When it comes to holiday desserts, it doesn't get any easier than port poached pears! Poaching pears in red wine gives these pears a beautiful color and show-stopping presentation. The best part is that this port poached pear recipe is flexible and open to different variations, and can be made 12, 24, or 48 hours ahead of time!

The port sauce drizzle becomes naturally sweet when simmered and reduced with the golden raisins and fresh squeezed orange juice, providing just a touch of sweetness without any added refined sugar. Classic holiday spices, like cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla make this fruit centered dessert perfect for the holidays, and they also make your house smell incredible while simmering away in the kitchen. Serve with the sweet port sauce drizzle and re-plumped dry fruit along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, slice of cake, or (even better) all on their own.

The first time I saw port poached pears was in culinary school, and when it was my turn to make them for the menu, used petite pears; they were the most adorable dish of the night. Remembering the sweet reduced wine sauce I poured over the tiny pears and freshly baked vanilla cake is enough to make my mouth water all over again! For this years Thanksgiving table and subsequent Winter feasts, I'm making port poached pears with holiday spices, and I want you to make them too! Let's get simmering.

Port Poached Pears with Holiday Spices

Serves: 2 - 4, Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour - 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients: 1 bottle port wine, 2 - 4 Bartlett pears (peeled with stem still attached), juice from 2 freshly squeezed oranges, ⅓ cup golden raisins, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 vanilla bean (split). Recommended Accompaniments: Vanilla ice cream.

Instructions: Add port, peeled pears, orange juice, raisins, cloves, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean to a medium sauce pot. Lightly stir to break up the ingredients, making sure the pears are at least half way submerged in the wine. Set stove to medium-low heat and simmer ingredients uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the pears occasionally so they get evenly stained by the port on all sides. Take off the heat when the port sauce has reduced to about 1 inch or ½ an inch in the bottom of the pan (makes about ½ - ⅔ cup total of reduced port sauce). Transfer all ingredients to a bowl, cover when cooled and transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours - 48 hours, keeping the pears in submerged in the reduced port sauce. Before serving, remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Can serve pears whole with stem still attached or halve the pears and remove the core with a melon baller.

Online Shop the Exact Brands I Used: Cinnamon Sticks*, Vanilla Bean*, Whole Cloves*, and Port Wine.

I saved you a little piece, I want you to try a bite - I know you will love these port poached pears as much as I do! The tangy port sauce with the sweet pears and too delicious to resist.

Port Poached Pears with Holiday Spices

Pin Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Port Poached Pears are an easy recipe, perfect for the holiday season. This fruit-centered dessert has no added refined sugar and is festive, beautiful, and oh so delicious! Just simmer on the stove, chill in the refrigerator, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

• Author: Michele Sidorenkov, RDN
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour - 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 Minutes
• Yield: 2-4 pears 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Poaching
• Cuisine: Holiday

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 bottle port wine
• 2-4 Bartlett pears (peeled with stem still attached)
• juice from 2 freshly squeezed oranges
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean (split)

Recommended Accompaniments: Vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Simmer on the Stove: Add port, peeled pears, orange juice, raisins, cloves, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean to a medium sauce pot. Lightly stir to break up the ingredients, making sure the pears are at least half way submerged in the wine. Set stove to medium-low heat and simmer ingredients uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, turning the pears occasionally so they get evenly stained by the port on all sides.
2. Take off heat and chill: Take off the heat when the port sauce has reduced to about 1 inch or ½ an inch in the bottom of the pan (makes about ½ - ⅔ cup total of reduced port sauce). Transfer all ingredients to a bowl, cover when cooled and transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours - 48 hours, keeping the pears in submerged in the reduced port sauce.
3. Serve and Enjoy: Before serving, remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Serve pears with reduced port drizzle sauce and rehydrated golden raisins. Can serve pears whole with stem still attached or halve the pears and remove the core with a mellon baller. Add optional dessert accompaniments, like ice cream.

Notes

• Recipe Variations: The type of spices and dried fruit can be altered depending on occasion or taste preference. Add star anise, whole allspice, or black pepper corns, or swap the golden rasins for dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried plumbs.
• Pear Positioning Tip: If you want your pears to stand up straight (like in the photos), flatten the bottom base of the pear with your peeler or knife before simmering.
• Optional Spice Sachet: Making a spice sachet out of cheese cloth and kitchen string before simmering your ingredients in Step 1 will help you remove the spices in Step 3.
• Make Ahead: After simmer the pears in port, they can chill in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before serving. When holding them in the refrigerator, cover and keep as submerged as possible in the port sauce.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Pear with sauce and rasins (amount of sauce will vary depending on amount of reduction)
• Calories: 330
• Sugar: 18 g
• Sodium: 3 mg
• Fat: 0 g
• Saturated Fat: 0 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 23 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: Port Poached Pears, Wine Poached Pears, Holiday Pear Dessert

*The Amazon products linked on this page are products I used to make this port poached pears recipe. If you purchase any of the items through the Amazon affiliate links I have provided, I receive a small commission on the items purchased. This in no way influences the items I recommend or raises the price of the items for you. I only add items to my posts that I use and think you will love just as much and I do!