed to make your mouth water.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pear
Servings: 4
Calories: 449kcal

Ingredients

Filling

  • 8 cups peeled pears about 8-10 medium-sized pears
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping

  • 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar dark or light, I prefer dark
  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • caramel, drizzled over top optional
  • vanilla ice cream or whipped cream topping optional

Instructions

  • Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and dice pears and place them in the dish. Place white sugar, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon on top of pears and stir until well coated.
  • In medium bowl place oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Cut together with a long tined fork until well blended and crumbly. Sprinkle over top of pears.
  • Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot on its own, drizzled with caramel, or topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

You may also like these recipes for other fabulous fruit crisps:

Berry Crisp Lower Carb & Delicious

Cherry Crisp Recipe: An Easy One From Mama

Peach Crisp 

 

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~Unknown

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53 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    I loved this with the pears. A friend of ours grows them and gives me a ton. I have used them frozen with success. I would recommend doubling the crisp topping as I did 1-1/2 times but would have liked more. I served it with vanilla ice cream and Trisha Yearwood’s Buttermilk caramel. Divine!

  2. I know I’m not colored blind but I can’t find the blue save recipe. I have scrolled up and down but am missing it, I guess.
    Thanks for all you allow the Lord to do through your life. Best legacy ever!

  3. Yum,yum-going down memory lane again. Whatever fruit was handy was what my grandmother used and she always shared with my mom. I can remember when a family friend had pear trees and they knew my mother canned and frozen veggies and mentioned to her that they did not want them and come get them or they would waste. The word waste was a red letter word to my mother and I helped her can those pears, (what we did not eat and make something like this). It was such good eating during the winter.

  4. I saw this recipe recently (thanks for the repost) and remembered I have frozen pear slices from last fall. My neighbor does not like pears and let me pick hers. I made it with two quart bags of pears. A lot of the juice was released from the frozen pears as they defrosted. I poured about half of it back in with the pears; I wasn’t sure if I should put any or all back in but it came out good. There was not much crisp so maybe there was too much liquid in my pears.

    I can see from the comments above that all kinds of adjustments can be made.

    The pear crisp lasted less than 24 hours in this house of four! Great recipe, thank you!

  5. Used this recipe as a guide to make apple crisp. (I had a few apples and oatmeal left over from Christmas.) So I obviously subbed apples in place of the pears, used a dash of cardamom in with the cinnamon, and most importantly I used packets of instant Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal in place of the plain oatmeal. It turned out to be the best apple crisp I have ever made!!

    1. Pears are pretty expensive in Canada, while apples are cheap as dirt. Regarding quick oats, I never buy them, preferring rolled oats that can be pulsed into quick oats. I am a pretty good cook, so I think this delicious recipe will turn out just fine.

  6. How ripe do the pears need to be? I have to buy them from the grocery store, and they can be quite hard. Thanks!

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