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Home / Breakfast

Delicious and Easy Pear Muffins

By 30 Comments

These Pear Muffins are a delicious go-to breakfast or snack recipe. Especially in the summer and fall when pears are a-plenty at the grocery store. Read on to see what pears work best and how to make these muffins perfect every time!

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Pear muffins with pecan streudel or crumb topping. Delicious and moist recipe

Pear Muffin Ingredients

For the muffin

  • All-Purpose Flour — Use the spoon and level method for proper measurements.
  • Ground Cinnamon — Such a delightfully warm counterpart to the sweet pears.
  • Pinch Nutmeg — A pinch is the amount you can get between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Baking Powder & Soda — Gives the perfect amount of rise to help lift those heavy pears.
  • Large Eggs — Always at room temperature. See below for a tip on getting it to room temperature quick.
  • Honey — Our favorite way to sweeten muffins, like in our Healthy Banana Muffin Recipe.
  • Coconut Oil — Melted and cooled to room temperature. This can be replaced with vegetable oil or butter if you prefer.
  • Plain Yogurt — Again, be sure it is close to room temperature and see below for a tip to get it warmed quick.
  • Vanilla Extract — Plenty of good vanilla extract lends a delicious flavor to muffins.
  • Chopped Pears — Cut into about ½" pieces. No need to peel pears because the skin is very soft and will get even softer when baked. See below for the best kinds of pears to bake with.

how to get room temperature ingredients — fast!

Eggs — speed up the process of getting eggs to room temperature by dropping them gently into a bowl or cup full of hot water (not boiling) and let sit 5 minutes. Done!

Yogurt or Milk — To get yogurt to room temperature quickly, simple place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power in 15 second intervals, stirring each time.

Butter — the best way to soften butter to room temperature is to get a tall glass and fill with hot water. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the glass is hot. Empty the water and turn the glass upside down over the wrapped butter. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. this will gently warm the butter through to the center.

Ingredients for Muffin Crumble Topping

This topping is not necessary, however it elevates this muffin recipe to a sweet morning or evening treat.

  • All-Purpose Flour or Gluten Free Flour Blend
  • Light Brown Sugar
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Cold Butter — chopped into small pieces
  • Optional Chopped Pecans
Pear Muffins and delicious pears.

What kind of pears work best for baking?

According to Good Housekeeping Anjou and Bosc pears work best for baking. They hold their shape well and are easier to peel (although we feel that peeling is unnecessary for this recipe). We like to use Anjou pears in these pear muffins because they're readily available and go on sale at the beginning of summer, plus they taste fantastic fresh or baked!

Dietary Restrictions? Try these easy recipe adjustments!

Gluten Free

If you're gluten free or making these for someone gluten sensitive, simply replace 1:1 with King Arthur Flour's Measure for Measure. You can read here about why Measure for Measure is my favorite.

Egg Free

Easily replace the eggs with my favorite flax seed and water substitute. 1 tablespoon flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoon of water for each egg. Whisk until the texture becomes "egg-like". See the egg replacement chart here at my Vegan Vanilla Baked Donut recipe.

Vegan Option

Replace the eggs with the flax seed mix mentioned above. The yogurt helps these pear muffins retain moisture and can easily be replaced with a nut-based yogurt. There are so many options available now. If you can only find flavored vegan yogurt, get vanilla, it will barely adjust the flavor.

The honey can be replaced with maple syrup or even just granulated sugar (make sure to get vegan granulated sugar though). The butter in the crumb topping can be replaced with any vegan butter substitute or chilled coconut oil.

Pear muffins with pecan streudel or crumb topping. Delicious and moist recipe

How to make extra large bakery-style muffins

It's really easy to make these muffins like the ones you get at a bakery — big enough for a filling breakfast. Try using these 6 cup muffin pans and scoop batter evenly between all 6 cups. Increase the bake time to 425 degrees F for 8 minutes and 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, checking center for doneness with a toothpick or fork.

I suggest topping these muffins with a teaspoon of sugar or coarse sugar to give them that beautiful top with a slight crisp. So yummy!

Pear muffins with pecan streudel or crumb topping. Delicious and moist recipe

Tips for How to make perfect Pear Muffins

  • First, chop those pears up nice and small. The perfect size is about ¼" square. Any larger and they start to weigh down the muffin and it has trouble rising.
  • Mix your chopped pears in with your flour mixture to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
  • Always gently fold dry ingredients into wet to keep your muffin texture soft. Over mixing will cause dry, tough muffins.
  • Scoop evenly using my favorite OXO 3 tablespoon scoop. Scooping like this will yield 12 perfect muffins.
  • Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. This is key to a great rise. This causes these pear muffins to shoot upward. Then lower your temp to 350°F to fully bake the center.
  • Topping - Almost every muffin tastes better with a crunchy, sugary topping, and these pear muffins are no exception. It's optional, but really is better with it on top.

The best way to store muffins

The best way to store muffins is in a zip top bag lined with a paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any extra moisture and keep the muffins from "sweating" and getting sticky. They'll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Can I freeze muffins?

Yes! Once muffins have cooled completely, place on a baking sheet, being sure they're not touching each other, and freeze for 30 minutes — this will make it easy to grab just one muffin at a time. Once frozen, place in a zip top bag and then another zip top bag to keep from freezer burn.

To reheat frozen muffins, pop one or two muffins in the microwave for about 15 seconds or until the center is warmed through. Top with butter and enjoy any time of day!

Pear muffins with pecan streudel or crumb topping. Delicious and moist recipe

Delicious and Easy Pear Muffins

Moist and flavorful muffins for Summer or Fall.
4.28 from 58 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 413kcal

Equipment

  • Muffin Tin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
  • ⅔ cup plain yogurt room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups chopped pears about ½" pieces

Optional Topping

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend
  • ⅓ cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons cold butter chopped
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.
  • Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chopped pears to dry ingredients and toss to coat. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl combine eggs, honey, coconut oil, yogurt, and vanilla.
  • Pour dry ingredients in with wet and stir until just combined.
  • Evenly divide into medium sized muffin tin. Should fill each cavity to the top.
  • For the crumb topping: combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add cold butter and combine until fine crumbs. Add pecans.
  • Evenly divide crumb topping between muffins, if using.
  • Bake at 425° for 5 minutes.
  • Turn oven down to 350°F and continue baking for 11 minutes.
  • Muffins should be slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg
Pear muffins with pecan streudel or crumb topping. Delicious and moist recipe

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More Breakfast Recipes

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  • Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patty Purcell

    July 02, 2019 at 9:43 pm

    I can't wait to try this Amy!

    Reply
    • Amy

      July 10, 2019 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Patty! Yes, these are Rachel's creation and I couldn't stop eating them. This is my new favorite way to use up those pears!

      Reply
  2. Piers

    June 12, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    5 stars
    Had to ask for this recipe from a friend who made thee last night! So good! Can’t wait to bake these

    Reply
  3. Bellini

    June 21, 2020 at 6:32 am

    5 stars
    Thank you delish recipe!

    Reply
  4. Linda Grimes

    August 13, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I’m making them again tonight because yesterday’s batch disappeared rather quickly! I highly recommend slathering them with butter before eating!

    Reply
  5. Eliana Ureno

    August 21, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    can i substitute coconut oil for butter? or another oil?

    Reply
    • Amy

      August 29, 2020 at 10:33 am

      Yes! Coconut oil will typically work well as a substitute in muffins, although my favorite substitute is plant butter (mostly for consistency). Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Rachel

    September 14, 2020 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    I made these without the crumb topping and with 3 cups of pears and they were delicious!! They're moist, fluffy, not too sweet, and they have a lovely spiced pear taste.

    Reply
  7. Tina Rene

    September 20, 2020 at 7:57 am

    5 stars
    Spectacular muffins. I am allergic to coconut so I substituted organic butter and I never cook honey so I used maple syrup otherwise I followed this recipe. So delicious it will be used again I am sure !

    Reply
  8. Mary

    October 09, 2020 at 6:15 am

    5 stars
    Omg the most delicious muffins ever, I made them with my dad’s pears from his tree. Absolutely delicious 😋

    Reply
    • Amy

      October 11, 2020 at 9:08 pm

      You lucky duck Mary! I wish I had access to freshly picked pears. So glad you liked them!

      Reply
  9. Gusta Hill

    December 16, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    5 stars
    Made half a batch as a tester. These muffins came out soft, with crunchy tops. Very delicious . Will make full batch for grandkiddos! Also enjoyed your tips, alternatives and links! Thanks for the love you bake!

    Reply
  10. Nicole Plemmons

    February 23, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my yumminess.
    OK, I’m sorry. But I slightly altered your recipe. I really wanted a pear muffin with oatmeal in it but your recipe sounded the best to me. I was so frightened altering the recipe because of the oh so precious coconut oil and honey, but I did it. I replaced half of the flour with old fashioned oatmeal. The entire time I was nervous I should have cut down the baking soda/powder, especially because I used all purpose flour. But the muffins were perfect. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Amy

      February 23, 2021 at 10:16 pm

      I'm so glad you loved them so much! And good job adjusting the recipe, I love that idea!

      Reply
  11. Patti

    March 01, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    5 stars
    Spectacular muffins!! My new favorites. I added pecans 🙂

    Reply
    • Amy

      March 03, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      I'm so glad you love them!

      Reply
  12. katerina miranda

    March 11, 2021 at 8:39 am

    5 stars
    I have not made those yet, but I do like the recipe. I was wondering if you can freeze those?

    Reply
    • Amy

      March 20, 2021 at 6:02 pm

      Yes! Make sure muffins have cooled fully. To freeze, wrap securely in foil or freezer wrap, or place in freezer bags. You can thaw muffins completely at room temperature, or heat frozen muffins in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  13. Nevern

    March 21, 2021 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I had some pears and every ntention to use in baking (a first for me) and your recipe popped up. Sold by the photos. I skimmed on the honey and cinnamon because I ran out :-), so I used golden syrup and added all spice and a little more nutmeg. It worked out great. The crumb gives it the sweetness. Also used lactose free yoghurt and substituted melted butter for coconut oil. So yes a few changes 🙂 but it's delicious. Will serve well as a desert with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

    Reply
    • Amy

      March 24, 2021 at 7:22 pm

      I'm so glad the recipe worked so well with your substitutes. Sounds delicious!

      Reply
  14. Tracy

    July 01, 2021 at 12:19 am

    5 stars
    Is it possible to substitute self raising flour for the "flour" in the muffin base? I haven't got any baking powder. Thanks. Also, what is the ml measurement for the 2/3 cup yoghurt? Gram measurement for the flour? (I am in Australia & our cup measurements are different)

    Reply
    • Amy

      August 18, 2021 at 8:00 am

      Hi Tracy! You can use self-rising flour, just be sure to omit the baking powder and salt in the recipe. To get the metric measurements, click on "print recipe" and then you can convert this recipe to measurements you're more familiar with. I hope that helps! Enjoy!

      Reply
  15. Kay

    August 28, 2021 at 11:52 am

    5 stars
    These were so delicious!!! I did make some adjustments because we avoid added sugar when possible. I used 3 cups of pears, as recommended in an earlier comment. I left out the honey but added an equivalent amount of soymilk to make sure there was enough liquid. I didn't add the optional streusel topping. With the streusel topping, it would make a lovely dessert; without, it makes a wonderful and healthy breakfast food! The muffins turned out wonderfully fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness! I made a double batch today and, just 3 hours later, am finding I need to make another double batch...they are THAT good!!! My 4 children have already had 3 muffins each and are begging for more. Thank you so much for the excellent recipe and all of the wonderful guidance and adaptations and variations!

    Reply
    • Amy

      September 13, 2021 at 8:14 pm

      I'm so happy to hear that you and the kiddos are enjoying these muffins!

      Reply
  16. Kay

    August 28, 2021 at 11:53 am

    I also used whole wheat flour and they turned out great!

    Reply
  17. Anne

    January 19, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    These muffins were really really delicious but I had a hard time with the coconut oil. What do you mean by melted and cooled? Do I melt before measuring or after? They came out too oily and the oil kept clumping up while mixing.
    Also, what can I use instead of yogurt to make it dairy free?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy

      January 19, 2022 at 8:31 pm

      Hi Anne! Sorry for the confusion about the coconut oil. For coconut oil, measure while hard, then melt and allow to cool off for a few minutes. When you use it in the recipe, you'll want it to be liquid, just not hot. Also, I haven't tried it, but I've read that you can use coconut milk or unsweetened applesauce. Next time I make these, I'll try it out. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  18. Di

    January 25, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    5 stars
    These are the bomb! My favorite go-to pear recipe and great way to use up pears from my parents farm. The topping sends it over the top! This round I made without the topping and still so delicious. I like that it's not a "sweet" type muffin. Topping certainly would make it sweeter but without topping, they are awesome as well! Thank you for sharing recipe!

    Reply
    • Amy

      January 30, 2022 at 9:54 am

      So glad you love these!!!

      Reply
  19. Carol

    November 23, 2022 at 5:12 pm

    5 stars
    Great way to make use of overripe pears. Wasn't sure how these would taste ,but they are so moist & delicious ! Never baked anything using pears, this is a keeper!

    Reply

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Here at The Oven Light, we are always looking for ways to cut cooking time in half (or more!). We use shortcuts that don’t sacrifice flavor, we’re just getting smarter with our time. You won’t find “dump” meals here, but rather an approach to cooking that is mindful and intentional with time AND taste. 

— Amy and Rachel

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