Air Fryer Pear: A Quick and Healthy Dessert!

Name: Air Fryer Pear
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 pears; 3 tablespoons of brown sugar; ½ tsp of ground cinnamon

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The air fryer pear not only makes an elegant accomplice to a simple-looking dessert but a wholesome dessert on its own. This healthy and delicious air-fried pear will satisfy your sweet tooth in a fraction of the calories. The recipe might appear like a quickly fixed breakfast pear but it has enormous possibilities for decadence and indulgence.

These simple air fried pears with cinnamon will please one and all.

Why should you try this air fryer pear recipe?

It is not a fancy recipe with loads of ingredients. It is a simple quick healthy dessert that you can whip when low on time and otherwise as well. Let me put in a pointer why you will love this recipe.

A 3-ingredient recipe. You just need 3 ingredients to put together an air fryer pear.
Easy. Undoubtedly this air fryer baked pear recipe is the simplest pears recipe.
Available throughout the year. Though they are a seasonal fruit but are available in the market year-round. So, you can make it whenever you get the time and do not have to wait for the right season.
Healthy dessert. This air fryer pear is a healthy dessert that is not high on calories and can satisfy your sweet tooth.
Great accomplice to your dessert. This simple fruit makes an elegant accomplice to simple desserts. Lift your simple desserts like ice creams by serving a piece of air-fried pear.
Very versatile. You can serve it with desserts, or with granola and yogurt to make an excellent breakfast. Make them into crisp pears, or a breakfast pear bowl to put together a healthy and delicious breakfast.
Great way to use the over-ripening pears.
Pears are a great source of air fryer pear This recipe is gluten-free. Just top with your favorite gluten-free toppings and enjoy.
Easily modifiable into a vegan recipe. Use maple syrup instead of brown sugar and top it with some plant-based cream or yogurt, like coconut yogurt.
Make-ahead dessert recipe. Air fryer pears are a great make-ahead dessert that can be quickly warmed to serve or even served cold with other desserts.

Is air fryer pear a healthy dessert?

Yes, air fryer pear is a healthy dessert in its totality. It is high in soluble fibers. Half the sweetness comes from the pear itself, and the rest comes from the brown sugar, which can be further replaced with low glycemic sweeteners. And not to forget that since these are made in an air fryer, we need not use any butter or other fat at all. When we sear pear in a skillet, butter is a must. But in an air fryer, we can skip the fats.

Ingredients with substitution notes

1. Pear

How to choose the right pear for baking or air frying.

The pear should be ripe but firm. Do not pick a raw, hard pear, or over-ripe mushy pear.
The pear should be clean, in terms that it should not having any blotches or soft spots.
Select the pears that have almost equal size. Uniform size helps with uniform baking or air frying.
The pear varieties that are ideal for baking are Bartlett, D’ Anjou, Red Anjou, and Bosc.

2. Brown sugar

I have used brown sugar to keep this recipe approachable. You can use whichever sugar or sweetener you like. You can use cane sugar, maple syrup, sucanat, muscovado sugar, or any other low glycemic sweeteners like agave or coconut palm sugar. You can also use honey if you want.

Choose a vegan option, if you are a vegan.

images showing peeling and slicing of pears

3. Ground cinnamon

I am using half a teaspoon ground cinnamon to add some flavor to these air fryer pears. Though caramelized brown sugar gives it a good flavor of its own, cinnamon helps to brighten it up.

You can any flavor of your choice. A few suggestions are:

Vanilla extract
Nutmeg and allspice
Pumpkin spice mix
Green cardamom

Equipment

Use whichever air fryer you have. Be it basket style air fryer or an oven-style air fryer, both would work fine. The number of pears that you could fit in an air fryer will depend on the size of the air fryer. Also, on the size of the pear to some extent. You could place 3 pears, sliced into halves comfortably in an 8 qt basket style air fryer.

Instructions

This air fryer recipe is so easy that it will barely take 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cook time. Let us discuss the steps.

Select and prepare the pear

Select clean and ripe pears. (Read the ingredient notes on how to choose the right pear)
Wash and peel the pear. You can keep the skin intact if you like it that way. I am not a fan of pear skin, so I am just removing it with the help of a peeler. You can use a peeler or a knife to remove the skin of the pear.
Then use a paring knife to slice the pears into two halves. You can also cut them into wedges if you want.
Remove the core and the stem using a paring knife. If you have a melon baller, you can use it to remove the core. Unfortunately, I don’t have one on hand, so just go in with my knife.
You can also score the flesh of the pear so that the cinnamon sugar gets into them and caramelizes nicely.

Coat the cut pear in spices

Transfer the sliced pears into a bowl. Then add brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
Coat the pear with the cinnamon sugar on all sides. I like to go in with my hands and make sure that these are coated nicely.

Cook pear in air fryer

Pull out the basket, and gently place pears in the basket with the cut side up.
Set the air fryer temperature to 350 ⁰F and let the pears air fry for about 10 minutes.
You know that air fryer pears are ready when you can pierce them smoothly or easily with a butter knife.
Gently lift them from the air fryer onto a plate.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or top with some yogurt and granola. (Read below for more service suggestions)

baked pear served with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of chocolate syrup

How to serve

The cooked pear can be served warm or cold. It tastes equally good both ways.

The classic way is to top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and granola. Add some maple syrup and it should be good.
Top the air fryer baked pear with whipped cream, toasted pecans, or sliced almonds.
Put almond butter on the air-fried pear and sprinkle some toasted coconut flakes.
Serve with chocolate ice cream and top with some chocolate chips or sprinkles. You can also use the chocolate syrup as I used.
My girl loves her air-fried pears with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Variations of air fryer pears recipes

This air fryer baked pears recipe is more of a quick fix and makes for a great breakfast pear. But it has enormous possibilities.

Make a breakfast pear galette. You can transform them into a decadent dessert. It is one of my favorite air fryer pears recipe.
Air fryer pear crisp. Cook chopped pear topped with oats, flour, butter, and sugar crumble in small ramekins in the air fryer. They would take 25-30 minutes at 350 ⁰F
Cut the pear into wedges and cook in the air fryer to make air fryer pear wedges.

How to store and reheat

These healthy air fryer pears are a great make-ahead dessert. They make up for a great dessert accomplice or a great breakfast on their own.

The best way to store the air fried pear is by gently placing them in an airtight container. And then they can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. Do not garnish and store. The ideal way to store them is as such.

They are great when served cold, but in case you want to serve them warm, reheat them in an air fryer at 350 ⁰F for 4-5 minutes.

I would not suggest freezing the air-fried pear, they do not stand freezing well and becomes soggy on thawing.

Tips

Choose the right variety of pear that is good for baking or air frying.
Select clean and equal-sized pear. Cut them into equal pieces for uniform cooking.
You can also score the flesh of the pear so that the cinnamon sugar gets into them and caramelizes nicely.
Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place the at a distance from each other.
Be gentle while lifting the air fried pears, do not just flip the air fryer basket to get them on to plate. Use a spatula to lift them one by one.
Use the parchment paper and avoid the mess in the air fryer by putting a silicone mat or parchment paper. Don’t be lazy like me.
Reheat them in an air fryer at 350 ⁰F for 4-5 minutes.
The best way to store the air fried pear is by gently placing them in an airtight container. And then they can be refrigerated for 4-5 days.
You can also cook pear in the instant pot. The best is to use the bake option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cook pear in the oven?

Yes, you can cook pear in the oven. Especially if you are cooking for a large tribe or entertaining, choose the oven over the air fryer. Follow the following simple steps:

* Select clean and ripe pears.
* Wash and peel the pear.
* Cut into halves and remove the core and stem.
* Coat them in cinnamon sugar.
* Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet cut side down.
* Bake at 350 ⁰F for 15-17 minutes.

Is it possible to fry pears?

People fry pears all the time. The conventional way of cooking pear is to shallow fry it in a skillet. Choose a cast-iron skillet to get the best-caramelized pan-fried pears.

How do I know that the pear is cooked through?

On cooking the pear should become soft and tender, but still firm enough to have a body and bite. The best is to check by piercing a pear with a knife. You could use a fork or a knife to check for the doneness.

What are the best pear varieties for baking?

The pear varieties that work for baking are the ones we use for air frying also. Following pear varieties are most widely used in baking:
* Bartlett,
* D’ Anjou,
* Red Anjou,
* Bosc.

If you want to try more pear recipes, do not forget to try air fryer pear chips.

2 slices of air fried pear, topped with yogurt and nuts

More air fryer recipes

I hope you will enjoy this air fryer pear recipe. Share your results and opinions in the comment section below. Also, subscribe to never miss a recipe.

Till then,

Make it quick and delicious!

Recipe card for Air fryer pear

three topping options fro serving the cooked pear

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5 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Pear

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, global

Keyword air fried pears, air fryer pear recipes, air fryer pears, healthy pears, pear dessert healthy, pear in air fryer

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 3

Calories 115kcal

Author Meenakshi

Equipment

air fryer

Ingredients

3 pears
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Instructions

Select and prepare the pear

Select clean and ripe pears. (Read the ingredient notes on how to choose the right pear)
Wash and peel the pear. You can keep the skin intact if you like it that way. Use a peeler or a knife to remove the skin of the pear.
Then use a paring knife to slice the pears into two halves. You can also cut them into wedges if you want.
Remove the core and the stem using a paring knife. If you have a melon baller, you can use it to remove the core.
Optional: You can also score the flesh of the pear so that the cinnamon sugar gets into them and caramelizes nicely.

Coat the sliced pears in cinnamon sugar

Transfer the sliced pears into a bowl. Then add brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
Coat the pear with the cinnamon sugar nicely.

Cook pear in air fryer

Pull out the air fryer's basket, and gently place the pears in it with the cut side up.
Set the air fryer temperature to 350 ⁰F and let the pears cook for about 10 minutes.
When done, gently lift them from the air fryer onto a plate.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or top with some yogurt and granola. (Read how to serve section of the post)

Notes

Choose the right variety of pear that is good for baking or air frying.
Select clean and equal-sized pear. Cut them into equal pieces for uniform cooking.
You can also score the flesh of the pear so that the cinnamon sugar gets into them and caramelizes nicely.
Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place the at a distance from each other.
Be gentle while lifting the air-fried pears, do not just flip the air fryer basket to get them on to plate. Use a spatula to lift them one by one.
Use the parchment paper and avoid the mess in the air fryer by putting a silicone mat or parchment paper. Don’t be lazy like me.
You know that the air fryer pears are ready when you can pierce them smoothly or easily with a knife.
Reheat them in an air fryer at 350 degree F for 4-5 minutes.
The best way to store the air fried pear is by gently placing them in an airtight container. And then they can be refrigerated for 4-5 days.

Air Fryer Pear: A Quick and Healthy Dessert!