This easy pear crumble combines warm pears, ginger and a touch of pure maple syrup with a sweet and crunchy oat topping for a simple yet satisfying dessert.
Oatmeal cookie meets warm pears, ginger and a touch of pure maple syrup in this simple yet satisfying dessert. This crumble lets pears take the spotlight. And packaged in these individual ramekins, each serving comes in just over 250 calories.
I said to a fellow friend the other day that pears are so underrated. I take them with me for snacks or enjoy with a slice of cheddar at night. But this time, I decided to make dessert. A Maple Ginger Pear Crumble to be exact.
Best pears for pear crisp or crumble
I chose to use Concorde pears (the green ones above) as the base. Concorde pears are a unique pear variety that combines the Comice and Conference pears. Concorde pears have a decadent quality about them and a pronounced vanilla flavor.
I also added a red Anjou pear (the one at the top of the picture) to the mix. Anjou pears are firm with a more mellow flavor – so they add great balance to the crumble.
Try this easy Maple Ginger Pear Crumble #recipe from @marisamoore for a healthier holiday dessert!How to make pear crumble
Making this healthy dessert is simple.
There are two main steps to making a pear crumble. The first is mixing up the topping. Then you add spices, sugar or syrup (if using), to cut fruit.
Combine the two and bake!
Now about the crumble…
Oatmeal cookie meets warm pears, ginger and a touch of pure maple syrup in this simple yet satisfying dessert. This crumble lets pears take the spotlight and comes in just over 250 calories.
Make it vegan and gluten-free
For a vegan dessert: Swap cold coconut oil or coconut butter instead of regular butter to make it vegan. This will change the flavor a bit – especially if you opt for coconut butter. So only do that if you like the flavor of coconut. It will have a bit more tropical flavor.
For a gluten-free dessert: Swap blanched almond flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour for regular flour. Also, check the package to make sure you’re using certified gluten-free oats.
Can I leave the pear skin on for desserts?
Yes. You can leave the pear skin on for extra fiber and a more rustic feel. Just keep in mind that the skin may get a little tough while it bakes so you may want to peel your pears for a less chewy final dessert. I enjoyed it with a little fresh Bourbon whipped cream!
Tips for making the best healthy pear crumble
Taste the pears. How sweet are your pears? Sweeter pears mean less maple syrup. With this, make sure you start with ripe pears. If you need help with that check out how to choose ripe pears.
Don’t peel the pears. This helps the pears keep their shape plus provides more fiber! Plus, this saves time. It’s a win-win.
Preheat the oven. Adding the dessert to a hot oven helps the crumble to cook evenly – developing that gorgeous color and caramelized flavor.
More healthy pear recipes to try
Pear Crostini with Honey Hazelnut Goat Cheese
Maple Ginger Pear Crumble
Ingredients
Pear Filling
- 4 cups chopped pears (~ 3 large pears)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble topping
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons flour (gluten-free OK)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prep 4 ramekins with cooking spray or butter. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil because things will get bubbly!
- Mix the pears, ginger, cornstarch, maple syrup and vanilla. Set aside.
- Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, fork or your hands, cut the butter into the oat mixture until it takes on a crumb-like appearance.
- Heap 1 cup of the pear mixture into each of the ramekins. Top with 2 tablespoons of crumble topping.
- Bake until juices bubble and the topping becomes golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
- Let cool slightly. Serve warm.
rachel @ athletic avocado
I have lots of pears in my fridge so this may become dessert tonight! Yum!
Marisa
Hope you get to try it, Rachel! It was perfect for my fridge full of pears.
Rachel @ Delicious Balance
My mouth is watering looking at this! I just pinned it to save for later 🙂 I hope your weather clears up soon, fall is my favorite time of the year and we’ve been spoiled up here in Michigan!
Marisa
Thanks, Rachel! We got sun today. Finally!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Pear crumble beats apple crumble any day! Yum!
Marisa
I love both but there’s something about the limited nature of pears that just makes a pear dessert that much more special, right? Thanks for stopping by Rebecca!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
This looks amazing! I just bought Concorde pears at Trader Joe’s the other day and we’ve been loving them – it was my first time trying them. I love that these are individually portioned!
Marisa
Yes. The little ramekins not only make this fun to eat, it serves as good cue to stop!
And this was my first time trying Concorde pears as well. They were incredibly sweet in this dish – went well beyond my expectations!
Sonali- The Foodie Physician
This looks awesome- such a perfect autumn dessert! Pears are my daughter’s favorite fruit so I know she would devour this yumminess 🙂
Marisa
Thanks, Sonali! Pears are so perfect right now! I bet she would really enjoy it!
Rebecca
I’m pretty sure I’ve never had pears in crumble but I definitely love them for snacks and in morning oats. You’ve got all the best flavors here! I bet it’s super delicious.
EA-The Spicy RD
Yum-love crumbles! And I’ve never seen Concord pears before-they sound delicious! I hope the weather starts behaving for you. We had such an unseasonably hot summer/fall, not to mention being in a drought, that we are loving all the rain that’s been coming/will be coming our way 🙂
Sasen
Yum, so easy and satisfying! My pears didn’t need the sugar from the maple syrup. Thanks for sharing.
Marisa
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Helen
I did 2.5 x pears and mix and 2x topping (but only 1/3 c brown sugar). Baked in a 9×13” pan. Amazing. Made 2, so my husband can take one to work. So glad I found this recipe!