Healthy Pear Recipes

Find healthy, delicious pear recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Baked Oatmeal with Pears

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This comforting baked oatmeal is perfect for cozy weekend mornings and doubles as a make-ahead breakfast that you can meal-prep for healthy grab-and-go meals all week.
By Abbie Gellman, M.S., RD, CDN

Feta, Kale & Pear Salad

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The crunchy seed topping is the perfect textural juxtaposition to a creamy dressing, soft pears and tender massaged kale salad. Tossing it all with mint, feta and red onion gives it a Middle Eastern flair.
By Cara Chigazola Tobin

Roasted Pears with Brie & Pistachios

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Roasted pears with Brie and pistachios is delicious as a first course or a side with roast pork or lamb. Leave the stems on for the prettiest presentation.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pear-Spiced Oatmeal

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This healthy breakfast combines hearty oatmeal with fresh pears, ginger, and cinnamon. It's ready in just 15 minutes and will keep your hunger at bay through lunch.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pear, Gorgonzola & Walnut Salad

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The light and refreshing vinaigrette in this side salad offsets the tangy funk of Gorgonzola and sweetness from the raisins and pears. Even better, this salad celebrates fall and has beautiful colors. Feel free to get creative with this salad: Add chicken to make it meal-worthy, choose a different nut or swap Bosc pears for your favorite variety. Be sure to wait to dress this salad until ready to serve or the greens will wilt.
By Sarah Epperson

Pear-Pecan Cheese Ball

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Sweet pear, salty Cheddar cheese and crunchy nuts make this healthy cheese ball recipe an alluring holiday treat. Serve with an array of crudités and crisp party crackers.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pear & Camembert Crostini

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Up your appetizer game with this fruit-topped cheese crostini recipe. Warm preserves give the pears a shiny glaze and prevent them from browning.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Arugula Salad with Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pears & Blue Cheese

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Toasted walnuts and roasted pork tenderloin make this elegant salad worthy of company, yet it's easy enough to prepare on a weeknight!
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

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Use your Instant Pot--or any other pressure cooker--to whip up this healthy butternut squash soup. Anjou pears add sweetness, while the soup gets creaminess and a wonderful flavor from light coconut milk, and a bright, fresh kick from ginger, cilantro and lime. Finishing the soup with whole-milk yogurt adds a nice richness, but you can skip it to keep the soup vegan. (Allow the soup to cool slightly before stirring in the yogurt so it doesn't curdle.) This soup would be equally delicious chilled.
By Liz Mervosh

Warm Pear & Spinach Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette

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Mature, larger-leaved spinach holds up better to the warm bacon vinaigrette than baby spinach in this healthy spinach salad recipe. If you don't want the spinach to wilt, let the dressing cool before tossing it with the salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Honey-Balsamic Fruit Salad

Crisp pear, juicy grapefruit, and melt-in-your-mouth kiwifruit are lightly spritzed with a simple honey-balsamic dressing in this deliciously refreshing salad, ready in just 10 minutes. Serve it alongside your main meal, or save it for dessert!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Beet & Pear Salad

This salad is a wonderful combination of roasted beets, fresh pears, and shaved Gouda cheese. Served on a bed of arugula in a mustardy dressing and topped with toasted slivered almonds, it's a refreshing side to serve with any meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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Inspiration and Ideas

Sweet & Spicy Soy-Braised Short Ribs
The sticky sauce on these ribs, made with tamari (or soy sauce), gochujang, grated pear and honey, is inspired by bulgogi, a staple of Korean barbecue. Don't skip the step of running them under the broiler before serving—it gives the ribs the crisp edges you'd get from grilling. Serve with stir-fried baby bok choy and brown rice to sop up the delicious sauce.
Pear Upside-Down Cake
In this update of a retro dessert, a judicious amount of caramel coats the bottom of the pan before the fruit and batter are added. If you have a melon baller, pull it out—it's the perfect tool for coring pears.
Rustic Pear Tart
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Cinnamon-Ginger Spiced Pear Muffins
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These perfectly spiced muffins are diabetic-friendly.

All Healthy Pear Recipes

Vanilla, Cinnamon & White Wine Poached Pears with Yogurt

Slightly sweet, tender pears are paired with a lovely vanilla-, cinnamon- and orange-infused golden syrup. The (literal) icing on the cake is a dollop of creamy vanilla yogurt in the bottom of the bowl. This very elegant dessert is also calorie-conscious and brimming with fiber. If you want to dress up your poached pears, they can be topped with a variety of items, like granola, crushed cookies, chopped nuts, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
By Karen Rankin

Apple Crisp with Cranberries

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Sticking to its food-waste mission, L.A. Kitchen created this dessert to work with almost any fruit you have on hand. We've done it here with pears and apples, but you can use berries or even tropical fruits instead. The addition of dried fruit adds a concentrated hit of flavor you won't get from fresh alone.
By Theresa Farthing

Pear Crumble

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This easy, comforting pear crumble is sure to please. Serve it as is or with low-fat ice cream.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

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Sweet caramelized pears are the highlight of this comforting, custardy, raisin-studded bread pudding. When turned out of its baking dish, the flanlike pudding sits in a pool of intense caramel syrup, making it worthy of any holiday table. Serve warm or chilled.
By Marie Simmons

Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton

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Here pears are roasted to sweet perfection with butternut squash and pureed to create a creamy soup that gets a luxurious garnish of Stilton cheese. You can serve this as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper.
By Marie Simmons

Spiced-Pomegranate Poached Pears

Looking for a unique and delicious dessert? These spicy-sweet pears are poached in red wine, served with a pomegranate syrup and sprinkled with walnuts and cinnamon.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Pears with Prosciutto

This 3-ingredient finger food is the perfect classy appetizer for your next party. It's so simple to make yet so elegant and delicious. Finishing with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar makes the flavors pop and takes this easy app to the next level.
By Melissa Fallon

Peanut-Chicken Cabbage Wraps

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Cabbage is a tasty low-calorie stand-in for buns or bread in this healthy chicken lettuce wrap recipe. Don't limit yourself to cabbage for this Thai-inspired recipe--any fresh green that's sturdy enough to wrap around 1/2 cup of filling works.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Pears

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Roasted pears are a simple dessert on their own, or top with lightly sweetened mascarpone for a more decadent treat.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Pear with Crumble Topping

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Roasted pears and vanilla ice cream complete this diabetic-friendly dessert.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pork Chops with Pear & Ginger Sauce

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In this quick saute, vinegar and sugar are caramelized in the skillet, forming a deep, richly flavored base for the sauce. Ginger adds a spicy note that plays against the mild pork and pear.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pears with Bay Leaves & Cherries

Tender pears and dried cherries are infused with bay leaves in this delicious compote.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pear & Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts

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This pear and arugula salad recipe is topped with homemade candied walnuts, which are incredibly easy to make in the oven. For a touch of heat, add a pinch of ground chipotle or cayenne to the walnuts before baking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spinach, Asian Pear & Chicken Salad

Fragrant, crunchy Asian pears add a refreshing melon-like flavor to the healthy chicken salad recipe. Look for the large, brown, apple-shaped fruit in well-stocked supermarkets near other specialty fruit.
By Julia Clancy

Autumn Fruit Salad

Take advantage of pears when they're at their best in the fall and winter. This fruit salad combines ripe pears with low-fat Greek yogurt, toasted pecans, and a touch of honey. It's perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pork Chops with Red Cabbage and Pears

The sweet-and-sour cabbage pairs deliciously with braised chops and juicy pears in this German-inspired dish.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Gat Kimchi (Mustard-Green Kimchi)

Gat kimchi is made with mustard greens to add brightness and spice. This lemony version is a special treat.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Pear-Mustard Sauce

The sauce in this recipe is inspired by the flavors of pear mostarda—the sweet, spicy and fruity Italian condiment. Using both Dijon mustard and mustard seeds provides a bit of bite and an extra pop of texture.
By Adam Dolge

Bacon, Leek & Pear Skillet Pizza

If you are questioning whether pears belong on this skillet pizza, trust us. The sugars in the fruit caramelize in the heat, and the sweetness complements the rich, salty bacon and savory leeks.
By Adam Dolge

Crunchy Pear & Celery Salad

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Crisp pears are tossed with Cheddar cheese and pecans in this delicious salad. For an Italian twist, try a good Parmesan with some toasted pine nuts or to go British use crumbled Stilton and toasted walnuts.
By Marie Simmons

Pear & Cottage Cheese

Salty cottage cheese and a sweet fresh pear make this snack satisfying.
By Breana Killeen

Pear Cobbler

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A pear cobbler is a crowd-pleasing dessert that highlights one of fall's sweetest fruits. Cinnamon, ginger and cardamom give this pear cobbler a sophisticated twist for a quick and easy homemade dessert.
By Jasmine Smith

Pear, Apple & Cranberry Tarte Tatin

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This ultimate fall and winter tart showcases the best fruits of the season: pears, apples and cranberries. Unlike other tarts, the tarte tatin is made upside down in a skillet. You start by cooking the fruit, then top it with the dough, carefully tuck in the edges and let it cook. When it's ready you invert the whole tart onto a plate. It comes out looking beautiful and is actually much easier than you might imagine.
By Ellen Ecker Ogden

Cherry-Apple Dump Cake

No special cooking knowledge is needed for this fruity dessert recipe. You literally "dump" the ingredients into a baking dish, pop it in the oven and enjoy.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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