Baked Spiced Pears (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

Name: Baked Spiced Pears
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 3 large pears; 3 tbsp coconut sugar ((or brown sugar)); 2 tbsp maple syrup; 1 orange; 1 tbsp coconut oil (melted); 1 tsp cinnamon; ½ tsp ginger; ¼ tsp nutmeg

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This baked spiced pears recipe is the quintessential wintertime dessert! Serve with some whipped cream or your favourite ice cream for dessert or over oatmeal or yoghurt for breakfast. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free!

a closeup view of these delicious baked spiced pears coated in a rich sauce

While I adhere to a fairly strict, mostly vegan and dairy-free diet, I get a sweet tooth like anyone else. And this baked spiced pears recipe is one of my favourite ways to nip that craving in the bud.

Made with warm spices, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, and orange juice, these spiced pears are bursting with comforting flavours reminiscent of apple pie without any of the carbs or refined sugar. This is a gluten-free dessert recipe everyone will love!

Serve these spiced baked pears with some coconut whipped cream or plant-based ice cream to keep them vegan-friendly and dairy-free for dessert. Or, serve over some oatmeal or dairy-free yoghurt for a healthy and flavourful breakfast!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Leftovers
FAQ’s
Recipe

Ingredients

Pears: You’ll need three large pears for this baked spiced pears recipe, but you could decrease or increase that depending on how many people you plan to serve.
Coconut Sugar: I opt for this ingredient over brown sugar to keep the dish refined sugar-free, but you can use the latter if needed.
Pure Maple Syrup: Not pancake syrup! They’re not the same thing. You want 100% pure maple syrup to keep this baked spiced pears recipe flavoured properly and Paleo-friendly.
Orange: The fresh-squeezed orange juice adds bright flavour to these baked pears and helps cut through the sweetness.
Coconut Oil: This is my preferred oil to use for healthy baked desserts because it has a high smoke point and a nice flavour that blends in nicely with other ingredients. It also helps to brown the exposed flesh of the pears nicely as they bake.
Spices: I stuck with classic dry spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for this baked spiced pears recipe.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities.

Instructions

Start by washing your pears, slicing them in half, and removing the seeds with a spoon to create a small well.

chopped pears on wooden chopping board with spoon

Place the pears into a baking dish with the cored side facing up, and top the halves with the coconut sugar, maple syrup, orange juice, melted coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Brush the ingredients over the pears to evenly coat.

pears in baking dish topped with spices, sugar ready to bake in white dish

Next, turn the seasoned pears over so the core side is facing down in the casserole dish. Bake at 180C (fan) 356F for 25 minutes.

pears upside down in white baking dish ready for baking

Remove the baked spiced pears from the oven, turn over so the core side are face up again, baste with the liquid sauce from the dish, and bake again for another 10 minutes.

baked spiced pears basted with sauce with silver spoon

Serve warm as desired, and enjoy! And don’t forget to top with some more of that glorious sauce.

Substitutions

Sugar: You could also use date sugar.
Pears: Not a fan of pears? This recipe would also work well with apples, especially Granny Smith or Honey Crisp.
Maple Syrup: If you don’t have any pure maple syrup handy, then you could also use some pure honey. (Local is best!)

Variations

Sea Salt: Add a tiny pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness before or after baking.
Nuts: Need something crunchy to go with these baked spiced pears? Serve with toasted almond slices, roasted pistachios, chopped pecans, or walnuts!
Alcohol: If you imbibe, you could add a splash of alcohol to this baked spiced pears recipe before baking. Bourbon, brandy, or orange liqueur works best!
Dried Fruit: You could add some dried raisins, cranberries, or currants to these baked spiced pears, if desired. They would work well with the other ingredients, as well as add another textural element.

Equipment

All you need to make this delicious baked spiced pears recipe is a baking dish! Any size will work. Just don’t overcrowd the pears. They need a little room to breathe and brown properly.

overhead view of baked spiced pears in white baking dish

Leftovers

This vegan dessert is best enjoyed hot and fresh, but in the off chance you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind they will likely get a but softer when they’re reheated, so let them come to room temperature beforehand, if time allows.

FAQ’s

When is the best time of year to serve baked spiced pears?

I honestly like to enjoy them year-round, but they’re especially nice in the fall or winter when pears are in season and everyone is craving warm comfort foods made with vibrant spices like the ones used in this recipe. (Think apple pice, but healthier.) This is also a great side dish or dessert to serve for Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter!

Do the pears get too soft when baked?

It’s true that compared to other fruits like apples, pears are a bit on the softer side. But honestly that’s why I love baking them. They almost turn into a pear sauce, similar to apple sauce. The perfect accompaniment to whipped cream or ice cream!

baked spiced pears on plate served with coconut yoghurt and pecans

Are you ready to try this delicious recipe?! I am so excited to hear what you think.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!

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