No Bake Pear Dessert: Chai Pear Tart (Gluten Free)
Craving a cozy fall dessert but don’t want to turn on the oven? This easy no-bake pear tart has a chai-spiced walnut-and-pecan crust, creamy coconut-cashew cream, and fresh, sweet, juicy pears on top. It’s gluten-free, vegan, and ready in about 20 minutes. And yes, it makes a pretty yummy breakfast too!
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💛 Why You’ll Love This No Bake Pear Dessert
Let it be said: I will never be called the dietitian who told you not to eat dessert, especially not this one. It’s loaded with healthy fats from walnuts, pecans, and cashews; warming chai spices (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves); and, oh yeah, lush, juicy pears that make fall so delicious.
It’s also perfect if you live in a warm climate, as I do here in San Diego. There may be nary a drop of crisp fall weather in sight, but I still crave all the cozy fall flavors.
A few more reasons to love it:
- No oven needed. The crust presses together in your food processor, and the cream blends up in minutes.
- Make-ahead friendly. You can make the spice mix, cream, and crust ahead, so assembly takes just a few minutes.
- Perfect for the holidays. It’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, so it works for all the guests at your holiday table.
Why Pears Deserve More Love
Sometimes it seems like apples get all the love. Agree? As an equal-opportunity, fruit-loving dietitian, I think sweet, juicy pears deserve a spot in your kitchen too!
One medium pear provides about 6 grams of gut-healthy fiber. Fiber helps keep things moving (alleviating constipation) and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. (Learn more about eating for a healthy gut microbiome.)
Pears also provide vitamin C and potassium, and are a delicious way to eat more plants for better health.
Pair that fiber (no pun intended, lol) with the healthy fats and plant protein from nuts, and you get a dessert that’s both satisfying and delicious.
🍐 No Bake Pear Dessert Ingredients
You’ll need four simple parts for this pear tart:
- Chai spice mix: ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom.
- Coconut cashew cream: raw cashews, canned coconut milk, and a little maple syrup.
- Chai spiced nut crust: walnuts, pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and chai spice mix.
- Toppings: Fresh ripe pear slices, plus a sprinkle of the remaining chai mix.
How To Make This Easy Pear Tart
- Blend the cashew cream. Add the cashews, coconut milk, and maple syrup to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. This may take a few minutes, so scrape down the sides as needed.
- Mix the chai spices. While the cream blends, stir the spices together in a small bowl.
- Make the crust. Pulse the walnuts, pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt, and 3 teaspoons of the chai spice mix in a food processor until the nuts are finely chopped and the mixture sticks together. Press it into your tart pans.
- Assemble. Spread a thin layer of cashew cream over each crust, layer on the sliced pears, and sprinkle with the remaining chai spices.
👩🍳 Tips for the Best No Bake Pear Tart
- Want extra silky cream? I don’t soak my cashews for this recipe, since my high-speed Vitamix blender gets them nice and smooth. If your blender is less powerful, soak the cashews in water for 2 to 4 hours, or cover them with boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain them well before blending.
- Choose juicy, ripe pears. I like softer pears like Bartlett or Comice, but use whatever pears you love. USA Pears has a great guide to pear varieties.
- Keep your pears pretty. If you’re not serving right away, toss the slices with a little lemon juice to slow browning.
- Make the spice mix ahead. Store it in a small glass jar. It’s also delicious is my Chai Apple Pie Mug Cake and in Gluten Free Muesli with Chai Spices.
- Make extra cashew cream. Trust me, you’ll want to! Double or even triple the batch and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Then try it on:
- Oatmeal or overnight oats.
- Fresh berries or sliced apples or pears.
- Pancakes, waffles, or my Gluten-Free Dutch Baby Pancake.
- This Healthy Pumpkin Custard or a slice of pumpkin pie.
- (Straight off the spoon. No judgement here!)
How to Store Pear Tart
You can refrigerate the cashew cream and the crust separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Assembled tarts are best served the same day, since the pears release juice and soften the crust over time.
No Bake Pear Dessert for Breakfast?
Heck, yes!!! With nuts, fruit, and just a little maple syrup, this gluten free pear tart makes a fun breakfast treat. Try half a tart alongside a scoop of yogurt (dairy or plant-based) for exta protein. Who says breakfast can’t feel like dessert?
No Bake Pear Tart with Chai Spices and Coconut Cashew Cream
Ingredients
Coconut Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Chai Spice Mix
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Chai Spiced Nut Crust
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, or to taste
- 3 teaspoons chai spices (from above)
- 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
- Pinch of sea salt
Topping
- 3 ripe pears, thinly sliced
- Remaining chai spices for garnish
Instructions
- Add the cashews, coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons maple syrup to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. This may take a few minutes.
- While the cream is blends, stir together the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom in a small bowl.
- Add the walnuts, pecans, 4 tablespoons (or to taste) maple syrup, coconut oil, 3 teaspoons chai spice mix, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are very finely chopped and the mixture sticks together when pressed.
- Divide the crust mixture evenly among in to 4 5-inch tart pans or ramekins, and press it firmly into the bottoms.
- Spread a thin layer of cashew cream over each crust. Top with the sliced pears, and sprinkle with the remaining chai spice mix to taste.
- Serve immediately, or chill before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Yum!! These look so tasty and I love that they’re individually portioned!
What a great idea! I wouldnt have thought of using pears for this- cant wait to try it!
Love pears and this sounds wonderful!
These flavours are amazing!
It’s so hot here in LA, as you know, so I just love when the temps turn cooler in the fall.
Sweaters and boots for me!
I love to see the leaves turn a beautiful color or red gold yellow. So lovely.
I have been working on dropping some extra pounds (I guess when you are almost 30 you can’t eat the same as you did when you were in your early 20’s? Who knew!) and have mostly been eating all fresh fruits and veggies with nuts and beans for protein. From time to time I want a dessert and just an apple won’t cut it. This will be perfect!
This looks fabulous! I missed out on this redux. Pears are one of my favorites for dessert!
I swear, planning a wedding while keeping up a consistent blog schedule has been tough!
PUMPKIN EVERYTHING
I’m in love with chai spices! As I’ve said, I’m not ready for fall yet, but I’m ready for those fall spices!! Think I’ll make the crust just to eat it! I gotta try making coconut cream w/ cashews too!
Wow! This is one exciting no-bake dessert! You’re so creative!! I love anything chai-spiced. I’m especially intrigued by the cashew cream as I’ve never tried anything like it. Can’t wait to make this soon..by soon I mean this weekend! Hope you have a wonderful week! Btw, are you going to be at FNCE? If so, I’d LOVE to meet you!! 😉
Yum! I love the use of the chai spices, and cashew cream is something I’ve been meaning to make! Your photography is just so beautiful 🙂
The raw pear tarts sound absolutely delicious; I just pinned them.
I love pears! This looks delicious.
This looks lovely! And I love the flavor combo of the chai spices with the pear!
Very clever idea. It’s sort of like an upside down uncooked crumble, but it does look delicious
This tart looks amazing. Love all of the flavors. Can’t wait to try it!
Another fabulous recipe! Pear and chai go hand in hand!
These all sound so good and the plate is adorbs.
I love the change of the season – the leaves, the crisp air, warm and cozy fires and great things coming from the kitchen.
yum~ i love your fall flavors of pears and chai. (though i’ve never been brave enough to make a cashew cream) these look delicious… i still wish we were neighbors.
This does look simply delicious! I love your pear- chai spice combo and can’t wait to try this for fall 🙂
Gorgeous photos as always and such a creative raw dessert (and thank goodness you aren’t a dietitian that doesn’t do dessert.) Ahh, I’m such a summer girl, so I’m usually slightly depressed come fall time but I do love me some apple cider, butternut squash and all the warming spices like these. And college football!
My favorite thing about fall is the cooler weather.
This was my first Recipe ReDux Challenge and I love to see others using fresh, seasonal fruit! I made a similar raw pear treat for my no bake dessert, except I stuffed my pears with almond butter, pecans, and spices. Your tart looks so tasty!
Favorite thing about fall is all the good smells coming from the kitchen this time of year