Parmesan Crusted Crostini with Pear, Walnuts & Hot Honey

A new appetizer for you! Just in time for your Thanksgiving festivities. We’ve been having so much fun coming up with delicious crostini combinations over the past couple of years and knew we wanted to try out a new fun one.

Rebecca has been dreaming about a parmesan crusted crostini (yes please) and put together this magical combo with pear, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of hot honey. OMG they’re crunchy, salty, savory, sweet, basically everything you could want in an appetizer.

There are a few easy ways to customize this parmesan pear crostini recipe, plus plenty of tricks and tricks below. Serve them up for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, your birthday, or as a fun snack!

Everything you’ll need to make this parmesan crusted pear crostini

You’re just 5 (okay, 6 including salt) ingredients away from this wonderful, easy appetizer! It’s the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and crunchy. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bread: you’ll start by slicing up a French baguette into even, 1/2-inch slices.
• Cheese: we’re using grated parmigiano reggiano for a delicious salty flavor baked right onto the crostini.
• Pears: sliced pears add a delicious sweetness and juiciness to each bite.
• Walnuts: a sprinkle of walnuts gives the crostini extra crunch.
• For topping: I love drizzling the crostini with hot honey and then sprinkling on some flaky sea salt!

Customize your crostini

Although the ingredients are super simple as is, there are a couple of swaps you can make to fit your taste preference!

• Pick your fruit. Feel free to use sliced apples instead.
• Choose the nuts. I think toasted pecans or almonds would be delicious, too. Of course, you can omit the nuts for any nut allergies!
• Go gluten free. You can absolutely use your favorite gluten free baguette or loaf for this recipe.

Can I use a different cheese?

We’ve only tested this crostini recipe using parmesan cheese, but we suspect that softer cheeses like cheddar, etc. won’t crisp up as well. Cheeses similar to cheddar are likely to produce more oil when baked, which would leak a bunch onto your sheet pan and not get super crispy like we want.

Looking for extra savory flavor?

If you’re not feeding vegetarians, you could also add a small slice of prosciutto to each crostini before topping with the pear slices!

Make your own hot honey

Hot honey is exactly what it sounds like: spicy honey! You can buy it at the store OR you can easily make it at home using honey and a little of your favorite hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper. You’ll microwave it and drizzle it on these crostini. Check out our video tutorial here!

Don’t forget to toast the walnuts

Yes, you could add regular chopped walnuts, but toasting them makes them extra delicious. There are two easy ways to do it:

1. Stovetop method: Add your chopped walnuts to a pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2-5 minutes until almonds are slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding them on top of the crostini.
2. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place chopped walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant and golden brown, stirring once halfway through baking. Watch carefully so that the nuts do not burn!

How to make these parmesan crusted pear crostini

1. Prep your pan. Start by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the cheese. Grate the block of parmesan directly onto the parchment paper in an even layer.
3. Bake the crostini. Add your baguette slices directly on top of the cheese and bake them up until the cheese is nice and golden.
4. Assemble & devour. Carefully flip your crostini over and top each with 1-2 slices of pear, toasted walnuts, a drizzle of hot honey, and a sprinkle of flakey sea salt.

Tips for creating the parmesan crust

• Be sure your cheese is sprinkled evenly onto the parchment paper so that each crostini gets an equal amount.
• Leave a little space between the baguette slices on your baking sheet so that the cheese and bread bake evenly.
• Feel free to use the parmesan crusted crostini as the perfect vessel for dips or any other toppings your heart desire! Get all of my dip recipes here for inspo.

Storing & reheating

As with all crostini recipes, they’re meant to be eaten the day of so that they stay nice and fresh. You can store the crostini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days after baking them with the parmesan (and BEFORE topping them), however, they likely won’t be as crisp reheated.

More appetizers you’ll love

Get all of my delicious appetizers here!

I hope you love this parmesan pear crostini recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!