Food and Recipes Fruits 20 Perfect Pear Recipes To Serve From Breakfast To Dessert By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on October 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Toward the end of summer and beginning of fall, you begin to see pears at the farmers' market and in the produce section. If you grew up eating juicy pears, you know and love this time of year. While we enjoy them all on their own, pears are an extremely versatile ingredient in the kitchen. With their natural sweetness, pears make an incredible choice for adding some freshness to a sugary dessert. Our Apple and Pear Crisp and Spiced Pear Hand Pies are certainly proof of that. But don't assume that all of these pear recipes are desserts. You can enjoy pears at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, too, and the proof is in our recipes. Start supper with something sweet and salty like our Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear, add something homemade to your cheese board with a jar of Pear Preserves, or chef up a vintage Pear Salad sure to impress Grandma. Then, top off your fruit-filled meal by sipping on a perfect pear cocktail. With these genius pear recipes, you'll never overlook them at the market again. 01 of 20 Pear Salad Southern Living Recipe: Pear Salad This old-school recipe made an appearance at almost every holiday gathering and luncheon Grandma hosted. A serving of this Pear Salad certainly comes with a generous helping of nostalgia. 02 of 20 Apple and Pear Crisp Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford Recipe: Apple and Pear Crisp There's no dessert easier than a classic crisp, and this one comes together with the help of your slow cooker. The pears and complemented by two types of apples and are especially delicious when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 03 of 20 Spiced Pear Hand Pies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spiced Pear Hand Pies These homemade hand pies are the sweetest grab-and-go treats for picnics and road trips. Vegetable shortening is the secret to giving these buttery pastries a pleasantly crumbly texture. 04 of 20 Pear Preserves Southern Living Recipe: Pear Preserves Putting up fresh produce to enjoy year-round is one of our favorite past times. With just three ingredients, you don't have any excuse not to try this recipe. 05 of 20 Pear Upside-Down Cake Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Pear Upside Down Cake Pineapple has been dethroned as our favorite upside-down cake fruit. Bosc pears take the cake as a delicious top (or bottom?) for a fall dessert full of warm spices. 06 of 20 Bourbon and Hard Pear Cider Cocktail Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: Bourbon and Hard Pear Cider Cocktail Bourbon, pear cider, and fresh pairs are a sipper you'll savor. Show off your bartending skills with this cocktail recipe that calls for two homemade simple syrups. 07 of 20 Roasted Pears Hector Sanchez Recipe: Roasted Pears Roasted Pears come together in just 20 minutes to delicious effect. These tender, caramelized pears were developed with our Acadian Syrup Cake, but they're delicious atop classic pound cake, plain vanilla ice cream, or even French toast at brunch. 08 of 20 Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter This recipe makes 16 jars of beautiful fruit butter, so you can give it as gifts to friends and new neighbors alike. Don't worry, you'll still have leftovers to enjoy for yourself on biscuits or with charcuterie. 09 of 20 Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear Ralph Anderson Recipe: Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear This salty, sweet, and absolutely beautiful appetizer has just the right blend of flavors in each bite. A drizzle of honey pulls the whole dish together. 10 of 20 Pear Pie Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pear Pie Set aside your apple pie recipe card in favor of this game-changing spiced dessert. Like many Southern dessert recipes, Pear Pie benefits from the addition of a splash of bourbon. 11 of 20 Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Apple-and-Pear Cornmeal Galette Making this rustic fall dessert is easier than fussing with pie crust. Plus, you can make this galette ahead of time and reheat it a few minutes before serving to help you out when hosting. 12 of 20 Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies Tart cranberries and sweet, tender pears are a match made in fall dessert heaven. The mini pies areas adorable as they are delicious, and the recipe makes serving oh-so-simple. 13 of 20 Poached Pears with Vanilla Custard Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Poached Pears with Vanilla Custard Sauce Pears don't always get the attention they deserve, but this recipe gives them the royal treatment. If you want to serve a fall dessert that will make your guests feel like they're at a fancy restaurant, these gorgeous poached pears will do the trick. 14 of 20 Dark Chocolate-Pear Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Dark Chocolate-Pear Cake Our Test Kitchen calls this fudgy cast-iron skillet dessert a "brownie cake" because of its crisp crust and gooey center. A dessert so decadent that shows off one of the most underrated fall fruits is everything we want and more. 15 of 20 Pear-Plum Tartlets Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Pear-Plum Tartlets How cute are these? Since they're delicious served warm or at room temperature, these tartlets are a great make-ahead breakfast or dessert option for the busy fall season. 16 of 20 Caramel Apple-Pear Pie Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Caramel Apple-Pear Pie Caramel and apples are one of our favorite fall pairings, and the addition of pears only amplifies the delicious combination of flavors. While the apples deliver that well-loved crunch, the addition of pears brings an unmatched tenderness to the table. 17 of 20 Maple-Pecan-Pear Cheesecake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Maple-Pecan-Pear Cheesecake Pears star in the cheesecake filling and topping for this recipe. This way, you don't get a shortage of fall flavor in this photo-worthy dessert recipe. 18 of 20 Brown Sugar Baked Pears Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Brown Sugar Baked Pears If you don't have time for an intricate layer cake this holiday season, don't stress. These beautiful baked pears take just 10 minutes of hands-on time but are full of fall flavor. 19 of 20 Pear-and-Brie Puff Pastry Tarts Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pear-and-Brie Puff Pastry Tarts Meet your new favorite holiday appetizer. These pretty little tarts are best served warm, so plan on popping them in the oven about 20 minutes before friends and family arrive. 20 of 20 Simplest Pear Tart Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Simplest Pear Tart First-time Thanksgiving hosts or novice bakers will love this easy but elegant dessert for the season. Simple to prepare and ready in just 45 minutes, this treat will impress no matter your skill level. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit