Easy Pear Crumble with Cinnamon and Ginger

Easy Pear Crumble with Cinnamon and Ginger. Made with sweet tender pears and a crunchy, crisp, warming demerara (turbinado), ginger and cinnamon topping. This is a quick, cosy and delicious recipe and the perfect way to use up ripe pears. Serve warm with custard or ice cream.  

Pear crumble is the perfect cosy Autumn/Fall dessert and is ideal for pear season or if you have a lot of pears knocking about. If you prefer an alternative Autumn/fall fruit then Apple Crumble/Apple Crisp is also delicious, why not try my Apple Crumble recipe or if you love a Pie, try this Apple Pie with Blackberries. Alternatively, try this delicious Pear Cake recipe which just so happens to be my fave pear dessert!

Easy Pear Crumble/delicious Pear Crisp Recipe

This really is such a simple recipe and I think that is one of the main reasons people love to make crumble.  A good crumble tastes incredible and requires minimal effort!

In this recipe, you peel and chop pears and place them into a baking dish. 

For the topping, we rub cold butter into plain flour. Then we add brown sugar, ginger and spices and Demerara Sugar. 

We then sprinkle the mixture over the pears. This is then baked until golden, crispy and crumbly.

Once the crumble is assembled and baked   serve it with custard, with cold double cream (Heavy cream) or a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Ingredients in Easy Pear Crumble 

The best thing about this easy recipe is that as with most fruit crumbles you only need a few simple ingredients to make a spectacular dessert!

These are the ingredients needed for this recipe:

Pears

The best Pears for this recipe are ripe Conference Pears. These fresh juicy pears turn jammy and are delicious when baked in a crumble.

The pears should be just ripe. 

You can add extras such as apples or blackberries or a combination of apples and pears.

Vanilla

I like to add a touch of Vanilla to the Pears because it really complements the flavour.

Butter

I use salted butter here for a rich buttery topping but you can use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt. You can also use a dairy free butter alternative if you want to make the crumble dairy free or vegan.

Plain Flour

AKA All Purpose Flour. You can use Self Raising Flour. This is used in the crumble and filling. In the filling it is used to help with soaking up the fruit juices. You can use Spelt Flour or Corn Flour instead.

Ground Cinnamon and Ginger

These warm spices are my spices of choice in this dessert. Warm Cinnamon and Ginger are in my opinion all that you need spice wise to make a really good crumble.

Light Brown Sugar

You can feel free to swap for coconut sugar or any sugar or sweeteners you like. This is stirred into the pear chunks to give a sweet molasses flavour.

Oats

These add texture

How to make Easy Pear Crumble with Cinnamon and Ginger

Crumble is so easy to make. For the full recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom, of the page. 

Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Step 1 - Prepare the pear filling

Peel the Pears, Remove the Core and chop into 1 inch pieces. Add the Pears to a medium bowl. 

Scatter over the sugar, flour and cinnamon and combine pears with remaining ingredients by mixing through with your hands. Then add to a 9 inch baking dish. 

Step 2 - Make the Crumble Topping

Place the Flour and butter in a large bowl.

Add Spices.

Combine flour with other ingredients by rubbing them together using your hands until large breadcrumbs are formed.

Stir in the sugar.

Step 3 - Assemble

Sprinkle the crumble in an even layer on top of the fruit. Do not press down.

Step 4 - Bake

Bake for 45 minutes or until the buttery crumble is golden brown and the pears have softened.

Step 5 - Serve

Let the crumble cool a little and then serve in individual bowls whilst still hot with custard, a scoop of ice cream or cream.

How to serve

This great dessert can be served with custard, a scoop of ice cream (I love vanilla bean ice cream with pear crumble) or a drizzle of double/heavy cream.

Variations 

Any fruit crumble is highly adaptable. Here are some variations you can try:

Make it Gluten-free

Swap out the flour and raising agent for a gluten free variety. Check all other ingredients too!

Make it Vegan

Swap the butter for a plant based alternative.

Crumble Variations

You can add flaked almonds, Oats, Walnuts, Pecans, Coconut to the crumble topping on top of the pears for added texture and a really crispy topping.

Spices

Try adding some mixed spice to the crumble.

Chocolate

You can also addd some chocolate chips to the crumble topping. It works incredibly well.

Filling Variations 

Lemon

You can add a little lemon juice or orange jucie to the pears to just pep them up a bit and stop them colouring as fast.

Fruit

You can stir in some mixed berries or just use blackberries. Use some Apples in place of the Pears. Add Blueberries. 

Chocolate

Add Chocolate Chips. It is sooo good with Chocoalte Chips.

Storage

Here is the best way to store Easy Pear Crumble Recipe with Cinnamon and Ginger:

Fridge

If you have any leftover pear crumble, it should be kept in the fridge it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Alternatively leave it in the tin/dish, and once it has completely cooled cover it with cling film or plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer

It can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

The crumble topping does soften as it will absorb some of the pear juices but this is easily rectifiable. See instructions below.

Thaw overnight in the fridge. Once thawed, it cannot be refrozen and should be consumed within 24 hours.

Reheating Instructions

Oven

If you want to make the topping crispy again, the best way to do this is in the oven.

Preheat the oven to  350f/180C/GM 4 and place in an oven safe tin/dish.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.

Microwave

You can also reheat this in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. The topping will not be as crunchy though.

Again, it has to be piping hot all the way through before serving.

Room Temperature

This crumble is also lovely at room temperature when it is cold.

Once the crumble has been reheated, any leftovers will need to be discarded.

How to make ahead

Crumbles are best eaten fresh.

If you would like to prep ahead, prep the filling and topping a day ahead of time and store them seperately.

Then assemble just before baking and continue as per the recipe.

To make it a few hours ahead, make and assemble the entire dessert,  then cover with cling film and place into the fridge until it is ready to bake.

Tips and FAQs

Can I use another variety of Pears?

I use conference pears for this recipe. They are sweet and readily available.

You can also use Bosc Pears. 

I would not recommend Comice Pears as they are already very sweet and fleshy. If that is all you have, I would recommend cutting the sugar quantity by a thirs. 

What is Pear Crumble served with?

Pear crumble is best served with thick vanilla custard. You can also serve it with vanilla ice cream or double cream.

Can I use another type of Sugar?

You can use Dark Brown Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Coconut Sugar, Demerara Sugar (Turbinado), Granulated Sugar, Caster Sugar or any other sugar of your choice.

I haven't tried this with liquid sweetener so I can’t comment on that unfortunately! 

Brown sugars have the best flavour in this recipe. They add a caramel toffee tone that works brilliantly in crumbles.

Can I add additional fruit?

You can sub some of the pears for apples.

If you prefer more fruit, you can add an additional pear as long as it fits in your pie dish/tin.

Can I make this pear crumble in a different quantity?

Yes you can adjust this recipe quite easily. Just adjust in the recipe card below using the slider.

Can I make individual portions?

Yes you can.

This recipe will make 4 servings depending on the size of your ramekins.

Place them on a tray so it is easier to get them out of the oven.

They will cook quicker. I would check after the 20 minute mark.

Can it be made in a different dish?

Yes, you can make it any shape tin/tray as long as the sides are not too high and it is of a similar size to the one I used. You want the sides to be low, so the top crisps up nicely.

Can I use a stand mixer or food processor?

You can use a food processor to make the crumble. 

The butter is quite cold so it is easier to make it in a food processor using the pulse option.

This option means the crumble is being mixed together in short bursts and won’t get too hot and lose all that lovely texture. I would not recommend using a stand mixer though.

More easy dessert recipes

Apple Streusel Cake

Easy Hungarian Tart

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Cherry and Raspberry Crumble Breakfast Bars

Easy and Cosy Spelt Apple Crumble

did you make this recipe? i'd love to hear about it! did you try any variations? if you loved this recipe/tried any variations/have some top tips, please comment below. please leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. you can also follow us on instagramand subscribe to our newsletter to get our latest recipes.