Sweet, juicy and tender, these Air Fryer Pears are made with only 4 ingredients and take just 15 minutes from start to finish. It's one of the easiest fall desserts you will ever make. Just cut some pears in half, scoop out the seeds, add some melted butter, cinnamon and sugar, and bake in the air fryer. The air fryer quickly bakes the pears until tender and caramelizes the coconut sugar on top. As a bonus, your kitchen will smell totally amazing as these pears are perfectly sweetened and spiced for fall!
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Table of Contents
While it's an impressive and elegant dessert that's so simple to make, I actually love these pears for breakfast with some yogurt and granola.
Details on the ingredients
You need just 4 simple ingredients!
- Pears - This recipe was made with Bartlett pears, but you can also use Bosc or Anjou. You want pears that hold their shape when baked. Look for pears that have smooth skin with no bruising or major blemishes. Bartlett pears tend to soften more when baked, so make sure the pears you're using are just starting to ripen. They should still be slightly green and firm. Once fully ripened, Barletts will be yellow and a bit too soft for the air fryer.
- Butter - To keep this recipe vegan and dairy-free, I used plant-based butter. You can also use dairy butter if you prefer.
- Coconut sugar - This type of sugar creates a caramelized finish on the pears. I like to use it as it's less processed than brown sugar, but you can use brown sugar as a substitute if that's all you have. I don't recommend using white, granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon - Just a sprinkle of ground cinnamon adds a warming spice flavour to these sweet pears.
How to bake pears in the air fryer
Wash your pears and cut them in half lengthwise.
Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seeds.
Brush on the melted butter and sprinkle the coconut sugar and ground cinnamon over the tops.
Place the pear halves cut side up in the air fryer basket.
Air fry on 330F for 9-11 minutes, or until a knife or fork can easily slide through the pears.
Serve with your choice of toppings. This maple granola or honey almond granola are great options, along with a drizzle of maple syrup, caramel sauce or drippy peanut butter. Instead of granola, chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans work well too!
Frequently asked questions
You'll want a variety of pear that holds its shape when baked. I used Bartlett pears, but Bosc or Anjou are good options too. You'll want pears that are firm so they don't fall apart when baked, but not too hard that they don't have any flavour.
While you'll want your pears to be ripe enough so they taste sweet and juicy, you still want them firm so they don't get soft and mushy in the air fryer. Even if your pears are slightly under ripe, they will still work well for this recipe. If using Bartlett pears, like I did, don't wait until they are fully ripened as they'll be too soft to hold their shape when baked.
You can peel them if you prefer, but I find it best to keep the skins on.
Key recipe tips
- Room temperature pears. If your pears are cold, the melted butter will harden on them and the sugar and cinnamon will just rest on top and may blow around the air fryer. You want the sugar and cinnamon to soak into the butter before going in the air fryer.
- Ensure even baking. To make sure the pear halves bake evenly, cut them in even halves.
- Stable pear halves. If the pear halves aren't stable (a little wobbly), just cut a little piece off the back (or the skin side) to help them sit better in the air fryer basket.
- Use firm, ripe pears. You'll want pears that are firm and just about ripened. If they're unripened, they'll be hard. If they're too ripe, they'll get too soft and juicy in the air fryer, and may even fall apart.
- Air frying time. The firmer the pear, the longer it will take to air fry. The riper it is, the quicker it will cook and the softer it will be.
- Air fry in batches. This recipe was made in a 5.8 quart air fryer, which fits 6 pear halves nicely. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to air fry the pears in two batches as you don't want to overlap them.
- Type of air fryer. Air fryer brands can differ, so you may need to adjust the time and temperature slightly. This recipe was tested in a Cosori air fryer.
Recipe substitutions
- Instead of plant-based butter, feel free to use dairy butter (if you don't need the recipe to be vegan or dairy-free).
- For another dairy-free option, try melted coconut oil. Just note it will add a mild coconut flavour to the pears.
- Add a little ground nutmeg or ginger, or use pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon.
- If you don't have coconut sugar, you can use brown sugar instead.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Pears
Ingredients
- 3 firm, ripe pears, (Bartlett, Bosc or Anjou - see notes)
- 1 tablespoon plant-based butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Wash your pears and cut them in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seeds.
- Brush the melted butter on the cut sides and sprinkle the coconut sugar and ground cinnamon over the butter.
- Place the pear halves cut side up in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry on 330F for 9-11 minutes, or until a knife or fork can easily slide through the pears.
- Use tongs to carefully remove from the air fryer basket and serve with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- For the best results, use pears that are just ripened but still firm (not hard). If they're too ripe, they'll get too soft in the air fryer and could fall apart.
- Bartlett pears tend to soften more that Bosc or Anjou when baked, so I suggest using Bartletts that are still slightly green and firm.
- The firmer the pear, the longer it will take to air fry. The riper it is, the quicker it will cook and the softer it will be.
- If the pear halves aren't stable, just cut a little piece off the back to help them sit better in the air fryer basket.
- This recipe was made in a 5.8 quart air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to air fry the pears in two batches.
- Air fryer brands can differ, so you may need to adjust the time and temperature slightly. This recipe was tested in a Cosori air fryer.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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