One of our favourite parts about winter is the beautiful seasonal produce that becomes available, like super sweet pears. It’s the perfect time to make one of our perfect pear dessert recipes!
Celebrating National Pear Week
For National Pear Week (2–8 June), we’re celebrating the sweet seasonal fruit with a collection of our favourite pear dessert recipes.
According to Box Divvy, a community-led network allowing shoppers to support farmers and food producers, the Australian pear industry is in decline.
“Pears…are great for gut health, and they store well with little to no waste,” says Anton van den Berg, co-founder of Box Divvy.
“There’s really no reason they should be in decline — and yet that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Australian pear growers, like farmer Selim Shaholli from Shepparton, Victoria, are urging shoppers to add juicy pears to their meal planning this winter.
“Growing pears has been in our family for generations,” says Shaholli. “We’re proud of what we produce, but it’s no secret that it’s become tougher to make it stack up. When people choose Aussie-grown pears, it really helps keep farms like ours going — and that support matters more than ever.”
Get involved and support Australian pear growers by treating yourself and your loved ones to a beautiful pear dessert recipe.
Perfect pear dessert recipes
Enjoy pears on their own as a light snack, or stew them up with some cinnamon and sugar. Stir them through a cake, pie or crumble, and watch your guests fawn over the meal.
To bring you some sweet inspiration about how to use up your pears, here’s a selection of our best dessert recipes featuring the fruit. From ginger, pear and pistachio crumbles to raspberry and pear bread, it doesn’t get much more comforting than this.
Happy cooking!
Looking for savoury pear recipe ideas as well? Try our porchetta with roast pears or grilled pork fillets with pear & apricot relish.
Chocolate, hazelnut & pear scrolls
Pear & rhubarb pie
Pear and coconut impossible pie
Pear fritters with raspberry rose syrup
Ginger and pear cobbler
Pear and ginger upside-down cake
Rich dark chocolate tart with poached pears
Pear and almond friands
Gluten-free pear tarte tartin
Pear tarte Tatin
Poached pear and polenta tart
Pear and hazelnut frangipane tart
Brown sugar pavlova with moscato poached pears and honeycomb
Pear and almond rice porridge
Poached pears with sabayon
Pear and Seville marmalade cake
Roasted pears with cinnamon labne
Ginger, pear and pistachio crumbles
Coconut rice pudding and poached pears
Pear and raspberry pies with coconut pastry
Pear and raspberry bread
Apple and pear pie
Pear and date crumble with honey oat topping
Upside-down pear and chocolate cake
Apple and pear crumble
Caramel pear self-saucing puddings
Blackberry and pear pie
Baked caramel custards with roasted pears
Poached pear tart with warm chocolate sauce
Poached pears in red wine sauce
Hot chocolate custard with red wine pears
Maple baked pears with sweet mascarpone
Rhubarb, pear and pomegranate custard tea cakes
Caramel pear self-saucing puddings
Apple and pear tarte tatin
Caramel pear bread puddings
Caramelised pear and gingerbread slice
Blackberry and pear jam
Vanilla pear almond cake
Pomegranate and pear jelly
Poached pear, mascarpone and dessert wine cake
(Image supplied)
Popular pear varieties for dessert recipes
- Beurre bosc: A large pear with russet skin. When ripe, it is soft and juicy with a slightly and pleasantly grainy texture. It is good raw and also suitable for long cooking.
- Packham: A large, often bumpy pear which is slow to ripen but, when it does so, is very juicy with sweet, subtle flavour. The skin may remain green when ripe or may change to light yellow. Used firm, it is a good cooking pear.
- Corella: A small pear with richly coloured green/red/golden skin and rich flavour, which keeps well.
- William Bartlett: An aromatic, buttery pear with pale yellow skin, sometimes red-blushed, when ripe. Used firm, it is a good cooking pear. Once ripe, it is excellent raw but will not last long in good condition.
