The truth is, for me, that dessert has never been about fruit. My ideal dessert centers around richness, carbohydrates, and chocolate. But after 5 busy, fairly stressful weeks in Cleveland helping my dad care for my mom during which I comforted and indulged myself with nearly daily lattes at Starbucks, chocolate bars, and the occasional “fourth meal,” I needed to dial things back just a tad when I returned to Oklahoma. (In my defense, I took long walks in the mornings, squeezed in some workouts, and took yoga classes several times a week – balance, right?) Effortless also sounded pretty good, so when I saw the beautiful d’Anjou pears Kel had bought the idea of simple baked pears for a quick post-dinner dessert sounded exactly right.
With a minimum of ingredients and very little fuss, these pears bake while you prepare and eat dinner. They would also be delicious served over hearty steel-cut oats or other grain (or solo) for a comforting winter breakfast. I’ve made this recipe several times since getting back home – and barely miss the chocolate bars!
Simple Vegan Baked Pears
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40
Description
So simple yet so sophisticated. Less than 10 minutes of “work” time yields a healthy, pretty, fruit-based dessert – or breakfast treat.
Ingredients
- 2 large d’Anjou (red) pears
- 1/4 cup water or apple juice
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- pinch ground cinnamon
- pinch ground ginger
- pinch allspice
- 4 Medjool dates, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Put 1/4 cup water or juice in a square baking dish.
- Cut the pears in half and carefully scoop out the seeds, making a deep bowl. You can use a melon baller, but a small spoon works just as well.
- In a small bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, dates, and maple syrup and stir to combine. Divide the mixture between the pears. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Test the pears for tenderness with the tip of a knife. If the flesh is still firm, continue to bake, covered until tender.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- It (almost) goes without saying that this dessert would taste extra luscious with coconut whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream. Or grate a little orange zest on top just before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 356
- Sugar: 66
- Sodium: 7
- Fat: 1
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 92
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 0
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Looks just beautiful 🙂
Thank you!
Love pears so much! And just like apples, I’ve never baked pears or really any fruit :O
I hadn’t either! I always thought, meh, but baking really brings out extra yumminess in the pears. Apples didn’t work so well for me using the same method. Maybe it was the variety…
I think pears were made for cinnamon and oats. I have such a hard time getting them to ripen well that I’m really ready to eat them once they get that sweet, soft texture and, like your’s here, melt in your mouth with rich spices and the crunch of warm oats. This is made for cold weather meals and I love the idea of a cold, mildly sweet coconut cream along side….heavenly 😉
I love pears, but so often they go from hard as rock to mushy as they are “ripening” in my fruit bowl! Baking them is a pretty darn good solution since even hard pears bake into soft deliciousness.
I was just thinking about you the other day!! Glad to see you pop in with a delicious recipe! I often prefer simple, and this is a good one!
Lovely!
Thanks, Susan!
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Love your blog! The pictures, text, all of it! Nice job. And those pears look amazing!!!!
You made my day – thanks :-)!
These pears look so comforting, simple, and delicious <3 I'll have to keep this in mind for the next chilly day!
I love how easy they are to make, too. I make a batch almost every week because my husband loves them so much :-).