Air Fryer Pears

It started when my aunt asked me to bring roasted pears to a Thanksgiving party, so anyone who wanted a gluten-free dessert would have one. They were such a hit, I can’t even tell you! Guests told their friends, and soon people I had never met were calling me for the recipe.

Since then they’ve shown up at women’s groups, family gatherings, and holiday dinners. I make them every fall, at the first whisper of pear season. They turned into my roasted pear pavlova, and now these air fryer pears. My air fryer is a big one, so I can make eight at a time.

The low heat keeps the pears from breaking down into mush, while the sugar turns them translucent and truly candied. Serve them with honey Greek yogurt or whipped cream, and sprinkle crushed candied pecans over the top for a real fall dessert. And they’re naturally gluten-free.

Air Fryer Pears Recipe

Whole pears and some sugar roast low and slow on your counter, then stand up for a short hot finish to color them. The caramel collects in a foil liner, so none of it ends up stuck to your air fryer.

Which Air Fryer Is Best for Pears?

Whole pears need room around and above them, so check the height as well as the width. A basket air fryer of 6 quarts or more fits a few pears at once; an oven-style air fryer with a tray fits a whole batch lying on their sides.

I roast mine in a Nuwave combi steam oven, which has room for a whole batch. The 8-quart Gourmia air fryer is a cheaper basket option that works too. The rest of the small appliances I use are in my Amazon shop.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Pears

Pears, sugar, a little water, and an optional warm spice. Amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom.

• Pears: large, firm Bosc or Anjou. They hold their shape over the long roast, and big ones still look generous after they shrink.
• Granulated sugar: it melts into the pear juice and becomes the caramel. Light brown sugar works too and tastes deeper.
• Water: it loosens the caramel near the end so it doesn’t burn.
• Cinnamon (optional): a warm fall flavor. Cardamom or nutmeg work too.

How to Make Air Fryer Pears

Step-by-step, with photos. Make the liner first, since the caramel needs somewhere to pool. After that, it’s mostly spooning syrup over the pears.

1. Make a foil liner – shape aluminum foil into a container with 1-inch sides that fits your basket or tray, then line it with parchment paper. Keep it just big enough for the pears, or the juices spread thin and burn.
2. Peel and core – peel the pears with a vegetable peeler and core them from the bottom with a melon baller, so the tops stay closed. Leave the stems on; they give you a handle for turning.
3. Lay them down and sugar – lay the pears on their sides in the liner, as many as your air fryer fits, and sprinkle sugar over the side facing up. If you’re using cinnamon, mix it into the sugar first so it melts into the caramel instead of scorching.
   
   How many pears fit?

   However many lie on their sides in the liner without crowding it. Eight fit on the tray of my 16-quart Nuwave, and a smaller air fryer takes three or four. Use the servings slider in the recipe card to scale the sugar to your pear count.

   

4. Air fry at 325°F (165°C) – for 30 minutes, sprinkling more sugar over the same side at 20 minutes.
5. Turn and sugar – at 30 minutes, turn the pears over onto their other side with a soft silicone spatula and sprinkle sugar over the side now facing up. Go gently, because they bruise easily by now.
   
   Why a silicone spatula?

   By now the pears are tender. A soft silicone spatula slides under them without cutting in the way a metal spoon can. Mine is this OXO cookie spatula.
6. Baste every 10 minutes – once syrup collects in the liner, tilt the basket gently to one side so the caramel pools without spilling, then spoon it over the pears to glaze them. They’re done when they’re deep amber and a skewer slides in easily. Go by how they look, not the clock; mine took about 1 hour 40 minutes.
   

   

7. Loosen the caramel – if it gets dark and thick, add a splash of water to the liner and spoon it over the pears.
8. Finish at 400°F (200°C) – now stand the pears up and air fry for 4 to 5 minutes to color the shoulders. They bake lying down the whole time until this point. Watch closely, because this is when they can burn.
   

   

Marina’s Pro Tips for theBest Air Fryer Pears

These keep the caramel in the liner and the pears in one piece.

• Wall in the caramel. Foil sides hold the juices in, and parchment on top keeps the caramel from sticking or seeping through a tear.
• Buy large pears. Whole pears lose a lot of size as they roast.
• Turn them once. Every turn risks a bruise, and basting colors them evenly without moving them.

How to Serve Air Fryer Pears

Stand them on something cold and creamy and spoon the caramel from the liner over the top.

• Vanilla chantilly cream: heavy cream whipped with a little sugar and vanilla.
• Greek honey yogurt: thick Greek yogurt stirred with honey. The tang balances the caramel.
• Vanilla ice cream: warm pears, with the ice cream melting into the syrup.
• Pavlova: the way I serve them on my roasted pear pavlova.
• Candied pecans: crushed and sprinkled over the top for crunch.
• Oatmeal: sliced over oatmeal with a spoonful of the syrup.

More Pear Recipes to Try

Baked Pears

The oven version: halved pears baked in brown sugar and butter. →

Roasted Pear Pavlova

These same whole pears on a crisp pavlova with pear compote. →

Pear Frangipane Tart

Sliced pears baked into almond cream in a buttery tart shell. →

Poached Pears

Whole pears simmered in a vanilla and amaretto syrup. →

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Air Fryer Pears

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Air fryer pears roast whole in their own caramel until deep amber and glossy. Just pears and sugar, and they look like they came from a pastry shop.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Course: Dessert

Calories: 209 kcal

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 5 pears

Ingredients

• 5 large firm pears Bosc or Anjou - buy large, they shrink as they roast (Note 1)
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar for sprinkling, or light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
• 1 tsp (3 g) ground cinnamon optional, or cardamom or nutmeg

Equipment: The pans and tools I use are in my Amazon shop.

Instructions

1. Make a foil liner. Shape foil into a container with 1-inch sides that fits your air fryer basket or tray, then line it with parchment paper. Keep it just big enough for the pears (Note 2).

2. Peel and core. Peel 5 large firm pears with a vegetable peeler and core them from the bottom with a melon baller. Leave the stems on.

3. Lay them down and sugar. Lay the pears on their sides in the liner, as many as your air fryer fits. Mix ½ cup granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, if using, and sprinkle about a third over the side facing up.

4. Air fry at 325°F (165°C) for 30 minutes, sprinkling another third of the sugar over the same side at 20 minutes.

5. Turn and sugar. At 30 minutes, turn the pears over onto their other side with a soft silicone spatula, like this OXO cookie spatula, and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the side now facing up. They bruise easily by now.

6. Baste every 10 minutes once syrup collects in the liner. Tilt the basket slightly so the caramel pools to one side, without spilling it, and spoon it over the pears. They're done when they're deep amber and a skewer slides in easily. Go by how they look, not the clock (Note 3).

7. Loosen the caramel. If it gets dark and thick, add 2 Tbsp water to the liner and spoon it over the pears.

8. Finish at 400°F (200°C). Now stand the pears up and air fry for 4 to 5 minutes to color the shoulders. Watch closely, because this is when they can burn.

Recipe Notes

1. Pears: Firm Bosc or Anjou hold their shape over the long roast. Soft, ripe pears like Bartlett fall apart.

2. Liner: Spread out, the juices evaporate and there is not enough syrup for the caramel. A snug liner keeps it pooled around the pears.

3. Timing: Air fryers vary, so go by how the pears look rather than the clock. Mine took about 1 hour 40 minutes at 325°F (165°C), then 4 to 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

4. Serving: Stand them on cold vanilla chantilly cream or Greek honey yogurt and spoon the caramel over the top.

5. Make-ahead: Roast them a day ahead and chill them in their syrup. Serve cold, or rewarm before dessert.

6. Storage: Keep them in their syrup in the fridge for up to 4 days. Rewarm in the air fryer at 325°F (165°C) for 5 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Pears

Amount Per Serving (1 pear)

Calories 209 Calories from Fat 3

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.3g0%

Sodium 2mg0%

Potassium 267mg8%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 42g47%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 21mg2%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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