Need quick and easy appetizers for the Holidays or New Year’s Eve Party? Try this pear prosciutto appetizer recipe. These prosciutto bites are ready in 10 minutes and require no baking!
3 reasons to make this pear and prosciutto appetizer
Easy to make – you don’t need any special tools or gadgets, just a chopping board and knife.
Quick prep – 10 minutes is all you need to make them so if you are stuck for time or looking for last-minute party snacks, this recipe is the one!
Little goes a long way – this pear and prosciutto appetizer tastes best when the flavors are balanced. For this reason, you only use a little bit of everything, which makes it an affordable party food and if you have some leftover cheese or prosciutto, you can use them to make other appetizers (you’ll find more prosciutto appetizers and other easy appetizers recipes at the bottom of this post).
Plus, this party appetizer is also naturally gluten-free and nut-free!
How to make pear prosciutto appetizers
Rinse and pat dry pears. Cut each one of them in quarters and remove any hard parts.
Then, spread some of the blue cheese on them, add prosciutto, basil and a tiny piece of fresh chili pepper. Drizzle them with honey and crack some fresh black pepper over.
Serve them right away or you can keep them in the fridge for a few hours.
If you decide to chill them before your guests arrive, then finish them off with honey right before serving.
Also note that basil leaves will wilt in the fridge so if you want to have perfect looking prosciutto and pear appetizers, add basil right before you serve them.
More easy appetizer recipe ideas:
Caprese salad bites are one of the easiest party foods to make. With their easy and quick preparation, they are perfect for any occasion. Plus, if you have some leftover prosciutto, you can thread some on the skewers as well!
Garlic cheddar cheese dip is ready in minutes so why not add this to your party menu planning!
Chorizo bites cooked in a sticky beer sauce are definitely worth giving a try. Use either sweet or spicy Spanish chorizo!
Prosciutto fig crostini is also a great way to use up the leftover (if any) prosciutto. If you are looking for easy New Year’s Eve Party appetizers, try these. Your guests will love them.
Prosciutto and melon appetizers - quick preparation and minimal ingredients.
Bacon wrapped dates is an easy appetizer ready in less than 25 minutes. And who doesn’t love bacon?
Pear & goat cheese crostini - not too sweet not too salty, just perfect blend of flavors!
Expert tips
- When choosing pears to make this easy appetizer, go for the hard ones, rather than the soft (mushy) ones. The harder ones will hold their shape well and because they are not extra ripe, they will also not be super sweet which is what we are after here.
- Prosciutto can be substituted with Spanish jamon. They are very similar so use whatever it is you can get your hands on or what you prefer more.
- Be careful when using fresh chili peppers – they all have different levels of spiciness so use what you are familiar with. I like to use the long and thin variety (not sure what their name is) – they are mild which is perfect for this pear appetizer. Also, if you are not sure, you can just taste one ready-made appetizer and see, if you are OK with its spiciness level. In general, it should just add a little kick. It should not over-power the whole bite.
Pear Prosciutto Appetizer
Ingredients
- 3 pears (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese
- prosciutto ham (see note 2)
- 12 fresh basil leaves (see note 3)
- 1 fresh red chili pepper (see note 4)
- honey (see note 5)
- black pepper (see note 6)
Instructions
- Rinse the pears under running water. Pat them dry. Quarter them and remove cores.
- Spread some blue cheese over each pear and place them on a serving tray/plate/board. Tear prosciutto ham into small pieces and arrange these on top of each pear. Add basil leaf and a slice of fresh chili.
- At last crack some pepper over and serve.
Notes
- Fresh Pears – Don’t use pears that are way too soft (too ripe). Go for the crunchy ones instead.
- Italian prosciutto can be substituted with Spanish Serrano ham.
- Fresh Basil – you will only need 12 small leaves.
- Fresh Chili – try to find long and thin chili peppers. Make sure to use only a little bit – just to add a spicy kick but not to be overpowering. If you are not sure what the heat level of the chili peppers you bought is, I recommend tasting one appetizer with a tiny piece of the chili. If you think it’s too hot to your liking, either use a smaller piece or omit it completely.
- Use only a little bit of honey (literally a drizzle).
- Freshly ground black pepper works really well here but if you don’t have it, use ground black pepper instead (don’t add too much).
- This recipe can be easily halved, doubled, tripled …
- Do not use a lot of cheese or prosciutto ham. They both have strong taste, so you only need a little.
Melany says
How do you keep the pears from browning if made ahead?
Julia | Appetizer Addiction says
Hi Melany. The best is brush each with lemon juice. Hope this helps.
Gabi says
Especailly as appetizers I love the fruity-salty combination and your pear prosciutto creations are the hit! Also very eye-catching for any buffet.
Ashley says
I have Friendsgiving on Friday, and I'm adding this to my appetizer board!!!
Michelle says
Beautiful and festive fall appetizer. Love the salty and sweet combination
Calleigh says
Prosciutto is particularly delicious when you wrap it around something sweet and these prosciutto-wrapped pears is sweet, salty and easy to eat using one hand, Yum!
Jenn says
Looks great! I wonder if one kind of pear is better than naohter. Maybe I'll get a few diff kinds and try!
Jenn says
I love no-cook appetizers! I wonder if one kind of pear is better than another. Maybe I'll get a few diff kiinds and try that!