Poached Pears in Red Wine with Cinnamon Cream

Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears make a classy and festive holiday dessert to serve at any Christmas or Thanksgiving party. This delicious sweet treat made from fruit poached in mulled wine is paired with a homemade cinnamon cream that compliments the pears perfectly.

Poached pears is a classic holiday dessert but can be made any time of year, but is particularly festive for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

This recipe might look gourmet, but it’s actually really easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Plus, you can make it up to 5 days ahead.

For Wine Poached Pears, fresh pears are poached in a spiced red wine syrup and paired with a creamy cinnamon cream.

The fragrant pears get a stunning red exterior as the rich wine syrup permeates the fruit.

The result is a light and beautiful dessert that looks like it took hours to make, but is quick and easy! It is sure to impress your guests.

It’s a delicious stove-top dessert that can be served warm or at room temperature.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Wine poached pears are great for entertaining because you can easily make them ahead and they look beautiful.

Pears poached in red wine are aesthetically pleasing with a pop of red color coming from the wine soaked pears.

This recipe is made with an in season fruit that can easily be found local in most places.

This dessert ooks very sophisticated even though it's easy to make.

Pears in wine is lighter than your average dessert because it's made with fruit.

This dessert recipe has wonderfully festive winter flavors.

It's an easy, yet fancy dessert. Be sure to check out these other Fancy Desserts - 45 stunning sweets.

Ingredients & Tools 

Red Wine: Use your favorite red wine to poach pears. If you can get a bottle of premade Mulled Wine, then use that instead and leave out the spices.

Lemon Juice & Orange Juice: Adds a fresh citrus kick to the dessert.

Sugar: Adds sweetness to the wine and helps to create the spiced red wine syrup.

Cinnamon & Vanilla: Add a nice warming flavor profile and makes it taste wintery.

Pears: Use your favorite type of pear. Choose ones that will stand prettily on the plate. Pears can be slightly underripe for this recipe as they’ll cook in the wine and soften. Don’t use very soft ripe pears as they will be difficult to peel and will cook too quickly.

For The Cinnamon Cream

Whipping Cream: Whips up quickly to make a delicious cream that cuts through the sweetness of the pears and red wine syrup.

Sugar: Adds a hint of sweetness to the whipped cream.

Cinnamon: Give the cream a pop of holiday flavor.

Step By Step Tutorial

Although Pears in Red Wine is an eye-catching dessert, it is really easy to make. Follow these simple steps for perfect results.

Pour the wine, lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla into a pot. Heat over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

Peel the pears (keep the stalk at the top) and slice the bottom so the pears stand without rolling.

Place the pears into the wine (if necessary, top up with water so the pears are submerged).

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the pears are tender. The time will depend on how ripe the pears are.

To prep ahead: You can leave the pears soaking in the liquid until ready to serve, and either enjoy cold or reheat in the liquid.

Remove the pears from the liquid and set aside. Boil the liquid for 20 minutes to reduce the wine to a mulled wine syrup.⁠

To make the cinnamon cream, pour the cream into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and ground cinnamon. Beat with a whisk until thick.

To serve the wine poached pears, stand the pears up on plates, drizzle with the syrup and add a spoonful of cinnamon cream. Enjoy your poached pears hot or cold.⁠

Tips 

Make sure the pears you use are firm and not overripe. This will keep them from becoming mushy once poached.

Pears that are poached in wine can either be served hot or cold. If serving cold, you can make them ahead of time.

You can leave the pears soaking in the liquid until ready to serve, and either enjoy cold or reheat in the liquid.

To make it look even more beautiful, be sure to keep the stems on if serving whole.

Leftover red wine syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Enjoy it on ice cream, fresh winter fruit or in a cocktail with gin and club soda.

Serving Suggestions

Instead of serving with cream, serve with your favorite Vegan Ice Cream.

Serve them in a Poached Pear Crumble.

Try replacing the cinnamon cream with some Tangy Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting that's whipped with sugar and cinnamon.

Have leftovers? Chop them up for this Pear Gingerbread Parfait.

Serve alongside this beautiful Mulled Wine Spritzer.

Serve with syrup on top of these Vegan Pancakes.

Variations

Don't like red wine? Try poaching them in white wine instead.

Want it non-alcoholic? Use an alcohol-free red wine.

Feel free to use Bosc, Anjou, Conference or Bartlett pears for poaching.

Special diets

Make it Vegan: Serve with Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream.

Storage and Freezing 

Freezing: I don't recommend that poached pears are frozen. Once finished, it's best if they are served immediately or within a few days.

Storage: Store your pears in red wine in an airtight container, in the syrup in the fridge, for up to 3 days.

FAQs 

What's The Best Way To Peel Pears? Peel your pears by using a vegetable peeler. Start at the top and peel down to the rounded bottom until all of the skin is removed.

How Do You Eat Poached Pears? Eat poached pears by cutting into them with your spoon. Be sure to drag your spoon through some cream for a wonderfully balanced dessert.

What Are The Best Pears To Poach? The best pears for poaching are usually Bosc pears as they hold their shape very well. You could also use Anjou or Bartlett.

Do I Need To Core The Pear Before Poaching? If you're planning on serving poached pears flat, peel the core with a melon baller. If you are serving them whole, standing up, there is no need to remove the core as the whole pear softens when it’s poached.

You'll Love These Holiday Desserts

If you love these pears in red wine, then I hope you’ll love these other festive desserts that are perfect for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cupcakes
Christmas Chocolate Tiffin
Winter Spiced Parsnip Cake with Mulled Wine Drizzle
Vegan Pumpkin Cake
Ginger Pecan Brittle
Avocado Reindeer Brownies

Get the recipe

📖 Recipe