Fresh pears dehydrated into delicious pear chips! This healthy snack is a perfect way to preserve your pear harvest.
Dried pears can be made with the fall harvest and enjoyed all year long.
Dehydrating pears
We have two pear trees and every year the harvest keeps getting better and better. We also have a neighbor with two mature pear trees that are loaded with pears. She invites us to pick from her trees every year, because there are so many pears.
Between all the trees, I picked 5 huge laundry baskets full of pears. I know what you're thinking! Laundry Baskets? Really? Yep! Laundry baskets are quite handy for picking, carrying and storing pears. And I have plenty of baskets in my house.
Laundry baskets are sturdy, they have air holes which is great while the pears 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! And in return they'll have a lovely snack of dried pears!
These pear chips are soft and chewy, similar to a dried apple. You can make these crispy, but you will need to slice the pears very thin.
When is the best time to pick pears?
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.
We eat fresh pears, can pears in quart jars to fill our pantry, and dehydrate pears into pear chips.
I am waiting for the pears to ripen for canning. In the meanwhile, I am using several pears while they are still green. The green ones are perfect for turning into Pear Chips! In fact, they are easier to use while slightly green.
The pears are so easy to cut when they aren't quite 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. My kids love to eat them as soon as they come off the dehydrator. I can hardly keep up with the way the kids eat these things!
We have also been busy making dried prunes!
Conditioning dried fruit
Once your pears are dried, remove them and place loosely in a large container. Conditioning the fruit helps distribute the moisture level evenly throughout all the fruit. This helps prevent the risk of mold.
Once the fruit is in a container, seal the container with a lid and allow the fruit to rest for 7-10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by some of the drier pieces.
Gently shake the jar or container every day. If condensation appears on the jar, return the dried pears to the dehydrator for a bit longer.
Store dried and conditioned pears in dry canning jars with a lid, or in freezer safe bags. Vacuum sealed bags also help maintain the quality of the pears. Dried pears can be stored in the freezer or in a dry pantry.
When using, inspect pears. . If any part of the container has turned moldy, discard dried pears.
Frequently asked questions
Approximately 8-12 hours. It depends on the thickness of your pear slices, how ripe the pears are, the temperature of your dehydrator, how many pears you are dehydrating and the humidity.
The best way to know if your pears are dried is to try one. I often will let a slice cool for a few minutes and then try it.
Once fully dried, store pears in a zip top bag or a glass jar with a lid. For longer storage, fill a freezer bag with dried pears and freeze in a deep freeze.
Yes, you can make these in the oven. Place pears on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in a 225 degree oven for about 1 ½ hours.
Variations on dried pears
There are a variety of seasonings you can add to your pears before you dry them. My favorite way is to eat them just plain, but I do make a few different varieties just to mix things up a bit.
- Cinnamon and Sugar - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle a light coating on one side of the pears before drying.
- Ginger - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with a ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger. Sprinkle on one side of pears before drying
- Chai Spice - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with a ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cardamom.
More pear recipes
If you are looking for more recipes using fresh pears, you'll want to check out these recipes:
Additional food preserving recipes
- How to Freeze Raspberries
- How to Freeze Rhubarb
- Canning Apple Pie Filling
- Blackberry Jam
- Roasting and Freezing Chili Peppers
- How to Can Tomatoes
- Venison Jerky
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 more delicious snacks to make, browse one of these snack recipes.
Be certain to listen to the podcast episode discussing this recipe!
Pear Chips
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 Pears (still slightly green)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Slice pears into thin slices (⅛ inch - ¼ inch) with skins still on, discard core.10 Pears
- If desired, lemon juice can be mixed with 4 cups of water. Slice pears can be dipped into water to help prevent discoloration. This step is optional.¼ cup lemon juice
To Use a Dehydrator
- Place on dehydrator trays so the slices are not overlapping.
- Dry at 130°-140°F for 8-10 hour until pears are dry and leathery with no moist spots.
To Use an Oven
- Place slice pears on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in a preheated 250°F oven for 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours until pears are dried.
Condition Dried Pears
- Place dried pears into a container and allow pears to condition for 5-7 days. Conditioning allows the pears with more moisture transfer some of the that moisture to the dryer pears. If condensation appears on the sides of the container, your pears need to dry for a bit longer. Put them back on the dehydrator for 1-2 hours.
- Store in a food safe container.
Notes
- You can use any amount of pears. You are only limited to the amount of drying space you have on your dehydrator or oven.
- 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.
- Cinnamon and Sugar - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle a light coating on one side of the pears before drying.
- Ginger - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with a ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger. Sprinkle on one side of pears before drying
- Chai Spice - Mix a tablespoon of sugar with a ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cardamom.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published September, 2016. The content has been updated.
Sherry says
My pear tree is crazy with pears this year! I've dehydrated kale and zucchini chips, which we love, so I was excited to try drying pears. Half plain, half with cinnamon-sugar... both delicious! And I agree with you on slightly chewy. They're like healthy candy!
Kathy says
Yum!!! A little cinnamon sugar sounds delish! 🙂
Brad says
Uhh, don’t you think that giving a dehydrator temperature would be part of your instructions? Uhhhh
Kathy says
Hi Brad,
I usually set the temperature at 135°
Thank you 🙂
Cassidy says
Geeze. Rude way of asking.
Kay Anderson says
Not sure I understand "I don’t actually dry them until they are crisp." Do you cut them and then wait for them to dry on their own and then dehydrate?
Kathy says
Hi Kay,
I'm sorry for the confusion. I do slice them and place them on the dehydrator right away, but I don't dry the pears all the way until they are crispy.
Hope that helps.
Amy L Adams says
How do I make the pears crunchy? Mine come out still slightly soft and chewy. Even after 4 days in the dehydrator.
Kathy says
Hi Amy,
We've always called these pear chips, but I don't actually dry them until they are crisp. I like them soft and chewy. After 4 days in the dehydrator, they won't become any crispier. You can make them crisp by slicing very thin at the beginning.
Kathy 🙂
Rahul @samosastreet says
What a great snack idea Kathy !! I am so going to try this!! I buy dried pears at Trader Joe’s but man if I could make my own!
Kathy says
Everything's better when you can do it yourself!
Alex says
Such a great snack idea, Kathy! I have some pears that are perfect for this! Time to get the dehydrator out of the cupboard 🙂
Kathy says
This is the time I use mine the most. Apples and pears make great dried fruit.
David @ Spiced says
I've never made dried pears, but these look delicious, Kathy! Plus, I'm more than a little jealous at your 5 laundry baskets full of pears - that's crazy! We almost planted a pear tree at our old house, but we opted for a couple apple trees instead. When we moved 8 years later, we were only getting a couple of apples each year. It takes so long for trees to fully mature. And now you've inspired me to dust off that dehydrator that I have in the basement!
Kathy says
It does take several years before you get a great harvest from most fruit trees. It's fun each year to watch the tress slowly get bigger!