This pear crumble uses overripe pears but it's also good for using up any overripe fruits you have in the house. Cinnamon, brown sugar and a crunchy topping.

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Wondering what to do with overripe pears?
This summer I was at my sister cottage up the mountain where they have a very productive pear tree. We were eating pears for days and even feeding them to the horses. Still, we couldn't finish them and they were slowly going bad.
I had the idea of making an overripe pear crumble, and they were all gone in a flash!
Why crumble is good for overripe fruits?
- The shape of the chopped fruit doesn't matter, so you can remove the bad parts of the fruit and only use the good ones. This way, you can use most of the fruits even if they are already damaged and reduce the waste to the minimum.
- It is easy and fast to do so you can make it in no time. If you need to use a lot of fruit, you already have enough fruits to peel and cut. The rest of the cooking process is quickly done. Let it cook for 1 hour while you do all the other things you need to do.
- You would have most of the ingredients already in the pantry so you don't need to go shopping. If you don't have brown sugar you can substitute with normal sugar and almond with any other nuts
- You can have a crumble anytime: breakfast, dessert, snack. Multiple times a day and it will be gone in a flash!
Ingredients
- 2 lb - 1 kg matured pears
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 pinch of salt
For the topping
- 3 oz - 80 gr butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup almond
- 1 pinch of salt
Step by step instructions with images
Preparing the fruit
- Peel the pears and cut them in chunks
- Put them in a ceramic baking pan
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 pinch of salt, stir well
For the top crust
- In a blender mix all the ingredients for the crust
- Lay over the pears
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 F - 180 C
Top tips
- Since overripe fruits are usually very sweet I don't add too much sugar. If you like it sweet, you can add more.
- As I mentioned before you can substitute almond with other nuts and brown sugar with the regular one
- Bake in a nice ceramic baking dish as the crumble is served in its own baking dish since it cannot be removed without ruining the look
- I add salt to give depth to the flavour, if you don't like it, don't add it
- I do like the top very crunchy, you can cook it for less if you like it softer
How to serve it
Serve this pear crumble still warm with vanilla or chocolate ice cream or some extra fresh fruits.
The flour that was mixed with the pear, create a nice sweet creamy smooth texture around the cooked pear.
The crunchy top completes the structure of this dessert giving it a perfect balance.
Other recipes you can make with ripe pears
If you are looking for more ideas on what to make with ripe pears, here is a list of other recipes I make to use up overripe fruits:
- Italian apple cake: this is an apple cake/cupcake which is mainly made with apples. You can really enjoy the taste of the fruit. You can substitute the apples with pears, or any other fruit you need to use up.
- Peach Tarte Tatin with Calvados and Pistachios: this is the classic Tarte Tatin recipe usually made with apples. In the summer I make it with peaches, and it is delightful. Try to make it with pears, it is very good.
Savory pear recipes
There are also some very nice savory recipes you can make with overripe pears. Here are some ideas:
- Healthy chicken wraps: when I want to use up some leftover chicken, I mix it with a salad and make wraps. Chicken can be very dry, especially if it is boiled or roasted and leftover from the day before. Fruits into a leftover chicken salad add freshness and moisture. Pears are a great option.
- Black rice with apple, avocado, and carrots: this is such a healthy salad. It can be served as a vegetarian meal or as a side for a barbecue. Substitute the apples with pear and add some strong cheese like blue cheese, Parmesan, or Pecorino. You will be surprised how good it is.
- Pear and cheese: in Italy, we say: "Al contadino non far sapere quanto e' buono il formaggio con le pere" which translates: "don't let the farmer know how good are pears with cheese". Because if he finds out, he will eat all the pears himself. Try to serve pears with some fresh chunks of Parmesan cheese, just don't invite the farmers!
More fruits dessert recipes
If you are making this Pear Crumble, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Overripe Pear Crumble Recipe With Almonds
Ingredients (Commissions Earned)
- 2 lb matured pears
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 pinch salt
For the crust on top
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 3 oz butter
- 1 cup almond
- 1 pinch salt
Equipment (Commissions Earned)
Instructions
Prepare the pears
- Peel the pears and cut them in chunks2 lb matured pears
- Place them in a ceramic baking pan
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of flour,1 pinch of salt, stir well1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 pinch salt
For the top crust
- In a blender mix all the ingredients for the crust¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup flour, 3 oz butter, 1 cup almond, 1 pinch salt
- Lay it over the pears
Bake and serve
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 F - 180 C
- Serve still warm with vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Video
Notes
- Since overripe fruits are usually very sweet I don't add too much sugar. If you like it sweet, you can add more.
- As I mentioned before you can substitute almond with other nuts and brown sugar with the regular one
- Bake in a nice ceramic baking dish as the crumble is served in its own baking dish since it cannot be removed without breaking it
- I add salt to give depth to the flavour, if you don't like it, don't add it
- I do like the top very crunchy, you can cook it for less if you like it softer
- Serve still warm with vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Brian Jones
Crumbles are great for using up banged up fruit... We always get pears by the bucket load form friends in the village with trees, looking forward to trying this then.
Laura
I love those type of friends
Fiorenza
Oh crumble, I'm a fan. A crumble with overripe pears, what a good idea, I hadn't thought of it. And all the ingredients are perfect for me, I have some overripe pears and almonds available too (these never fail in my kitchen) .. thanks!
Laura
Thanks. Me too I always have almonds in my cupboard
Ishita paul
What a beautiful way to use the overripe pears.
I don’t like throwing or wasting food.
Laura
Thank you, wasting food is such a bad habit. I always look for solutions
Chef Mireille
I love learning about recipes that helps me utilize food past their prime. I hate wasting food and having to throw them away. I am definitely saving this recipe for the next time I have some over ripe pears!
Laura
Thank you, I do agree. I hate waste
Laura
Thanks, I also hate wasting food
Beth Neels
I love crisps and crumbles! Eric hates overripe pears so this is perfect to make with all of my overripe pears this summer! I haven't made a pear jam or butter. I suppose you could, but I'm not sure how it would be!
Laura
Yes, they were good. Pear butter sounds interesting. I will wait for the recipe
Claudia Canu
Crumbles are indeed a great idea for using overripe fruits. I usually make it with apples, but after seeing your recipe I want to try it out with pears. Thanks for the inspiration!
Laura
Thank you, let me know what you think
Chris Stauffer
I would never had thought that pears would make a good crumble. But it was delicious! The crumble topping was wonderful and the pears were quite tasty.
I used sliced almonds and I chopped them manually, which made the texture of the crumble quite lovely.
Laura
Thank you so much, I love to have feedback from my readers
Marianne
Delicious. I made it for a lunch with friends and everyone loved it! I also loved the salmon and zucchini recipe. Never thought of making zucchini in the microwave, but it’s perfect for those days I don’t really have time for cooking
Laura
Marianne, thank you for letting me know. I love to receive feedback from my readers. It is very motivating
Simone Tobie
Loved it! Both my children and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe, it had the right amount of crispness and crunchiness that we all love and I will most certainly be making this again! ❤️
Laura
Simone, thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate that you took the time to let me know. I am delighted to hear.
Simone Tobie
Hey Laura! You're welcome! It deserves to have the rating as it put a smile on our faces 🙂
Laura
Thank you!
Mel
Keen to try this one. I have been wondering what to do with my overripe pears. Just wondering if pistachios would be to overpowering to swap for the almonds. Also have you every cooked the crumble in an airfyer?
Laura
Hello Mel, thank you for your comment. Pistachios would be great, not too powerful at all. That is a great alternative. Unfortunately I do not have an air fryer so I never tried. I will email you if I do.
Mel
Fantastic, I will give it a go in the airfyer using pistachios and let you know
Laura
Excellent, please do leave a note here below. I would love to hear the outcome
Heather Engelhardt
I’ve made this over and over again. Fabulous recipe! I use almond meal And only realised you use whole almonds when I saw the photos just now. I love that it uses the natural sweetness of the pears.
Laura
Thank you for your comment. Almond meal is also a good option, the only difference is that the almond are not peeled. More fibers! Yes, the overripe pear are so sweet that you do not need to add much more sugar
Evelyn
So glad I found this recipe, I had pears that were about to be to soft for eating, I didn’t have the mixer but I had almond flour and melted the butter so I could combine your ingredients by hand and it was delicious. Last minute I added slivered almonds for texture and I needed to use them as they had been in my fridge not getting used.
Laura
Thank you for your comment; I love to hear from my readers. Adding the slivered almonds was a great idea
Killoran
I found this recipe while googling what to do with my overripe pears. Halfway through making it I discovered I didn't have the almonds I thought I had. So here's a heads up... pecans work well as a substitute. It was delicious, and the smell was incredible while baking.
Laura
Fantastic! Thank you for your comment. That is a great suggestion
Lee
Doubled the cinnamon. So simple and tastes just right, not too sweet.
Laura
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I like fruit desserts not too sweet so you can taste the natural sweetness of the fruits
Susan Steele
A friend gave me a huge bag of overripe pears. Tried this recipe today & it was so good & so easy to make. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Laura
Thank you for your comment and rating. It really helps my blog grow. I am delighted to hear you like it
Georgie A
this was so frickin good man. my mom and i slapped this together in like 10 minutes after making dinner and now our sad pears that were on deaths door got a new life! and you don't have to wait eons for it to cool down, a win win! twas absolutely delish, highly recommend
Laura
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you like it
Dana
Can I substitute old fashioned or quick oats for the almonds?
Laura
Sure, give it a try