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Pear Crisp Recipe with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

During late Summer and Fall when pears are in season I love to make a delicious pear crisp and serve it up hot with ice cream. Our pear crisp recipe with cinnamon streusel topping is the perfect finish to any meal.

Individual serving of pear crisp shown in a dish with ice cream.

Make a delicious pear crisp and serve hot with ice cream. Our Easy Pear Crisp recipe with cinnamon streusel topping is loaded with warm bubbly caramel flavor and a crispy streusel topping.

How to Make Pear Crisp

Ingredients for Pear Crisp

Ingredients used to make pear crisp topped with streusel with oats
  • Bartlett Pears. Peeled, cored, & sliced ⅛” to ¼” thick.
  • White Sugar.
  • Cinnamon.
  • Cornstarch.
  • Lemon Juice. Freshly Squeezed.
  • Streusel Topping. See the recipe for the topping below.
4 grid photo of making pear crisp filling including adding ingredients to a bowl and whisking them together then pouring it over pears and adding them to a cast iron pan.

Pear Filling

  1. Preheat your oven and coat your pan of choice with butter. We like using cast-iron because it makes our sauce all caramelly.
  2. Combine the cornstarch and lemon juice and stir until it is well-mixed.
  3. Add the sugar and cinammon.
  4. Slice your pears and add them to a large bowl. Pour the cornstarch mixture over the pears and stir to coat. Add these to the buttered cast iron skillet.

Pear Crisp Streusel Topping Recipe

Ingredients for Streusel Topping

  • Rolled Oats. The quick-cooking kind.
  • Brown Sugar. We prefer dark but the light is fine too if that’s what you have.
  • All-Purpose Flour.
  • Nutmeg.
  • Cinnamon.
  • Butter. Cold and diced.
Steps to making streusel topping including mixing ingredients together, cutting butter into the ingredients, spooning it over the pears and covering them completely.
  1. Mix all of the ingredients for the streusel topping except the butter and combine well.
  2. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender for best results.
  3. Spoon the resulting crumble over the pear filling and bake for thirty to thirty five minutes.
  4. Serve hot with ice cream or serve it chilled.

Tips for Making an Easy Pear Crisp

  • Our streusel recipe is very generous. You may not need it all or it works with a larger skillet. You can freeze what you don’t use.
  • If you have three to four pears, use a nine-inch skillet. If you have more than four pears, use a larger skillet.
  • Your pears should be evenly sliced so that they bake up at the same rate and consistency.
  • Should you have lots of extra pears, just freeze them for later! Slice your extra pears, place them in a freezer-safe plastic baggy, and keep them for up to six months. I like to put the exact amount I need for the recipe in each bag and label it so its all ready to go for the pear crisp recipe!
  • Instead of using your hands, I strongly recommend that you use a pastry cutter to combine the butter with the other ingredients. The cold butter preserves the texture of the streusel. If you use your hands, your butter will warm up and not give you that crispy topping that makes this pear crisp recipe over the top.
  • Your pears should still be mostly firm to give your dessert a great texture without becoming weepy. Refrigerate your pears to prevent overripening.
Pear crisp in a cast iron skillet.

Variations

Add up to 1⁄2 cup of chopped nuts to the streusel topping. Walnuts or pecans would be
delicious.

If you don’t have enough pears, you can mix apples and pears without changing the recipe.

FAQ

Do you peel pears for crisp?

The peeling of pears is pretty tough so definitely prefer to peel them. To peel your pears fast and easy, just slice off the top and bottom of the pear and peal the rest with a vegetable peeler.

Can you use canned pears?

The liquid and texture of canned pears can be off-putting so I don’t recommend it. Canned pears are very soft and don’t hold their shape as well as fresh pears. If you have canned pears you need to use, three cans are the perfect amount.

What is the best kind of pears for baking?

Bosc or Anjou are usually recommended because they are not as delicate as other pears and will produce a nice texture after baking. However, we love the flavor of a good juicy Bartlett pear in our fresh pear recipes. You can use a mix of pear varieties.

single bite of pear crisp in focus, with single serving of dish and ice cream shown behind the bite out of focus.

Do I have to use a cast-iron skillet for this recipe?

You don’t have to have a cast-iron skillet to make this recipe, but it sure makes a beautiful presentation! Any baking dish will do.

Does pear crisp need to be refrigerated?

When pear crisp is left on the counter at room temperature it seeps and the caramelized juices escape. Refrigeration will help seal the juices inside.

How long to bake pear crisp?

It takes about thirty to thirty-five minutes to bake the pear crisp recipe until the topping is golden brown and you can see the caramelized pear juices bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Note: Do not overbake the streusel topping. If it starts getting dark it will taste burnt. Cover the baking dish with foil if you suspect the streusel is baking too fast.

Storing Leftovers

Can you freeze a pear crisp?

Absolutely! One thing I like to do with extra pears is to freeze an unbaked pear crisp. Line a nine-inch skillet with parchment paper, build your pear crisp in it but leave off the streusel, wrap it up with the parchment paper and tape, place it skillet and all in the freezer, and freeze for thirty minutes to retain the shape. Then remove it to a freezer-safe plastic baggy and keep it in the freezer ready to bake for up to six months. When you are ready to make it, you will need to add baking time and make the streusel to add partway through the baking process.

You can also freeze individual portions of the prepared dessert and thaw it to serve. Heat it through with the microwave after thawing to enjoy it hot.

3/4 view of a dish of pear crisp topped with vanilla ice cream.

How long will pear crisp keep in the refrigerator?

Keep your baked pear crisp in the refrigerator for up to four days in an airtight container, and reheat it in the microwave for thirty seconds to one minute to enjoy warm with ice cream. You can also eat it cold.

Other Great Crisp and Dessert Recipes

There’s nothing like a fresh fruit dessert. Peach Crisp is one of my favorites and the first thing I make when we have fresh peaches. Apple Crisp is sweet and the warm spices will hug you from the inside out. Come summer, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is on our table and one of the most requested desserts I make.

Top Down photo of a cast Iron skillet filled with baked pear crisp topped with streusel with oats.

If you like this recipe, we would appreciate your comment and a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!

3/4 view of a serving of pear crisp topped with ice cream.

Pear Crisp Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini
Make a delicious pear crisp and serve hot with ice cream. Easy Pear crisp recipe with cinnamon streusel topping.
4.84 from 18 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword: Fresh Pear Dessert, Pear Crisp
Servings: 6

Ingredients
 
 

Pear Crisp Filling

  • 4 Bartlett pears (peeled, cored, & sliced ⅛" to ¼" thick)
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 ½ tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

  • ¾ cup rolled oats (quick cooking)
  • cup brown sugar (we prefer dark but light is fine too)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp butter (cold, diced)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish with butter.

Pear Crisp Filling

  • In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the lemon juice. Stir together with a fork until all of the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the sugar and the cinnamon to the cornstarch mixture and whisk it together until it's smooth.
  • Add the sliced pears to a large bowl. Pour the cornstarch mixture over the pears and gently stir until the pears are coated.
  • Pour the pear filling into the cast-iron skillet.

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

  • In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, and oats. Stir together. Add the cold diced butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter until crumbly.

Assemble & Bake

  • Generously spoon the streusel topping over the pear filling.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is browned and the pear filling is bubbling through.
  • Serve warm or cold. With ice cream of course!

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 76mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 5gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 268IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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Two photo collage for Pinterest. The top photo is of a serving of pear crisp topped with ice cream. The second is a forkful of pear crisp.
4.84 from 18 votes (5 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Laura Johnson

Tuesday 7th of November 2023

I LOVE this crumble! SO delicious!

Julie Menghini

Thursday 9th of November 2023

This is one of our favorites too! Thank you, Laura!

Christie

Sunday 17th of October 2021

Such a delicious looking crisp. And I love the pears in there. They're one of my fave fruits. Yum!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 19th of October 2021

We loved this crisp! Thank you, Christie.

Michaela Kenkel

Thursday 30th of September 2021

Pear is so underrated in my opinion!! I LOVE baking with them - so I was extra excited to try your pear crisp. It was FANTASTIC just I like I knew it would be! Keep the great recipes coming! Thank you!!

Julie Menghini

Friday 1st of October 2021

I love pears but the rest of the family prefer them used in a recipe. This one was a hit!

Min

Monday 27th of September 2021

This is soooo good! Will be making it again and again this fall!

Julie Menghini

Monday 27th of September 2021

We love this one too. Thank you!

Kathleen

Monday 27th of September 2021

Loved that you used tender, juicy pears, they aren't used enough in baking. Added pecans to my streusel and wow, this was delicious!

Julie Menghini

Monday 27th of September 2021

We love pears and I agree that we don't bake with them nearly enough.

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