This beautiful 3-Ingredient Pear Smoothie is a light and refreshing breakfast that’s also perfect as a mid-afternoon snack. It is made with super ripe and sweet Bartlett pear, so no extra sugar of any kind is needed to make it super yummy.
Pears get overshadowed easily in fall and winter because everyone is so focused on all things apple and pumpkin. But pears are amazing! They are incredible in this pistachio frangipane pear tart and this almond pear cake. And of course, for an easy peasy sweet treat that takes just 5 minutes, you’ve got to make this wonderful smoothie with pears.
What I love most about this pear smoothie bowl is that it is made and sweetened entirely with fruits! I used very ripe Bartlett pear, which provided all the sugar you will ever need, coupled with ripe banana for a creamy texture. The crushed pistachio topping adds a little crunch and a buttery contrast to the light fruit smoothie.
Table of Contents
Helpful tools
Needless to say, you’ll need a blender or food processor to make your smoothie. I’ve been using my Ninja blender with the single serve blender cup for years.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Pear – I used 1 whole Bartlett pear, but you can use other type of pears as well. Make sure it is ripe for optimal flavor. Freezing the diced pears ahead of time is a great way to get a thicker and creamier smoothie.
- Banana – I highly recommend using frozen bananas for this smoothie for a creamier texture.
- Orange – This is your main source of liquid in this smoothie so you don’t need to freeze the orange. You can substitute orange juice if you don’t have fresh orange. One large orange will yield about ⅓ to ½ cup of juice so just use up to half a cup of orange juice or another liquid of your choice. Milk or yogurt will work in this recipe, but this does make the smoothie less sweet. Adjust by adding honey or maple syrup to your taste if needed.
- Garnishing (optional): You can add just about anything to top your smoothie bowl. If you want to stick with similar flavor profile, use sliced pears, orange and banana. Fresh berries are always a great option for toppings. I love pistachios with pears, but any roasted and crushed nuts will work for extra texture. You can even add homemade granola for even more crunch. Or layer on top a creamy chia pudding for a more substantial breakfast.
The different type of pears
Below is a comprehensive list for the different type of pears with their flavor profile, texture, and some notes about cooking and baking with pears.
- Bartlett – soft, and super juicy when ripe, will disintegrate when cooked, perfect for pear butter and pear sauce.
- Bosc – crisp with a delicate sweet flavor, will keep their shape when cooked, perfect in pie, tart, or poached.
- Anjous – firm with mild flavor, another good option when you need them to keep their shape when cooked.
- Asian pears – very crunchy with mild flavor. These can be a refreshing treat for warmer days since they are available year-round.
- Starkrimson – sweet with a subtle floral aroma, great in a dish that will show off its red skin.
- Comice – sweet buttery flesh, these are excellent paired with cheese, especially soft cheese like Brie, or blue cheese.
- Concorde – crunchy and sweet with a vanilla flavor, best identified by their long neck, will hold their shape when cooked at high heat.
- Forelle – crisp, tangy and refreshingly sweet, pair well with cheese. These are one of the smallest varieties of pears, just larger than Seckel.
- Seckel – these are petite pear, crunchy and ultra sweet, good for snacking, pickling or garnish.
How to make banana pear smoothie
There’s not much to it. Simply add all your ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth. Adjust the amount of liquid as needed to get the consistency you want, or to help your blender move along if you’re using a lot of frozen fruits. Taste and add sweetener as needed.
Transfer to a cup for an easy on the go breakfast or transfer to a bowl and garnish with your desired topping and enjoy immediately!
Storage and making ahead
This pear smoothie is best enjoyed immediately when is is fresh. However, if you end up making too much or if you’re meal-prepping, you can store them in individual airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze for a couple of weeks. Just take out frozen smoothie from the freezer, thaw and enjoy.
More easy smoothies
- Pina Colada Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Peanut Butter Green Smoothie
- Strawberry Orange Juice Smoothie
- Tropical Peach Mango Smoothie
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📖 Recipe card
3-Ingredient Orange Banana Pear Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 banana (ripe, fresh or frozen)
- 1 Bartlett pear (core and cut into small pieces)
- 1 orange (peel and slice into 8)
Garnish:
- Fresh pear slices
- Crushed pistachio
Instructions
- Put banana, pear and orange in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour smoothie into a bowl, garnish with fresh pear slices and crushed pistachio.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use other type of pears beside Bartlett. Make sure it is ripe for optimal flavor. Freezing the diced pears ahead of time is a great way to get a thicker and creamier smoothie.
- I highly recommend using frozen bananas for this smoothie for a creamier texture.
- You can substitute orange juice if you don’t have fresh orange. One large orange will yield about ⅓ to ½ cup of juice.
- You can also use other liquid in place of orange or orange juice. Milk or yogurt will work but this does make the smoothie less sweet. Adjust by adding honey or maple syrup to your taste if needed.
- Serve this in a cup without the topping for an easy on the go breakfast.
Nutrition
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Sandra Madera
I added the juice of half a grapefruit and a piece of ginger, using a non-frozen banana, and it turned into a delicious smoothie! Thanks for the idea!!
Ahlun Naja
thanks for sharing this. its look yummy
Patty K-P
Love the crunch from the pistachios!
Rebecca Hubbell
That pear smoothie looks so fresh and delicious! Love the addition of pistachios!
anniesnomsblog
I was just talking about how pears are overlooked the other day to my fiancé! I’ve been guilty of it too, but I’m really trying to use and eat them more this season as they’re really beautiful and delicate. This smoothie bowl looks delicious; so full of flavour and the perfect way to start the day!
Trang
I’m so glad it wasn’t just me who thinks that pears are so often overlooked! Thanks for stopping by Annie!
Amy | The Cook Report
I never would have thought to use pear in a smoothie like this, it has such a fab flavour though!
Trang
Thanks Amy, it really does have such a great flavor.
Sally
Such a useful guide to pears – really such a treat when they are in season. Love that there is no added sugar too – delicious and healthy.
Trang
Thanks Sally! There are so many different kind of pears, so many options to try!
Brian Jones
Such lovely ingredients, pears really are so great at this time of year.
Trang
Thanks Brian, ’tis the season for pears!
Sandi
This pear smoothie bowl is almost too pretty to eat!
Trang
Thanks Sandy!
sugarsaltmagic
This looks like a great way to start the day. I need this after every weekend 🙂
Trang
Thanks Marie! 🙂
sherry
Sounds good. If one wanted to drink it instead of spooning from a bowl what would be your suggestion to thin the mixture?
Trang
Hi Sherry, if you use fresh banana instead of frozen, I think the smoothie is thin enough to drink with a straw. But if that’s not thin enough for your taste, I would add a bit of nut milk (my husband always uses almond milk) or regular milk, whichever you prefer. I always use lactose free milk since it doesn’t add any other flavor on top of the fruits. I’m thinking a quarter cup of liquid is more than enough.