✔ Updated · 45 pear desserts: crisps, pies, cakes, poached pears, puddings
Pears are made for dessert: they bake up soft, honey-sweet and fragrant, and they love butter, cinnamon and caramel. Here are 45 of my favorite ways to use them, from a 10-minute caramelized pear to a showstopping tarte Tatin.
The best pear desserts are pear crisp, apple and pear crumble, pear upside-down cake, poached pears, baked pears with maple syrup, pear tarte Tatin, pear galette and pear clafoutis. Use firm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears for baking, because they hold their shape, and save very ripe Bartlett pears for cakes, breads and sauces.
- Easiest: caramelized pears, maple baked pears and pear crisp.
- For guests: tarte Tatin, French almond pear tart, poached pears.
- Make ahead: pear bread, crumble bars and pear trifle.
Pear Crisps, Crumbles and Cobblers
The easiest place to start. I leave the skins on for crisps; they soften in the oven and nobody notices. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
1. Easy Pear Crisp
Juicy spiced pears under a buttery oat and brown sugar topping. The easiest pear dessert there is.
How: Toss 6 sliced pears with sugar, cinnamon and 1 tbsp flour, top with oats, flour, brown sugar and butter, bake at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
2. Apple and Pear Crumble
Half apples, half pears, so the filling is both tangy and honey-sweet under a crunchy crumble.
How: Use equal parts sliced apples and pears with lemon and cinnamon, add a flour, butter and sugar crumble, bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
3. Pear Cobbler
Soft pears under golden, fluffy biscuit-style topping. The messier it looks, the better it tastes.
How: Bake spiced pears at 375°F for 10 minutes, drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top and bake 25 to 30 minutes more.
4. Pear Brown Betty
An old-fashioned layered dessert of pears and buttery, cinnamon-sugared breadcrumbs.
How: Layer sliced pears with buttered breadcrumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon, cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then 15 uncovered.
5. Cranberry Pear Crisp
Tart cranberries and sweet pears turn jammy and ruby red. A holiday table favorite.
How: Add 1 1/2 cups cranberries and a little extra sugar to a pear crisp filling and bake as usual.
6. Pear Crumble Bars
A shortbread base, a soft pear layer and a crumbly topping, cut into neat squares for lunch boxes.
How: Press half a butter, flour and sugar dough into a pan, add diced spiced pears, crumble the rest on top and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.
7. Pear Ginger Crumble
Pears with chopped crystallized ginger and a gingersnap crumble for a warm, spicy kick.
How: Stir 2 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger into the pears and add crushed gingersnaps to the crumble topping.
Pear Pies, Tarts and Pastries
Pears release more juice than apples, so add a spoon of cornstarch or flour to pie fillings and bake until the juices bubble thickly at the edges.
8. Pear Custard Pie
Sliced pears baked in a creamy vanilla custard in a flaky crust. Rich, soft and very comforting.
How: Arrange pears in a par-baked crust, pour over eggs whisked with cream, sugar and vanilla, and bake at 350°F until just set.
9. French Pear Almond Tart
Poached or ripe pear halves fanned over almond frangipane in a buttery tart shell. Looks bakery-fancy.
How: Spread almond cream in a tart shell, press in fanned pear halves and bake at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes until golden.
10. Pear Tarte Tatin
Pears caramelized in butter and sugar, topped with pastry, baked and flipped out glossy side up.
How: Cook pear halves in caramel in an ovenproof skillet, cover with puff pastry, bake at 400°F for 25 minutes and invert carefully.
11. Rustic Pear Galette
A free-form pastry folded around cinnamon pears. No pie dish, no fuss, no stress.
How: Pile spiced pear slices in the middle of rolled pie dough, fold the edges over, brush with egg and bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
12. Puff Pastry Pear Tart
Store-bought puff pastry topped with thin pears, butter and sugar, ready in under 40 minutes.
How: Score a border on a puff pastry sheet, layer thin pear slices inside, dot with butter and sugar, bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
13. Pear Turnovers
Flaky puff pastry pockets filled with spiced pears. Best hot from the oven with vanilla ice cream.
How: Fill puff pastry squares with cooked spiced pear, fold into triangles, brush with butter and bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes.
14. Pear Strudel
Thin, crisp layers of phyllo wrapped around pears, raisins and cinnamon.
How: Layer buttered phyllo, add pears, raisins, sugar and cinnamon, roll up and bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
15. Classic Pear Pie
A double-crust pie with a lightly spiced, lemony pear filling. A lovely change from apple.
How: Toss sliced firm pears with sugar, lemon, cinnamon and 3 tbsp cornstarch, bake in a double crust at 400°F for 50 to 60 minutes.
16. Chocolate Pear Tart
Pears set in a silky dark chocolate custard in a crisp tart shell. Elegant and very easy.
How: Arrange pear slices in a baked tart shell, pour over chocolate melted into cream and egg, and bake at 325°F until just set.
Pear Cakes
Pears keep cakes wonderfully moist. Use firm pears on top of a cake and riper, softer pears grated or diced into the batter.
17. Pear Upside-Down Cake
Caramelized pear slices on top of a soft, buttery cake. Every slice is a little bit sticky.
How: Arrange pears in butter and brown sugar in the pan, pour over a vanilla cake batter, bake at 350°F for 40 minutes and invert.
18. Italian Pear Cake
A rustic torta di pere packed with pears and only lightly sweet, perfect with an afternoon coffee.
How: Fold lots of diced pears into a simple olive oil or butter cake batter and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.
19. Spiced Almond Pear Cake
Ground almonds, warm spices and juicy pears for a moist, fragrant cake.
How: Use half almond flour in a spiced cake batter, top with sliced pears and flaked almonds, and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
20. Pear Coffee Cake
A tender sour cream cake with pears and a thick cinnamon streusel. No coffee in it, just great with one.
How: Layer sour cream cake batter, diced pears and cinnamon streusel, then bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes.
21. Chocolate Pear Cake
Dark chocolate cake with pear halves baked right in. Pear and chocolate is an old French pairing for a reason.
How: Press peeled pear halves into a chocolate cake batter and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
22. Pear Gingerbread
Dark, sticky gingerbread with pears baked on top. Smells like the holidays.
How: Arrange pear slices over a molasses gingerbread batter and bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
23. Pear Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
A moist spiced bundt full of grated and diced pear, finished with a drizzle of caramel.
How: Fold grated pear into a spiced bundt batter, bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes, cool and drizzle with caramel.
24. Cinnamon Sugar Pear Cake
A soft pear cake with a crackly cinnamon sugar crust on top.
How: Sprinkle a thick layer of cinnamon sugar over a pear cake batter before baking at 350°F for 40 minutes.
25. Pear Olive Oil Yogurt Cake
A light, moist one-bowl cake made with yogurt and olive oil and studded with pears.
How: Whisk yogurt, olive oil, eggs and sugar, fold in flour and diced pear and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
26. Apple Pear Cupcakes
Little spiced cupcakes full of grated apple and pear, topped with cream cheese frosting.
How: Fold grated apple and pear into a spice cupcake batter, bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes and frost once cool.
Poached, Baked and Roasted Pears
Simple, elegant and mostly hands-off. The poaching liquid becomes the sauce, so reduce it until it's syrupy and spoon it over everything.
27. Red Wine Poached Pears
Whole pears simmered in spiced red wine until deep ruby red, with the syrup reduced into a glaze.
How: Simmer peeled pears in red wine, sugar, cinnamon and orange peel for 20 to 30 minutes. Contains alcohol; for kids, use grape juice.
28. Chai Spiced Poached Pears
An alcohol-free poached pear in sweet chai tea with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
How: Simmer peeled pears in strong chai tea with sugar and a cinnamon stick for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.
29. Maple Vanilla Baked Pears
Halved pears baked with maple syrup and vanilla until soft, golden and syrupy. Only 4 ingredients.
How: Core halved pears, drizzle with maple syrup, vanilla and a little butter, and bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
30. Caramelized Pears
Pear wedges cooked in butter and sugar until golden. Spoon them over ice cream, pancakes or yogurt.
How: Cook pear wedges in butter and brown sugar over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning until golden.
31. Streusel Roasted Pears
Halved pears filled with oat and pecan streusel and roasted until bubbling.
How: Fill cored pear halves with oats, pecans, brown sugar and butter, then roast at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
32. Caramel-Dipped Pears
Like a caramel apple but with pears: dipped in caramel and rolled in chopped nuts.
How: Insert sticks into chilled, dry pears, dip in warm caramel, roll in nuts and set on parchment in the fridge.
33. Pears Belle Helene
The French classic: poached pears with warm chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.
How: Serve cooled poached pears with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce poured over at the table.
34. Grilled Pears with Honey and Mascarpone
Charred pear halves with a spoon of mascarpone, honey and toasted walnuts. A 10-minute summer dessert.
How: Brush pear halves with butter and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side, then top with mascarpone, honey and walnuts.
Pear Puddings and Custards
Cozy, spoonable desserts. Clafoutis was my mum's go-to company dessert, and pears were her favorite fruit for it when cherries were out of season. More French ideas live in my French desserts list.
35. Pear Clafoutis
A custardy French baked pudding with pears, puffed and golden from the oven.
How: Pour a thin batter of eggs, milk, sugar and flour over sliced pears in a buttered dish and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
36. Caramel Pear Pudding
A self-saucing pudding: cake on top, a pool of caramel sauce and soft pears underneath.
How: Top pears and cake batter with brown sugar, pour over boiling water and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes; the sauce forms below.
37. Pear Bread Pudding
Cubes of brioche soaked in vanilla custard with soft pears, baked until puffed and golden.
How: Soak brioche cubes and diced pears in eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla for 20 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
38. Chocolate Pear Pudding
A warm chocolate sponge baked over pear halves. Gooey, rich and quick.
How: Arrange pear halves in a dish, cover with chocolate cake batter and bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
39. Pear and Ginger Trifle
Layers of sponge, gingery poached pears, custard and whipped cream. Make it the day before.
How: Layer sponge cake, poached pears with a little ginger syrup, custard and whipped cream, then chill at least 4 hours.
Pear Muffins, Breads and Cookies
Great for using up very ripe pears. Pat diced pears dry on a paper towel before folding them into cookies so the dough doesn't get soggy.
40. Easy Pear Muffins
Soft, lightly spiced muffins full of diced pear, with a crunchy sugar top.
How: Fold 1 1/2 cups diced pear into a cinnamon muffin batter, sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake at 375°F for 20 to 22 minutes.
41. Pear Bread
Like banana bread but with grated pears: moist, spiced and great toasted with butter.
How: Use 2 cups grated pear in place of mashed banana in a quick bread and bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes.
42. Caramel Pear Cookies
Chewy brown sugar cookies with little pieces of pear and a caramel drizzle.
How: Fold finely diced, well-dried pear into brown sugar cookie dough, bake at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes and drizzle with caramel.
43. Pear Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Buttery thumbprints filled with pear and ginger jam. A pretty holiday cookie tray idea.
How: Press a thumb dent into balls of butter cookie dough, fill with pear jam and bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes.
44. Pear Scones
Tender cream scones with diced pear and a hint of cardamom, finished with a vanilla glaze.
How: Fold diced pear into cream scone dough, cut into wedges and bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes.
Frozen Pear Dessert
For hot days, or anyone who wants something light after a big dinner.
45. Pear Sorbet
Smooth, refreshing sorbet made from ripe pears and a squeeze of lemon. Naturally dairy-free.
How: Poach ripe pears in simple syrup, blend with lemon juice, chill well and churn in an ice cream maker.
The Best Pears for Desserts
To check ripeness, press gently near the stem: if it gives a little, the pear is ripe. For baking, use pears that are just shy of ripe. Unripe pears ripen on the counter in 2 to 5 days; put them in a paper bag with a banana to speed things up.
| Pear | Texture when cooked | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bosc | Firm, holds its shape | Poaching, baking whole, tarts, pies |
| Anjou (green or red) | Firm to medium | Crisps, galettes, cakes, roasting |
| Bartlett | Soft and juicy, can turn mushy | Cakes, breads, sorbet, sauces |
| Comice | Very soft and buttery | Eating fresh, cheese boards, sorbet |
| Forelle and Seckel | Small and firm | Poaching whole, garnishes |
Tips for Baking with Pears
- Toss cut pears with lemon juice so they don't brown while you work.
- Peel for silky tarts and poached pears; leave the skin on for rustic crisps and muffins.
- Core halves with a melon baller or a small spoon. It's quick and keeps them looking neat.
- Pears love cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla, almond, caramel, maple and dark chocolate.
- Store baked pear desserts covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days; custard and cream desserts should be chilled within 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pear for baking desserts?
Bosc pears are the best for baking because they hold their shape and have a honeyed, slightly spicy flavor. Anjou pears are a close second. Use them firm-ripe for pies, tarts and poaching, and save softer Bartlett pears for cakes, breads and sorbet.
Do you peel pears before baking?
It depends on the dessert. Peel pears for poached pears, tarts, pies and tarte Tatin, where the skin can turn tough or chewy. For crisps, crumbles, muffins and rustic cakes, you can leave the skin on; it softens in the oven and adds a little color.
Can you use canned pears in desserts?
Yes. Drained canned pears work well in upside-down cake, cobbler, clafoutis, trifle and quick tarts. They are already soft and sweet, so cut back the sugar slightly and shorten the baking time. Pat them dry first so the dessert doesn't turn soggy.
How do you keep pears from going mushy when baking?
Use firm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, cut them into thicker slices or halves, and don't overbake. Very ripe Bartlett pears break down quickly, so save them for cakes and breads where a soft texture is welcome. A spoon of cornstarch in pie fillings keeps the juices in check.
What flavors go well with pears?
Pears pair beautifully with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla, as well as almonds, walnuts and pecans. Caramel, maple syrup, honey and dark chocolate are all great with pears, and so are cranberries, apples, blue cheese and mascarpone.
