Get ready for the perfect fall dessert. This pear and apple crisp features a crunchy ginger-oat topping and tastes wonderful served warm. It only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, making it an easy dessert for busy afternoons or cozy dinners.
This pear and apple crisp fills the kitchen with autumn aromas—warm cinnamon and ginger blend beautifully with tender fruit. The filling is simply chopped pears and sliced apples tossed with lemon, flour, sugar and spices, then topped with a buttery oat streusel. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a classic finish.
Tell me about this recipe
- This pear and apple crisp comes together quickly—toss the fruit with the spices, then scatter a ginger-oat crumble over the top and bake.
- The topping combines brown sugar, oats, flour, spices and cold butter for a crisp, crunchy finish.
- Best served warm alongside ice cream or custard.
Ingredients Needed
-
Pear and Apple Crisp -
Oat Ginger Topping
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions is at the bottom of this post.
- Sliced almonds: Add extra crunch to the topping. Substitute walnuts or pecans, or omit if preferred.
- Oats: Use rolled oats for the streusel—do not use steel-cut oats.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Combine the oats, flour, spices and slivered almonds in a bowl for the topping.
Step 2: Add cubed cold butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly and evenly moistened. Chill while you prepare the filling.
Step 3: Peel, core and slice the apples thinly; peel, core and chop the pears. Place the fruit in a large bowl.
Step 4: Add lemon juice, flour, spices and brown sugar to the fruit and toss until every piece is evenly coated.
Step 5: Butter a 9-inch baking dish and spread the filling in an even layer, avoiding large gaps.
Step 6: Sprinkle the chilled oat streusel evenly over the fruit and bake for 50–55 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden. If the topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure the topping ingredients are well mixed so the butter moistens the dry ingredients; otherwise the streusel can be dry after baking.
- Watch the crisp while it bakes—cover with foil if the topping becomes too dark before the fruit is done.
- For best and most consistent results, weigh ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitions vary, but generally a “crisp” includes oats in the topping while a “crumble” is the British version with a more breadcrumb-like topping. Some sources use the terms interchangeably.
Once cooled, cover and store the crisp in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat portions in the microwave or oven until warm.
Other Fall Desserts to try
-
Cheesecake Swirl Pumpkin Bread
-
Gooey Caramel Cinnamon Rolls with Pecans
-
Baked Maple Glazed Donuts
-
Simple Moist Chocolate Walnut Cake
Have you made this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you enjoyed it.
Recipe
Harvest Pear and Apple Crisp with Ginger Oat Topping
Ella Gilbert
Equipment
- 9-inch baking pan
Ingredients
Pear and Apple Crisp
- 555 grams (4) pears, peeled, cored and chopped
- 555 grams (3) apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 50 grams (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 30 grams (¼ cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ginger Oat Topping
- 68 grams (½ cup) all-purpose flour
- 110 grams (½ cup) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and cold
- 80 grams (1 cup) rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 28 grams (¼ cup) slivered almonds
Instructions
Pear Crisp
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, oats and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add cubed butter and rub in until crumbly and moistened. Chill while you prepare the filling.
- In a large bowl, combine the pears, apples, lemon juice, flour, spices and brown sugar. Toss to coat evenly.
- Spread the filling in the prepared dish in an even layer and sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, covering with foil if the topping browns too quickly.
- Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
These recipes are developed and tested using metric weights. For the most consistent results, use a kitchen scale. Cup conversions are provided but may not be as precise.
Butter: European-style butter yields a richer, creamier result, but standard unsalted butter works well too.
Salt: If using fine salt instead of kosher salt, halve the amount called for.
Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat before serving.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.