Delicious Cinnamon Baked Pears with Crunchy Walnuts
- Updated on Oct 10, 2022
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Cinnamon-baked pears are definitely my favorite fall dessert. You just can’t beat that soft, sweet fruit, topped with delicious cinnamon and crunchy walnuts.
Drop a dollop of creamy yogurt on top, drizzle on some syrup and you’ve got the perfect dessert.
Ingredients
Beautifully simple: this recipe only has 4 natural ingredients!
Fruit
Pears are of course a necessity for this recipe. This seasonal fruit is great to use in autumn recipes like this. There are many pear varieties like Comice pears, Anjou pears, and Bosc pears.
I would recommend choosing what is readily available at your grocery store or farmer’s market at the moment, and go for a ripe, but not yet mushy pear.
Spice
Cinnamon has got to be the choice spice for me. It has a classic fall/winter taste and it’s the perfect compliment to the natural sweetness of the pears.
All things nice
To go with the soft fruit, I added some chopped walnuts into the pear halves where the seeds sat and drizzled them with some pure maple syrup before baking.
After they come out of the oven they’ll be lovely and warm so add on some plain Greek yogurt (or your non-dairy favourite) to serve.
They’ll taste so good you won’t really want to share!
How many calories are in this baked pear recipe?
In this healthy dessert you’ll find 115 calories and 2 grams of protein.
Here’s an overview of the nutritional information:
Having desserts while controlling calories is fine when you stick to healthy recipes like this (or like these perfect high protein low carb desserts!). They let you have a treat without the guilt.
We have a Free 7-day Weight Loss Meal Plan available if you’d like more inspiration. And if that’s still not enough, feast your eyes on our weekly plan!
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Health benefits
Healthy food doesn’t have to taste boring and that is definitely the case for this recipe.
Pears have great health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties and possible cancer-fighting compounds.
Cinnamon is another beneficial ingredient. It is said to have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties as well as possibly lowering blood sugar and the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Finally, walnuts are said to be full of antioxidants, and omega 3 and support weight control.
How to make the best baked pears?
Prep time – Preheat your oven, cut the pears in half, and using either a teaspoon or melon baller, sccop out the seeds.
Fill with walnuts and drizzle with syrup. Dust with cinnamon and place on a baking sheet.
Baking time – Bake in the oven for a total time of 25 minutes. If they’re a bit firm and it’s not enough time give them a little longer.
Serving time – Serve the pears with some yogurt on top and enjoy!
For full details see the recipe card below.
Baked pears FAQ
Got any questions on how to bake the perfect pear? We’ve covered the most common below, but if you still have questions just let us know in the comments section.
Will harder pears work with this recipe?
Yes, in fact, it’s a great way to enjoy those pears that seem to stay hard in the fruit bowl forever! If they are very hard, you may want to increase the baking time a little
Should I serve baked pears hot or cold?
We think serving baked pears warm is much tastier, but baked pears are still delicious when eaten cold.
How long will they keep for?
Baked pears can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can gently reheat them in the microwave or enjoy them cold.
Do I need to use baking parchment?
No, we used the parchment to make sure our pears didn’t stick but you can certainly cook this recipe without it (there may just be a bit more washing up!)
Which kind of yogurt should I serve this with?
You could use whichever yogurt you fancy. To keep it healthy you should use plain yogurt without added flavors as this can increase the sugar content.
To make the recipe vegan, use a non-dairy alternative like soy.
Recipe variations
You could try some simple variations if you wanted to change the recipe (but really I think it’s great as it is).
Variety of pears – Yes there are lots of different pears out there but you can choose your favorite pears to make this dish. I would say ripe pears are the best pears to pick.
Of course, if you can’t find pears try an apple as we used in our baked apple recipe.
Different nuts – if you don’t like walnuts, this baked pears recipe works nicely with chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds.
Different toppings – If you can’t get maple syrup you could sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar instead of plain cinnamon. Or dust icing (powdered) sugar when they’re being served.
And if you’re not too worried about the calorie count a scoop of vanilla ice cream would probably go down a treat (but I didn’t tell you that!).
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What our readers are saying
Still concerned that your cinnamon baked pears may not impress? Don’t be! Our fantastic readers have been busy whipping up this dish and sharing the results in the comments section:
These are light and delicious! I love baked apples and these are a step up in elegance! I am taking a big pan to a dinner party tonight. Serving them with vanilla or vanilla caramel ice cream for a little decadence!
Tammie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So easy to make and delicious! My husband and my 2 year old gobbled these up. It really did take 5 minutes to prep like you said! I’ll be keeping this recipe. And as an added bonus, it was a healthy dessert. 5 stars for sure! Thank you!
Maya ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved baked stone fruits.. these pears are so simple yet delicious!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Ingredients
- 2 pears
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp maple syrup (or honey if that's fine with you)
- 3 tbsp walnuts
Optional
- 4 tsp low fat soy yogurt (or dairy yogurt if you like – just keep it gluten-free if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Cut the pears in half.2 pears
- Using a tablespoon scoop out the seeds of each half.
- Fill with walnuts and drizzle about half a tsp of maple syrup over each half.3 tbsp walnuts, 2 tsp maple syrup
- Finish them off with a few dashes of cinnamon powder.2 tsp cinnamon
- Whack them onto a baking tray and off they go into the oven for about 25 minutes. Don't forget some gloves to take them out again 😉
- Serve with some yogurt.4 tsp low fat soy yogurt
- Done.
NOTES
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this new recipe. There is a pleasure in taking simple ingredients and making such a tasty treat.
Being ready in less than half an hour means you’ve got more time to cozy up by the fire while you eat it.
It’s by far my favorite way to eat pears these days that’s for sure!
Hauke Fox
I’m always on the lookout for these damn smart recipes. You know, those that only take a few minutes to put together and taste delicious. Vegetarian Cooking at home is a way to take back control over what I eat. I don’t like what many companies do to animals and the environment with their products.
Comments
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54 comments
Loved baked stone fruits.. these pears are so simple yet delicious!
Exactly! 🙂
I love baked fruit…I “bake” my pears and apples in the microwave. I use a coffee mug, and cover it.
For the pears cut a circle out of the bottom, going up far enough to remove the seeds. I swirl honey (or turbinado sugar) inside, and put a splash of white,or red, wine on top, cook for 2 mins…
For the apples I core them. I stuff honey, cinnamon and a smidge of butter down inside, cook for 2 mins.
Sometimes I peel the red pears (green and brown pears work best) I never peel the apples. Mostly because Im lazy lol..
If you didnt want to use wine or butter you could definitely sub any juice, or maybe almond/coconut milk. I have several variations of these, oats added to the apple stuffing is so good.
Hi Dianna!
Oh wow, that’s a cool idea to prepare them!
I want to use wine and butter, that sounds absolutely delish!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, will try it out right away today 😀
I’ve never tried to bake fruits, but this seems like a good idea, a very tasty one! 🙂
Hey what a beautiful picture you shot. You nailed it, both for the click and the recipe!
Thanks, thats’s really motivating to hear! 🙂
Hey Howie! You motivated me to blog travel today and so glad I did. 😉 I don’t make a lot of desserts because of my sugar problem but these ingredients are perfect. I’m going to try these this week. Thank you!
Glad to hear! To be honest I also don’t make a lot of desserts. But this one just fitted too well in our blog concept!
Thanks for stopping by!
It’s strange, I don’t like cinnamon but you’ve made these look so yummy I really want to make them!!
thanks for the props! Really?? how can you not like cinnamon?! I put it on anything (almost).
Haha – I love your solution to being out of cologne!!! This would be one intoxicating smell – and such an elegant looking dessert!
Hi Sashi! Thanks a lot for reading 😀
You could even make them for a weekend breakfast. I try to fit them in everywhere at the moment, haha
I looove pears, and these look absolutely wonderful!! Such a delicious and guilt free dessert 🙂
Will regular yogurt you buy from the grocery store work (i.e Yoplait)?
How about Greek yogurt? Can you bake that? (Confession: baking yogurt sounds weird.)
But I will try it as soon as I find out what kind of yogurt I can use. Thanks guys!
Hi Sarah!
Well, actually that might not have come out 100% clear in the description. It’s just plain natural yogurt that we used as a topping after we baked the pears.
So, no baking yogurt included 🙂
I’ve always have trouble with cooking pears. they are always hard when you buy them, and I don’t know how long before they ripen up. So do hard pears right from the store work on this recipe ?
Hi Tom! Thanks for stopping by 😀
Yes, that’ll work just fine. You’ll have to leave them in the oven a little longer though. I have the same problem over here in Germany. Most pears are still hard as stones in the supermarket. But they work anyway 🙂
Do the nutrition facts provided include the walnuts, honey and yogurt?
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your question. Yes, it includes honey, yogurt and walnuts 🙂
Sorry for not being clear on that!
I hope they turn out well!
How lovely for you to respond so quickly, thank you. The pears came out delicious. I’m going to follow you on Instagram now. My focus is Vegetarian dining with a successful commitment to Weight Watchers too.
You’re welcome, Katie!
Ah, that’s cool – we definitely want to look more into veggie dinner recipes as well 🙂
Awesome to hear that the baked pears came out great!!
yum…i have pears from harry and david that i recieved as a gift….was wondering what to do with them…cant wait to try this today..ty so much for posting.
You’re welcome, Robin!!
Hope your pears turn out great!! if you have time, I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂
I just made these this morning and they were absolutely fabulous! Thanks for sharing! I mentioned you on my blog here: https://iamproductivelyprocrastinating.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/adventures-in-procrasti-baking-cinnamon-honey-baked-pears-with-walnuts/ Cheers! 🙂
Just checked out your blog, love the name 😀
Plus the photos are super cool, thanks for sharing, Julie!!
Are these best served warm or cold? They look so good. Can’t wait to try them
Warm!! That is definitely much tastier
Hope they turn out well 😀
I have been trying healthy recipes for my family.
This is very easy and tasty. I baked pears today. I just used raw hibey and sigon cinnamon. I was delicious.
Hey pb! Thanks for the positive feedback!! Glad you liked this one 🙂
With he right inspiration I think it’s not too tough to eat healthy.
These are light and delicious! I love baked apples and these are a step up in elegance! I am taking a big pan to a dinner party tonight. Serving them with vanilla or vanilla caramel ice cream for a little decadence!
That combo sounds excellent, Tammie!! I’m super excited you liked the pears, they are easy to make, right? 😀
And yep, I think the smoother, less acidy taste of pears makes them so good for dessert. Oh, if you find the time, we’d be more than excited to see your creations for the party. If you use instagram, our account is “katfromhurrythefoodup”. Enjoy the party!! 🙂
Was wondering if you might have a replacement in mind for the walnuts? If not, would the cooking time change much without them? Food allergies are no fun.
Hi Lin!
Can you eat almonds or hazelnuts? I think both would work really well. Make sure to chop those nuts though 🙂
Yeah, allergies can be very annoying I bet!
So easy to make and delicious! My husband and my 2 year old gobbled these up. It really did take 5 minutes to prep like you said! I’ll be keeping this recipe. And as an added bonus, it was a healthy dessert. 5 stars for sure! Thank you!
Hi Maya,
so cool to hear you liked the recipe! Yep, we really try to find the quick and tasty ones, glad we achieved it with this recipe 🙂
Oh… These look absolutely fantastic! I have a couple of pears, two different kinds, but both quite juicy and sweet and this will be perfect. I’ll have them tonight for dessert!
Yaaayy 😀
These are awesome, indeed!
What is considered a serving? One half or two halves?
So easy to make. They are cooking right now. Can’t wait to try them
Hi Mary! How did they turn out? We considered a serving to be two halves. Yes, really easy to make aren’t they?? I was surprised the first time too 🙂
Cool as. Indeed.
Indeed! 😀
All of your recipes are so great; I really can’t pick out just one. And this baked pear recipe is going to be great this fall. Thank you!
Aww, thanks for the warm words, Margaret! Yeess, this pear recipe is awesome, but let’s enjoy the summer just a little longer till we start of with autumn again hahhaha
How about using pecans?
Absolutely!
looks delicious. What’s the parchment paper for?
Yeees, they are 🙂
I just wanted to make sure the pears wouldn’t stick.
Hi. I am going to try this recipe with the ever-hard pears from my sister-in-law’s tree. If this works out, maybe she can stop ignoring them.
Just to let you know, the word cinnamon is spelled incorrectly in the title of the printer-friendly version of the recipe.
Hi! Arrr that’s one word I somehow always end up misspelling, thanks for pointing it out. Enjoy the recipe, hope it softens up and improves the pears for you all!
Oh My Buddha! These were amazing. I am so lazy, and these were so easy (I made a swap for the walnuts). I used a melon baller to remove the seeds, splashed some maple syrup on a plate, added the cinnamon to the syrup and dipped the cut side of the pears into it to coat. I baked them just like that. After they cooled, I added a rolled ball of cinnamon infused cream cheese rolled in chopped pistachios (I made them so they fit in the pears perfectly – it sort of looked like an avocado with the seed in it). So so so easy and tasty. My husband and my mother are such fussy eaters and they gobbled them up!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I can guarantee you that I will be making these again (and again and again).
Awesome! So happy to hear it. Great tips, it sounds like you nailed the recipe. Glad everyone enjoyed 🙂
175 degrees would possibly work for a very ripe piece of fruit. After 30 minutes, I had to bump up to 325 for another 30 min.
Maybe you didn’t notice the instructions say 175°C ? 25 mins on that temperature should be enough I’m sure 🙂