Stewed Pears with Ginger and cinnamon

These soft and juicy stewed pears spiced with ginger and cinnamon are such an easy and delicious way of cooking pears. Enjoy them as a healthy breakfast with Greek yogurt, or top with a scoop of ice cream and a sprinkling of nuts for a delicious – and not too decadent – dessert.

Jump to:

• What are stewed pears?
• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Ideas for serving these pears
• My recipe tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How to stew pears for baby
• How long will cooked pears keep?
• More easy, healthy breakfast recipes you may like
• Stewed Pears with Ginger and Cinnamon

What are stewed pears?

Chunks of pear are simmered in water, often with spices, until they are tender. In this recipe they are spiced with fresh ginger, ground cinnamon and mixed spice which makes them into something special. Some recipes add sugar, but I feel no added sugar is needed as cooking the pears brings out their natural sweetness.

Stewing pears is a great way of using up an abundance of pears, or those pears that are hard and with little flavour.

Why we love this recipe

• 5 Ingredients.
• It freezes well.
• Such a versatile recipe
• Can serve it warm or cold.
• Great meal prep recipe.

Ingredients

• Pears – Ideally you want them to be ripe but not too soft. They should give slightly when pressed. For my favourite varieties of pear to use in this recipe, see ‘My Recipe Tips’ below or in the ‘Notes’ section under the recipe at the bottom of the page.
• Cinnamon – I use ground cinnamon, but you could add 2.5 cm/ 1″ piece of cinnamon stick and remove after cooking.
• Fresh ginger – you could use a pinch of dried ginger if you must, but if you want fiery ginger flavour with your pears then use fresh ginger.

Ideas for serving these pears

• Sprinkle with roughly chopped nuts or granola for crunch.
• Spoon into granola cups with plain yogurt (Greek or dairy free) for a fun and different breakfast or brunch.
• Serve them warm with a scoop of ice cream and some toasted almonds. The combination of hot pears and cold ice cream is so good!
• Pear crumble: spoon into an oven proof dish, sprinkle with crumble topping and bake.
• Pear Pie: spoon into a baking dish/oven proof dish and top with pastry and bake until golden.

My recipe tips

• Type of pears – I often stew Bartlett pears and Beurre Bosc pears, but have also made this with Corella pears, as in the photos. Use Conference pears and and Comice pears if you are in the UK.
• How long you simmer the pears for depends on how ripe they are and their type. Unripe pears take longer to cook, and you will need a few tablespoons more water.
• I personally love the strong taste of fresh root ginger, and so leave the chunks of ginger quite large. If you are not such a fan, then cut it finely or grate it. If you wanted a mere hint of ginger you could leave the chunks big and take them out just before you want to eat them. (Something I do when serving these pears to kids.)

Frequently Asked Questions

The poached pears are also very toddler friendly: Mini Jones really enjoys them. In fact, there have been a number of occasions when he will finish a bowl – my bowl – whilst my back is turned.

How to stew pears for baby

As there is no sugar or sweetener added in this recipe, they are a great baby led weaning pears recipe – just take out the ginger and cinnamon! Cook as below, until the pear is very tender, then mash well so no lumps remain, or puree until smooth, depending on your babies age. Other baby led weaning pear recipes that we loved (and still make!) are pear rice pudding, pear flapjack, and these pear and banana muffins which are one of the most popular recipes on the blog!

How long will cooked pears keep?

• Fridge: The pears will keep up to three days in a covered container in the fridge.
• Freezer: You can also freeze the pears in individual portions and defrost in the fridge overnight.

More easy, healthy breakfast recipes you may like