Gluten Free Pear and Chocolate Crumble

I do love a gluten free crumble, but if you haven’t tried adding chocolate before you’re going to absolutely LOVE this Gluten Free Pear and Chocolate Crumble.

With chunks of sweet pears, crunchy walnut pieces and bitter, melty dark chocolate chunks, this is the crumble to rule all crumbles.

It’s the perfect combination of sweet and bitter, with the nuts and crumble providing delicious crunchy textures against the soft fruit.

Pears make such a delicious filling for a crumble and they’re great if you prefer something a bit less tart than apples.

In the UK pears are in peak season in the UK from September to November, depending on the variety, which makes this the perfect autumnal dessert.

This gluten free pear chocolate crumble also freezes really well so if you do happen to have any leftovers, they won’t go to waste.

Not that leftover crumble is really a thing in our house anyway!

The best gluten free crumble topping

Because gluten is what adds stretch to ‘normal’ bakes, often gluten free bakes gain a bad rep for being overly dry and crumbly.

However, this does mean that gluten free flour is perfect for making a crumble or crisp topping.

Gluten free crumble topping is made in the same way as a normal crumble, but just with gluten free flour instead of wheat flour.

And the topping on this chocolate pear crumble is so good even the gluten-eaters in the house prefer it to the ‘normal’ stuff.

You may think adding chocolate to a crumble is a little bit quirky but trust me, once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back.

Plus chocolate and pear recipes are all over the internet – it’s a great flavour combination, and who doesn’t love a pear chocolate dessert?

Sure, I love a classic apple crumble at the best of times, but I feel like gluten free crumble is so easy to make and you really play around with flavours.

For example, in the summer I love a seasonal strawberry and apple crumble – and when the weather chills nothing warms the soul like my plum and amaretto crumble.

So why not add chopped walnuts and dark chocolate to a pear crumble? It’s the dream combination!

Gluten free pear and chocolate crumble ingredients

There’s a full printable recipe card below with the method and ingredients, but here is an idea of the main things you’ll need and ideas for substitutions.

Seasonal Pears – Generally supermarkets in the UK will sell ‘seasonal pears’ and the variety will change through the months. I have tried this recipe with numerous pear types including conference pears and they are all great.

Dark Chocolate – I like to use a dark chocolate that is 85% cocoa, but you can go for something like 70% or less if you like it a bit sweeter. Anything than more than 85% is a little too bitter for my tastes! Make sure you check the chocolate you’re using doesn’t carry any ‘may contain’ warnings for gluten.

Walnuts – These add a lovely crunch to the crumble filling but you can omit them if you don’t like nuts. I also find pecans work really well, as do chopped hazelnuts.

Butter – For the crumble topping I always use unsalted butter. If you’re making this crumble dairy free and vegan, ensure you use a harder dairy free margarine.

Sugars – For the filling I use a dark brown sugar as this adds a rich, deep flavour. I tend to use caster sugar (superfine or baker’s sugar in the US) for the topping.

Plain Gluten Free Flour – For this gluten free crumble recipe use a plain gluten free flour blend like FREEE, Asda, Schär’s baking mix or Juvela white mix. You don’t want to use a single flour like coconut or almond flour as it won’t work. as well.

Can this gluten free pear and chocolate crumble be vegan / dairy free?

It’s actually pretty easy to make this pear and chocolate crumble recipe vegan or dairy free as well as gluten free.

All you need to do is switch the butter in the crumble topping for a vegan margarine, and ensure the dark chocolate is dairy free.

Can you free this pear and chocolate crumble?

If you want to make a batch of this crumble recipe and save some for later, the good news is it freezes really well.

Simply allow the cooked crumble to cool entirely and then portion it and up and freeze.

You can reheat it from frozen in the oven. Just cook until the fruit filling is bubbling up from underneath the crumble before serving.

My pear and chocolate crumble recipe

This easy pear and chocolate crumble recipe will serve 4-6 people and is perfect with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream on top.

Of course, it goes just as well with custard too, depending on your preference.

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 creations!

And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.

Need more gluten free recipe inspiration?

Here are some more gluten free dessert recipes you can try out once you’ve made this Gluten Free Pear and Chocolate Crumble recipe.

• Jam Roly Poly Pudding
• Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Blackberry and Apple Crumble
• Gluten Free Tiramisu

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 what you’d like to see next!

Like this Pear and Chocolate Crumble recipe?

Make sure you follow me on Pinterest and pin this recipe card below for later!