Hot Curried Pears with Pomegranate

If you're looking for a festive, elegant, and naturally thyroid-friendly side dish or dessert, you’re going to love these Hot Curried Pears with Pomegranate. This simple, stunning recipe features tender roasted pears lavished with savory ghee, warm curry powder, and coconut sugar, then finished with ruby-red pomegranate seeds — those little superfood gemstones that add the perfect tart pop.

In the colder months when pears are in season, roasting them with a bit of coconut sugar and spice is oh-so-nice. These happen to be naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and Paleo, and they’re surprisingly easy to make… but the result feels luxurious and special.

Watch How to Make Hot Curried Pears (Step-by-Step Video!)

I recently filmed this recipe for the Hypothyroid Chef Show, where I share the updated version of the nostalgic 1970s Christmas dish I grew up with.

Watch the video below to see the technique, my chef tips, and the final dish come to life:

_{^{Full disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchasing a product using one of these links will support my work at no additional cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products I wholeheartedly stand by.}}

Serve these pears as:

• a clean + lovely winter dessert

• a sweet side dish with holiday ham, pork chops, roasted chicken, or duck

• or a deluxe holiday brunch side dish

Aside from peeling the pears and popping the pomegranate seeds, it’s a simple preparation with a deliciously elegant payoff.

Reinventing a Family Recipe

True story: I’ve eaten these pears every Christmas morning of my life, at least as long as I can remember. My mother pulled the original recipe from a local Junior League recipe collection.

Typical of the late seventies, it was made with an assortment of canned fruit that was drowning in heavy syrup, plus added brown sugar, and day-glo red maraschino cherries. Yikes. We called it “Hot Curried Fruit,” and that kiss of curry powder was pretty exotic for our midwestern table.

Honestly, as a kid, I turned my nose up at it, especially the mushy peaches and nectarines. But the pears were alright. I would plop a couple of pear wedges on my plate as the required “no-thank-you helping” (house rules) and dutifully choke them down. (It was a different time...)

Somehow, as the years went by, those smells and tastes grew deep, nostalgic roots in me. The buttery golden-tinged fruit would mingle with my mother’s Christmas Morning casserole (a ham and cheese breakfast strata), and as my palate matured, I came to appreciate and eventually like our hot curried fruit tradition.  

As soon as I had my own kitchen and my own Christmas mornings to cook for, I set about resculpting this recipe into something less seventies and more sexy. 

This updated version is cleaned up and improved, but still carries those nostalgic roots.

You can serve this any time of year or in any way you like, but for me, this will always be the smell and taste of Christmas morning. The candles are lit, the gifts are unwrapped, the table is set with placemats and OJ, and Charlie Brown’s Christmas album is on the stereo. If we're lucky, snowflakes are falling outside, and the whole house feels like its own little snow globe. It’s one of the coziest, sleepiest, most magical times of the year, and it wouldn’t be complete without these Hot Curried Pears with Pomegranate.

Why These Hot Curried Pears Work:

• Sweet + savory balance

• Warm spices for cold-weather comfort

• Fiber-rich, gut-friendly fruit

• Anti-inflammatory ingredients

• Only a handful of simple ingredients

• Feels fancy, cooks easy

Chef's Tips:

• Be sure to use pears that are somewhat ripe but not overly soft. 
• Any type of pear works here, but Bosc is especially nice. 
• A melon baller works well for removing the core of the pear, once halved. If you don't have one, no worries. Just use a paring knife. 
• These can be prepared one or two days in advance and reheated. They keep for several days in the fridge. Under-cooking the pears slightly is recommended if you plan to reheat.

Learn more about the benefits of turmeric for thyroid patients!

Thyroid-healthy Recipe Highlights:

• Pears are an excellent source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. This can help relieve constipation which is often associated with an underactive or missing thyroid. It also supports gut health by feeding beneficial gut bacteria. Pears feature an array of antioxidant flavonoids and other anti-inflammatory plant compounds. 
• Pomegranate Seeds also called arils, provide fiber and highly potent antioxidants called punicalagins, which are not found in many other plants. These antioxidants have powerful health benefits like cancer prevention, memory improvement, increased exercise performance, and decreased inflammation. 
• Turmeric, a key ingredient in curry powder, has multiple health benefits for those of us with thyroid disease. It can help protect and heal the intestinal barrier (leaky gut) and reduce inflammation throughout the body, in joints, muscle tissue, and even from GI conditions like Crohn’s, IBS, and ulcerative colitis.

Looking For More Thyroid-Friendly Recipes?

The Thyroid30 Cookbook brings together 100 of my best gluten-free, dairy-free, anti-inflammatory recipes — plus three done-for-you 30-day meal plans and the complete THYROID30 system designed to boost energy, reduce overwhelm, and help you build sustainable habits that truly support your thyroid and your life.

If you’re ready for meals you love that love you back, and lifestyle tools that make feeling better more doable, I wrote this cookbook for you.

Order your copy today!

Happy cooking, happy thriving, and enjoy the recipe (below)!

 P.S. Prefer to watch the recipe first? Click here to watch the full video tutorial.

More Thyroid-Healthy Side Dishes:

• Pumpkin Sage Macaroni and Cheese
• Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus
• Chex Mix Inspired Delicata Rings
• The Ultimate Gluten-free, Dairy-free Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms & Bacon
• Bacon and Chive Scalloped Potatoes