Fresh pears are baked under a buttery, cinnamon-spiced streusel in this Vegan Pear Crumble! You can easily whip up this perfectly sweetened dessert with a few ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time. Be sure to enjoy this cozy warm treat with a big scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
This pear-filled beauty is a wonderful complement to your meal during the pear season, the holidays, winter, or any day! Serve it up for Thanksgiving dessert or bring it to your summer picnics.
Warm fall spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg have a wonderful way of bringing out the naturally delicious pear flavors.
Just like with my Strawberry Cobbler and Blueberry Cobbler, my favorite part is where the juicy fruit meets the crumbly, sweet streusel. It just melts in your mouth!
Pear crumble is like a really easy fruit pie with no need to worry about a pie crust. Simply cover the pears with a crunchy streusel topping. You can bake it in options such as a cast iron skillet, brownie pan, a pie plate, or any oven safe dish.
In case you're wondering, a crumble is similar to a crisp except that it doesn’t have oats as with my Peach Crisp. Of course, you can always add oats if you want!
Reasons To Love This Recipe
- Easy to make
- Just a few ingredients
- Uses fresh, healthy pears
- Enjoy it on Thanksgiving & Christmas, or anytime!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pears - Use any type of pear as long as it isn’t too ripe. I like to use Bartlett pears. We want them to be on the firm side to prevent them from getting too mushy while in the oven. I don’t recommend canned pears as that would produce a very soft and liquidy filling, unless that's what you're going for.
- Maple Syrup - Adds a deep, rustic touch of sweetness. Agave, molasses, brown sugar, or any other sweetener works.
- Lemon Juice - Just a bit of this citrus element brings balance to the sweet filling.
- Vanilla - Pure vanilla extract adds a lovely warm flavor.
- Cornstarch - Helps to thicken the pear filling so that it isn’t too runny.
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour, but any other works such as a gluten-free replacement or whole wheat.
- Brown Sugar - This rich sweetener is so good here, but you can use another dry, granulated sugar of your choice. Be sure to select one that is organic to ensure that it is indeed vegan.
- Cinnamon - Such a perfect autumn spice to go with the pears. Pumpkin pie spice works well in its place.
- Nutmeg - Adds a lovely layer to the flavors, however; it can be omitted if needed. Other spices you can sprinkle in for fun are ginger, cloves, or allspice.
- Vegan Butter - Cut salted vegan butter into the crumble topping. If yours isn’t salted, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the mixture. Also, butter sticks or spread both work as long as they are kept cold up until they are needed.
- Nuts - Pecans add a delicious flavor and crunch here. You can leave them out or use any other kind of nut.
How to Make A Vegan Pear Crumble
Here are some quick visual steps. Find the full recipe with exact measurements on the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Grease an 8x8 or similar-sized, oven-safe dish.
- Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- Break the cold butter up into slices or smaller pieces to make it easier to cut it into the topping.
- Cut the butter into the crumble mixture until it forms a crumbly texture. You can use a fork or pastry cutter for this.
- Stir in the pecans. Place the crumble topping in the refrigerator for now to keep the butter cold. This will help create steam pockets in the oven for a light and airy streusel.
- Dice the pears into bite-sized pieces or slices. You can peel them if you want but this is not necessary.
- Add the filling ingredients (pears, maple syrup, vanilla, and cornstarch) to a large mixing bowl.
- Gently stir them with a large spoon or spatula to fully coat the fruit.
- Place the pear filling in an even layer in the dish. Try not to include any of the pear juice from the bottom of the bowl. This helps keep the filling from becoming too wet as the fruit will extract even more liquid during the baking process.
- Scatter the crumble topping onto the pears in an even layer all the way to the edge of the dish. Don’t pack it down as we want it to be light and airy. Try to cover all of the fruit with the topping to keep the fruit from drying out.
- Bake the dessert on the middle rack for about 45 minutes or until it’s golden brown and bubbling along the edges.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes and enjoy it warm with an optional scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, or my divine Butterscotch Sauce!
Recipe Variation Ideas
- Add in apple pieces along with the pears.
- Replace some of the flour with oats for a crispier topping.
Storage
Once the crumble has completely cooled down, store it in a covered dish in the refrigerator for 2 days. If you transfer it to another dish, try to keep the crumble on top so that it doesn’t mix in with the pear filling because this would cause it to lose its crispness.
Reheat
Reheat the pear crumble in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the oven at 325°F for 15-20 minutes.
Make Ahead
- One option is to make the crumble topping 3 days ahead of time. Then, prepare the filling and cover it with the crumble when you’re ready to bake it.
- Another option is to fully prepare and bake the crumble. Let it cool completely before covering it tightly and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to serve it, reheat it in the oven at 325°F for 15-20 minutes or until it’s fully warmed throughout.
Related Fruit-Filled Vegan Recipes
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Vegan Pear Crumble
Ingredients
Pear Filling
- 5-6 firm pears (~5 cups diced/2.5 lbs)
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup cold vegan butter, (salted)
- ½ cup chopped pecans, (optional)
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 or similar-sized, oven-safe dish.
- Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- Break the cold butter up into slices or smaller pieces. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it forms a crumbly texture. You can use a fork or pastry cutter for this.
- Stir in the pecans. Place the crumble topping in the refrigerator for now to keep the butter cold.
- Dice the pears into bite-sized pieces or slices. Add pears, maple syrup, vanilla, and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl. Gently stir them to fully coat the fruit.
- Place the pear filling in an even layer in the dish. Try not to include any of the pear juice from the bottom of the bowl.
- Scatter the crumble topping onto the pears in an even layer all the way to the edges of the dish. Don’t pack it down as we want it to be light and airy.
- Bake the dessert on the middle rack for about 45 minutes or until it’s golden brown and bubbling. Let it cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Ingredients
- Pears - I like Bartlett best, but any will work as long as they are firm.
- Vegan Butter - Add ⅛ teaspoon salt if yours is unsalted.
Tips
- Keeping the butter cold will help create steam pockets in the oven for a light and airy streusel.
- You can peel the pears if you want but this is not necessary.
- Try not to add the excess pear juice to the baking dish to prevent the crumble from becoming too wet as the fruit will extract even more liquid during the baking process.
- Covering all of the fruit with the topping will keep the fruit from drying out.
Nutrition
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
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