Spiced Pear Soufflé
24 Comments
Nov 15, 2022
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This spiced pear soufflé is the best autumn dessert. It’s fluffy, airy, and the coziest combination of fresh pears and warming spices.
Typically, we associate fall with warm and cozy desserts that are a bit on the heavier side. But what if I said there’s a dessert that gives the same vibe, but won’t weigh you down? Now that’s something I’d be all over this season — and what this spiced pear soufflé has to offer!
I’ve been eager to make a new version of my raspberry soufflé. So, it was only a matter of time before I experimented with my favorite autumn fruit.
Once you nail this soufflé recipe, don’t be surprised if you end up making this for every single holiday dinner party. Especially as a unique Thanksgiving dessert!
Spiced Pear Soufflé Recipe Ingredients
- Pear Puree: I’m using Bartlett pears, but any kind will work! You’ll also need lemon juice — and I always recommend fresh lemons instead of the bottled kind.
- Soufflé Batter Base: This includes room-temperature butter, coconut sugar, honey, arrowroot flour, and egg whites.
- Spices: A combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice makes the warmest, spiced flavor that complements the sweet pears so well.
Helpful Tips & Substitutions
- Arrowroot Flour: If you don’t have arrowroot flour, you can use tapioca flour or cornstarch as well.
- Coconut Sugar: I always use coconut sugar in dessert recipes, but you can any of your favorite granulated sugars.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make A Soufflé
There are a few important steps to make a soufflé. But if you carefully follow along below, you’ll be a pro in no time! Just be most careful when you’re stirring together the soufflé batter — I have more tips below!
Make the pear puree. Pulse the pear and lemon juice in a food processor until it’s completely smooth — almost like apple sauce! Then pour the puree into a small pot with honey and spices. Mix everything together and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Make a slurry and mix it with the pear puree. Stir the arrowroot flour and water in a separate small bowl. Then stir the slurry into the puree until it starts to thicken. Pour the final puree into a bowl and let it chill in the fridge.
Beat the egg whites. Do this in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Then slowly add the rest of the honey as you’re beating until it’s perfectly smooth and glossy.
Make the final soufflé batter. Stir ⅓ of the egg whites into the pear puree. Then gently fold in another ⅓ of the egg whites until combined — and repeat. The key here is to not over-mix the batter!
It’s time to bake! Add the mixture into the ramekins, level the top with a knife, and bake for 11 to 14 minutes at 375°F (190°C). It should slightly puff up and have a golden top!
Helpful tip: Make sure to serve it up immediately, as it’ll start to deflate a minute or so after being removed from the oven!
More Holiday Desserts
Desserts have a special place during the holiday season. So here are a few more delicious ideas to try! They’re perfect for enjoying at home or to bring to Thanksgiving!
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake
- Coconut Macaroons
- Baked Apples
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie
- No Bake Cookies
If you make this spiced pear soufflé, let me know how it turned out in a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the process and results on this wintery dessert.
Spiced Pear Souffle
Description
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon room temperature butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
- 2 large pears, peeled, cored and quartered
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour
- 3 teaspoons water
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease the inside of six 6-ounce ramekins with butter. Lightly dust with coconut sugar or another granulated sugar. Place on a baking tray and set aside.
- Place the pear and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until pureed and smooth.
- In a small pot on medium heat, add the pureed pear, one tablespoon of honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Stir and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
- While the puree is simmering, stir together the arrowroot flour and water in a separate small bowl, to create a slurry.
- Pour the slurry into the pear puree and continue simmering and stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour the puree into a large bowl (as more will be added to it shortly) and place it in the fridge to cool.
- After the puree has cooled, place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining two tablespoons of honey, beating until slightly glossy.
- Stir ⅓ of the egg whites into the puree, until well combined. Don't worry about deflating the egg whites with the first addition. Gently fold in another ⅓ of the egg whites until combined, but not over-mixed. And repeat for the last ⅓ of egg whites. It's okay if light streaks of white remain.
- Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, level the top with a knife, and bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until slightly puffed up and lightly golden on top. Serve immediately.
Lisa’s Tips
- Note that there might be a little bit of spiced pear liquid that pools in the bottom of the ramekin. That’s normal.
- If you find that your souffle didn’t rise, make sure you don’t overmix your egg whites with the puree. It’s okay to have some slight streaks of white in the mixture.
Nutrition
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I was scared of making a soufflé! So many stories of how difficult it is and how possible it is to be flat and not puff up properly. But it turned out PERFECT. It was a big hit. I used Earth Balance instead of butter as I have a dairy allergy, but it was still great. I’ll be making this again for sure. Thank you for giving me options on a really restricting diet!
Yay, I’m happy you loved the recipe and that it turned out perfect!
Could you use other fruit purees as well? Or is the consistency different?
Can’t wait to make these!
You likely could! As it’s similar to the raspberry souffle recipe on my website as well. :)
I want to make these for a party at a friends house. I know I could have the pear purée done ahead of time. Could I also whip the egg whites at home and assemble at friends house to bake while we are eating dinner?
I believe that should be okay!
so good and so easy, I felt like a pro when I popped these out of the oven. wasn’t sure what the sprinkling on top was, I grated a little nutmeg on top and for the sugar used brown monk fruit. instead of coconut sugar
Glad your souffle turned out perfectly Grace!
Looks lovely and would love to try. How many ramekins does the scale of 1x fill? Thank you!
6 ramekins. :)
Can I replace the arrowroot powder with cornstarch or mochiko flour?
Yes, cornstarch will work.
Hi Lisa, I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! If I’m using cornflour instead of Arrowroot, is it a 1-1 substitution? Thanks!
Yes, it is. Hope you enjoy it Shayna!
Very nice recipe! To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be this sweet. The combination of flavours was amazing. Even the texture…you may think you’re biting into a cloud haha.
Thank you, Lisa!
Yes, souffles are definitely cloud desserts – ha! So happy you loved it. :)
Can this be done ahead of time, like 1 day ahead or not?
Unfortunately no. Souffles are best served immediately.
Could the pear pure be prepared a day in advanced? it says it need to be cooled in the refrigerator? Then before serving beat the whites and bake?
Please advice? I really would like to do it as a Thanksgiving dessert, but I would like save time and not do everything when guests are here.
Thank you!
Hi Margaret – yes, I think that should be fine. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
That looks delicious. Can we use coconut oil instead of the butter?
Yes, that should work as well.
Can you use mugs or something else as a substitute for the ramekins?
Yes, you could use small mugs for this recipe as well.