This Pear Crisp recipe is an easy, gluten free dessert made in one bowl. Made with fresh pears, it’s baked to perfection with a crunchy topping of oats, almond flour, cinnamon, butter, and maple syrup. Eat it after dinner then save the leftovers for breakfast!
Summer and fall are perfect for fruit crisps. Apple, blackberry, peach, and pear – they’re all good. Especially if there’s a scoop of ice cream on top.
This pear crisp is a great way to celebrate the flavors of autumn. It has just a little hint of ginger in there to give it a bit of spice, plus the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, but not too much as pears can be quite sweet when they bake up!
When recipe testing this pear crisp I tried different methods and kept getting results that just weren’t what I wanted. Finally I figured it out (pre-baking the pears is key!) and now I present the result to you.
WHAT MAKES THIS THE BEST GLUTEN FREE PEAR CRISP
- You only need one bowl to make this pear crisp!
- The baked crumble topping includes almond flour for a little extra protein and fiber.
- It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup – no white or brown sugar is used.
- This pear crisp is warm, cozy, and the perfect comfort food for fall.
INGREDIENTS
- Pears – any type of pear will work, just make sure it’s on the firmer side. Overly ripe pears will turn to mush in the oven.
- Spices – ground ginger, ground cinnamon, & ground nutmeg to lend some warm fall flavors.
- Maple Syrup – use pure maple syrup for the best result.
- Lemon juice – fresh or bottled is fine.
- Arrowroot powder – this is also called arrowroot starch and helps thicken the crisp. You could also use cornstarch if you don’t have arrowroot powder.
- Rolled oats – make sure they’re gluten free!
- Almond flour – use a fine grain almond flour (sometimes called almond meal). I like Bob’s Red Mill.
- Butter – salted is nice to give some extra flavor to the topping, but you can use unsalted butter too.
I’ve written condensed directions here including pictures so you can see how to make this recipe. The full set of detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Before you scroll through, there is important information throughout this post.
How To Make Pear Crisp
Step 1: Prep the pears
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the fresh pears into thin slices using a large sharp knife and cutting board. One way to do this is to cut the pear in half, then in quarters. Remove the pitted center of each quarter with the knife then cut each in half width-wise, so there are two chunky pieces.
Next slice the pear into thin slices – no more than ⅛ of an inch thick – and put them in a large mixing bowl.
Once all the pears are sliced, measure out the remaining filling ingredients with measuring spoons and cups and put them in the bowl with the pear slices.
Mix everything together with a large spoon and pour the pear filling into an 8×8 baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to cook for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Prep the topping
While the pears are cooking, rinse or wipe out the large bowl and measure out then add in the topping ingredients to the bowl.
Mix everything together with a spoon and set aside until the pears finish cooking.
Step 3: Finish cooking the pear crisp
When the pears have cooked for 15 minutes, take out the dish, remove the foil (you can toss the foil) and stir the pear mixture up with a spoon. This will prevent pears at the top of the dish from drying out.
Spoon the topping over the pears, covering them as best you can but not pressing the topping down too much.
Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 40 minutes, turning the dish around 180 degrees after 20 minutes to prevent uneven browning.
Remove the dish and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve!
FAQ
You may have a couple of questions about pear crisp – let’s get to those now.
Yes, you need to refrigerate pear crisp after it’s cooled from baking. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Yes, pear crisp can be frozen. Make sure whatever container you freeze it in is freezer-friendly and seals well. To reheat, I would recommend letting it thaw then reheating it in the oven so the topping can crisp up again. If you try to reheat it in the microwave the topping will likely be soggy.
Yes, you can make pear crisp ahead of time, at least partially. Cut up the pears then cook them covered in foil. Take the dish out and let it cool, then cover it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. When you’re ready to finish baking it, take the container out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature (for 20 or so minutes) while the oven preheats and you prepare the topping. Put the topping on the pears and finish baking as written in the recipe.
Yes! If you want less or more, just adjust the ingredients. You will also need to find a smaller or larger dish that can fit the amount of filing and topping you’ll have. You’ll also likely need to adjust the cooking time of the pears in the beginning. I would suggest 10 minutes if you’re going to cut it in half and 20 minutes if you’re going to double the recipe.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can use cornstarch in the same amount.
- Make this recipe dairy free and vegan by replacing the melted butter with coconut oil or vegan butter.
- Try and slice the pears so they’re roughly the same size. They will cook up more evenly this way.
- When you put the pears into the baking dish, there will be liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Arrange your pears first, then pour the remaining liquid over the top of the pears. This will help them cook.
- Don’t just put the topping on the pears before pre-cooking them. You need to mix them up so the top pear slices don’t dry out.
IF YOU LOVE FRUIT CRISPS AS MUCH AS I DO, CHECK THESE OUT!
- Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp
- Gluten Free Peach Blueberry Crisp
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
OR IF YOU’D LIKE OTHER FRUIT RECIPES, TRY ONE OF THESE IDEAS:
- Apple Broccoli Slaw (GF, DF, Paleo, Whole30)
- Pear Salad Recipe (GF, DF, Paleo, Whole30)
- Chocolate Covered Orange Slices (GF, DF, Paleo)
- Healthy Baked Apples (GF, DF, Paleo, Whole30)
- Chicken Salad with Pears & Hazelnuts (GF, DF, Paleo, Whole30)
If you try this gluten free Pear Crisp recipe (or any other recipe) then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below!
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST TO SEE MORE GOOD TO EAT, GLUTEN FREE FOOD.
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Gluten Free Pear Crisp
Equipment
- An 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
Filling
- 1.5 lb pears
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice juice from half a large lemon
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
Topping
- 1.5 c oats
- ⅓ c fine almond flour
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ c maple syrup
- ⅓ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the pears into thin slices using a large sharp knife and cutting board. One way to do this is to cut the pear in half, then in quarters. Remove the pitted center of each quarter with the knife then cut each in half width-wise, so there are two chunky pieces.
- Next slice the pear into thin slices – no more than ⅛ of an inch thick – and put them in a large bowl. Once all the pears are sliced, measure out the remaining filling ingredients with measuring spoons and cups and put them in the bowl with the pear slices.
- Mix everything together with a large spoon and pour into an 8×8 baking dish, spreading the pears out evenly. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to cook for 15 minutes.
- While the pears are cooking, rinse or wipe out the large bowl and measure out then add in the topping ingredients to the bowl. Mix everything together with a spoon and set aside until the pears finish cooking.
- When the pears have cooked for 15 minutes, take out the dish, remove the foil (you can toss the foil) and mix the pears up with a spoon. This will prevent pears at the top of the dish from drying out.
- Spoon the topping over the pears, covering them as best you can but not pressing the topping down. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 40 minutes, turning the dish around 180 degrees after 20 minutes to prevent uneven browning.
- Remove the dish and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve!
Notes
- If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can use cornstarch in the same amount.
- Make this recipe dairy free and vegan by replacing the melted butter with coconut oil or vegan butter.
- Try and slice the pears so they’re roughly the same size. They will cook up more evenly this way.
- When you put the pears into the baking dish, there will be liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Arrange your pears first, then pour the remaining liquid over the top of the pears. This will help them cook.
- Don’t just put the topping on the pears before pre-cooking them. You need to mix them up so the top pear slices don’t dry out.
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