Recipe

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This recipe for pear muffins is the one I make on repeat. They're fluffy and soft and so good!

At my house, these pear muffins disappear fast. They're perfectly soft on the inside, with a fluffy texture and that irresistible cinnamon-sugar crumble on top that makes every bite feel bakery-worthy.

a single pear muffin with a cinnamon crumble topping on top of a blue plate

Pear Crumble Muffins

Growing up in Spain, I spent most afternoons at my grandmother's house. I learned to cook from scratch, as well as when to use shortcuts, from her. Using canned fruit in baked goods was one of her secrets. I explain why below.

She used canned pears in this pear crumble muffin recipe, and my daughter says that "the crumbly topping makes them the best!"

Pear Muffin Ingredients

To make these crumble muffins, you need canned or fresh pears and the usual baking ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder (for tall and fluffy muffins), butter (or coconut oil), sugar (a mix of brown and granulated sugar yields the right texture), cinnamon, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

overhead view of a bowl with muffin ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder) and chopped canned pears. there is a can of pears on the top, a stick of room temperature butter, milk, and eggs

Fresh or Canned Pears?

My grandmother always said canned fruit cooks more evenly, and she was right. Canned pears create a soft, consistent texture that bakes beautifully. Fresh pears can take longer to soften, while the moisture in canned pears helps make these muffins extra soft and fluffy.

How to Make Pear Muffins

There’s a short video showing you how to make these in the detailed recipe card but here are the highlights of what you’ll be doing:

Preheat the oven, line the muffin tray, and make the crumble topping.
Measure and mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, combine the wet ingredients in another large bowl. The butter is melted and cooled before it’s mixed with the other ingredients. This recipe is so easy that there’s no mixer needed.
Make the batter by combining the ingredients, then gently fold the chopped pears into the batter.
Fill the muffin tin and bake the muffins in a preheated oven. Let them cool to room temperature before serving.

image collage with 2 images. top image shows muffin tins filled with batter. bottom image shows the muffin batter topped with the cinnamon crumble.

Laura’s tip: to make these pear muffins ultra-convenient, the batter can be made the night before, the pan can be lined and filled, and baked in the morning.

Cinnamon Crumble

Mix cinnamon, flour, sugar, and butter, and you’ve got the perfect muffing topping. It’s the highlight of my coffee cake muffins recipe, and I often sprinkle it over my blueberry muffins and banana muffins.

Storing and Freezing

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for 1 day at room temperature, 4 days in the fridge, and up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave and you’re good to go!

Pear Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

Servings: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

This recipe for pear muffins is the one I make on repeat. They're fluffy and soft and so good!

5 from 137 votes

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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

Prep the oven:

Preheat oven to 375F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or generously grease and flour each cavity.

Make the crumble topping:

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.

Make the batter:

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.

Bake:

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.

Storage:

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for 1 day at room temperature, 4 days in the fridge, and up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat them for 30 seconds in the microwave and you're good to go!