Baked Pears get richly caramelized and meltingly tender in the oven, making them the most perfect low effort dessert. This is a recipe that feels a little fancy, but it’s easy enough to make on a whim!
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These baked pears are ready to delight you.
A ripe, juicy pear is one of life’s simplest pleasures—so why don’t we use them to make more desserts? This recipe for baked pears really lets the fruit shine (with a little help from a cinnamon-spiced caramel-like honey brown sugar sauce).
While I do love other pear recipes like Pear Crisp and classic poached pears, if you want to pare things down—pun fully intended—to the basics, baked pears are perfection. Other than the pears, this recipe calls for just a few kitchen staples you likely have on hand.
The pears bake up tender, buttery soft, and caramelized. Add a scoop of ice cream, let it melt juuuust a bit, and enjoy one of fall’s most under-appreciated fruits.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the blog post below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Bartlett or Anjou Pears. They should be ripe, but not overly so—you want them to hold their shape when baked rather than turning to mush. When you press near the stem, they’ll have a bit of give to them.
- Honey and Brown Sugar. A combination that sweetens and adds flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon and Ground Nutmeg. Two warm, cozy spices found in so many of our favorite fall desserts, like Baked Apple Slices. Other warm spices like cardamom or ginger can be included or swapped in if you’d like.
- Nuts. Pecans or walnuts are an optional topping that add a crunchy contrast to the tender pears. Need to make it nut-free but still want some crunch? Try pepitas instead.
How to Make Baked Pears
Prep the Pears. Slice them in half lengthwise. I like to leave the stem on because it looks nice. Scoop out the seeds and, if you’d like, you can shave a small amount of pear from the back so they all lay flat. Coat a baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange the pears inside.
Make the Sauce. Combine the honey, sugar, and butter in a bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the mixture is smooth when stirred. Add the vanilla, salt, and spices.
Assemble. Spoon the honey mixture over the tops of the pears, doing your best to cover them evenly and completely.
Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Flip over the pears, spoon the caramel onto them, and bake for 10 minutes more. Flip them again so the cut sides are facing up, spoon caramel over the tops, and add the nuts. Bake for 5 minutes more, then serve and ENJOY!
What to Serve with Baked Pears
- I love serving these baked pears with vanilla ice cream, but you can keep it healthier with plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.
- A bit of heavy cream is one of my favorite additions to Baked Peaches, and it would be lovely with this recipe too, or add a dollop of whipped cream.
- If you’re skipping the nuts, Homemade Granola will add a nice crunch too.
Baked Pears
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Ingredients
- 4 small just ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts optional
- Vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, or heavy cream for serving
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a 9×9-inch or similarly sized baking dish that will hold the halved pears snugly with nonstick spray.
- Cut the pears in half lengthwise (leave the stems on for presentation). With a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the seeds. If you like, to make the pears easier to lay flat on their backs, trim a little bit off of the back sides. Arrange in the baking dish, cut-sides up.
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, place the honey, brown sugar, and butter. Warm for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving in 30-second bursts until the butter is melted and the ingredients smoothly combine.
- Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. The mixture will be thick like caramel.
- Slowly spoon the mixture over the top of the cut sides of the pears, covering them completely.
- Bake the pears for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully flip the pears over. With a small spoon, spoon a little of the caramel over the top of the pears. Return to the oven and continue baking 10 minutes more.
- Remove the pears from the oven and carefully turn the pears back over so they are one again cut sides up. Use the spoon to spoon the caramel over them once more (I find it easiest to tilt the pan so the caramel flow into one corner). Sprinkle with the nuts. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to allow the nuts to toast (if not using nuts, you can serve right away). Serve hot with a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- TO STORE: Transfer the baked pears to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as I think the texture of the fruit would suffer.
- TO REHEAT: Warm the pears in a 350ºF oven until the sauce melts and the pears are heated through, or warm them up in the microwave.
Nutrition
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Wow! I made these for my family tonight. My 8 year old son said he didn’t want one…. but he ended up eating 2 halves as my husband and I both did! I topped with plain greek yogurt that I had added vanilla extract and honey to. Drizzled that with the syrup/vanilla mixture and sprinkled with cinnamon. Divine! We will do this again very soon! Thank you, Erin!
Makes me so happy to hear, Wilma! Thank you!
I just tried this recipe, and I’m so impressed with how it turned out! The pears were tender and juicy, and the flavors were perfectly balanced—not too sweet but still full of warmth from the cinnamon and spices. I paired them with a dollop of whipped cream on top and some toasted walnuts.
So glad to hear, thank you Margaret!
Wow, these baked pears were a showstopper! I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out since it was my first time baking pears, but the recipe was so simple, and they came out beautifully. The pears were soft but held their shape, and the spices gave them such a cozy, warm flavor. I added a drizzle of honey on top and a sprinkle of chopped nuts, and it was pure heaven.
Great to hear, thank you Jaila!