Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp {Gluten Free}

This gluten free and vegan Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp is out of this world delicious! It’s the perfect combination of tart and sweet and will be the favorite dessert at any holiday party!

Just imagine the delicious smell of this Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp wafting through your house… pure magic. You could bottle the scent, label it “Holiday Spirit” and sell it – it’s that good.

The Best Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp

Now I’m a huge fan of apple pie for Thanksgiving, but I’m starting to consider replacing it with this Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp because holy wow is it good. The tart cranberries and granny smith apples mixed with the sweet pear is truly sublime. Yes my friends, it is so so much better than the traditional apple crisp. Trust me.

Plus, did I mention that this Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp is vegan, gluten and refined sugar-free?? Well yes. Yes it is. And you would NEVER EVEN KNOW!!! It’s that good.

As you may have noticed, I have quite a few cranberry recipes on my site so far. Like these Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls or this amazing fat-free Cranberry Orange Bread. I honestly can’t help myself! Those fresh cranberries call to me every time I pass them during their short-lived spot in produce section and I give in. Every. Time.

Easy Gluten Free Streusel Topping

The secret to making a delicious crisp in my book is doubling the streusel topping, and this recipe does just that! The topping is definitely my favorite part and the key is the texture. It should be crumbly when you are stirring it in the bowl, yet hold it’s shape when you press it together with your hands.

The steps for making the streusel topping are really quite simple:

1. Combine the GF flour, oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a food processor with the blade attachment.
2. Place the shredder attachment on top and close the food processor.
3. Grate the frozen vegan butter (I use Earth Balance sticks) into the food processor while it’s running (both blade and grater attachments should be running – this way you are grating the butter into the flour mixture that is being mixed by the blade, resulting in crumbles of perfect buttery streusel topping.
4. Remove the streusel from the food processor and place in a medium large mixing bowl.
5. Add in the maple syrup, remaining oats, chopped walnuts and orange zest. Mix in with a pastry cutter (or spoon or hands work too).
6. In the end you should have a crumbly topping that when pressed together holds it’s shape. See picture below!

Tips for Making Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp

• Be sure your apple slices aren’t too thick or they won’t cook evenly with the pears. I like to slice them relatively thin, then cub them.
• Make sure your pear cubes aren’t too small or they will disappear into mush. You want larger pear cubes and smaller apple cubes.
• If your streusel is too dry or crumbly you can add more butter or maple syrup.
• If you don’t have a food processor you can also make the topping by hand in a bowl using a box grater to grate the frozen butter and a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture.
• I do recommend peeling the apples and pears. Leaving the skin on gives a chewier and not as pleasant texture to the filling.

If you’re looking for a refreshing addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert lineup, this crumble is absolute perfection! Make sure to serve with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream! 

Looking for More Holiday Recipes?

Check out these delicious holiday recipes!

• Kale Quinoa Pomegranate Salad
• Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
• These delicious looking Cranberry Crumb Bars from Cooking For My Soul

Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp {Gluten Free}

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

This gluten free and vegan Cranberry Apple Pear Crisp is out of this world delicious! It’s the perfect combination of tart and sweet and will be the favorite dessert at any holiday party!

• Author: Chelsey @ The Saucy Fig
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Filling:

• 2 cups cranberries, lightly pulsed in food processor
• 3 heaping cups peeled and cubed pears
• 1 heaping cup peeled and cubed apples*
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup orange juice (1 large orange)
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Streusel Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
• 1 cup and 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, separated*
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) frozen Earth Balance or vegan butter
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a food processor lightly pulse the cranberries till they are very roughly chopped (halved to quartered). Add the cranberries to a large bowl.
3. Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the cranberries, stir to combine and pour into a 9×9 baking pan or 9″ round pie pan. Set aside.
4. In the same rinsed and dried food processor, add the gluten free flour, 1 cup oats, coconut sugar, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Add the grater attachment on top and close the lid (make sure you also have the regular food processor chopping blade below the grater attachment.)
5. Add one stick of butter at a time to the opening of the food processor while running the processor on medium speed. The frozen butter should grate into the flour mixture which is being mixed at the same time with the chopping blade, blending the butter into the flour mixture to create the streusel.
6. Continue with the second stick of butter and processes or pulse the mixture for another few seconds to incorporate. Transfer streusel mixture into a medium/large bowl.
7. Using a pastry cutter, finish working the butter into the flour until it starts to crumble into clumps. Mix in the maple syrup, remaining 1/2 cup oats, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
8. The streusel should be crumbly yet when you pick it up it and press it together it should hold it’s shape.
9. Crumble the streusel on top of the fruit filling in the pan. Make some crumbles larger by pressing them together and others smaller by crumbling them apart with your hands.
10. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown. You can cover the top with tin foil if it starts to get too brown.
11. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Notes

*Make sure your oats are gluten free certified if you are making this gluten free.

*Slice your apples relatively thin before dicing them. You want them to be a little smaller than the pears so that they cook at the same rate.

Print Recipe