Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Quick and Easy Caramelized Pears 4.1 (18) This 15-minute recipe transforms pears into a luscious dessert. Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe These caramelized pears are the ultimate easy autumn dessert. Tender, golden, and saucy, they’re excellent served alongside vanilla ice cream and are out of this world when made with fragrant, peak-season Anjou or Bartlett pears. Besides the fruit, you’ll need basic fridge and pantry ingredients like butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. And if the thought of caramelizing sounds daunting, rest assured it’s not: You’re simply frying the pears in butter until lightly browned, then stirring in sugar and a little water. Turn the pears a few times while the sauce thickens, then serve warm. Elegant and fuss-free, these caramelized pears are a must-make. 4 Ways to Cut a Pear Like a Pro Credit: Jason Donnelly The Best Pears for This Recipe You'll get the best results by caramelizing a firm yet juicy variety like Bartlett, Anjou, or Bosc. These pears will hold their shape well when cooked, becoming just tender enough and not mushy. Save more delicate pears like Comice and Starkrimson for eating raw, and use ultra crisp and crunchy varieties like Forelle and Asian pears for snacking or salads. What's a Pinch? While a "pinch of salt" varies in measurement from cook to cook, it's usually defined as 1/16 of a teaspoon. 3 Tips for Making Caramelized Pears Don't prep too early: Just like apples, pears oxidize—or turn brown—when cut or peeled, so don't slice and core them too early. Use the right pan: To ensure you'll be able to fit all of the pear quarters, use a large skillet that's about 12 inches in diameter. A stainless or cast-iron pan will result in the best browning, so keep the nonstick option on the shelf for this recipe. Adjust your heat: Adding the pears to a hot pan—medium-high heat, to be exact—will help them brown upon contact, but you'll want to reduce it to medium as soon as they're all in there. Otherwise, you'll risk the butter burning, which give the fruit an off, acrid taste. Directions Credit: Jason Donnelly Cook pears cut-side down; turn and cook: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Credit: Jason Donnelly Add sugar and water; turn pears and cook sauce: Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream. Credit: Jason Donnelly How to Serve Caramelized Pears We love serving these saucy pears warm alongside a scoop of ice cream—try vanilla or even butter pecan—though a dollop of freshly whipped cream would also make an excellent accompaniment. For a touch of crunch, add a buttery sablé cookie or our crisp almond biscotti, or serve them atop a slice of pound cake for an even more substantial dessert. Storing and Using Up Leftovers If you find yourself with leftover caramelized pears (lucky you!), refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Try mincing and stirring them into yogurt or overnight oats, serving them on pancakes or waffles, or adding them, coarsely chopped, to a cheese or charcuterie board. 5 More Recipes With Pears to Try Pear Tarte Tatin Easy Poached Pears Pear Crisp Mini Pear Bettys Oven-Dried Pears Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.