Gluten Free Rhubarb and Pear Crumble

As tangy rhubarb comes into season for the summer months, this Gluten Free Rhubarb and Pear Crumble is the ultimate fuss-free dessert. It’s quick and easy to make, packed with tart rhubarb and sweet pears.

A lot of the time gluten free baking is all about trying to adapt recipes to make sure they work just as well without the gluten.

But gluten free crumble actually thrives on the lack of gluten – and this rhubarb and pear crumble is an absolute winner.

Gluten free rhubarb crumble is great for using up a harvest of rhubarb from the garden, or the window it’s readily available in the shops.

And combining rhubarb with sweet pears and a sugary, crumble topping makes for the ultimate dessert combination.

If you want a gluten free dessert recipe which is absolutely failsafe, coeliac-safe and a real crowd-pleaser, this is it.

Once you’ve tried this gluten free rhubarb and pear crumble you’re going to want to make it over-and-over again!

And if you haven’t already tried my others including my apple crumble or my plum and amaretto crumble, give them a go next!

Gluten free pear and rhubarb crumble ingredients

There’s a printable recipe card below with the quantities but here are the main ingredients you’ll need and ideas for substitutions:

For the rhubarb and pear crumble filling you will need:

• Rhubarb: In the UK, rhubarb starts to come into season between March and April, through until the summertime. I buy fresh rhubarb from the shops for this but if you’ve grown some in the garden, even better!
• Conference Pears: Any type of pear will work in this crumble recipe but I love the sweetness of conference pears. And the fact they’re larger means they are less fiddly to peel and core too!
• Light Brown Sugar: Rhubarb can be very tart so I like to cook it with a little sugar. This, combined with the pears, keeps the tang but allows it to be a bit more dessert-like. You can cut the sugar down if you don’t like it too sweet, or add a little more!
• Butter: I use unsalted butter to just caramelise the sugar and add a little decadence to the filling of the crumble.
• Cornflour: The cornflour helps to thick the juices that come off the rhubarb and pears as they soften. Without this your filling can become quite watery. Cornflour is naturally gluten free and coeliac-safe.

For the gluten free crumble topping you will need:

• Gluten Free Self Raising Flour: I tend to use the FREEE self-raising flour or Juvela white mix for this. If you don’t have self-raising gluten free flour, you can easily make your own! Simply mix 1 tsp of gluten free baking powder per 100g of gluten free plain flour (or gluten free All Purpose flour in the US)
• Unsalted Butter: This needs to kept super cold so it doesn’t melt into the crumble mixture. You can use a dairy free alternative, but try to use a hard vegan butter rather than margarine if possible.
• Light Brown Sugar: I love the colour this adds to the crumble topping and the warm, treacle flavours. If you only have caster sugar you can use this instead.

Gluten free rhubarb crumble recipe FAQs

The recipe card with the ingredients and method for this rhubarb and pear crumble recipe is below.

But before we get to that let me answer some of the frequently asked questions I get about making gluten free crumble.

Is crumble gluten free?

Crumble is usually made using wheat flour so as standard is not gluten free.

But gluten free flour actually makes an insanely good crumble topping, which is why I always rave about this dessert!

Gluten adds ‘stretch’ to bakes – which is why often gluten free cakes and bakes can come out crumbly without a few tips and tricks.

But this bodes well for a gluten free crumble – because these properties are what makes the crumble topping so… crumbly!

Is this recipe dairy free / vegan?

My gluten free crumble topping and the rhubarb and pear filling both have butter in the ingredients.

However, if you switch this for a vegan butter alternative, the recipe will be completely dairy free and vegan.

For a gluten free vegan crumble topping, you’ll want to make sure you use a harder vegan butter.

If the margarine is too soft you won’t be able to ‘rub’ the gluten free flour into it to create the crumble mix, it will just melt!

Which rhubarb should I use in crumble?

This gluten free crumble recipe will work with any sort of rhubarb – it’s a super versatile and easy recipe.

Did you know that Forced Rhubarb, which is ‘forced’ out of its winter hibernation to be grown indoors, is pink?

Whereas rhubarb left to its own devices outside tends to be more reddy-green colour.

Forced rhubarb can be a little sweeter, but the pinkness is not an indication of its ripeness.

So if your crumble is super pink or not, it doesn’t matter – it should taste equally as delicious!

Do I have to pre-cook the rhubarb crumble filling?

It’s not 100% necessary to pre-cook the rhubarb and pears in this recipe, but I much prefer adding in this step.

If you don’t cook the fruit slightly before baking, you’ll have a much crunchier filling and it may also be a lot, erm, jucier.

Softening the fruit adds an element of sweetness and gives the juices a chance to mingle with the cornflour and thicken.

I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step, as you won’t get the same result.

My Gluten Free Rhubarb and Pear Crumble

This recipe makes enough to serve 4-6 people, depending on how big a portion you like.

You can easily size the portions up or down to make a larger or smaller crumble though.

Just make sure to adjust the cooking times a little – keep an eye on the crumble as you want a nice golden top and bubbling fruit underneath.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!

NEED MORE GLUTEN FREE CRUMBLE RECIPES?

Here are some more gluten free crumble you can try out once you’ve made this Gluten Free Pear and Rhubarb Crumble recipe:

• Gluten Free Apple Crumble
• Pear and Chocolate Crumble
• Strawberry and Apple Crumble
• Plum and Amaretto Crumble

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

If you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments below what you’d like to see next!

LIKE THIS GLUTEN FREE RHUBARB AND PEAR CRUMBLE RECIPE?

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