German Pear Crumble with Cinnamon-Almond Streusel

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes

Quick Ingredients

• 1.2 kg ripe but firm pears (about 6 medium), peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 40 g sugar (about 3 tbsp), for the pears
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 120 g all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 40 g rolled oats (about 1/2 cup, optional but recommended)
• 60 g ground almonds (about 1/2 cup)
• 30 g sliced almonds (about 1/4 cup)
• 80 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (about 5 1/2 tbsp)
• 80 g sugar (about 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp), for the streusel
• Pinch of salt
• Optional to serve: vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or vanilla sauce

Do This

• 1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Butter a 20 x 30 cm baking dish.
• 2. Peel, core, and slice pears. Toss with lemon juice, 40 g sugar, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, vanilla, and cornstarch. Spread evenly in the dish.
• 3. For streusel, mix flour, oats, ground almonds, 80 g sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
• 4. Add cold butter cubes and rub with fingers until coarse, chunky crumbs form. Fold in sliced almonds.
• 5. Sprinkle streusel loosely and evenly over the pears, leaving small gaps for steam to escape.
• 6. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the topping is golden-brown and pear juices are bubbling at the edges.
• 7. Cool 10 minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or vanilla sauce.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• True German-style comfort dessert: soft, fragrant pears under a crunchy cinnamon-almond streusel.
• Easy to make with simple ingredients you probably already have at home.
• Perfect for autumn and winter, but delicious any time you have ripe pears.
• Great make-ahead and very forgiving – ideal for relaxed entertaining or a cozy weeknight dessert.

Grocery List

• Produce: Pears (about 6 medium), lemon
• Dairy: Unsalted butter, optional vanilla ice cream or whipping cream
• Pantry: All-purpose flour, rolled oats, sugar, ground almonds, sliced almonds, cornstarch, vanilla extract or vanilla sugar, ground cinnamon, salt

Full Ingredients

Pear Filling

• 1.2 kg ripe but firm pears (about 6 medium; e.g. Conference, Williams, or Bosc)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 40 g sugar (about 3 tbsp; white or light brown)
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (about 8 g), to lightly thicken the juices
• Optional, for a more old-school German vibe: 2 tbsp raisins and 1 tbsp dark rum or apple juice (soak raisins for 10 minutes, then drain)

Cinnamon-Almond Streusel Topping

• 120 g all-purpose flour (about 1 cup, spooned and leveled)
• 40 g rolled oats (about 1/2 cup; fine or regular, not instant) – optional but lovely for texture
• 60 g ground almonds (about 1/2 cup)
• 30 g sliced almonds (about 1/4 cup)
• 80 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (about 5 1/2 tbsp)
• 80 g sugar (about 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp; white, light brown, or a mix)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch fine salt

For the Dish and Serving

• Butter for greasing the baking dish
• Optional: powdered sugar for dusting before serving
• Optional: vanilla ice cream, softly whipped cream, or warm vanilla sauce (classic German pairing)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the baking dish

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) using top/bottom heat (no fan). Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven so the crumble bakes evenly.

Lightly butter a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) baking dish. A ceramic or glass dish works especially well for even baking and a homey, German-style presentation. Set the dish aside while you prepare the pears and streusel.

Step 2: Prep and slice the pears

Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler. Cut them into quarters, remove the cores, and slice each quarter into about 1 cm thick pieces. You can slice them lengthwise for a more rustic look, or into chunks if you prefer more “spoonable” fruit.

Place the sliced pears into a large mixing bowl as you work to keep things tidy.

Step 3: Season the pears and transfer to dish

To the bowl of pears, add:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 40 g sugar
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

If using, drain the soaked raisins and add them as well. Toss everything gently but thoroughly so the pears are evenly coated. The cornstarch will look slightly powdery at first; that is fine – it will dissolve and thicken the juices as the crumble bakes.

Pour the pear mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it out into an even layer. Try to distribute the fruit evenly so that every portion later gets plenty of soft pears and syrupy juices.

Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients for the streusel

In a separate medium bowl, combine:

• 120 g flour
• 40 g rolled oats (if using)
• 60 g ground almonds
• 80 g sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt

Stir with a spoon or whisk until everything is evenly mixed, breaking up any small clumps of ground almonds or sugar. Keeping the dry ingredients well combined helps the butter incorporate evenly and gives you a consistent, crunchy streusel with a nice cinnamon-almond aroma in every bite.

Step 5: Rub in the butter to form streusel crumbs

Add the 80 g cold, cubed butter to the bowl with the dry streusel mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour-almond mixture. Lift and crumble the mixture between your fingers rather than pressing it into a dough; you are aiming for chunky, irregular crumbs instead of a smooth pastry.

Keep going until you have a mixture of pea-size and slightly larger crumbs. Do not overwork it; a few streaks of visible butter are fine and help create a lovely rustic texture. Finally, add the 30 g sliced almonds and gently fold them through so they are evenly distributed but not broken up too much.

Step 6: Assemble and bake the Birnen Crumble

Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the pears in the baking dish. Aim for a fairly even layer, but do not worry if a few small gaps remain – these allow steam to escape and let some of the pear juices bubble up around the edges, which adds great flavor and a beautiful look.

Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until:

• The topping is golden-brown and crisp.
• The pear juices are bubbling up around the edges and perhaps in a few small spots in the middle.
• The pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

If the topping browns too quickly before the pears are tender, loosely cover the dish with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking for a few more minutes until the fruit is soft.

Step 7: Rest briefly and serve warm, German-style

Remove the crumble from the oven and let it rest on a cooling rack for 10–15 minutes. This short resting time allows the hot juices to thicken slightly, so the fruit layer becomes syrupy rather than watery.

Serve the Birnen Crumble warm in generous spoonfuls. For a true German-style touch, pair it with:

• A scoop of vanilla ice cream, melting into the warm crumble
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream
• Or a classic warm vanilla sauce poured over the top

If you like, dust lightly with powdered sugar just before serving. Enjoy immediately while the topping is still crisp and the pears are soft and fragrant.

Pro Tips

• Choose the right pears: Use ripe but firm pears. Overripe pears can turn mushy and release too much liquid; very hard pears may stay slightly crunchy.
• Keep the butter cold: Cold butter is essential for a crisp, crumbly streusel. If your kitchen is warm, chill the cubed butter for 5–10 minutes before rubbing it in.
• Do not compact the streusel: Sprinkle it loosely over the pears instead of pressing it down. This creates more nooks and crannies that bake up crunchy.
• Adjust sweetness: If your pears are very sweet, you can reduce the sugar in the filling by 10–15 g without any problem.
• Double for a crowd: This recipe doubles easily for a larger gathering. Use a larger baking dish (about 25 x 35 cm) and add a few extra minutes of baking time.

Variations

• Birnen-Apfel Crumble: Use half pears and half apples for a mixed fruit version. Keep the rest of the recipe the same, but cut very firm apples a bit thinner so they soften in the same time.
• Spiced Christmas Version: Add a pinch of ground cloves or allspice and a little grated orange zest to the pears. A tablespoon of rum in the fruit layer also gives a very festive German Christmas market flavor.
• Nussig (extra nutty): Replace half of the flour with finely ground hazelnuts and add a few chopped hazelnuts to the sliced almonds for a deeper nut flavor.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Let leftovers cool completely, then cover the baking dish tightly or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat, warm individual portions in the microwave for 30–60 seconds, or reheat the whole dish in a 160°C (320°F) oven for about 10–15 minutes until warmed through and the topping has crisped up again.

You can also prepare the streusel in advance: mix and rub in the butter, then refrigerate the raw streusel (well covered) for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Keep it chilled until just before baking for maximum crispness. The pear filling is best assembled shortly before baking so the fruit does not release too much liquid while standing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate values per serving (1/6 of the recipe, without ice cream or cream): about 470 kcal, 53 g carbohydrates, 25 g fat, 7 g protein, and a good amount of fiber from the pears, oats, and almonds. These values are estimates and will vary with exact ingredients and serving sizes.