Pear muffins - fluffy and moist with juicy pear spread throughout, these delightful muffins are the perfect fall breakfast treat!
Healthy Pear Muffins
Pears are one of, if not my favorite fall fruit! I go back and forth between pears and apples. So these healthy muffins were bound to happen!
Seeing just how many fans I gain on a daily basis thanks to all of my muffins, I'm determined to share as many variations as I possibly can!
If you've tried any of my muffins, you know that they are not overly sweet. That's because I develop my recipes with babies and toddlers in mind, always. But you can certainly add more sweetener of choice, which I share below!
You will love how customizable this pear muffin recipe is! It can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or refined sugar-free depending on your dietary needs and preferences.
And if you love adding berries to your muffins, you must try these raspberry muffins or blackberry muffins!
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Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
- Fresh pears - use soft and juicy ripe pears but not overripe pears to avoid soggy muffins.
- Milk and Greek yogurt - the combination of these two ingredients imparts great texture, flavor, and nutrition! I recommend using full fat, as it is essential for optimal brain development in the early years.
- White whole wheat flour - You will love baking with this flour. It's the same nutritionally as whole wheat flour but is lighter in texture and a little sweeter in flavor. You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat, or a combination both.
- Oats - rolled oats will work best but you can use quick oats. Steel cut oats will not work.
- Baking powder and baking soda - be sure to check the expiration date so that your muffins will rise properly.
- Lemon zest - adds incredible brightness to the muffins. In my opinion, this ingredient is a MUST!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, soak the oats first in milk and yogurt. You can skip if you are pressed for time BUT I highly encourage you to plan ahead and account for this extra time. The oats will absorb some of the liquid, resulting in soft, tender muffins
- Add the wet ingredients to the soaked oats.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- Pour in the wet mixture. Be careful not to over mix. Gently fold in diced pear and walnuts.
- Scoop batter evenly into a 12-cup muffin tin. I like to use a silicone muffin tray because there's no need to grease and the muffins just pop right out!
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes or so before transferring to a wire rack.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dairy-free? Any plant-based Greek style yogurt and milk (such as unsweetened almond milk) will work. As for butter, use vegan butter or coconut oil. You can also use olive oil, if you prefer.
- Egg-free? Use flax egg. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) and 6 tablespoons of water. Allow the mixture to sit for 8-10 minutes until thickened like gel-like consistency.
- No white whole wheat flour? You can use all purpose flour, whole wheat flour (muffins will be denser and heartier), or a combination of both.
- Gluten-free? Use a 1:1 gluten free flour like this one and certified gluten-free oats. Almond flour won't work.
- No pears? Try with apples or peaches!
- An alternative to honey? You can use maple syrup, date syrup, or over ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce, if avoiding added sugars.
- No walnuts? Try with pecans or almonds.
Tips for Success
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping the flour out of the container or bag with your measuring cup. Using the latter method, you could end up with a lot more than what you need.
- Take all the cold ingredients out of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes prior to baking.
- Do NOT over-mix the muffin batter after combining the dry and wet ingredients. Mix lightly with a spatula until just combine. Otherwise you will end up with dense, tough muffins.
- Gently fold in the chopped pears and walnuts.
- You can leave out the walnuts, but I highly encourage you to include them as they add great texture to these very moist muffins.
Storage Suggestions
Line an airtight container with paper towel. Add the pear muffins, place another paper towel on top, close the lid, and keep on the counter for up to 2 days.
You can also refrigerate or up to 4 days. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave briefly (no more than 15-20 seconds). These muffins are actually tasty straight out of the refrigerator too!
You can also freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
How to store and freeze muffins perfectly
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The only change you have to make is to replace honey with 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 medium ones) or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce or date syrup.
Here's a master list of healthy baby muffins that I believe your baby (and YOU) is going to love!Â
The best varieties for baking are Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou. The good news is they are all widely available at stores. You want to use ripe but not overripe pears as they will release too much moisture into the muffins.
You don't have to! The already soft skin will soften even more during baking and will add a boost of fiber.
Other Healthy Muffins to Try
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Fluffy Pear Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup (175g) plain Greek yogurt, preferably
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Dry
- 1 cup (130g) white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Fold in
- 1 ½ cups (225g) chopped pears
- â…“ cup (35g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and milk until smooth. Stir in the oats. Set aside to soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients into the oat mixture.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Use a spatula (instead of a whisk) to gently stir together until all the flour is wet. The less you stir the mixture, the lighter and fluffier your muffins will be.
- Gently fold in the pears and walnuts. Divide batter evenly into a greased, lined or silicone 12-cup muffin pan.Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Take all the cold ingredients out of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes prior to cooking.
- You can substitute honey with maple syrup, date syrup, one medium overripe banana (will be about ½ cup mashed) or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce.
- Do NOT leave out the lemon zest!Â
Jenny says
So fluffy and so yummy! I made these for my 17 month old to build back up his freezer stash of muffins. My son has never been a huge fan of pears but he loved the half of a fresh muffin he tried with his snack. I ground up the walnuts really tiny and used date syrup as the sweetener (MIn's recipe too!). My pears were very ripe (ripened in a paper bag for almost a week) and the perfect sweetness.
Min says
Love this! I need to make these again soon too :).
Samantha says
Hello,
Sorry this may be a silly question, but do I need to precook the pears? They have just been bought from the store so still quite firm? Or just cut up small?
Thank you 😊
Min says
There's no need to cook but I would wait until they're softer
Bea says
I'm excited to try these tomorrow because I have a bag of pears! I have 2 questions though: can I make these as mini-muffins? Also, I don't have Greek yogurt but have whole milk yogurt. Would that work as well?
Thank you!
Min says
Yes to both!
Camille says
Made these this weekend and used pecans instead of walnuts, and added a few dark chocolate chips. My kiddos loved them, even the picky eater. 💛
Min says
Woohoo! I'm so glad these were a hit!
Sarah says
Can I soak the oats in the milk/yogurt overnight? I forgot the lemon zest and can't get any lemons until tomorrow
Min says
Hi! I'm so sorry just seeing this message now. I haven't tried so can't say for certain but think it will work. I imagine the muffins will be extra moist
Desiree says
These were delicious! I used oat milk and applesauce instead of honey! 13 month old loved them and so did I ! Thanks for this recipe!
Min says
Yay!! I'm so glad!!
jpow says
I used egg replacer and it turned out so well! My 13 month is starting to get picky and they have been getting harder and harder to feed but with these muffins it's no problem. I'm planning on making these to always have on hand for the rest of pear season 🙂
Min says
I'm so glad you guys enjoyed these muffins!! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Janeen says
These muffins are so delicious! Thanks for the keeper!
Min says
You're welcome!!
Mehwish Asim says
Please Mention the quantity of ingredients. I have only ingredients found with quantities..
Min says
Hi there's a recipe card at the end of this post (above where you wrote this comment)
KM says
Just made these with some overripe pears and bananas. We have a walnut allergy in our home, so I added mini chocolate chips instead. Delicious with some cream cheese!!
Min says
Love it!!! Will need to try with cream cheese next time!
Ashley says
These tasted great and the lemon zest really packed the punch! I did applesauce instead of honey, per your suggestion, and my 14 month old gobbled it up for her snack this afternoon. I added a dribble of honey on top for me. 😋 I ended up adding grinded walnuts instead of the chopped nut to modify for baby as well. You are the muffin queen, and I’m so grateful for your recipes!
Min says
It's been a very trying day so far and your comment totally made me smile! Thanks so much! Yes, I always drizzle mine with honey too ;). And thank you for the complement!! I'm grateful that you are here :).
sonia says
hi! love this recipe! could i use korean pears? and if yes, should i keep on the skin for these too?
Min says
Hi! I think it will. My only concern is that they're much crispier in texture so I would dice small and remove the skin!