Browned Butter Pear Crisp

Fall in love with this cinnamon spiced browned butter pear crisp. It’s warm, cozy and perfect for special occasions or chilly fall evenings!

I love apple crisp & peach crisp, but I have to say, this browned butter pear crisp tops them both! It’s sweet, packed full of cinnamon and topped with the most amazing browned butter topping and tastes delicious with vanilla ice cream.

Pear Crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side

I love pear season!

This recipe was sort of a happy accident. We buy pears in bulk during the fall and had a bunch of ripe ones laying around. I blended some with apples (homemade cinnamon pear-applesauce is the bomb btw) and used the rest in this crisp.

Because the pears were super ripe, I didn’t need to add a whole lot of sugar to the filling. I also opted not to peel them. You can do it if you really want to, but the texture didn’t bother me one bit.

The topping was nice and brown and the pears were super tender. Oh, and our house smelled h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y! 20 minutes after letting it rest, we dug in. We enjoyed our Browned Butter Pear Crisp while it was still warm enough to melt our big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream. We licked our bowls clean!!!

This crisp was warm, cozy and perfect for the chilly fall evening we had. It’s a tasty spin on apple crisp and is great with a handful of cranberries tossed in too! Enjoy & happy baking!!

Poached Pear and Almond Tart

Making Browned butter Pear Crisp

PREP. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set aside an 8×8 square baking dish or a medium size gratin dish.

PEARS. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pears in the lemon juice. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom. Sprinkle over the pears and toss to coat, pour into the baking dish.

CRUMBLE. In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.

BROWNED BUTTER. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the 4 tablespoons of butter. Heat until the butter foams then begins to brown and become speckled (about 3-5 minutes), whisking every so often. Pour into the bowl with the topping ingredients and mix until crumbles form. Sprinkle over the filling.

BAKE. Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 20 minutes, serve warm.

A spoon scooping some Browned Butter Pear Crisp

Recipe Tips

A few things to keep in mind…

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter when making the topping. If all you have on hand is salted butter just be sure to omit the ½ tsp of salt called for in this recipe. 
  • Oats: Quick cooking oats can be substituted for old fashioned oats if needed.
  • Spices: If you decide not to add the cardamom, you could always substitute nutmeg or ginger instead.
A bowl with a scoop of baked pear crisp

Storing Tips

Make this ahead of time to serve later, however it is recommended that you bake it up the same day. Just add a little extra lemon juice to your coated pears (about 1 tsp.) and store them tightly covered in the fridge. It’s best to wait to add the topping until right before you place it in the oven.  

FREEZE your pear crisp either baked or unbaked. In either case make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. 

STORE covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.  If you decide to freeze it unbaked there is no need to thaw it, just add a few minutes of cooking time and check it frequently towards the end to make sure it is done.  If you have frozen your pear crisp after it was baked you can either thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, or out on the counter top until you are ready to warm it up in the microwave or in a 325 degree oven for a few minutes.

Browned Butter Pear Crisp with ice cream on the side

For more of our favorite fruit crisps, try:

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Brown Butter Pear Crisp

Browned Butter Pear Crisp Recipe

Fall in love with this cinnamon spiced browned butter pear crisp. It's warm, cozy and perfect for special occasions or chilly fall evenings!
5 from 7 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Cool Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 bartlett pears - cored and cut into 1/4" slices
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cardamom - optional

For the Topping

  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp butter*

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set aside an 8×8 square baking dish or a medium size gratin dish.
  • In a large mixing bowl, toss the pears in the lemon juice. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom. Sprinkle over the pears and toss to coat, pour into the baking dish.
  • In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.
  • In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the 4 tablespoons of butter. Heat until the butter foams then begins to brown and become speckled (about 3-5 minutes), whisking every so often. Pour into the bowl with the topping ingredients and mix until crumbles form. Sprinkle over the filling.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 20 minutes, serve warm.

NOTES

*You can also use melted butter instead of browned butter.
-You can toss in 2/3 c. of fresh cranberries to the filling, just increase the granulated sugar to ⅓ c.
-You can add ¼ c. of your favorite finely chopped nuts to the topping.

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

    1. Hi Laura,

      Yes, you can use canned pears for this Browned Butter Pear Crisp recipe, but you should be mindful of a few adjustments and considerations:

      Drain and Pat Dry: Canned pears are usually packed in juice or syrup, which can add extra moisture to your crisp. Be sure to drain the pears thoroughly and pat them dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. This will help prevent the crisp from becoming soggy.

      Texture: Fresh pears provide a different texture than canned pears, which are softer and can become mushy when baked. If you prefer a crisp with a bit of bite, fresh pears are the better option. However, if you don’t mind a softer filling, canned pears will work just fine.

      Sweetness: Canned pears can be sweeter than fresh pears, especially if they are packed in syrup. You may want to reduce the amount of granulated sugar in the recipe to account for the extra sweetness, or choose canned pears packed in juice rather than syrup.

      Slicing: Since canned pears are softer, they might be more difficult to slice thinly without them falling apart. You can try to cut them gently, or embrace a chunkier texture for your crisp.

      Cooking Time: The cooking time might need to be adjusted since canned pears are already quite soft. Keep an eye on the crisp as it bakes to ensure that it doesn’t overcook.

      Flavor: Canned pears can sometimes have a slightly different flavor compared to fresh pears. While this shouldn’t drastically affect the overall taste of your crisp, it’s something to keep in mind.

      In summary, while fresh pears are likely the best choice for this recipe due to their firm texture and balanced sweetness, you can use canned pears with a few adjustments. Enjoy your baking!

  1. 5 stars
    This pear crisp is delicious. I believe the browned butter gives it a unique flavor. I didn’t have any cardamom so I substituted 1/4 tsp of ginger to give it a fall taste. Turned out great!

  2. 5 stars
    Tasted really delicious and super easy to make! Loved it! Will surely have this again, thanks a bunch for sharing! Highly recommended!