Discover how to use pears in the kitchen with this complete guide—includes pear nutrition facts, cooking tips, storage advice, and tasty recipes!
Pears 101: Nutrition, Cooking Tips, and the Best Pear Recipes
Wondering what to do with all those beautiful, juicy pears? Whether you’re working with Bartletts, Boscs, or Anjous, this guide will show you how to use pears in the kitchen—from simple prep and storage tips to delicious pear recipes that highlight their natural sweetness. You’ll learn about pear nutrition benefits, the best ways to cook and bake with pears, and how to pair them with both sweet and savory ingredients. Perfect for fall baking, healthy snacks, or elegant salads, pears are a versatile fruit every home cook should master.
Just one bite into a crisp, cool pear and I’m hooked. I just love the fragrant crunch of these delicious fruits, which are nature’s perfect on-the-go foods. Thanks to its natural protective skin, you can toss a pear into your handbag, gym bag, or lunch box for a delicious, healthful treat. These fruits are also packed with nutrition in a skinny 100-calorie serving, providing a super dose of fiber (6 grams!), as well as vitamin C and health-protective phytochemicals linked with the color of the skin. So, don’t peel away the skin of the pear when you’re eating one of these beauties. Growing up in the Northwest, I helped my mother can pears each year to capture their beautiful flavor to enjoy all year long. Now that I live in California, I love adding pears to my family’s menu all year long, too. To learn more about cooking with pears, I’m sharing my top 5 ways to use pears. Check out my video here for additional inspiration!
Pear Nutrition
These fruits are also packed with nutrition in a skinny 100-calorie serving, providing a super dose of fiber (6 grams!), as well as vitamin C and health-protective phytochemicals linked with the color of the skin. So, don’t peel away the skin of the pear when you’re eating one of these beauties. Learn about the nutrition benefits of pears.
1. Excellent Source of Fiber
One medium pear provides about 5–6 grams of dietary fiber—about 20% of your daily needs. Most of the fiber is insoluble, which supports healthy digestion and regularity. Pears may help lower cholesterol and support blood sugar balance due to their low glycemic index.
2. Rich in Antioxidants
Pears contain antioxidants like vitamin C, copper, and various phytonutrients (especially in the skin). These compounds help reduce oxidative stress, fight inflammation, and may help support overall immune function.
3. Hydrating
Pears are made up of about 84% water, which can help with hydration and maintaining skin health.
4. Heart Health Support
The combination of fiber, antioxidants, and potassium (about 190 mg per medium pear) can support healthy blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
5. Gut Health Boost
Pears contain prebiotic fiber, which feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports a healthy microbiome. Especially helpful for those following a plant-based or high-fiber diet.
Top 5 Ways to Use Pears
To learn more about cooking with pears, I’m sharing my top 5 ways to use pears. Check out my video here for additional inspiration!
1. Into that Morning Cereal
One of my very favorite breakfasts is oatmeal (or any simmered whole grain for that matter, including sorghum, quinoa, and millet) cooked with chopped pears (skin and all) and sweet spices. It’s also great chopped into cold whole grain breakfast cereals. Check out this recipe for Steel Cut Oats with Pears, Ginger and Dates for inspiration.
2. Au Naturel!
Pears are just so delicious sliced enjoyed fresh. Just grab a whole fruit and pack it away into lunchboxes, gym bags, and purses for the perfect healthy snack. It’s also great sliced into wedges as a crunchy, satisfying snack for the whole family. Squirt a lemon wedge over the pear wedges to prevent them from darkening.
3. Pair Pears with Snacks
Pears can make such a fabulous appetizer paired with cashew cheese, nut butter, and even hummus! They are also great in a homemade trail mix, such as my recipe for Baked Pear Trail Mix.
4. Toss Pears into a Salad
The naturally sweet crunch of pears suits crisp salads beautifully, such as this Jade Pear Pistachio Salad or Winter Chopped Salad. Just slice or dice pears and toss them with your favorite greens, vinaigrette, and crunchy topping.
5. Baking with Pears
I just love fruit-focused desserts and baked goods starring pears, such as pies, breads, muffins, pancakes, and crisps, such as my Ginger Pear Crisp with Almonds from my book The Plant-Powered Diet. Pears are relatives of apples, so any time you see a recipe for apples, you can easily swap them out for pears.
Bonus: Make Pear Sauce
If you’ve got a slew of fresh pears on hand, make homemade, unsweetened pear sauce! I promise, it will be the best ever when you make it from scratch with just a touch of lemon and cinnamon.
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