Pear Crisp [Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Refined Sugar-Free]

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Luscious, sweet pears are baked to perfection and topped with a crunchy oat-nut mixture in this veganized Pear Crisp recipe. Not only is this pear dessert vegan, it's gluten-free and oil-free too. An easy-to-make dessert that's not only perfect for the holidays, but can be enjoyed all year long!

♪ On the first day of Christmas my true love gave me this...
A bowl full of vegan pear crisp ♫

Now that you’ve been serenaded with some holiday spirit, it’s time to start thinking about all the delicious dishes you’re going to stuff your face with this season...

...like this sweet, decadent pear crisp!

So, I have to tell you that the reason this recipe even came about is because we got a tad bit crazy with the fresh fruit and veg purchasing at the new Aldi that just opened up down the street. 

We had a cart full of potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, celery, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, clementines, lemons, bananas, apples, and of course, pears. 

I may have forgotten a few, but you get the picture. 😉

In any event, I was tasked with figuring out how to use up all this fresh food before it spoiled.

So, I stared at the pears and thought about how I've never been one to enjoy just eating a pear on its own. I mean, I like them in salads, but I'm just not a fan of eating a raw pear by itself.

And then, I wondered what I was going to do with the plethora of pears that now inhabited my kitchen.

I mean, Greg loves pears and he is the one who put them in the cart. 

But, was Greg going to eat ALL of the pears by himself before they went bad?

I thought not. 

So, while he was at work, I peeled and chopped up all of his precious pears to make a pear crisp...because that is the kind of pear-eatin' I can get behind! 😉

The resulting sweet, cinnamony, tender baked pears were pure heaven, especially along with the crunch of the crispy topping and a bit of coconut whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Unlike my nut-free vegan apple crisp which uses plant-based butter, my goal was to keep this dessert oil-free.

So, instead of the vegan butter in the topping, I mixed in some almond flour.

It worked like a charm in giving my cheesy vegan biscuits a buttery flavor and texture, so I figured it would work in this pear crisp too..and it did!

And since I am love nuts, I decided to go with two kinds for this dessert - pecans and almonds. 🙂

I used pecan pieces and sliced almonds since neither of them need further chopping. 

I also kept the dish refined sugar-free, using a combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar as sweeteners.

What kind of pears are best to use?

I used Bartlett pears, but Anjou pears would work as well. 

How to make vegan pear crisp

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Peel, core and chop the pears into chunks that are relatively the same size. Add the pear chunks to a mixing bowl.

Add lemon juice, lemon zest, coconut sugar, oat flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to the pears. Use your hands or a silicone spatula to combine ingredients until they are well incorporated.

Transfer the pear mixture to a 13" x 9" baking dish.

Spread the pears around so that they are evenly distributed.

Now, make the topping. Add oats, pecans, almonds, almond flour, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl.

Mix until well-combined.

Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the pear mixture in the baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping has browned. 

Allow to cool for 1-15 minutes before serving.

Serving 

This dessert is perfect served with some dairy-free whipped topping or your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream. Of course, you can eat it as is too. 

Storing

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers are best reheated in the oven, but can be microwaved as well or eaten cold, if desired.

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