Pear and Ginger Crumble
To make pear and ginger crumble, peel and slice ripe but firm pears, toss them with sugar, grated fresh ginger, and a spoon of flour to thicken, and spread in a baking dish. Rub flour, oats, brown sugar, a little ground ginger, and cold butter into clumps and scatter over the top. Bake at 190 °C for about 40 minutes until the pears are soft and bubbling and the top is golden and crisp. Serve warm with cream or vanilla ice cream.
Pears and ginger were made for each other, and a crumble is the coziest way to prove it. As pears come into their early-fall best, this dessert is even easier than apple crumble — the fruit is softer and sweeter — and the warm ginger gives it a grown-up edge that a plain fruit crumble doesn’t have.
Ripe-but-firm pears
The one thing to get right is the pears. Firm-ripe — sweet and fragrant but still holding their shape — is the goal. Rock-hard pears won’t soften enough; overripe ones turn to watery mush. If your pears aren’t ready, give them a few days on the counter (see our note: pears ripen from the inside out).
Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou all bake beautifully.
Double ginger
For real depth, use ginger twice: grated fresh ginger in the fruit for a bright, warm heat, and ground ginger in the topping for a rounder, cozy spice. Together they make the crumble taste layered rather than one-note.
Thicken it — pears are juicy
Pears release more juice than apples, so a crumble can go watery. A tablespoon of flour tossed with the fruit thickens it, and a 10-minute rest after baking lets the juices set into something glossy rather than runny.
Make it yours
- Pear-apple: mix in a couple of apples for structure.
- Add: a handful of cranberries or blackberries; chopped hazelnuts or walnuts in the topping.
- Spice: cardamom or cinnamon alongside the ginger.
- Boozy: a splash of brandy or a little maple syrup over the fruit.
Serve warm with cold cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche. It’s the dessert for the first sweater-weather weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Which pears are best for baking?
Firm-ripe Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou all bake well. You want pears that are ripe enough to be sweet but still firm enough to hold their shape — very soft pears turn watery and collapse. If your pears are rock-hard, give them a few days on the counter first.
Fresh ginger, ground ginger, or both?
Both, for depth. Grated fresh ginger in the fruit gives a bright, warm heat; ground ginger in the topping gives a rounder, cozy spice. If you only have one, use it — a teaspoon of fresh in the filling, or a teaspoon of ground split between filling and topping.
My crumble was watery — what happened?
Pears are juicier than apples, so they need a little more thickener. Toss the slices with a tablespoon of flour (or cornstarch) before baking, and don't skip it. Letting the crumble rest 10–15 minutes after baking also lets the juices set.