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Poached Pear Smoothie

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With fall and winter approaching even the colder months cannot mitigate my love for a delicious morning or afternoon pick-me-up: warming flavors make this poached pear smoothie a delicious snack for every season!

Image showing of a poached pear smoothie from the front. The smoothie is standing on a white plate, pieces of parchment paper underneath, on a white marbled surface. the background is blurry and beige. You can see silhouettes of a milk bottle, a jar filled with oats and pears in a wooden basket. The smoothie itself is in a jar with a walnut covered rim. The top os sprinkled with cinnamon. A golden spoon with the handle extending in a palm leave is inside the smoothie jar. On the left side of the smoothie are two pears of which the one in the foreground is poached. The jar and plate are surrounded by spices such as cinnamon sticks, star anise and whole cloves.

Growing up one of my favorite desserts was “pear Helen”, a French dessert consisting of poached pears, vanilla ice cream and (dark) chocolate sauce. While I certainly had nothing to object against the melted dark chocolate that is drizzled over vanilla ice cream and pear halves, those poached pear pieces in fact happen to be my favorite part.

Once cooked, they get this unique taste: soft, slightly sweet, slightly spiced and just utterly delicious. I even made a baked oats recipe inspired by “pear Helen” which I might have to share some time soon. But first, let’s make a deliciously spiced poached pear smoothie!

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Ingredients

Everything we need for our poached pear smoothie:

  • PEAR(S): Feel free to make a bigger batch of poached pears! They are also incredibly delicious as porridge topping-or give “pear Helen” a try 😉
  • CINNAMON STICKS, STAR ANISE, CLOVES: to add hints of spices to the water in which we poach the pear(s)
  • MAPLE SYRUP: to sweeten up the pears and smoothie
  • YOGHURT: I recommend using an extra creamy yoghurt variety, my favorite is a soy based greek style one. Freezing the yoghurt into ice cubes will make this smoothie extra thick. However, should the days be too chilly: While I do not recommend warming the smoothie on the stove, you can certainly just skip the freezing step and use the yoghurt strait fro the tub.
  • PLANT MILK: Any plant milk you like works!
  • GROUND CINNAMON& CLOVE: for MORE FLAVOR!
  • NUT- OR SEEDBUTTER: To make our smoothie extra creamy and (again) flavorful.
Closse-up image of a poached pear. The pear is standing on a white plate which was set on a white marbled surface. In the background you can see parts of another pear as well as a jar filled with a poached pear smoothie. The background is blurry though.

Optional Add-ins:

  • VANILLA PROTEIN: Adds some extra protein plus a lovely taste and more sweetness.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT: Is completely optional, but I of like to add a few drops whenever I feel extra fancy (because lets be honest, it is REALLY expensive) and long for that lovely note vanilla extract adds

How to make the poached pear smoothie

This smoothie comes together in a few simple steps. However, it is slightly more time consuming than chucking everything into a blender as we need to post our pears first. I recommend you to prepare a larger batch of poached pears while you’re at it:

  1. Add the pear, water and spices to a small pot. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for around 10 minutes. (Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the size if the pear. They are ready once they are soft). Leave the pear to cool for a few minutes, then discard the kernels and cut into slices
  2. Meanwhile add al the remaining ingredients to a blender. Add the pear slices and mix until smooth and creamy. You might need to stop throughout the process and scrape down the sides, depending on how much liquid you use.
  3. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Image showing a poached pear smoothie at an angle from above. The smoothie is standing on a white plate, pieces of parchment paper underneath, on a white marbled surface. The plate is decorated with fresh spices like star anise, cinnamon sticks and ground cloves. On the left side of the smoothie jar you can spot parts of two pears of which one is poached. A hand with a golden ring on the thumb, partially covered by a grey sweater, is holding a golden spoon at its palm leave shaped handle. the soon is inside the smoothie, probably to swirl in the cinnamon that was dusted on top.
Image showing a poached pear smoothie at an angle from above. The smoothie is standing on a white plate, pieces of parchment paper underneath, on a white marbled surface. The plate is decorated with fresh spices like star anise, cinnamon sticks and ground cloves. On the left side of the smoothie jar you can spot parts of two pears of which one is poached. A golden spoon is being lifted from the smoothie.

TIP

DON’T THROW AWAY THE PEAR-PEELS! They make a delicious crispy snack: cover them in some cinnamon and brown/coconut sugar and bake at 150C for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

You could also cook them with your morning porridge to add a bit more variety if you are not feeling like turning on the oven 😉

Love sweet snacks? Then you might also like these recipes:

Let’s get started!

If you like spiced up smoothies I hope this poached pear smoothie will find its way to your heart (and taste buds)! If you give it a try then please leave a comment and rate this recipe! I am always happy to see others trying any of my creations, so tag me on instagram or send me a picture via direct messages 🙂

ALL THE BEST

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Poached Pear Smoothie

Course Dessert, Drinks, smoothie, Snack
Keyword breakfast, dessert, drinks, gluten free, snack, sweets
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Author Julia

Ingredients

Poached pear

  • 1 medium pear, peeled *
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 star anise
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 1/4 Cup water **
  • 2 tsp maple syrup or another liquid sweetener (optional)

Poached pear smoothie

  • 1/2 Cup yoghurt frozen into cubes***
  • 1/4-1/2 Cup plant milk
  • 1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 Tsp ground clove
  • 1 Tbsp nut or seed butter ****(see notes)
  • 1-2 Tbsp vanilla protein (optional)
  • 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
  • a drizzle of maple syrup or another liquid sweetener (optional)

Instructions

Poached pear

  • Start by making the poached pear: add the pear to the pot alongside the water and spices and bring to a quick boil. After about a minute reduce to a simmer and let cook for around 10 minutes until soft.
  • Remove the pear from the water, let cool for a few minutes. Discard the kernels and stem.

Poached pear smoothie

  • Add the pear to a blender alongside the remaining ingredients.
  • Blend until smooth and creamy. Use more or less milk, depending on how thick you prefer the consistency. I suggest you start with as little as the mixture needs to keep blending and then slowly add more as you go.
  • Pour the smoothie into a jar and enjoy!

Notes

*You can use whatever type of pears you prefer. Just keep in mind that depending on the size of the pears you chose the cooking time might take longer. Once soft the pears are ready. I also have a little tip to avoid discarding the peels: cover them with a bit of cinnamon and brown/coconut sugar and bake at 150C for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Once cooled they are a delicious crispy pear-peel snack! You could also cook them with your morning porridge to add a bit more variety if you are not feeling like turning on the oven 😉 
**You might need to use a little more water than the 1 1/4 Cups. It should cover the pear.
***I recommend using an extra creamy yoghurt variety, my favorite is a soy based greek style one. Freezing the yoghurt into ice cubes will make this smoothie extra thick, almost like a frozen cream depending on how much liquid you use while blending. However, you might not feel like something super cold during the chill months of the year. While i do not recommend warming the smoothie on the stove, you can certainly just skip the freezing step and use the yoghurt strait fro the tub for a less cooling version.
****The first time I made this smoothie I used a homemade walnut butter and it was so good! Now to  be honest walnut butter is not a staple for me so I often just use Tahini, sometimes almond butter. Depending on your preferences and personal needs (allergies etc.) I suggest you just experiment a bit and see what you like best!
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