Pear Muffins

These pear muffins are light, airy, not too sweet, have an amazing crumb, and are full of flavor, (and fruit!) They are the perfect addition to brunch, or an anytime-snack.

These rather healthy pear muffins are delectable and guilt-free—there’s full cup of yogurt, no butter, chock full of fruit and are low in sugar.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I was gifted pears from Melissa’s Produce under no obligation to use them in a recipe. I only promote ingredients and products I use and love.

This pear muffin recipe was originally born from a plum muffin recipe my Aunt Concetta (Christina’s cousin) found from the UK-based grocery store, Waitrose. She could not say more about a seemingly simple muffin, and I’m so glad she didn’t hold back.

Pumpkin banana muffins are a great breakfast option during autumn!

Since trying and slightly tweaking the original, my mom and I have made nearly a dozen different variations of these muffins. Cranberry-orange muffins are perfect for autumn, while raspberry and strawberry muffins delight in the spring and summer. There’s always an occasion to have a batch of these muffins on hand!

This fruit muffin recipe has been tested so many times, and each variation has turned out wonderfully. After using the same blueberry muffin recipe for years, I switched to this yogurt-based version of classic blueberry muffins overnight.

What Pears are Best for Muffins?

For this pear muffin recipe, you will have best results if you use medium-ripe pears. If the pears are too soft, they may create a batter that is too runny, and underripe pears will be too hard.

Any variety of pear should work, for example D’Anjou, Bosc, Bartlett and Forelle. I make an exception for Asian pears (or apple pears.) I have not tried these and wouldn’t recommend them as they are very crisp.

Can I Freeze Pear Muffins?

These pear muffins freeze beautifully and they will still taste fresh-out-of-the-oven when warmed before serving. Be sure to freeze in airtight containers, and don’t keep for longer than a month for best results.

You can make the pear muffin recipe in a loaf tin, or make 12 small muffins. Both will freeze well!

Pear Muffins

adapted from a Waitrose recipe            makes 8 large muffins or 12 regular muffins

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• sugar
• eggs
• olive oil
• fresh pears
• yogurt
• Demerara sugar (Sugar in the Raw), or Swedish or Belgian Pearl Sugar (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC)

Wash, peel, core and cut the pears into chunks (as large or small as you want them in your muffins.) Set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.

In a separate bowl, or measuring jug, whisk together: eggs, olive oil, and yogurt until smooth.

Combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture until just combined. Do NOT OVER MIX as it will make the muffins dense.

Add the pieces of pear. Stir gently until the fruit is evenly incorporated, but remember, do not over mix.

Fill the muffin cups. I use pieces of parchment paper when I use my large tray.

If desired, sprinkle with a little raw sugar (Demerara or Swedish pearl sugar) for a crunchy top. Bake the pear muffins for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden in color and a skewer comes out clean.

Remove them from the oven, and pan, and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes or longer.

Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.

Have a lot of pears? Try my honey pear cake, pear cake (using whole pears!), and pear crumble.

NOTE: you’ll see standard US and metric measurements below the ingredients header in the printable recipe card which you can click to change. I always recommend using a scale for best results.

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