Home ยทย Recipes Pear Rice Pudding with maple and candied pecans Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Dec 7, 2015Updated: Oct 5, 2023 View Recipe19 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Pear rice pudding is a sweet, creamy, and luscious dessert perfect for the holidays. It’s perfect for sharing, snacking, and easy to make for a large group. National Pear Month is in full swing! I’m working with USA Pears to highlight this wonderful holiday fruit. Rice Pudding with Pear Rice pudding is perfect for sharing during the holidays. It’s a comforting bowl of carbs that everyone can enjoy! Plus, it’s a gluten-free treat that pairs deliciously with pears! This pear rice pudding can be served warm or chilled, depending on your preference. While it’s technically a dessert, you can totally enjoy it for breakfast (especially when you serve it with fresh fruit). Although it is a simple recipe with few ingredients, this is a dish that evokes such warm and happy memories for me. Comice Pears I’ve paired this rice pudding with Comice pears. Comice are among the sweetest and juiciest of the pear varieties. It’s one of my favorites because when ripe, these pears are so creamy and flavorful. They’re the perfect pears to enjoy raw. How to check a pear for ripeness? As I’ve mentioned in the Starkrimson pear cheesecake post, the best way to test a pear’s ripeness is by checking its neck. The coloring of pears is not a good indicator of its ripeness. Gently press the neck of the pear. If it yields to gentle pressure, it’s ready to eat. The United States is the world’s third largest pear producing country after China and Argentina. USA Pears represents 1,600 pear growers of Oregon and Washington. Together, these states produce about 84% of the fresh pears grown in the US. I’m sure you’ve seen this fruit sticker before. Be sure to check it out to see where your pear comes from, as well as what variety it is. Customize Rice Pudding There are countless ways to enjoy rice pudding. It’s a blank canvas for all sorts of spices, toppings, and sauces. While cooking the rice, I infused it with a mixture of cinnamon, star anise, and ginger. It creates a very warm yet delicate flavor. You can use all three spices, or stick to your favorite. Right before serving, I gently folded freshly chopped pears into the rice pudding. The chunks of pears adds an extra creaminess. Because I love to enjoy Comice pears raw, I also added sliced pears on top. For a touch of sweetness, I like to drizzle on maple syrup right before serving. The addition of crushed candied pecans adds a very pleasant finishing crunch. Pear Rice Pudding with Maple and Candied Pecans Yield: serves 4-6 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Ingredients1 cup Jasmine rice, or similar long-grain white rice5 cups whole milkspice of choice (cinnamon stick, star anise, ginger)1/3 cup dark maple syrup1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed1/2 tsp fine sea salt2 USA Pears Comice variety, (1 chopped into bite sized pieces, 1 thinly sliced)candied pecans, as neededadditional maple syrup, as needed Instructions In large heavy bottomed sauce pot, add rice and 4 cups of milk. Stir to combine. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add spice of choice or combination of spices. Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Set timer for 15 minutes and allow rice to cook.Meanwhile, wash and core Comice pears. Chop one pear into small bite size pieces and set aside. Thinly slice other pear to serve as garnish for finished rice pudding.Remove lid and stir rice to ensure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir contents often and cook for another 10 minutes until mixture is thick and creamy. Add remaining cup of milk, maple syrup, brown sugar and sea salt. Stir to combine and continue to cook on low heat for another 5 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved. Strain and discard used spices.Add in served chopped pears and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Garnish with sliced pears, crushed candied pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup. NotesServe rice pudding warm. If desired, store in the fridge to chill. Cold rice pudding will be very thick and may need additional water or milk to thin out.ย Author: Maryanne Cabrera Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean. To learn more about the ten pear varieties available during this season, visit USAPears.org. You can also find more pear recipes and ideas on USA Pear’s Facebook and Pinterest. Disclosure: Special thanks to USA Pears for sponsoring this post!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says: December 7, 2015 Pears are totally under-utiilized. I love your pear-y take on rice pudding! Reply
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says: December 7, 2015 So comforting and delicious Maryanne! Love this one! Reply
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says: December 7, 2015 Pears are underappreciated, I think. This looks wonderful! Reply
Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says: December 7, 2015 This rice pudding looks phenomenal. Love everything about it and love that you added pears. Now I wish I had a huge bowl even though I’m ready for bed. :) Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: December 8, 2015 Thanks so much, Cyndi! Iol, I tend to crave sweets right before bedtime :)
Andi @ The Weary Chef says: December 8, 2015 I like pears but never thought of adding it to rice pudding. This looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it! Reply
Justine | Cooking and Beer says: December 8, 2015 I LOVE LOVE LOVE rice pudding, and pears are my favorite! This looks amazing! Reply
Kristyn says: December 8, 2015 This sounds so delicious! I’ll have to try this out sometime! Thanks for sharing! :) Reply
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life says: December 8, 2015 Pears are one of my favourite winter fruits and they are so versatile! They move from savoury to sweet so easily. I love this cosy winter dessert (or breakfast if you’re feeling indulgent!). What a delicious celebration of winter flavours :) Reply
eat good 4 life says: December 9, 2015 This is my kind of pudding. Loving all that syrup on them :-) Reply
amanda @ fake ginger says: December 10, 2015 Most beautiful rice pudding I’ve ever seen! Would it be wrong to make this for breakfast? It just looks incredible. Reply