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Fresh pears dehydrated into delicious pear chips!
We have two pear trees and we get enough pears to eat from them. My neighbor has two pear trees as well. Her trees are beautiful mature trees that produce more pears than she knows what to do with.
We have been invited to pick as many pears as we want. You wouldn’t believe how many pears I have sitting in my kitchen right now! 
When you pick pears, you don’t wait until they are at the peak of ripeness….unless you are just wanting to pick one to eat right at the moment. Usually you pick pears while they are still slightly green.
You don’t want to pick them too early, but if you wait too long, the pears bruise with every touch and they also start to fall from the trees with any movement. To test for the perfect pear picking time, you gently grab a pear in your hand and bend it up.
If the stem snaps, they are ready to pick. They aren’t ready to eat yet, but they are ready to be picked.
I picked 5 huge laundry baskets full of pears. I know what you’re thinking! Laundry Baskets???? Really???? Yep! They are quite handy for picking, carrying and storing.
They are sturdy, they have air holes which is great while they are ripening and they usually have great handles which makes it easy for carrying.
My kids are complaining because I took all the laundry baskets, but hey, they’ll get them back in a week or so!
Why so many pears? We eat pears, can pears, and dehydrate pears into pear chips and I just have a hard time not getting as many as possible! Although, I left a lot behind. Even with all that I picked, my neighbors trees are still loaded.
I am waiting for the pears to ripen for canning. In the meanwhile, I am using several while they are still green. The green ones are just perfect for turning into Pear Chips! In fact, they are easier to use while slightly green than waiting for them to ripen.
They are so easy to cut when they aren’t ripe. I just slice them up with the skins still on and plop them onto the dehydrating trays. Right now my dehydrator is going 24/7. I can hardly keep up with the way the kids eat these things! They love ’em!!!
There are a lot of ways to make these dried pears, but I love them best with nothing but pear….no lemon juice, no spices……just plain pear! Of course, you could always add a sprinkling of cinnamon if you really wanted.
Additional ways to preserve food
- How to Freeze Raspberries
- How to Freeze Rhubarb
- Canning Apple Pie Filling
- Blackberry Jam
- Roasting and Freezing Chili Peppers
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If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
If you are looking for a great recipes to snack on, or to pack a lunch box, browse one of these snack recipes. Pure deliciousness!
Homemade pear chips
- 10 Pears still slightly green.
- Slice pears with skins still on, discard core.
- Place on dehydrator trays so the slices are not overlapping.
- Dry for 8- 12 hours, depending on your dehydrator.
- Store in a food safe container.
- Any amount of pears works. You are only limited to the amount of drying space you have on your dehydrator.
- It is best to use pears while they are still slightly green.
- Drying times vary, depending on your dehydrator, amount of pears drying, thickness of slices and ripeness of pears.
37 Comments
Fred G
February 21, 2019 at 6:46 amAll our visitors really like pear chips.
Molly
August 23, 2018 at 11:41 amDo these come out crisp or so bendy?
Kathy
August 23, 2018 at 4:58 pmHi Molly,
The longer you dry them the crispier they will become.
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
September 27, 2016 at 7:10 amLove these! Need to make them for our camping trip next week!
Kaleigh @ Lively Table
September 26, 2016 at 9:05 pmI cant wait to try these! I love pears but have never thought to make chips out of them! Yum!
Kathy
September 27, 2016 at 4:48 amThey make a great, healthy snack!
Geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen
September 24, 2016 at 8:42 pmIsn’t growing your own fruit wonderful, Kathy – I have a mature lemon tree that gives me lots of lemons. I planted a tiny plum tree last year and it gave me 6 plums this year – hoping for a much bigger harvest in the years to come. This year I planted a gauva pineapple tree and a lime tree – fingers crossed they both do well!
Kathy
September 25, 2016 at 5:44 amYes! I do love growing our own! I love that you have such a great variety. Good luck on the guava pineapple and lime! Those wouldn’t survive our winters here.
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com
September 23, 2016 at 10:18 amYour pears look beautiful! I wish I had a pear tree in my garden – dehydrating and eating them as a healthy snack is such a great idea!
Kathy
September 25, 2016 at 5:41 amThanks, Miriam! The pears take some time to dry, but otherwise aren’t a lot of work! Definitely worth making.
Adina
September 23, 2016 at 3:01 amSo many pears, I wish I could pick some myself. I actually prefer to eat them slightly green, I don’t like them soft… The chips look amazing, I’ve never had any.
Kathy
September 23, 2016 at 4:37 amThere are a lot of pears! Once they turn soft and yellow they don’t last long at all!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen
September 23, 2016 at 1:45 amSuch a healthy and delicious snack. These pear chips look fantastic, Kathy. Sadly I don’t have a dehydrator. Can I bake them?
Kathy
September 23, 2016 at 4:35 amI haven’t tried baking them. If you try, bake them on the lowest setting the oven goes.
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks
September 22, 2016 at 5:31 pmI am always so jealous of all your home grown fresh produce! Chris is always saying we should use our dehydrator more. Maybe if he would plant me a pear tree we could make these beautiful pear chips! I can’t believe you have so many they fill clothes baskets!
Kathy
September 23, 2016 at 4:32 amI just couldn’t stop picking them! I left just as many on the trees too! It’s a great year for pears.