Barley Free Ginger-Cardamom Pear Oat Crisp
Warm spiced pears bubbling beneath a golden, crunchy topping — this crisp is the kind of dessert that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. The filling leans into fresh ginger and double-hit cardamom for a fragrant, slightly exotic depth that goes way beyond a basic apple crisp. Arrowroot starch thickens the juices as the pears soften, so you get that gorgeous, jammy filling rather than a watery puddle. The topping comes together with rolled oats, almond flour, and chopped walnuts bound by maple syrup and coconut oil — no grain-based flour blends or malt-derived ingredients anywhere in sight, which makes it a genuinely safe and satisfying choice when avoiding barley. Many store-bought crisps and crumble mixes sneak in barley flour or barley-derived thickeners, so making this from scratch puts you fully in control. It bakes up beautifully golden and clumpy, with just enough chew from the oats and richness from the walnuts to feel truly indulgent. Let it rest for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven and the filling will set into something absolutely worth diving into.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the filling
- 5 medium ripe pears (about 2 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the topping
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch baking dish with a small amount of coconut oil.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pear chunks, 2 tbsp maple syrup, fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp cardamom, cinnamon, arrowroot starch, and 1/4 tsp salt. Toss until the pears are evenly coated, then spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
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