When pears are in season, this gluten free pear crumble makes a lovely treat. With soft, sweet pears, and a crunchy buttery topping. It's also quick and easy to make.
And the crumble is so delicious that you wouldn't actually know it is gluten free. Of course it goes perfectly with homemade custard.
What you'll love about the recipe
- Easy to make with just 6 everyday ingredients.
- Delicious enough for weekend guests, easy enough for midweek meals.
- Healthy. With wholegrain oats and pears, this gluten free crumble is nutritious and high in fibre.
- Low in added sugar - there's just 1 tablespoon of sugar in the whole crumble.
- Adjust the recipe with your favourite spices.
Ingredients
Pears. You can use any variety of desserts pears for this recipe. It's best if the pears are ripe as they'll be sweeter and cook to a nicer texture. If your pears are harder, you'll need to cook the crumble for a little longer so that they soften.
Cinnamon is optional in the recipe, but cinnamon and pear crumble is a good mix! You could also use ground ginger or cardamom which go very well with pear. Or omit the spice altogether.
Oats. You'll need oats which have some texture to make a good crumble. Porridge oats, old fashioned oats and rolled oats are all suitable. You could also use jumbo oats if you prefer a chunkier texture. Instant oats are too fine. Make sure that the oats are certified gluten free so that they haven't been contaminated by gluten at the factory.
Ground almonds. I like adding almonds to a crumble topping. They make the crumble extra crisp and buttery. But if you want the recipe to be nut free, omit them and use an extra 50 g of oats. You could also use other nuts if you prefer such as walnuts. Just blitz them in the food processor before adding the other ingredients.
Butter. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature so that it mixes in easily.
Sugar. Gluten free pear crumble is very low in added sugar because the pears will be naturally sweet. There's just a tablespoonful of sugar added to the crumble topping. You can use brown or white sugar. If you prefer, you can make a sugar free crumble.
Variations
If you want to vary the recipe slightly, try pear and raspberry or pear and blackberry crumble. Just add a handful of the berries to the chopped pears in the dish.
You can use use a dairy free crumble topping if needed.
How to make gluten free pear crumble
It's best to start by making the crumble topping first so that the fruit doesn't discolour.
Add the oats, ground almonds, butter and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse gently until it starts to clump together. Don't over process, otherwise the oats will lose their texture.
If you don't want to use a food processor, melt the butter and stir the crumble ingredients together.
Depending on the thickness of the skins, you might want to peel the pears. You do lose some of the fibre and nutrients when you peel fruit, but if the skins are tough it might spoilt the crumble.
Quarter the pears, remove the sliver of core and cut into bite sized pieces. Place in the baking dish and sprinkle on the spice if using.
Add the crumble topping and spread evenly over the fruit.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (160 fan) for 30 minutes. If necessary turn the dish partway through cooking so that it browns evenly. The topping should be golden and crisp.
You'll need an oven proof dish approximately 15 x 20 cm for this quantity of mixture. Or you can use individual dishes if you prefer.
Serving and storage
Enjoy this gluten free pear crumble warm or cold. It goes especially well with homemade custard, but you could also serve it with cream, ice cream or yogurt.
You can store leftover crumble in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
Frequently asked questions
Many crumble toppings are made with wheat flour which contains gluten. However, it's easy to make a gluten free pear crumble. This recipe uses certified gluten free oats, but of course you could also use a recipe with a gluten free flour blend.
If you have a pear tree, you'll know that pears tend to ripen all at once, leaving you with a glut. Storing pears in the fridge will help to slow down the ripening process so that they'll keep for longer. You can also freeze pears. Peel, core and slice or dice, and freeze on a tray before storing in sealed plastic bags.
As well as this crumble, you could also make stewed pears, pear flapjacks or a quick pear and walnut chutney.
Make sure that you weigh your ingredients carefully so that you have the right proportion of oats and butter. Pulse the ingredients gently so that they retain plenty of texture. This recipe with oats and ground almonds has a nice crisp texture, but it will soften as it cools down.
Other gluten free crumble recipes
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
You can also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook. Or subscribe to the newsletter to receive delicious healthy recipes straight to your inbox.
Recipe
Gluten Free Pear Crumble
Equipment
- Ovenproof baking dish, approx 15 x 20 cm Or use individual ovenproof dishes
Ingredients
- 6-8 pears approx 500 g
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or use ¼ teaspoon ground ginger or cardamom
- 100 g porridge or rolled oats
- 50 g ground almonds or use an extra 50 g oats
- 50 g butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon sugar, white or brown
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan)
- Add the oats, ground almonds, butter and sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse gently until the butter is mixed in.
- Peel and core the pears and cut into bite sized pieces. Place in the baking dish and sprinkle over the spice if using.
- Add the crumble topping to the fruit and spread over evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn partway if necessary. Check that the pears are fully cooked with the point of a knife. They should be soft to the touch, and the top golden and crispy.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Comments
No Comments