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Today’s Pear Muffins with cinnamon crumble topping are a favorite at my house. They’re soft on the inside, with a fluffy, airy texture. And then topped with a crisp crumble. So Good.

Pear Crumble Muffins
There are two recipes that are sure to win over my children for breakfast are pancakes and muffins. But when it comes to muffins, “the ones with crumbly topping on top are the best!” as my daughter likes to say.
My grandmother used to use canned pears in her pear crumble muffin recipe and I’ve continued that tradition with these quick and delicious muffins.
As a child living in Spain, I spent most afternoons and weekends at my grandmother’s house. Over the years, I learned to appreciate the love and kindness that went into every meal she cooked. But baking, though, those were special treats reserved for the weekend.
As an inquisitive child, I would ask a lot of questions that I’m sure my grandmother found to be repetitive and possibly annoying. You know, the type of questions that would start with “why” and end with “but why?”
To her credit, she never grew tired of explaining why things had to be done in a certain way in the kitchen. It’s because of her answers that I am now able to create easy shortcuts in many recipes or know why it’s good to use canned fruit in many of her baked goods recipes.
She’d say that canned fruit has a consistent texture that always cooks evenly. And, even with small baked goods like muffins, the result would be fruit with a softer texture that is pleasant with every bite. This isn’t always the case with fresh fruit, as it often takes longer than the baking time for it to soften up. Plus, the canned pears in this recipe are high in moisture, so they help the muffins have a softer and fluffier texture.

Pear Muffin Ingredients
Aside from the can of pears, all you need to make these muffins a reality is the usual baking ingredients. You’ll find the ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card below, but first, let’s check them out:
For the muffins
- All-purpose flour: if you want to use whole-wheat baking flour or gluten-free flour, check the notes in the recipe card below.
- Baking powder: makes the batter rise, and the muffins turn out fluffy.
- Cinnamon: adds cozy fall vibes to any bakery good.
- Salt: enhance the flavors.
- Butter: you can swap it for coconut oil.
- Sugar: this recipe uses brown sugar and granulated sugar for the right texture.
- Milk: any regular or dairy-free milk will work.
- Eggs: help bind the batter.
- Vanilla extract: makes everything tastier and oh! The aroma!
- Pears: canned pear halves in pear juice or fresh pears.
For the crumble:
- All-purpose flour: use 1:1 gluten-free flour to make these muffins gluten-free.
- Brown sugar: adds moisture and a rich flavor.
- Granulated sugar: you get a perfect crumble texture when it’s combined with brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: more of this incredible flavor!
- Butter: adds taste and binds the ingredients.
How to Make Pear Muffins
Soft and fluffy muffins with tender pears don’t bake themselves, so let’s get to it!
- Prepare
Preheat oven to 375F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or generously grease and flour each cavity. - Make the crumble topping
In a medium bowl, combine ⅓ cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, stir with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes a crumbly topping. - Mix the dry ingredients for the muffins
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Set aside. - Prepare the batter
In a separate large bowl or the bowl of your food processor, combine ½ cup melted butter (or coconut oil), ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup milk, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. - Combine
Gradually add in flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, careful not to over mix. Gently fold in chopped pears. - Pour into Muffin Cups
Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full. Top with the crumble topping (you might have a little extra) and bake for 22-25 minutes until the crumble tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. - Remove and Cool
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool prior to serving. Grab your beverage of choice with a muffin and bite in!

Cinnamon Crumble
Crispy, crumbly muffins tops are the best part and this cinnamon crumble is a perfect all-purpose topping for any muffin recipe! You can add it to blueberry muffins, banana muffins, or a coffee cake.
In a medium bowl, combine ⅓ cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, stir with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes a crumbly topping.

From here, you can top it over any muffin or coffee cake of choice! Speaking of- if crumble toppings and coffee cake is your type of thing, let me introduce you to these Coffee Crumble Cake Muffins. Two desserts in one glorious, delicious muffin!
As I share many of her recipes in this blog and my cookbooks; one of the questions that I’m often asked is if she left me a recipe book of sorts. Sadly, no. My aunt Amparo is a chef, and thankfully she has written down many of my grandmother’s recipes as cooked them along with her over the years.
And this recipe is one of them. Check out how easy these muffins are to make:
What I love about this particular recipe is that the crumbly topping gives it a fanciness of sorts, but in truth, it’s simple to make. And, to make them ultra convenient, the batter can be made the night before, the pan can be lined and filled, and baked in the morning.
Because really, who has time to measure flour early in the morning barely caffeinated? Not this girl. My husband jokes that I don’t get breakfast started until the first cup of coffee kicks in, so there is always that!
The crumbly topping of this muffin not only looks fantastic but will leave you wanting more.
Can You Freeze Pear Muffins
Yes! You can freeze the muffin batter or muffins already baked. This second choice is my favorite. Allow the pear muffins to cool down at room temperature. Then, transfer the muffin pan to the freeze for an hour. Once solid, remove from the pan, transfer to a freezer-safe zip bag, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Learn how to freeze muffins like a pro in this post.

After these pear muffins, be sure to try my Coffee Cake Muffins with crumbly cinnamon topping, these amazing Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins and my delicious Pear Baked Oatmeal.
Pear Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
For the crumble:
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour*
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 15 ounce can of pear halves in pear juice, drained, (about 1 ½ cups chopped) or 2 fresh pears, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or generously grease and flour each cavity.
- Prepare the crumble toppings by combining with a fork the dry crumble ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, pour the melted butter into the mixture and with the fork or by using your hands, combine the mixture into a crumbly topping. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, for the muffin dough, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your food processor, combine melted butter (or coconut oil), brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Gradually add in flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, careful to not over mix. Gently fold in chopped pears.
- Divide batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full. Top with crumble topping (you might have a little extra) and bake, for 22-25 minutes until the crumble tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool prior to serving.
Cindy says
Can I use homemade canned pear sauce? If so, how much?
Laura Fuentes says
Pear sauce are not pear pieces and therefore not a substitute for the pears in this recipe.
Shanda says
I had my doubts, because the pears I had on hand were not that good so I had no idea how this would turn out and I didn’t want to throw them away, but now I understand that 5 star rating I grated the pears instead of chopping them, and strained the liquid before folding in. I’m not sure if it was the grated pears or coconut oil, or both, but this was an instant hit! Out of 15 muffins, 6 were gone less than an hour out of the oven (I’d made them for breakfasts this week ). Love this recipe, and it will be going in my Sunday roster of muffins for the week!
Dayna says
Perfect muffin recipe!
Stephanie says
Can you use old, overripe pears? How many, if yes?
Donna says
Could you add dried cranberries or toasted walnuts ?
Laura Fuentes says
Absolutely! I recommend up to 1/2 cup. enjoy!
Donna Montgomery says
Would these muffins be good with dried cranberries or walnuts or both ?
Laura Fuentes says
Yes, you can add up to 1/2 cup total (of each or a mix of both) to the batter. Enjoy!
Barbara says
Absolutely delicious! I made these today with fresh ripe pears. Will make again for sure!
Debbie M. says
Excellent muffin recipe! I made it with fresh finely chopped pears (tossed in a tad of lemon juice to prevent browning while we were mixing the batter) and added 2 teaspoons of maple syrup. Probably the best muffins I have ever eaten! Moist and bursting with flavor!
Harriet says
Yum! These were so delicious and made the perfect weekend breakfast treat. Thanks so much for the recipe
Kristine says
These muffins have the best crumb. Loved them! Thanks!
Gianne says
The combination of juicy pears and the sweet, crunchy cinnamon topping created a perfect balance of flavors. These muffins are now a favorite in our household, and I can’t wait to make them again!
Irena says
Delicious! I used fresh pears for my version as I am not a fan of canned fruit (gets too mushy for me) so it was nice to bite into little chunks of pear in the muffins. The crumble gave it a lovely texture and extra sweet flavor. Thanks for the recipe:)
chara says
Love this recipe, thanks for this!
Ashley says
These pear muffins were so moist and delish! The cinnamon crumble was perfection!
Loyalcarebear says
My husband’s favourite muffin by far. Recipe worked well with fresh pairs and is very forgiving. Trying to do half a cup of butter in Europe is not particularly accurate but it still tasted delicious! Thank you!
Noor says
Just made these and my husband had 4 already! We all loved them!!! So incredibly delicious!!!! I followed the recipe, with no changes and used fresh pears!! Yum!! This one is going in my recipe binder that I will pass on to my kids!
Susan Knap says
Probably some of the best muffins ever made. I did use fresh, ripe asian pears (peeled, cored, and diced) that i cooked with a small amount of sugar and vanilla. Once soft, allowed to cool, and folded into the recipe (approx 2 cups). Freezing the rest of the pears so im ready to make this again! Delicious!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing you enjoyed this recipe!
Robin says
I used fresh ripe pears and a half and half mixture of butter and coconut oil. These were light, delicate and delicious, and the morsels of pear just melted away with each bite. Wonderful recipe.
Laura Fuentes says
This sounds delicious!
Jessica says
Should I freeze them already baked or freeze the batter in muffin liners? If so do I let thaw before baking?
Laura Fuentes says
You can absolutely freeze these before baking but after baking will be much more appreciated! Bring them over frozen and all she’ll have to do is thaw it out on the counter or lightly microwave for an oven-fresh feel!
Elle says
so moist and soft!
Ginny Garner Mastandrea says
So delicious!! They were so delicious and just the right amount of cinnamon!! I shared with my neighbors because we’re all kind of stuck at home because of icy weather. Thank you so much!
Laura Fuentes says
I am so glad you enjoyed these pear muffins, Ginny! Your neighbors must have been so excited to get muffins delivered on a cold day!
Anna says
These were delicious.
Dawn says
These pear muffins with cinnamon crumble fantastic! I will definitely make these again.
Rachael says
My family loved these!
Erin Stewart says
Wow these are so delicious and so easy to make!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for making these, Rama! I am glad you enjoyed them.
Nicole Locastro says
Can I use fresh pears? If so, should i cook them a bit, to compensate for the canned pears.
Laura Fuentes says
you can absolutely use fresh pears. No need to cook them, simply dice them. They will cook while baking. Enjoy!
Monica Davis says
Lovely recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Mrs Lyn Chivers says
How long will these keep after baking please
Laura Fuentes says
These muffins will last up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Once refrigerated they’ll last up to 1 week.
Jessica says
Just made these and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Laura Fuentes says
I am so glad you enjoyed the Jessica!!
Laura Fuentes says
I am so glad you enjoyed them Jessica!!
Tricia says
I used to freeze baked muffins, but find we prefer to freeze the batter in muffin liners and then bake “as needed.” How do you think these would freeze before baking?
Laura Fuentes says
They absolutely will freeze prior to baking very well!
Tricia says
Thanks so much!! We made some today for school snacks. Some for the freezer and some for eating. They were yummy!!
Melanie Hawk says
Love this recipe, thank you for sharing.
Laura Fuentes says
thank you so much for sharing you loved these muffins Melanie!
Daisy says
Hi. Can I use gluten free flour. To make a gluten free version.
Laura Fuentes says
Yes. I make these using a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour (my go-to are Bob’s and King Arthur’s)
Renee says
Sounds good for my kids, never cared for pears realy.
Kez says
I made these and my kiddos loved them!
Jessica says
We love muffins!
Colleen M says
Can’t wait to try this.
michelle childers says
I love pears and cinnamon!! The topping looks killer!
Denise says
I’ve never baked with canned fruit. This is one recipe that I will definitely like to try!
Kiley says
I can’t wait to give these a try.
Cristina says
Came out even and delicious!
Laura Fuentes says
Oh yes! Totally a great recipe and use for canned fruit!
Kellie L Folkerts says
Pears are my favorite so I’m sure I would eat these up
Sara Geiser says
Love these muffins! So unique.
Juliane says
Can’t wait to try these muffins, they look delicious!
Marie says
Canned fruit in a muffin? Who’d’ve thought? Looks delish!
DARLENE WARD says
Looks amazing 🙂
Sarah says
Great recipe
Ashley says
These are delicious! Just made them this morning for the kids.
Laura says
It’s really yummy!
Cheryl B says
I love this idea! I will have to try these pear muffins with cinnamon crumbles asap!!
Lori L says
Super excited to try this recipe!
Amanda Edwards says
So good!
Chris says
I love pears! I bet these are delish!
Crystal Dunn says
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Heather Benes says
Yum!
Caitlin says
I have never used canNed fruit before, and will have to. These look delicious thank you for sharing the recipe
Myra Blake says
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe as it looks amazing!
Stacy Fellows says
I have never used canned fruit for my baking. I will give it a try!
Amy Dreier says
My boys would love these!
Kristen McCrae says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! My kids love muffins!
Breanna says
This looks so delicious!
Juli says
I love pear! These muffins look so good!
Tricia says
These look good
Pam says
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Sonia says
Ooo these looks wonderful for summer time!
Valerie says
Yum!
Melissa says
I need to makes these pear muffins asap
Kay Lechner says
Tried this muffin recipe and loved it!
Laura Fuentes says
Congratulations! You are our winner for this giveaway! Please check your email from Stephanie@momables.com
Stacy Sutton says
Can’t beat any muffin with fruit! Looks devine.
Margaret says
Can’t wait to bake these!!!
Yasmine says
I love this idea!
Susan V says
Thanks for the great recipe – I love anything with crumble topping and cinnamon and I’ve never made pear muffins before!
Alice McKnight says
Yum!
Eileen says
Thanks, these look delicious!
Laura Fuentes says
Thanks Eileen!
Eileen says
Thanks!
Sarah says
We are going to try these this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Krysta Bauer says
We enjoyed these muffins!!
Lisa franklin says
I would love to try these!
Trish Clark says
Will definitely be trying your recipe…thanks!
Christina says
We love pears! These pear muffins would be a big hit.
Carrie Haines says
Yum!
Penny says
I will have to try these muffins.
Tara Kidd says
Yum!
Laura says
I have been wanting to try pears, I will have to give this recipe a try.
Melanie says
I found a yummy new recipe!
Railey C says
Love this!!
ELIZABETH says
Pears are always a win in this household! I will have to try these.
Leah says
These look so good, I love the crumble tops
Kathy C says
Love this!
AMBER WATSON says
They are always easy and yummy!
Erica W. says
Looks yummy.
Erica W. says
I will be trying these ASAP! Thanks Laura.
Latanya says
YUM!
Melissa says
I love how easy and delish these look!
Janna says
I am really looking forward to trying these out and adding them to our rotation. Thank you for the great inspiration!!
Suzie says
These pear muffins with cinnamon look so good, especially the crumble topping.
Kristy says
I love pears!! I bet these are amazing.
J S says
Yum!
D Denman says
Can’t wait to make these!
Sharon E says
These look amazing! I will have to try these out on my kiddos soon.
Amy says
I can’t wait to try out these muffins!!
Jess says
Yum!
Carole Foshee says
Looks so good.
Val says
Pear lush!
Erica says
I will definitely have to give these a try.
Erica says
I love this idea!! So unique and looks delish.
Doris says
Love the recipe will try it soon
Kristina says
My kids would love these pear muffins! Yum!
Kalina Brown says
Cherry cheese danish
Olivia says
Love this recipe!!
Teena says
I love muffins!
Tiffany says
These look delicious!
Amanda says
Yummy!
Caroline says
We love the crumble in these pear muffins.
Louisa says
These look delicious! I love the crumble topping.