Cinnamon Poached Pears

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Cinnamon Poached Pears are a sweet and spicy side dish or treat! Flavored with cinnamon, fresh ginger, mandarin oranges, and coconut sugar, this simple-yet-decadent recipe is perfect for the holidays or because it’s a day of the week ending in day! {Paleo and Vegan-friendly}

There are some recipes that evoke the feeling of a warm hug, no matter the time of year or under what circumstances they are made. And Cinnamon Poached Pears are just such a recipe. Full of warming spices and maple-y flavors, this gluten-free fruit recipe is perfect as a dessert, warm appetizer, side dish, or main course starter.

It doesn’t hurt that they are gorgeous, too! If you eat with your eyes, then you’ll love this recipe. In fact, these pears could easily stand in as a breakfast, rather than a dessert. However you choose to serve them, you can’t go wrong! Just ask the second born. She enjoys these as an after-school snack.

Poached Cinnamon Pears are festive, flavorful, and practical! Nothing from the recipe needs to go to waste! The juices that collect during the simmering process become a delicious mulled cider while the pear peels become a delicious base for a pear peel tea! And much as your eyes will feast on what’s in front of them, so too will your nose. As Cinnamon Poached Pears cook, they’ll emit a heartwarming scent that crescendos as the cook time progresses. 

Grab a slow cooker and let’s make this! 

Cinnamon Poached Pears ingredients

• Pears. I like Anjou, but whatever your local grocery store has should do just fine. I peel the pears and then save the peels to make a pear version of Apple Peel Tea.
• Water. Seems obvious to list here, but you can decide how much to add based on the depth of your slow cooker and how much liquid you want leftover for your mulled cider. More water will yield more cider but may dilute the flavor (unless you add more warming spices and coconut sugar). For this recipe I work with 4-5 cups of water so the pears are partially submerged during the cook process.
• Mandarin oranges. I love these because they are sweet and small enough to tuck in alongside the other ingredients in the slow cooker.
• Cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger. You can use ground spices, but the simmering process is ideal for gradually extracting the spices’ flavors without turning the juices gritty.
• Coconut sugar. This sweetener dissolves easily in the liquid as it warms up, and the maple-like flavor is a perfect complement to the sweet and warm spice flavors in the recipe.
• Mix-ins: Two apples to flavor the water, along with a handful of fresh cranberries and pomegranate arils. They provide an incredible balance of sweet and tart flavors, which is unbelievably decadent.

How to make Cinnamon Poached Pears

Not all slow cookers are the same size. If yours is large enough to hold more than four pears, alongside the other ingredients, then go for it. And if your slow cooker is smaller, then omit an apple and/or mandarin orange.

1. Set a slow cooker to four hours and add the water, peeled pears, mandarin oranges, sliced apples, cinnamon sticks, ginger rounds, and coconut sugar. Let cook for two hours and then turn each pear over. Add the fresh cranberries and pomegranate arils. Replace the lid and let cook the remaining two hours.
2. When the four hours are complete, remove the lid and let the pears cool enough to remove them from the slow cooker. Place them on a serving dish or on individual plates.
3. From the cider that collected at the bottom of the slow cooker, drizzle some over each pear and pour the rest through a mesh strainer into a deep mixing bowl or large measuring cup. Discard the ingredients that collected in the strainer, including the apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks, ginger rounds, cranberries, and pomegranate arils.
4. Serve the mulled cider in heat-proof mugs. Add a sprinkle of coconut sugar or a drizzle of 100% pure honey or 100% pure maple syrup to the cider, if desired.
5. Serve the pears immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for about 24-48 hours.

Side note: For softer Cinnamon Poached Pears, once the cook time is complete, turn the slow cooker off. Then leave the Cinnamon Poached Pears in place, covered, to continue softening in the hot liquid. I have left them for another 1-2 hours once the slow cooker is turned off with great success. 

Pear Peel Tea

Rather than throw away the pear peels, add them to a small saucepan, along with about 5 cups of water, a few tablespoons of coconut sugar, about three whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick. Simmer on LOW for about an hour, then pour through a mesh strainer into a mixing bowl or measuring cup, transfer to a heat-proof mug, and enjoy. Sweeten as desired. Use this Apple Peel Tea recipe for inspiration.

Recipe variations

• Add rum. If you would like to make this a dessert shared by the over-21s, then add a splash of rum to the slow cooker liquid. I would do this just as the cook time is done and then let everything sit for a few minutes so the flavors have a chance to blend together. This way you don’t “bake out” the flavor by overcooking it.
• Serve over granola. You can turn this into a more substantive dessert or even a breakfast recipe by how you serve it. Granola, quinoa, or oatmeal are all delicious options!

More festive eats!

These Cinnamon Poached Pears aren’t the only comforting recipe to enjoy during cooler weather! I highly suggest tucking the following recipes away, too.

• Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips
• Apple Peel Tea
• Paleo Cinnamon Apple Crisp

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. I’m glad you’re here! 🩷

Cinnamon Poached Pears

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Cinnamon Poached Pears are a sweet and spicy side dish or treat! Flavored with cinnamon, fresh ginger, mandarin oranges, and coconut sugar, this simple-yet-decadent recipe is perfect for the holidays or because it’s a day of the week ending in day! {Paleo and Vegan-friendly}

• Author: Spirited and then Some
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 pears 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 cups water
• 4 pears, peeled
• 2 apples (any color), sliced and skins left on
• 3 mandarin oranges, peeled
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 pieces (or rounds) of fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (more or less as desired)
• Handful or two of fresh cranberries, optional
• 1/2 – 1 cup pomegranate arils, optional

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Instructions

1. Set a slow cooker to four hours and add the water, peeled pears, mandarin oranges, sliced apples, cinnamon sticks, ginger rounds, and coconut sugar. Let cook for two hours and then turn each pear over. Add the fresh cranberries and pomegranate arils. Replace the lid and let cook the remaining two hours.
2. When the four hours are complete, remove the lid and let the pears cool enough to remove them from the slow cooker. Place them on a serving dish or on individual plates.  
3. From the cider that collected at the bottom of the slow cooker, drizzle some over each pear and pour the rest through a mesh strainer into a deep mixing bowl or large measuring cup. Discard the ingredients that collected in the strainer, including the apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks, ginger rounds, cranberries, and pomegranate arils.
4. Serve the mulled cider in heat-proof mugs. Add a sprinkle of coconut sugar or a drizzle of 100% pure honey or 100% pure maple syrup to the cider, if desired.
5. Serve the pears immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for about 24-48 hours.

Notes

• For softer Cinnamon Poached Pears, once the cook time is complete, turn the slow cooker off. Then leave the Poached Cinnamon Pears in place, covered, to continue softening in the hot liquid. I have left them for another 1-2 hours once the slow cooker is turned off. 
• Add rum. If you would like to make this a dessert shared by the over-21s, then add a splash of rum to the slow cooker liquid. I would do this just as the cook time is done and then let everything sit for a few minutes so the flavors have a chance to blend together.  This way you don’t “bake out” the flavor by overcooking it. 
• Serve over granola. You can turn this into a more substantive dessert or even a breakfast recipe by how you serve it. Granola, quinoa, oatmeal are all delicious options! 
• For a paleo version, sweeten with coconut sugar, 1o0% pure maple syrup, or 100% pure honey. For a vegan variation, omit the 100% pure honey option.