The smell of pear crisp with oats baking in the oven should be made into a candle if it's not already. The flavors of the warm cinnamon and sweet pears combine just so well and that's is why we created this recipe!
Healthier Pear Crisp Recipe
We love a good traditional crisp. Butter, sugar, and oats make a delicious topping to go on top of more butter, sugar, and fruit in the filling. However, we saw potential to slightly tweak that version to make this healthier pear crisp recipe! We use white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, walnut oil instead of butter, and overall less sugar than traditional pear crisp to improve the nutritional quality without compromising taste! The end result is still a crunchy yet soft sweet oat topping and filling full of fresh pears, cinnamon, and a touch of brown sugar.
Ingredient Highlights - Easy Pear Crisp
- Oats - this give bulk to the crisp topping while providing complex carbohydrates full of fiber!
- White whole wheat flour - you could use all whole wheat flour but we like white whole wheat flour because it's not as "wheaty" as whole wheat but you still get the benefits of B vitamins and fiber! You could use all AP or a gluten-free flour in place of white whole wheat.
- Dark brown sugar - you can't make a crisp without some brown sugar, right?!
- Walnuts - these add some buttery crunch as well as omega 3 heart-healthy fats! You could also use pecans or almonds.
- Walnut oil - more heart-healthy fats! We sub walnut oil for butter for this reason. Any neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable would also work.
- Fresh pears - you can use any type of pear but we recommend Anjou or Bartlett pears because they soften nicely but still hold up their shape when baked. We prefer fresh over canned pears simply because canned fruit tends to have added sugar and is more processed!
- Spices - cinnamon and nutmeg are classic spices to include in a crisp and instantly make it smell (and taste) like fall.
Recipe FAQ
Traditionally, a pear crisp is made with sliced pears, oats, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. A crumble, on the otherhand, does not usually include oats! We slightly tweaked this traditional recipe to make it a little healthier, including using walnut oil instead of butter, decreasing the amount of sugar, and using white whole wheat flour in lieu of all-purpose.
Absolutely! Simply make the recipe as is, just substitute sliced apples for pears. We recommend Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, or Honey Gold apples because they bake really well!
We recommend Bartlett or Anjou pears. You want to pick pears that are ripe and slightly soft but not too soft or too hard!
It's simple with this recipe! Swap gluten-free or oat flour for the white whole wheat flour and make sure you're using certified gluten-free oats and cornstarch.
Other Recipes You May Like
If you like this pear crisp with oats, check out these other recipes!
- Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pecan Granola Recipe
- Pecan Crust Pumpkin Pie
Rate & Review
If you made our pear crisp with oats, please rate and review our recipe below! We would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag us on insta @theperfectpearr so we can see your creation!
PrintPear Crisp with Oats
The smell of pear crisp with oats baking in the oven should be made into a candle if it's not already. The flavors of the warm cinnamon and sweet pears combine just so well and that's is why we created this recipe!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 crisp (12 slices) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For topping:
- 1 cup (145g) old fashioned oats
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup (41g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (75g) walnuts, chopped
- 2 Tbsp (34g) real maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup walnut oil
For the filling:
- 5-6 green Anjou or Bartlett pears
- 2 Tbsp (34g) real maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup (41g) dark brown sugar
- ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
To make the topping:
- Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add oil and mix. Texture should be like wet sand.
- Place mixture in fridge while you prep the filling.
To make the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 8x8" pie dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice pears into ¼" slices (you can keep the skin on or peel them) and place in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch until combined.
- Pour syrup mixture over pears and toss until pears are evenly coated.
- Pour coated pears into pie dish and evenly cover with oat topping.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.
- Cool for 15 minutes.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt or whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of walnuts in the topping, you could use pecans or almonds!
- Any neutral-flavored oil will work in the topping (canola, vegetable); we opted for walnut to give extra walnut flavor as well as increase omega 3 content!
- Anjou pears are best for baking! Any pear would work but the texture may vary (some don't soften quite as well and may be a little crunchy after baking).
- Be sure to slice the pears evenly and ~¼" thick! This will ensure consistent baking.
- You can prepare the crisp and bake later! Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and keep in the fridge (for up to 5 days) or freezer (for up to 2 months) until you're ready to bake.
- Once baked, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 201
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 147
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 29
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: healthy pear crisp, fall desserts, pear desserts, pear recipes, fall dessert recipes, low sugar pear crisp, low fat pear crisp, healthy fall desserts, healthy fall dessert recipes
Charlotte says
One of the best fall recipes. I'm so ready for fall and this pear crisp was fantastic.
Lauren says
Fall is one of my favorite seasons and this pear crisp tastes like fall to me haha. So glad you enjoyed it!