Delicious Cinnamon Baked Pears with Crunchy Walnuts

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.

And by the way, if you’re a big cinnamon fan, you’ve gotta check out this homemade cinnamon toast crunch!

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!

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!).

More recipes like this

If you love this recipe then you’re sure to enjoy these too,

• Pear Crisp
• Easy Baked Cinnamon Apples
• 15 Low-Calorie Desserts

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

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!