Festive vegan crumble with cranberries, apples, and pears. The soft, sweet and tart fruit is topped with a crumbly, nutty, buttery topping and baked to golden perfection. It's an absolute crowd-pleaser & so good for dessert with dairy-free vanilla ice cream or vegan custard!
FEATURED COMMENT:
"Your crumble, two words... "simply divine". Having recently turned vegan, I have been following your recipes, and I can honestly say that without doing so I think I would have given up weeks ago. A very big thank you!" - Tessa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
It's hard to beat a good crumble, and this Vegan Apple Pear and Cranberry Crumble is a festive favourite in our house! Tart Granny Smith apples hold their shape and keep a little bite. Sweet, ripe pears melt into a soft, jammy purée, and juicy cranberries add bursts of tartness and a pop of festive colour. It's finished with a crumbly, buttery topping full of chewy oats and crunchy nuts, then baked until golden, bubbly and fragrant.
It's simple to make and an absolute crowd-pleaser. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any cozy dinner from fall through winter. Your kitchen will smell amazing while it bakes!
Freezing the crumble topping is my secret trick for a lighter, crumblier, better-textured topping. You can even make it up to 3 months ahead to save time on busy holiday days. Need the crumble to be nut-free? Just leave out the nuts. It's still delicious.
Serve this festive vegan crumble warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a big dollop of coconut whipped cream, or a generous glug of vegan custard (always my top choice!).
Mel x
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS CRUMBLE!
- Comforting. It's the perfect cozy fall or winter dessert!
- Festive. It's great for the holidays, as the ruby red cranberries give the crumble a festive look and flavour.
- Balanced. The mix of tart Granny Smiths, sweet pears, and sour cranberries with the sweet crumble topping is divine! Just the right balance of sweet and tart, soft, crunchy, and crumbly.
- Family approved. There aren't many people who don't like a bowl of warm crumble with custard or ice cream!
- Easy and foolproof. Chopping the fruit is the hardest part. There's no pie crust and no rolling. Make the simple crumble, put the fruit in a casserole dish, scatter the crumble over, and bake. You can't go wrong!
- Easily nut-free or gluten-free. Use GF all-purpose baking flour and certified gluten-free oats, and/or omit the nuts.
Let's Make Vegan Apple Pear & Cranberry Crumble!
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen.
1 - First, make the crumble topping. You can do this by hand or in a food processor. 
Pulse until the flour, butter, and sugar are like coarse breadcrumbs, and the nuts are in small chunky pieces. Stir through the oats by hand for texture. At this stage, I recommend freezing the crumble topping if you can. It only needs 30 minutes, or it can stay in there for up to 3 months in a sealed container or freezer bag if you want to make it ahead of time.
2 - Toss the apples and pears with vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and a tiny bit of flour, then scatter over the cranberries.
3 - Remove the crumble topping from the freezer, and spoon it evenly over the fruit. Bake until golden, while enjoying the wafty, festively spiced smells as they drift through your house!
Recipe FAQs
Although I don't recommend assembling the entire crumble in advance because the apples and pears will go brown and the crumble topping will get soggy, you can still make things easier for yourself by making the crumble topping in advance. Transfer it to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. It stays crumbly even while frozen, so you can add it to the top of your crumble straight from the freezer, then bake it.
Freezing the crumble before baking slows the melting of the butter and improves the texture. It makes it lighter and more crumbly, clumpy and nubbly, adding a more interesting mouthfeel and look. Even if you only have time to pop it in the freezer while you peel and chop the fruit, it will make a difference.
To make it nut-free, you can simply omit the nuts.
Yes. Use gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour and certified gluten-free oats (or omit the oats). I've tested the recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (the blue bag), and it works great!
Recipe
Vegan Apple Pear & Cranberry Crumble
Author:Ingredients
For the crumble topping
- 1½ slightly heaping cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour. Use plain flour in the UK. Make it gluten-free with GF 1 to 1 baking flour.
- ½ packed cup (110 grams) vegan butter, hard & cold
- ½ heaping cup (120 grams) granulated sugar, either cane, white or turbinado
- ¾ cup (100 grams) almonds, pecans or walnuts. Omit to make nut-free.
- ¾ cup (70 grams) rolled or old-fashioned oats, certified gluten-free if necessary
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the filling
- 3 large (about 600 grams) Granny Smith apples
- 2 large (about 400 grams) ripe pears
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ heaping cup (80 grams) granulated sugar, either cane, white or turbinado
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plain flour in the UK (use gluten-free flour or cornstarch for GF)
- 1 cup (100 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries (No need to defrost)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
INSTRUCTIONS
For the crumble topping
- Put all of the crumble topping ingredients, except the oats, into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and the nuts are in small chunky pieces. If you don't have a food processor, mix the flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl, then rub the butter in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter. Chop the nuts into small chunky pieces, and stir them into the flour mixture.
- Stir the oats into the crumble topping. For the best texture, pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. No need to cover it for a short chill. If you'd like to make it ahead, transfer it to a sealed container or freezer bag, where it will keep for up to 3 months.Short on time? Skip the freezer. The crumble will still be delicious, but chilling it first gives a lighter, crisper topping.
For the filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Make sure a shelf is placed in the middle of the oven.
- Peel the apples, cut them in half, then into quarters. Remove the core, then cut each quarter into thickish wedges.
- Peel the pears, cut them in half, scoop out the small core with a spoon, then cut the stalk and the little end piece off, before cutting into wedges.
- Place the apples and pears in a 9 x 13-inch oven-proof casserole dish (I used a 9 x 9-inch one, and it was a very tight squeeze). Pour in the vanilla, then sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon and flour. Toss to coat.
- Flatten the apples and pears as best you can, then sprinkle over the cranberries and pour over the water.
- Take the topping out of the freezer and spoon it evenly over the fruit. For the best texture, don't flatten it or compact it. Leave it rustic-looking!
- Place the casserole on a baking tray, then transfer to the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden and bubbly around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tessa Shellby says
Your crumble, two words... "simply divine".
Having recently turned vegan, from years of vegetarianism, I have been following your recipes and I can honestly say that without doing so I think I would have given up weeks ago. A very big thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Oh Tessa that's great! I'm really pleased you're enjoying the crumble (and other recipes). Comments like this always make my day, so thank you too!
There's an awesome rhubarb crumble in my cookbook if you have it ;O)
Tania says
Well this recipe had Christmas written all over it and it's so good. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Sarah says
So delicious and such a unique combination with the tart cranberries and Granny Smiths! We loved it.
Marina says
We loved this dessert! We weren't familiar with crumbles (only crisps) and I don't think there will be any going back now!
Randi says
This was delish and I love the step-by-step pictures. They made it so much easier.
Mrs_Susan says
Thanks for posting this recipe. I'm going to try making it this weekend! p.s. I think it's hilarious that your suggestions for serving it includes dairy... lol. Best wishes.
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't feel the need to put the word 'vegan' before everything as it should be obvious that as this is a vegan website I won't be referring to, or encouraging the consumption of anything that isn't vegan. I hope you enjoy the crumble!