Imagine a generously spiced, gooey filling of tender pears and juicy berries with a crisp buttery brown sugar crumble on top, and your kitchen smelling like the first cozy night of winter. This aromatic spiced pear berry crumble is the kind of dessert that makes people hover near the oven and ask, “Is it ready yet?”
There’s a lot to love about fruit crisps, crumbles, and cobblers, and convenience is at the top of the list. They’re simple, fast, and completely manageable for beginner bakers. You don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients, and you don’t have to wait for anything to come to room temperature, chill, or cool completely before digging in.
You can go from nothing to comforting crowd-pleasing dessert in less than 1 hour.
Today’s spiced pear berry crumble fits the bill. It’s easy to make, combines tender pears and juicy blackberries (an underrated pear-ing—LOL), and is packed with seasonal spices. If you love cinnamon apple pear crisp and want something a little more sophisticated and unexpected, this spiced pear berry crumble is for you.
Why You’ll Love This Pear Berry Crumble
- Pears + blackberries = sweet, tart, juicy pear-fection!
- Flavored with cozy, comforting spices—perfect for crisp autumn and winter evenings.
- Easier than pie: As much as we adore cranberry pear crumble pie, there’s no doubt that homemade pie is a labor of love. In this fruit crumble, we’re omitting the pie crust, but keeping all that delicious brown sugar crumble topping. Skip all the pie dough chilling and leave your rolling pin in the cupboard.
- Simple to make: No special tools, no special ingredients, no fuss!
- No eggs: Many bakers have been asking for egg-free baking recipes like this.
- Short cooling time: Sometimes we need a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s a little quicker, but just as seasonal and delicious as pie. This crumble can be ready to serve in about an hour!
Grab These Ingredients:
- Pears: See below for the best pears to use. You need about 5 medium pears, peeled and chopped into chunks.
- Berries: We use fresh blackberries for this crumble, but you could use frozen instead (don’t thaw first). If your fresh blackberries are particularly large, cut them in half.
- White & Brown Sugars: Use granulated sugar to sweeten the filling and brown sugar in the crumb topping.
- Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the filling and is the base of the topping.
- Baking Powder: This keeps the topping light and crisp rather than overly dense and hard; it gives the crumble a softer, more tender crunch.
- Lemon, Vanilla, & Salt: Fresh lemon juice brightens the fruit, vanilla complements those warm spices, and salt balances out the sweetness. Trust me, you don’t want to skip any of these because the dessert will taste flat.
- Spices: Use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom in the fruit filling, and cinnamon again in the topping. Cardamom is a strong flavor, so if you don’t like it, you can leave it out.
- Melted Butter: For the crumble topping.
Make the Crumble Topping First
If you have a copy of Sally’s Baking 101, you may recognize this crumble topping from the Simple Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble on page 164.
It couldn’t be easier to make. Mix together the dry ingredients, then use a fork to mix in melted butter until everything is moistened and clumps together. Don’t over-mix—you want those large crumbles. Place the topping in the freezer until you’re ready to top the filling and bake. Cold crumbles hold their shape better in the oven, so let them chill while you prepare the filling.
Best Pears to Use for Pear Crumble
Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, and Comice are all great choices for baking.
You want ripe, but still slightly firm pears. Overly soft pears will give you a mushy filling, which is not the texture we want in our pear berry crumble. Choose fairly firm pears, and keep them in a paper bag at room temperature for a day or two to ripen. I always buy a few extra in case some of them become too soft in that time. They’re perfect for snacking on while you bake!
Now here’s the real trick: Slices are great when it comes to apples, but chunks are KEY for softer fruits like pears or peaches. Pear slices will quickly turn into mush, but pear chunks hold their shape beautifully. They take on a creamy texture, but still have a little bite.
Peel the pears and chop them into 1/2-inch chunks. Gently mix all the filling ingredients together, and spread the filling into a greased baking dish.
Sprinkle the cold crumble over the top, and it’s ready for the oven.
When it’s done baking, the top will be toasty and golden-brown, and the juices will be bubbling around the edges. Let it cool slightly, for about 10 minutes or so, then dig in!
One warm bite fresh from the oven (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top, please and thank you) and you’ll wonder why pears don’t star in more desserts.
Or top it with Greek yogurt for an extra-special breakfast… yes, it’s fruit! Let’s do it.
Absolutely. Blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries work wonderfully.
Yes! Add them straight from the freezer. No need to thaw. The crumble may need an extra 5–10 minutes in the oven since frozen fruit releases more moisture. I don’t recommend using frozen pears AND frozen berries, as that will throw off the bake time and finished texture.
Definitely. This base formula works with many different fruits. We use strawberry rhubarb in Sally’s Baking 101. Or you can try apples instead of pears, cranberries instead of blackberries, or peaches and strawberries instead pears and berries. You can use any combo as long as the volume of fruit stays the same (roughly 6 cups total). Play around with the spices. The spices below work best with pears or apples, but you may consider swapping them if using summery fruits such as peaches and strawberries.
Tips & Variations
- Nutty option: Add 1/2 cup (about 60g) chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumble.
- Oat crisp topping: Use the streusel topping from this peach crisp recipe.
- Gluten-free: Use GF flour in the filling, and make the topping from this gluten-free apple crisp.
- Extra flavor: Add 1/4–1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the filling. So good with pears!
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
Description
This spiced pear berry crumble combines tender pears, juicy blackberries, and warm spices beneath a tender, yet crisp brown sugar crumble topping. It’s quick to prep, egg-free, and bakes up bubbling and golden in less than an hour. Serve warm with ice cream for a cozy and refreshing dessert!
Topping
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
Filling
- 5 cups (700g) chopped, peeled fresh pears (around 1/2-inch chunks)
- 2 cups (300g) fresh blackberries (halved if large)
- 6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (do not skip)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch square baking pan, a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, 10-inch cast iron skillet, or any 2–2.5-quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Make the topping first: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until the topping is completely moistened and clumps together. Do not overmix; you want it to be crumbly. Place the topping in the freezer while you continue.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, gently stir together all of the filling ingredients. Spread the filling evenly in the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle the cold crumble topping evenly over the filling.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. Around the 30-minute mark, loosely cover with aluminum foil, to prevent the topping from over-browning. Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. The filling will continue to set as it cools. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
- Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled crumble freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake (covered) in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. You can prepare the crumble topping, then cover and refrigerate or freeze for up to 1 day before baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Dish, 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet (or similar size) | Vegetable Peeler | Glass Mixing Bowls | Cooling Rack
- Pears: Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, and Comice pears are all good choices for baking. Choose pears that are still slightly firm to the touch.
- Can I Substitute Blackberries? Absolutely. Blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries work wonderfully.
- Can I Use Frozen Berries? Yes! Add them straight from the freezer. No need to thaw. The crumble may need an extra 5–10 minutes in the oven since frozen fruit releases more moisture. I don’t recommend using frozen pears AND frozen berries, as that will throw off the bake time and finished texture.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can substitute pure vanilla extract.
- Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour in the filling, and use the topping from my gluten-free apple crisp recipe.
- Nuts: Feel free to add 1/2 cup (60g) of chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumble topping.
- Can I Double This Recipe in a 9×13-inch Pan? This recipe fits best in a 9-inch or 10-inch baking dish. Doubling it would be too much for a 9×13-inch pan. The fruit layer and crumble would be too thick to bake evenly. If you’d like a larger batch, increase the recipe by 1.5× instead of doubling, and use a 9×13-inch or similarly sized dish.
