Pear and Ginger Crumble

A warming dessert that everyone will love, this Pear and Ginger Crumble is easy to make and tastes delicious! Juicy pears with ginger in a tasty caramel sauce topped with a buttery pecan and oat topping.

Why This Crumble is a Perfect Weekend Dessert

A crumble is such a lovely treat, with soft fruit topped with a lovely buttery crumbly topping, what's not to love! They're perfect for a cosy pudding after Sunday lunch. And they're so easy to make with minimum effort.

This pear crumble is no different. Soft sweet pears with a generous of helping of ginger all topped with a nutty, oaty topping. This crumble is sweet and warming and perfect for a late winter treat. If you're not a fan of ginger then try my Spiced Pear Crumble.

What You'll Need

• Pears - I use Conference pears to make this, look for pears that hold up well to cooking. Bosc pears, Anjou pears or Concorde will work well. I use pears that are slightly under-ripe, they will cope with the heat and not turn to mush.
• Flour - You'll need plain or all-purpose flour for this crumble, you won't need to sieve it.
• Oats - Old fashioned oats or jumbo oats work best in this crumble, instant oats will not work here.
• Butter - I use full-fat salted butter.
• Ginger - To get that ginger flavour and heat I use ground ginger and raw ginger root, finely grated. You could also use stem ginger here if you wish.
• Nuts - I've used pecans in the crumble, you could also use walnuts or almonds. If you have a nut allergy you can just omit them altogether.
• Sugar - Light brown muscovado sugar works really well with the pears, you should find it in all good supermarkets.

Why This Recipe Works

• So easy to make! This really is such an easy yet impressive dessert.
• That perfect buttery topping with the addition of oats and pecans makes this crumble topping delicious and perfect with pears.
• Pears in a caramel sauce with ginger is delicious! Pear and ginger is such a great combination.

How To Make Pear and Ginger Crumble

1. Make the topping - add the flour, oats sugar and cubed butter to a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a rough breadcrumb consistency. Stir in the chopped pecans and give it all a good stir.
2. Cook the pears - melt the butter in a skillet. Add the ground ginger and raw ginger and cook for a minute or two. Add the sugar and once the sauce bubbles up then add the pears. You'll just need to cook the pears for a little bit before you add the topping.
3. Add the topping - Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the pears. Then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Serve warm with some good ice cream.

Pro Tips For Making A Perfect Pear Crumble

• Use slightly under-ripe pears. The pears should be firm, if they are too soft they'll just turn to mush when baked.
• Choose the right pear. I use conference pears for this crumble, they hold up well when cooked. Bosc pears, Anjou pears or Concorde will work well too.
• Slice the pears widthways. I try and slice them all the same size, about ½ inch thick.
• Pears oxidise. If you are preparing the pears in advance they may go brown, to avoid this rub the pears in lemon juice.
• Don't overwork the topping. It's ok to have little clusters of butter, sugar and nuts in a crumble. A rough breadcrumb consistency is perfect for a crumble.
• Use real butter. I know I say this a lot, but you really will get the best results when you use real full-fat butter. I use salted butter which adds to the flavour of this crumble.

How To Serve A Pear Crumble

This really is best served warm. You can serve it with a good vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream or clotted cream.

Can I Freeze This Crumble?

Yes, you can. You can either freeze the baked crumble or freeze the pear filling and crumble topping separately. To freeze the baked crumble transfer the cooled crumble to a suitable container then wrap it well and pop it in the freezer.

To cook the crumble from frozen, cover with foil and bake at 180C/356F for about 1 ½ hours then turn up the heat to 220C/428F and bake for a further45 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. This is the best method.

To freeze the filling, leave it to cool then transfer to freezer bags, you will need to defrost and heat the fruit to make the crumble. To freeze the topping, place it in a bag and freeze. You can use the topping from frozen.

To cook the crumble using the frozen topping, place the hot filling in a dish, fluff up the topping with a fork, cover the fruit with the topping then bake at 180F/356F for 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Need More Cosy Desserts?

• Rhubarb and Ginger Tarts
• Rhubarb Crumble Muffins
• Apple Crumble with Blackberries
• Sourdough French Toast

Have you made this Pear and Ginger Crumble Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!