A sweet and savoury vegan cold pear soup! It’s naturally sweet, thanks to ripe pears, and it’s incredibly flavourful, despite only having 8 ingredients. Makes a fabulously unique starter or dessert that’s ready in just 25 minutes.
This recipe was originally published in October 2018. It has been updated for content and photos.
This vegan cold pear soup is especially fantastic when pears are ripe and in season, but since pears are available all year round, you can enjoy this delicious soup at any time of year.
I originally made this soup in 2018, and although this post has been updated since then, I decided to leave this tidbit in, so you’ll understand WHY on earth I tried this soup cold. 😆
“I did try the soup warm at first, and it was delicious! But then because of mom life, a screaming baby and toddler, bath time, bedtime, etc, I didn’t sit down to take another bite until over 30 minutes later.” – Exhausted me in 2018 when my boys were 2.5 and 11 months old.
Jump to:
Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan cold pear soup.
- Pears: Choose pears that are ripe to maximize the natural sweetness of this pear soup. Leave your pears at room temperature for several days if they are still hard, or they won’t be sweet enough for this dish. I’ve tried this with both bartlett and bosc pears, but any pears will work.
- Butter: I’m using dairy-free butter, but you may also use a neutral flavoured oil, like avocado oil if you’d like.
- For oil-free: To keep the dish low fat and oil-free, omit the butter and use water or broth to sauté the onion and garlic.
- Onion + Garlic: Use fresh (not dried powders) and sauté them until golden and lightly caramelized for the best flavour.
- Lemon: Adds a slight tang to the pear soup, without being overpowering. If you don’t have fresh lemons on hand, you may use apple cider vinegar with similar results.
- Maple syrup: Optional for added sweetness, especially if your pears are not ripe enough. If your pears are perfectly ripe, you may skip the syrup. OR, you may also try date syrup, unrefined coconut sugar, or brown sugar, instead.
- Soy milk: Any plant-based milk works well here. Use whatever you normally have on hand, such as almond, cashew, etc.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic in an oven-safe skillet. (photo 1)
Then turn off the heat and add the pears, and remaining ingredients, except the milk. (photo 2)
Toss to coat, and then broil for 7-10 minutes until the pears are lightly browned. (photo 3)
Transfer everything to a blender and add the milk. Then puree until smooth. (photo 4)
Taste and add some salt and black pepper if needed.
Then serve in bowls, garnished with cashew cream (if you’d like), and enjoy warm OR let rest until slightly chilled to room temperature.
Equipment
Make sure to use an oven-safe skillet, such as a cast-iron pan to sauté and then broil. If you do not have an oven-safe pan, transfer the sautéed onion and garlic to an oven-safe dish to broil the pears.
To blend, use a stand blender (working in batches if needed) for the smoothest results. (We love and use a Vitamix.) Or, transfer everything to a deep dish or pot and use an immersion blender with similar results.
Variations
This pear soup is mostly sweet with some savoury elements. If you want to change up the recipe here are some ideas for you:
- Boil or simmer some cubed yellow or sweet potato, cubed carrots, and/or butternut squash (or other squashes) with vegetable broth, and then puree the veggies with the rest of your soup, adjusting the broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in some chopped shallots or leek when sautéing the onion and garlic for added flavour.
- Spice it up with a dash of nutmeg, turmeric, thyme, ground ginger, or red pepper flakes for heat.
Storage
Leftover pear soup will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days. You may reheat on the stovetop, or enjoy chilled.
To freeze, store in an airtight, freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to leave a little room at the top of your container to allow for expansion.
Expert Tip
- Enjoy this pear soup warm OR cold. It tastes fantastic both ways, but the flavours seem to really mingle nicely together once slightly cooled to room temperature.
More delicious creamy soup recipes!
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Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ripe pears approx. 8 medium pears, quartered
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional
- ½ cup soy milk or almond/cashew milk
Optional Garnish
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil on high, with the top rack about 6 inches down from the top burner.
- Melt butter in a cast iron pan or another ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Then add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent and lightly caramelized, approx. 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the quartered pears, lemon juice, cinnamon, and maple syrup, and toss to coat. Then place the skillet in your oven and broil for about 7-10 minutes until the pears are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and carefully transfer your soup to a blender. Add the milk and puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and add some salt and pepper if needed.
- Pour your pear soup into bowls and enjoy warm, OR let stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before enjoying.
Peter says
Absolutely delicious! Really easy to make too. Perfect for a hot summer’s evening, I sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. Might try with fried sage on top next time, and use the air fryer, as broiling in a heatwave 🫠🫠🫠
Rosa says
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Peter. Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Jenny says
Hi, this looks delicious, but I have a large quantity of plums and just wondered if it would work with plums rather than pears.
Rosa says
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried this with plums, so I’m not sure how it would change the flavour. If the plums are more tart than sweet, you may need to decrease the lemon juice and/or increase the maple syrup. It’s worth experimenting. Let us know if you try it out.
Nancy Davidson says
Simply fabulous!!!
Rosa says
Thanks Nancy! So glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Rob says
It looks GREAT I can’t wait to try it. But I have a silly questions, do you peal the pears? I’m new to cooking and working with fruits.
rosa says
Hi Rob, no need to peel the pears. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Gretchen Mueller says
This looks really delicious. I think I will try to serve it to my little kiddos and see what they think — they LOVE pear.
rosa says
Thanks Gretchen, hope you all enjoy.
Sara Welch says
I was a bit thrown for a look with the idea of a cold soup, but this was very delicious, indeed! I loved it!
rosa says
Yay so glad you enjoyed it Sara!
Sarah says
Love that story how you discovered it tastes better cold! 🙂 I am so excited to try it!
rosa says
Thanks! I’d love to hear what you think 🙂