Baked pears are sweet, soft, warm, and extremely easy to make. All you need is 4 ingredients and 30 minutes in the oven.
They are one of the most simple, yet incredibly cozy and delicious desserts you will ever make. And I am sure, everyone at your table will rave about them.
Check out our best plant-based desserts recipes collection!
What to expect
Baked pears are an elegant dessert that takes no time to make. While are healthier than most desserts, they are also packed with a ton of flavor.
The combination of pecans, cinnamon, and maple syrup, with the soft, warm, melty flesh of the pears is going to leave you speechless.
You won't be able to stop eating them, so make more than you think you need.
And if you want to go the extra mile, get yourself some plant-based ice cream to go with them. Vanilla or chocolate would be perfect.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pears: I like to use medium-sized to large pears. Not too soft, not too hard. I prefer to use Bartlett, Anjou, and Bosc, but to be honest with you, the variety is not that important.
I tried several others and they were all delicious. Canned apples are not suitable for this recipe.
You could use apples instead, but apples need to cook for at least 1 hour. Also, they are not as delicious as pears in this recipe. - Cinnamon: it's a perfect match with pears. Add as much as you like based on your preference. If you make this recipe closer to the winter holidays, you can add other spices such as clove, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Pecan: this is the best nut to go with pears. Their flavour matches perfectly to that of the soft, warm and sweet pears. If you don't have pecan, the next best alternative is walnuts.
- Maple syrup: another perfect match to pears, 100% pure maple syrup can be hard to come by, and a little expensive. If you can afford it, go for it! If not, you can replace it with agave syrup or other syrups.
How to make baked pears
First off, make sure your pears are not too hard, and not too soft. To check their ripeness, apply some pressure to the neck of the pears with your thumb. If the flesh gives in to your pressure, the pears are ripe.
Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C. Wash and cut the pears in half on the long side. Try to preserve the steam as it looks really pretty on the baked pears.
With a teaspoon scoop out the seeds.
Place the pears on the baking dish, with the cut side facing upward. Optionally, you can cut off a sliver on the other end so they sit upright.
Fill each pear with a few pieces of pecan. Then drizzle with some maple syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Quantities really depend on your taste and dietary needs.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F or 180C, then take out let cool down for 5 to 10 minutes, and serve.
Some pears might take a few minutes longer. To check if they are done, pierce one of them with a knife. If the knife slides in easily, the pears are ready. If not, bake a few minutes longer.
How to serve baked pears?
You can serve baked pears with cinnamon straight after baking them (just let them cool down for 5 minutes) or at room temperature.
You can serve baked pears as they are. Initially, I thought that each person gets half a pear, but to be honest with you, they are really so light and delicious, that you'll most probably need to consider 1 pear per person.
You can also serve baked pears with a scoop of ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate are best for pears.
For a lighter variation, you can serve them with greek-style plant-based yoghurt. My favorite is to serve them with unsweetened soy yogurt, but other yogurts work well too.
You can top them with granola if you want to add some extra crunch. Or add some more nuts or sesame seeds.
As a final serving suggestion, for a decadent, lazy, but still healthy-ish Sunday morning breakfast, try those baked pears with our oatmeal pancakes. It'll be the best breakfast you'll ever have.
Of course, in all those scenarios, you can always drizzle some more maple syrup on top.
Tips
Add maple syrup before the cinnamon. For some reason, if you add cinnamon first, the maple syrup won't stick to the pears and will end up on the bottom of your baking dish.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can make baked pears a few hours ahead and serve them at room temperature.
Yes, you can. Follow the exact same recipe, but cook the apples for 1 hour instead.
No, you don't have to peel pears before baking. The peel is nutritious, and it will get soft with cooking.
Storage
Store baked pears in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are not suitable for freezing.
To reheat them, either put them in a preheated oven at 350F or 180C for 10 minutes or warm them up in the microwave.
You can also eat them cold, but not straight from the fridge. They are best at room temperature, so leave them out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes before eating them.
Dinner ideas
Did you know that we develop our recipes to go together for a complete dinner meal plan? Serve baked pears as a dessert after:
Farinata | Socca | A chickpea oven-baked omelet
For many more dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.
Recipe
Baked Pears
Ingredients
- 3-4 pears
- ½ cup pecan or walnuts
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Cut pears in half on the long side. With a teaspoon remove seeds a place on a baking dish.
- Fill pears with pieces of pecans. Drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake at 350F or 180C for 30 minutes. Check for doneness with the tip of a knife.
- Serve with plant-based yoghurt, ice cream, or granola on top. You can even serve them with pancakes.
Video Recipe
Nutritional Values
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