This vegan pear bread is a breeze to make but it is so very delicious!
Move over banana bread! Here's my new favorite breakfast/dessert bread and it's so awfully good: a vegan pear bread crammed to the gills with soft, luscious, HEAVENLY pears. The aroma of cinnamon runs through this bread and will tease and tickle your tastebuds as it bakes in the oven. And when you finally tuck in, ahhhhhh...each soft, pillowy, delicious bite will transport you to bliss.
I don't make pear-based desserts as often as I should and I realized that's strange because pears are one of my favorite fruits. Especially when they are perfectly ripe and soft and sweet.
And that's exactly how you want the pears to be when you make this amazing vegan pear bread.
There are three pears packed into this bread, which could very well be called a pear cake because it is as perfect for dessert as it is for breakfast. It has a soft, tender, moist crumb and it is exquisitely sweet without being cloyingly so.
It's hard to make breakfast breads look attractive but a few slices of pears arrayed on top give this bread a lovely look, and bonus--more pears to eat!
Be sure to watch the short video to see exactly how this bread is made. And if you do make it, please be sure to comment and leave a recipe rating below! I love to hear from you.
Spotlight on pears
Pears are a great source of nutrition. There are six grams of dietary fiber in a single pear, making this a superfruit when it comes to aiding digestion. Pears also have good amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, copper and potassium, all great for your health, and they are loaded with antioxidants that fight free radicals and protect the body from serious illnesses, like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
A lot of the great nutrition in pears lies right under the skin, so be sure to consume it. In this bread we will use the skins. Pears are also among the dirty dozen of fruit, however, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the concentrations of pesticides on conventionally grown pears has increased in recent years. So try and buy organic pears if possible, especially if you plan to consume the skins.
Of course, the real reason many of us love pears is that they are so, so tasty. There are dozens of varieties of pears, including Bartlett, D'Anjou, Concorde and Bosc, which are the most visible in markets. Some pears have a crisp flesh and others are soft when ripe. I love sweet, soft-fleshed varieties like Bartlett, especially for baking, and that's what I used in this bread.
Why you'll love this vegan pear bread
- It's so, so tasty. I love, love, love a good vegan banana bread or vegan zucchini bread, and this vegan pear bread is just as good. Pears have that subtle but distinctive and yummy flavor and it runs right through every crumb of this bread.
- It's a one-bowl, dump and bake recipe. Add all your ingredients to one bowl and bake. It's that simple. You will need to blend the pears into a puree.
- It's got healthy fruit! There are three pears in the loaf itself and another pear topping it--that's four pears in one loaf of pear bread, and all of it's good for you. There's also just a fourth of a cup of oil in the recipe, so it's quite low-fat. Plus you can make this bread whole wheat.
Vegan pear bread ingredients
- 2 cups flour. I used unbleached all purpose flour this time but you can make this pear bread with whole wheat pastry flour or with a mix of one cup all purpose flour and one cup whole wheat flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon flaxmeal
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups pureed pears (about 3 pears) + 1 pear for the top of the bread.
How to make vegan pear bread (step-by-step instructions)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
- To puree the pears chop them roughly and place them, skin and all, in the blender. Puree into a smooth paste. The puree will begin to turn reddish-brown immediately--this is no cause for alarm. It's just enzymes in the pear flesh reacting with the oxygen in the air and it will make no difference to the taste or nutrition of your pear puree. You can stir in a teaspoon of lime juice to slow down the oxidation. You will need two cups of puree in all.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Now dump in the remaining ingredients one by one--sugar, vegetable oil, flaxmeal, vanilla extract and the pear puree. Use a spatula to mix into a batter. The batter does not have to be very smooth, but do ensure there are no dry lumps or streaks of flour in the batter.
- Scrape the batter into a loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Arrange the pear slices on top of the loaf. I just lined them up (watch the video) but you can decorate the top as you like. Sprinkle on a couple of teaspoons of sugar on the pears so they caramelize nicely.
- Bake 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan about an hour, then unmold and continue to cool. The loaf should pop out quite easily from the pan but if it doesn't run a knife along the edges.
- Slice and enjoy.
Watch how to make it
This vegan pear bread is as easy to make as it sounds, and the result is so, so delicious!
Frequently asked questions
I haven't tried making this exact pear bread with gluten-free flour so I can't honestly answer that. But if you want to make a gluten-free pear bread recipe I'd suggest following this recipe for a vegan gluten-free berry almond flour cake and using ½ cup of pureed pears instead of the preserves. You can bake it in a loaf pan and use 2 pears to decorate the top.
You can use either green or red Bartlett pears to make this bread. If you replace use an Anjou (red or green) or comice pear.
You can just add a little more pear puree to be bread--¼ cup more to be exact. But the bread will be far more tender. You should also line the loaf pan with parchment to make unmolding easier.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The pear bread can be refrigerated for up to four days.
- Freeze. You can freeze slices of vegan pear bread or the entire loaf or portions of the loaf. Wrap loaves or individual slices in foil and then place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to four months.
- Thaw before eating. I love to warm the slice for 15 seconds in the microwave before tucking in.
Related recipes
Vegan Pear Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, or a mix of 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 pears (approximately. Slice one thinly for the top of the loaf and puree the remaining three. You will need two cups of puree in all)
- 2 teaspoon sugar (for sprinkling on the top of the loaf)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
- To puree the pears chop them roughly and place them, skin and all, in the blender. Puree into a smooth paste. The puree will begin to turn reddish-brown immediately--this is no cause for alarm. It's just enzymes in the pear flesh reacting with the oxygen in the air and it will make no difference to the taste or nutrition of your pear puree. You can stir in a teaspoon of lime juice to slow down the oxidation. You will need two cups of puree in all.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Now dump in the remaining ingredients one by one--sugar, vegetable oil, flaxmeal, vanilla extract and the pear puree. Use a spatula to mix into a batter. The batter does not have to be very smooth, but do ensure there are no dry lumps or streaks of flour in the batter.
- Scrape the batter into a loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Arrange the pear slices on top of the loaf. I just lined them up (watch the video) but you can decorate the top as you like. Sprinkle on a couple of teaspoons of sugar on the pears so they caramelize nicely.
- Bake 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan about an hour, then unmold and continue to cool. The loaf should pop out quite easily from the pan but if it doesn't run a knife along the edges.
- Slice and enjoy.
Michelle
I had some extra pears and we were leaving the house for about a week so I tried this recipe and loved it! Super easy to make and so happy I didn't have to peal pears - just throw them in the blender with the skin so you get all the nutrients. I will definitely make this recipe again-a real winner.
Bob
Great recipe - I've made this a million times. My wife especially likes to give it to her parents and work colleagues (don't worry, I make enough for everyone).
If you want to change it up (variety is the spice of life, etc), you can top with apples instead of pears. It's also good to sometimes put a cup of fresh raspberries in the mix. I add it at the end.
My method is to simply put all the dry ingredients together (except the raspberries, if I'm using them), and whisk them together. Then I add the vanilla extract, oil, and pear puree, and/or raspberries, and mix together by 'folding' using a plastic scraper (sometimes called a spatula, but not the kind you use to flip eggs). Doing it this way, it comes out perfect.
As you can see, I can't recommend this enough!
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy to hear you love it! Thanks for sharing the great tips.
sadie
These look lovely. Question: If I wanted to make into muffins instead, do you have any suggestions for the temp/time changes?
I can wing it, but thought to ask. It's pear season, and I'd love to batch cook a LOT to then freeze them for snacks for the kiddos. Many thanks! Best, sadie
Vaishali
Hi Sadie, I'd keep the oven temp the same and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Hannah
I’ve got my second and third batches of this bread in the oven now. Added chocolate chips to these batches and am baking half as muffins and half as bread. The kids loved this bread and devoured the first loaf in a day. Only recommendation is to reduce the amount of sugar.
Deea
I made this last night using only 1/2 cup of sugar, as we prefer moderately-sweet cakes. Also, my pears were quite small, I used 5 and still ended up with only 1 1/2 cups puree. So I just added 1/2 cup yogurt (I had soy yogurt) and the cake came out great. It's delicious, especially with a cup of tea! Perfect recipe for left over slightly bruised pears that kids won't eat anymore 🙂
Kalliopi
I have a lot of pears, so I had to find a recipe to use them up. I tried many recipes, but this one is the best! I love the result! It is moist and delicious!
Vaishali
Awesome, so happy you loved it!
Margaret Ochs
I have a recipe I’ve had for years. Pear nut bread. I haven’t veganized it. I’ll try yours. It was my very favorite quick bread. Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Margaret, you can add nuts to this batter, if you want to!
Mary
Any recommendations to make this without sugar? We have a diabetic in the family and neither honey nor agave woukd be appropriate. LOVE your recipes
Vaishali
Hi Mary, can you use a sweetener like erythritol or stevia? I'd use 1/2 cup erythritol and perhaps add a little more pear puree to offset any loss of moisture from the sugar.