Citric Acid Free Ginger-Cardamom Pear Oat Crisp
Warm, fragrant, and deeply comforting, this pear crisp layers tender spiced fruit beneath a golden, crunchy oat topping that smells absolutely incredible as it bakes. Ripe pears are tossed with fresh ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon before being tucked under a hearty mix of rolled oats, almond flour, and walnuts — all bound together with maple syrup and coconut oil. Many packaged desserts and store-bought crisps sneak in citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer, so making this from scratch means you stay in full control of every single ingredient. Arrowroot starch does the quiet work of thickening the filling as it bubbles, so you get that gorgeous jammy texture without any additives you'd rather avoid. The double hit of cardamom — in both the filling and the topping — gives the whole dish a warmly floral, slightly exotic depth that pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of the pears. Let it rest for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven and the filling will settle into something almost silky beneath that irresistible crunch. Serve it as-is or with a scoop of your favorite coconut cream for a dessert that feels genuinely indulgent without a single compromise.
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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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