This pear and blueberry crumble brings together two fruits in one cozy, flavorful dish. Baked, the pears become soft and tender, alongside the burst blueberries that give this dish pops of color and flavor. Instead of butter, this crumble uses melted coconut oil in the oat topping. It bakes up pretty, golden, and slightly crunchy and happens to be completely dairy-free. Fifteen minutes to assemble, 50 minutes in the oven, and one glorious dish of jammy, fruity goodness!
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If you like this one, it's a close cousin of my cherry apple crumble. It has similarly delish oat topping but with different fruits to enjoy.
These kinds of recipes are great for prepping ahead, freezing, and enjoying whenever you want.
📋 Recipe Notes and Ingredients
Full quantities are in the printable recipe card below, and below are some ingredient highlights, including the one that makes this crumble dairy-free.
In terms of measuring, I always recommend using a kitchen scale. And while I give both cups and grams, grams yield far more consistent, reliable results in your kitchen!
- Coconut oil - This is the swap that makes the whole thing dairy-free. My apple and strawberry crumble uses butter in the topping, but I wanted a version I could serve to the people in my life who can't have dairy. Melted coconut oil provides the same fat that moistens the crumble and helps it crisp, and it adds a faint sweetness that suits the pears.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats - Be sure to use rolled oats, not quick oats. They hold their shape through a 50-minute bake and give you actual texture on top instead of a paste.
- Sliced almonds - They toast as the crumble bakes and add a distinct crunch that plays off the soft fruits. If you're nut-free, leave them out and add a couple extra tablespoons of oats.
- Ground cloves and cinnamon - The cloves really amp up the flavors here and will give you a kitchen and dessert that smell incredible!
- Lemon juice - The hint of tartness from lemon juice counterbalances the sweetness of the pears and berries. It also helps preserve the color of the berries, meaning they'll still have a relatively nice, bright color, even after baking.
📖 Step-by-Step Instructions for this Crumble
Preheat oven to 350˚F while you prep the recipe.
Prepare Pears for your Fruit Filling: Peel and chop your pears into chunks that are between ¼ – ½ inch thick.
Mix Dry Ingredients for Filling: In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and granulated sugar.
Combine Fruit and Dry Ingredients: To that mixing bowl, add chopped pears and fresh blueberries with your vanilla extract and lemon juice. Stir to evenly coat the fruit mixture with your dry ingredient mixture. Transfer to a 9 by 2 ½ - inch pie dish.
Make Crumble Topping: In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together the old-fashioned oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and sliced almonds. Pour melted coconut oil over the crumble mixture. Work the oil into the topping until it’s moist and resembles wet sand.
Add Topping and Bake: Add crumble topping to the fruit. Bake uncovered at 350˚F for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and fruit juices are bubbling at the edges. If you’re quiet, you can hear the bubbling sounds - that’s when it’s done!
Cool Before Serving: Let the crumble rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
⭐️ Made this? I'd love to know how it went! Leave a star rating on the recipe card below.
❓ Pear and Blueberry Crumble FAQ
They're one of my favorite fruit pairings for a crumble. As they bake, the pears soften and soak up the purple juice the berries release. The bright berry flavor and color is a delicious combo with the pears. Plus, the lemon juice and pinch of cloves enhance the existing flavors.
Apples are a really nice and easy swap. They're also forgiving in that they bake down at a similar rate. Feel free to substitute blackberries in place of blueberries.
While I haven't baked this with cranberries, they'd be a nice addition in the fall if you add a little extra sugar to balance the tartness.
I use Bosc pears nearly every time I make this crumble. They soften while baking but still hold their shape. I like that they're not mushy and still have a nice texture.
For other options, Anjou pears do well for baking, as well as Concorde and French butter pears.
This would be a good and simple swap. Sub in the same weight of melted butter (75 grams). It may brown a little more deeply and will taste more traditionally buttery. Just know that the recipe as written is dairy-free, but if that's not a priority for you, use butter instead.
A potential culprit here is not tossing and coating your fruit with the flour in the beginning of the recipe. This crumble needs the flour for the filling to thicken.
Alternatively, perhaps you removed your dish too early from the oven. Bake the crumble until the juices are actively bubbling at the edges, not just until the top looks golden. Then let it rest at least 15 minutes; the juices keep thickening as it cools. A crumble served straight from the oven will likely appear more watery than it truly is.
Frozen blueberries work fine, too. Use them straight from the freezer without thawing, given that thawed berries can become mushy more quickly and bleed into the rest of the crumble.
You can also freeze the crumble two ways: assemble it unbaked, wrap it in plastic and foil, and freeze for up to two months (thaw overnight in the fridge and let it sit out for half an hour before baking so the dish doesn't crack), or freeze baked portions in airtight containers and reheat them in the microwave.
Storing Leftovers
Let the crumble cool to room temperature, then cover the pie dish with foil, plastic wrap, or a lid before it goes in the fridge. Otherwise it can pick up other smells in there!
The crumble keeps for 2-3 days, and I actually prefer it on day two once the juices have fully set. Freezing instructions are in the FAQ above.
💡 Tips for Serving this Pear and Blueberry Crumble
Serve Fresh: Let the crumble cool for at least 15 minutes on a cooling rack before serving. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scoop portions.
Reheat: For day two, reheat portions in the microwave. Scoop the desired amount from the dish onto individual plates and heat until warmed through.
Add a Topping: Top with whipped cream, scoop of vanilla ice cream, or yogurt for an extra touch.
Flavor Note: The fruit juices thicken as the crisp cools, making it even more flavorful the next day!
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More Pies and Crumbles
Pear and Blueberry Crumble
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This dairy-free pear and blueberry crumble has a crunchy oat and almond topping. It takes 15 minutes of prep and all goes into one pie dish.
Ingredients
Pear Blueberry Filling
- 4 large pears (870 grams), peeled and cut into chunks about ¼ – ½ inch thick
- 2 ¼ cups (about 300 grams) blueberries
- ¼ cup (55 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoon lemon juice
Crumble topping
- ⅔ cup (65 grams) old-fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup (45 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt (or ¼ teaspoon of table salt)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (30 grams) sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (75 grams) coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
For your filling, peel and chop your pears into chunks that are between ¼ – ½ inch thick.- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and granulated sugar.
- To that bowl, add chopped pears and blueberries with your vanilla extract and lemon juice. Stir to evenly coat fruit with flour/sugar mixture. Transfer to a 9 by 2 ½ - inch pie dish.
- For your crumble topping, in a medium bowl, mix together the old fashioned oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and sliced almonds. Pour melted coconut oil over the crumble mixture and combine until it’s moist and appears similar to wet sand.
- Top pie dish with crumble topping, and bake uncovered at 350˚F for 50-55 minutes, or until top is golden brown and fruit juices are bubbling at the edges. Let crumble cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- This dessert is delicious when reheated on day two. Just scoop the number of servings you need from the dish and heat them up in the microwave on individual plates.
- To make this with butter instead of coconut oil, swap in the same weight of melted butter (75 grams). The recipe as written is dairy-free.
- If desired, add your topping (like whipped cream or ice cream) right before serving.
Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate and based on one serving of this crumble, which would yield approximately 8 servings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 231 kcal
- Sugar: 29.8 g
- Sodium: 153 mg
- Fat: 13.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.8 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
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