Best Pear Crisp With Oats

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This pear crisp with oats is incredibly easy to make, with very limited hands-on cooking time. Halved and baked with honey, brown sugar, oats, pecans and butter, this pear dessert is incredible served warm with some vanilla ice cream!

If you're a fan of apple crisp, you're going to love this recipe for pear crisp (or pear crumble depending on where you're from)! It's buttery, tart, sweet and just melt in your mouth delicious.

And so easy to make with it's buttery, crisp topping. Cutting the pears in half and baking them makes for the perfect little individual dessert. This easy pear crisp recipe is great for parties, holiday dinners, or just regular old Sunday dinner.

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Why this pear crisp recipe works
Variations and substitutions
Step by step instructions
Expert tips to make the best pear crisp
Frequently asked questions
More Fall dessert recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why this pear crisp recipe works

The pears are halved instead of sliced, making for the perfect individual fruit crisp.
The pears are baked first to allow them time to become soft in this classic pear crisp recipe.
The oat and brown sugar topping is crisp, crumbly, golden brown and buttery - a perfect complement with the softness of the pears.
No flour is used, making this recipe naturally gluten free.

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and amounts to make this delicious pear crisp is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Anjou pears and Bosc pears are the best pears for baking as they hold their shape and texture the best. Bartlett pears will work well also, just make sure you use ripe pears. In a pinch you can use canned pears (no pre-baking needed), but I don't think the flavor comes out as fresh.

We use rolled oats as part of the topping, along with cinnamon, honey, brown sugar (substitute granulated sugar or coconut sugar in a pinch) and pecans to add some crispness.

Fresh lemon juice is added for a touch of brightness to the crisp.

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Variations and substitutions

Substitute walnuts, pistachios or almonds for the pecans if desired. You can also omit the nuts completely.
Use maple syrup and vegan butter to make this a vegan recipe.
Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to the mixture for a nice vanilla flavor.
You can substitute instant oats for the rolled oats if needed. Do not use steel cut oats as they will not cook through.
Apples work well in this recipe to make apple crisp or apple pear crisp. I do recommend peeling apples as the skin in tougher than pears.
You can use peaches to make peach crisp as well. Reduce baking time by about 5 minutes as peached cook faster.

Step by step instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl.

Mix to combine, cutting the butter in with a fork.

pears drizzled with honey in a baking dish

Slice the pears in half and place each pear half in a baking dish, brush with butter and sprinkle with honey on top of the pears. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

halved pears filled with streusel topping

Remove and place a spoonful of crumble topping on each pear until all topping is gone. Place back in the oven and bake the crisp 30-40 minutes, until pears are easily pierced with a knife and the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream. Also delicious drizzled in a caramel sauce or even a chocolate sauce!

Expert tips to make the best pear crisp

For a smoother texture, I recommend peeling the pears. Though not required, it gives them a more velvety, melt in your mouth feel.
Test doneness of the pears with a knife. If the knife easily pierces the flesh, the pears are done.
Ensure the butter is cold before mixing it into the topping. This helps enable to topping to get nice and crisp. If it is too soft, the topping could be soggy.
You can also slice the pears or chop them. In this case, you do not need to pre-bake them.
Fresh fruit always makes for the best pear crisp recipe (or any fruit crisp).

Frequently asked questions

How to store leftover pear crisp.

Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm in the microwave and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

How to freeze pear crisp with oats.

Pear crisp can be frozen either before or after baking. To freeze before, assemble the apple crisp in an airtight oven safe container (or wrap it in freezer safe plastic wrap) and store in the freezer for up to one month.

To cook the pear crisp from frozen, bake in a 375°F oven for 50-60 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

To freeze after baking, let the apple crisp cool for 2-4 hours at room temperature. Place in a freezer safe air tight container or wrap it in freezer safe plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to one month. To cook it, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then bake according to the recipe instructions.

pear crisp in a baking dish with a spoon

More Fall dessert recipes

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