These healthy pear oatmeal muffins are an easy make-ahead breakfast or grab and go snack. Packed with juicy pears, cardamom and whole grain oats, this muffin recipe is perfect for meal prep!
Use up overripe pears in this easy muffin recipe! Made with whole oats and less sugar, these pear muffins are a healthy-ish recipe for breakfast, a snack or light dessert!
Ingredients
This list looks long. Ok. It is. But I promise it goes by really fast!
Here’s what you’ll need to make these muffins:
- old fashioned oats
- milk
- white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
- brown sugar
- an egg
- olive or avocado oil (any neutral tasting oil works)
- vanilla extract
- 2 medium pears (I used Anjou)
You’ll combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
Once the batter is mixed, add to a prepped muffin tin. I don’t recommend using liners. Instead, use a well-seasoned or non-stick muffin tin to get a nice crust on the muffins.
For a bit more crunch, I added a mixture of butter and brown sugar to the tops of these. That’s completely optional but quite delicious!
What makes these muffins healthy?
I wouldn’t technically call them healthy. But there are some healthy swaps. I’ve cut down the sugar. Most standard muffin recipes call for a cup of sugar. Not needed here.
I swapped half the flour for oats and used white whole wheat which is heartier and higher in fiber. You can use regular all-purpose if that’s what you have on hand.
And I used sweet and ripe pears to punch up the flavor in a major way!
For a recipe without any flour at all, make my Vegan Berry Oatmeal Bars!
What’s a substitute for cardamom?
Cinnamon would be great in these muffins. Cardamom adds a subtle warmth to the recipe and it’s just something different. But cinnamon is in everyone’s pantry and works just as well in these muffins.
Ginger, apple pie spice, or pumpkin spice would also work in about the same 1 teaspoon amount. You can add a sprinkle of nutmeg but not for the full amount.
Which pears are best for baking?
That depends on what you’re making. For a baked pear recipe, go with a firmer variety like Bosc or Bartlett.
For these pear muffins, choose a fragrant, juicy pear that will lend lots of flavor to the mix. I loved using Anjou pears for this recipe.
And no need to peel the pears. The peel blends right into the muffins – adding plenty of flavor and fiber.
Can I use apples instead of pears?
Yes! In fact, I did that for you, in these Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins. That recipe uses buttermilk and oats for a moist and delicious muffin. Make the one that you have the most leftover fruit for. Switch up the spices to suit your own tastes.
How do I know when pears are ripe?
Use your thumb to apply gentle pressure to the stem end (or neck) of the pear. When it yields to pressure, it’s ripe and ready to eat!
Store ripe pears in the refrigerator to extend shelf life. But note that they won’t last as long as most apples. So use them up first.
Got pears past their prime? This muffin recipe is the perfect way to use them up!
Or you can preserve your fresh pears with my Cinnamon Canned Pears.
Do these muffins freeze well?
Yes. These muffins freeze beautifully. I make these ahead of time on purpose. To freeze these pear muffins:
1. Allow the muffins to cool completely at room temperature. This is important to avoid wet or soggy muffins going into the freezer.
2. Place the muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container. Store in a single layer in the freezer for up to 3 months. Probably longer would be fine but I’ve never kept them longer than that.
3. To reheat the muffins, pop them into a toaster oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes. They will be hot before that but something magical happens at the 20-minute mark. The muffins revive with a crisp and delicious crust. It’s a must. Do it. Enjoy!
Hungry for more muffin ideas?
You’ll love these Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins in the spring.
Try these Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins and Healthier Blueberry Blender Muffins in the summer.
And when the weather turns chilly again, make these Flourless Gingerbread Muffins!
Pear Cardamom Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg beaten
- ¼ cup olive oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup fresh diced pears (about 1½ medium pears)
Optional Crunchy Topping
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray or grease a muffin tin with oil. Set aside.In a large bowl, combine oats and milk. Let sit 15 minutes.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cardamom.
- Stir the oil, egg, brown sugar and vanilla into the soaked oat mixture. Add dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold pears into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. (If using the crunchy topping: Stir the butter and sugar until the brown sugar dissolves. Top the muffin batter evenly with the mixture as shown in the photo.)
- Bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let the muffins cool in the pan 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy these muffins warm or freeze for later.
Dawn R.
I just made these with some over-ripe pears that I had. They were delicious! I substituted cinnamon for the cardamom, and I added some chopped pecans into the batter. I used almond milk and that worked fine. I also put melted vegan butter and brown sugar on the top.
Sarah
I love this recipe! I’m making a batch for a bake sale and wondering how long they will last? Should they be refrigerated? Thank you!
Marisa Moore
I’d say 1-2 days max at room temperature. But I prefer to store these in the refrigerator, reheat in the toaster oven and serve warm.
Sharon Schweps
I didn’t have ground cardamon so used whole cardamon seeds instead and they were terrific. Froze most so we were able to pop a couple into the toaster oven while the tea was making and have a lovely start to the day. I agree that they should be served warm, for a nice crispy surface . Off to make another batch today as our pear tree keeps on producing!
Marisa Moore
These are my favorite for reheating in the toaster oven! Thanks for sharing your tip about cardamom seeds.
Beth F
Excellent flavor – I will definitely make every fall during pear season. I used 3/4 of a larger Parker pear from Farmer’s Market which are more crunchy like an apple but softened with baking. Muffins were still gooey at 12 minutes. I baked for 18 minutes total and they were perfect. Used sugar cinnamon topping instead of brown sugar/butter topping. Agree with others – pears and cardamom are a great match!
Susan
Turned out delish! Had small pears, so used 3. Used AP flour instead of whole wheat. Used pumpkin pie spice instead of cardamom. Avocado oil mixed with applesauce to equal 1/4 cup. Sprinkled raw sugar on top instead of the butter/brown sugar mixture.
I’m freezing diced pears to use for future muffins. Thank you!
Elizabeth
My family and I loved these. I made them gluten free by substituting oat flour for whole wheat flour, and used coconut sugar not brown, which lowers the glycemic index. It’s rare for me to find a use for the good cardamom I have and I found it to be a bonus here. I baked the muffins in large silicone muffin cups with oven warmed to 400 deg then immediately reduced the oven temp to 375. I added the sugar and butter after baking about 15 minutes. The muffins were plenty sweet enough but my pears were very ripe. Next time I may try more of a crumbly buttery topping.
Jennie
Fantastic recipe. Followed it to the T. Wouldn’t alter or change a thing unless someone thinks it’s too sweet, then alter the amount of brown sugar. I used dark brown sugar, e.v.o.o. and doubled the recipe. Literally makes a perfect dozen for a single batch. Most recipes I make that claim is a single batch or dozen, I usually have a lot of leftover batter. Not this recipe. Will keep yhis for future use with other fruits. Thank you!
Cathy
Can I use canned pears in this?
Marisa Moore
I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure how if canned pears would work. I’m concerned they may introduce too much moisture. But if I tried it, I’d fully drain and pat the pears dry. Let us know if you give it a go.
mikhaila
DELICIOUS! super easy recipe to follow and they turned out so good, ill for sure be making these again and again. recipe saved 😉 thanks :):):)
Leslie
Excellent! My family loved these moist, delicious muffins. One of my family members loves cinnamon, so I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cardamon. Other than that, I followed the recipe. I almost didn’t add the topping, but I’m glad I did. It was wonderful! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Steph
These are amazing!! I don’t like pear plain but knew these sounded good!
Used whole milk and added a handful of crushed walnuts and about half a teaspoon of ground ginger and baked for about 18 minutes. Next time I would add even more ginger or perhaps crystalized ginger for an added sweet and spicy crunch!
Carola
I am so full! Head’s up! Don’t bake on an empty stomach! I made a double batch, and made small loafs and mini muffins. Yummy!!!! This is definitely a keeper that I have pinned! Looking forward to trying all the different ideas presented here!
Aimee
Recipe page is poorly written/edited. This is not a 27 minute recipe when the oats have to soak for 15 minutes. It is also not as simple as “mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another, then mixing them together.” I read that (since there’s no skip-to-recipe button), scrolled to the ingredient/measurements list and started mixing. That made for a frustrating experience where I had to sift the oats out of the flour. The muffins will probably be good, but I’m sitting here with oxidizing pear chunks while I wait on the oats to soak.
Marisa Moore
Sorry to hear you had difficulty. The photos help illustrate the process and this is the first time anyone has mentioned an issue but I’ll take a look to see if/where it can be made more clear. Thanks for the feedback.
Kathy Mello
Made these with gluten free ingredients and they turned out beautifully! This one is keeper for sure. Thank you for posting 🙂
Anuja
These are a good breakfast option, because they’re not too sweet. I used 1:1 wholemeal and spelt flour and followed the rest of the recipe as per instructions. I also topped it with chopped up candied ginger in addition to the butter and sugar crumble. I would recommend some candied ginger or dried ginger powder, because it awakens the pears a little bit. Next time, I would add a little more sugar and possibly add some blanched almonds on top.