Poached Pears with Spiced Orange Glaze in the Instant Pot

Confession: I’ve never made poached pears… or even eaten them before this Instant Pot recipe. While it always sounds good.. it seems a little…. labor and ingredient intensive. These poached pears were more than easy when made in the Instant Pot!

I loved how my baked peach crumble turned out in the Instant Pot… so I thought I would give pears a shot!

While these aren’t technically “poached pears”, since that requires submerging the pears in liquid to cook- they are a close second. I bet you won’t even know the difference. 😀

This recipe calls for coconut sugar, which I prefer because it has a low glycemic index. You can substitute a different sweetener if you like, however, the coconut sugar is a rich caramel taste- I think you would like it if you gave it a try!

I buy my coconut sugar in three packs here:

Nutiva Organic Coconut Sugar, Unrefined, 1 Pound (Pack of 3)

Equipment:

• Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Trivet
• Wooden Spoon
• Vegetable Peeler

Ingredients:

• 4 firm Pears
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1/3 cup Coconut Sugar
• 1 dash Whole Cloves
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• Vanilla Salt to garnish

Instructions:

1. Peel the pears, leaving the stem intact.
2. Add 1 cup of orange juice to the Instant Pot. Add all the spices.
3. Place the trivet in the Instant Pot, carefully arrange pears so they are standing up.
4. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure the valve is set to sealing.
5. Set Manual – High- 7 minutes
6. When the time is up, wait 5 minutes, then release pressure.
7. Take the lid off of the Instant Pot, and carefully lift the trivet and pears out. Leave the remaining liquid.
8. Scoop out the cinnamon stick and cloves.
9. Add the coconut sugar to the Pot- and hit the “Saute” function.
10. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon- reduce the liquid down to a nice, thick sauce. You will need to stir continuously at the end- but only for a minute or two!
11. Turn the Instant Pot off. Carefully pour the sauce over the pears (or into a glass storage container if serving later).
12. Garnish with a pinch of vanilla salt.

Enjoy with a scoop of greek yogurt! I actually preferred these chilled… and yes I managed to save (one) lonely poached pear for the husband. :O