This deconstructed vegan tropical crumble recipe makes a perfect summer dessert as it’s a lot lighter than the classic version. The base is bursting with flavour from the pineapple, pear and raspberries which go so well together, whilst the crumble topping is super healthy yet indulgent as it is made with almond flour, coconut and minimal vegan butter/flour.
This vegan tropical crumble recipe was inspired by Waitrose’s Vanilla Pears with blackberries and almond crumb which I tried out a couple weeks back. It went down a treat with my family so I thought I’d experiment with more tropical flavours since summer is almost in full swing (time during lockdown goes so fast!). My family and I LOVED this tropical version as we were big fans of the natural sweetness from the pineapple whilst the raspberries offered a nice complimentary tartness. I kept the crumble relatively similar to the Waitrose recipe but I also added a little desiccated coconut to make it a real tropical treat.
This recipe is really easy and simple to follow which makes it perfect for a dinner party as you can prepare the base earlier on in the day then finish it off with the crumb just before serving.
Variations
Some other flavour combinations you could consider:
- Pear, peach, pistachio (replace desiccated coconut with crushed pistachios, and apple juice instead of tropical juice)
- Pear, apricot, pomegranate, pistachio (crumb as above)
- Pear, mango, passionfruit (keep crumb the same as this recipe)
If you enjoy this pear and pineapple vegan tropical crumble you can try out some of my other summery dessert recipes: Vegan Pina Colada Cake
Serving Suggestions
I feel like there is a real foodie divide between serving crumble with ice cream or custard but I have to say, I am definately team ice cream. I really love this tropical crumble with Swedish Glace vanilla ice cream (my favourite vegan ice cream as it tastes like the real deal!). If you are more of a custard lover, then you can make your own vegan version using Bird’s custard powder and your choice of plant milk (follow the instructions on Birds’ packet).
Vegan Tropical Crumble
This vegan tropical crumble recipe is super indulgent yet health- it's bursting with flavour from the pear, pineapple and raspberries, topped with a light coconut and almond crumb
Ingredients
For the Base
- 4 pears peeled, halved and cored
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 250 ml mango and apple juice, or pineapple juice
- 6 rings tinned pineapple, sliced in half
- 90g fresh raspberries
For the crumb
- 20 g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 10 g desiccated coconut
- 10 g vegan butter
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
To serve
- vegan ice cream
- mango puree (optional)
Instructions
For the Tropical Crumble
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Put the pears in a large ovenproof dish so they sit in a single layer.
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Measure out the juice in a jug and add in the vanilla essence and stir. Pour over the juice mix on top of the pears
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Cover with foil and securely tighten it (or else the juice will evaporate). Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pears are tender.
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Meanwhile, put the almonds, coconut, plain flour, ground ginger and sugar in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter to form small clumps.
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15 minutes before serving, scatter the raspberries and pineapple between the pears, then sprinkle the pears with the almond crumb mixture (where you have deseeded them during the prep). Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
To serve
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Serve warm with ice cream or custard. Drizzle over some mango puree (if desired)
Andri mou this was an amazing variation so refreshing and super easy and quick to make! Especially when you have a dinner party and time is of essence x