Roasted pears with balsamic and honey. Only four ingredients, but such a delight!
Caramelized roasted pears with balsamic and honey, a super easy to make dessert.
I didn’t even plan on making this recipe, it was not something that immediately caught my eye while perusing Silvena Rowe’s cookbook (Amazon affiliate link). It was a perfect fit as I had bought some rather under-ripe pears the day before and I always have butter, honey, and balsamic vinegar in the house.
So yesterday, after we finished lunch (we had these delicious German Meatballs or Königsberger Klopse again) I told my family to give me another half an hour, and then they could have dessert. A pear dessert!
What do you need?
Best pears for baking:
- Slightly underripe and large ones. This recipe is perfect for using those stone-hard pears we all buy from time to time. The roasting process softens them without making them mushy, and the added honey makes them sweeter.
- Don't use very ripe fruit; it will definitely get mushy.
- The best ones for baking would be Bartlett, Anjou, or Bosc. They all retain their shape and flavor when baked or cooked.
Other ingredients: unsalted butter, honey (the clear, runny kind), and balsamic vinegar.
You will also need a cast-iron or another oven-proof heavy-bottomed pan.
How to roast pears?
- I did not change the recipe much; there was not much room for change, and everything was so simple.
- What I did, though, was to reduce the butter quantity; I only used 2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons. I did not miss the extra butter at all; the pears were perfectly delicious with less butter.
- Use unsalted butter.
- And I only used 1 heaped teaspoon of honey per half a pear because I was not in the mood to measure half a cup of honey.
Steps:
- Preheat the oven.
- Halve and core the fruit carefully, but leave the peel on.
- Melt the butter in the pan.
- Place the pears with the cut side facing down in the pan and saute them for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to the hot oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Flip in the pan, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and roast for further 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle each half with honey, and let rest for a few minutes.
- You can garnish with a small thyme sprig, but that is not mandatory. It just looks nice.
Variations:
- Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or almonds before drizzling with honey. The caramelized, roasted nuts really add lots of flavor. About 1 teaspoon per pear half should be fine.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
How to serve baked pears?
- Serve warm with some of the pan juices and more honey, if you wish.
- You can also add a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top or on the side.
- Drizzle with Greek yogurt or serve with strained yogurt.
What to do with leftovers?
- You will probably not have any, but just in case.
- Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- I chop the leftovers and serve them over oatmeal, porridge, or muesli.
- They are not suitable for freezing.
We all love these simple caramelized pears; there is no doubt about that; roasted fruit is something so easy to make, yet so delicious.
I do have my fun roasting fruit, just have a look at these Honey Pears with Greek Yogurt or these Roasted Cherries with Strained Yogurt, but each time I make roasted fruit, I think I actually don't do it often enough. Roasting fruit is one of the easiest to make and healthiest desserts I can think of. Or try the Stewed Pears; you will love their scent and flavor!
And how about trying roasted pears in a savory way?
More quick desserts
Roasted Pears with Balsamic and Honey
Ingredients
- 2 pears large slightly underripe
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar good quality
- 4 teaspoons runny honey or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Halve and core the pears. Don't peel them.
- Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet or another heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pan.
- Cook: Add the pears, the cut side facing down, and saute them for two minutes on the stove.
- Roast: Place the pan in the oven and roast the pears for 20 minutes.
- Flip the pear halves and drizzle the balsamic vinegar on the pears. Continue roasting for further 5 minutes.
- Drizzle: Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle each pear with some honey and let the pears rest for another few minutes.
- Serve warm with some of the pan juices and more honey, if you wish.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
wow they look beautifully caramelized and so good!
Kathy@Beyond the Chicken Coop says
The caramelization is perfect! I love how simple, yet how elegant this is. Beautiful pictures! 🙂
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
Oh, these pears look absolutely heavenly, Adina! I need to put them on my holiday list!
Marvellina|What To Cook Today says
I Love the combination of balsamic vinegar and honey. We have unsweetened Chinese black vinegar that when I sweetened with sugar or honey, tastes pretty similar to balsamic vinegar, which I love
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
These pears are roasted and caramelized to perfection, Adina! It's a perfect dessert for a chilly night. I've got to try it!
Chris Scheuer says
These look wonderful, I just happen to have a big bowl of pears! I hope those little people didn't have to wait for you to get pictures before they enjoyed their dessert 🙂
Brie says
Adina, these pears look heavenly and I LOVE how easy they are! You can't go wrong with balsamic and honey, I bet they'd taste great with some crumbled blue cheese and nuts too though I doubt your daughter would still let me call them dessert 🙂
grace says
how delicious! that glaze is so shiny and those flavors are so appealing!
Anca says
Wow, they look delicious. I would love to try them. The glaze looks so shiny and pretty.
Joan Smith says
Great recipe, I'm thinking of making it for Thanksgiving. When are the pears turned cut side up? Before they're put in the oven? Before adding the vinegar? Before the honey?
Adina says
Hi Joan. Before the balsamic.
mjskitchen says
I've done something similar with peaches, but never with pears. These look quite scrumptious!
monique van munster says
nice! but I have a problem with your website... the social buttons are covering the text, so it's not easy to read...
Adina says
on mobile?
Kate says
I've noticed the same thing (on my laptop).
DCarre says
@Adina, yes it hasn't changed and we are now in 2022. Could you please check it out yourself? I would be happy to send you a print screen. It would make your already appealing site that much better.
Adina Beck says
@DCarre, Hi. A screen shot would be great, thank you. I can't see it myself, I could send that to the people provinding the share buttons. ä
Esther says
I assume you flip the pears to cut side up when they go into the oven?
Adina says
No, but you can flip them halfway through if you feel they are getting too brown on one side. Depends on your oven.
Susie says
Could I do these ahead of time.
Adina says
I have never done it. You can try roasting them for the first 20 minutes. Before serving drizzle with balsamic and heat for another 10 minutes or until heated through.
Juan Maciel says
Those look amazing, probably would be great with a side of vanilla ice cream
Adina says
Thank you, Juan. Vanilla ice cream would be great!
mjskitchen says
These look fabulous! We're getting some great pears this season, so I'll have to pick some up next time I hit the market because I can already taste how good these are going to be. Can't wait!
No Name says
Your site was very difficult and frustrating to navigate. You don't have a jump to recipe, so you have to scroll down, through tons of advertisements!! If I hadn't committed to having roasted pears, I would have given up the first time on your site.
Antoinette says
So delicious and so easy to prepare too. I’ve made this dish a couple of times as an after dinner treat and loved it!
Adina says
I am so happy to hear it, Antoinette. Thank you for the feedback.
Louise Pare says
Delicious with some added lavender goat cheese.
Adina says
Sounds great!
ZD says
Delicious! I tried the recipe yesterday with some pears a friend gave me. They did not turn out that caramelized as on the picture though. They tested much better warm than cold.
Jane says
I was not successful following this recipe. I kept increasing the temperature of the oven until it was up to 375. Then roasted for over an hour. I used Saratoga fig balsamic vinegar and raw honey. Dropped A spoonful of fresh homemade yogurt on top and sprinkled about a teaspoon of granola on top, plus some of the pan juices. Delicious!
Adina says
I am happy it worked out in the end. I suppose it depends on the oven and maybe on the ripeness of the fruit.
Me says
@Jane,
375c would be over 700f. Are you sure you didn’t put them at 200c instead of 400f ?
StelladeSeine says
I used real maple syrup instead of honey and yum!
Adina says
It sounds great, I am glad you liked the pears.
Lori says
Left off honey - I love the natural sweetness of fruit. Used dairy free butter in a bit greater amount and cherry infused balsamic. I sprinkled cinnamon on them and served with dairy free whipped cream. Was sooooo good. Next time, I’ll likely add crushed walnuts.