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Pear Salad Recipe

Robyn Stone

Published Mar 18, 2025

This classic Southern Pear Salad recipe is an old-fashioned side dish found at many family gatherings! It’s a bright and simple favorite with juicy pears and cheddar cheese, topped with cherries!

Pear salad with pear halves, mayo, shredded cheddar, and cherries on a bed of lettuce. - 1

This easy pear salad recipe is always a favorite for Sunday suppers and holiday meals, especially Easter, Memorial Day, and throughout the summer. It’s been served at southern family suppers and potlucks for as long as I can remember. Don’t save it for a holiday – it is delicious any time of the year.

This pear salad recipe isn’t the type of salad recipe that many expect. The only time you’ll find lettuce involved in this salad is if you decide to add a bed of large lettuce leaves to the platter to nestle your pear salad on. But this no-cook side dish recipe is always a favorite!

Photo of pear salad on a white plate with a bowl of cherries in the center. - 2

How to Make Southern Pear Salad

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

Made with just four ingredients, this easy recipe comes together quickly.

Ingredients used to make pear salad recipe - canned pears, maraschino cherries, cheddar cheese, and mayo. - 3

You’ll need canned pear halves, mayonnaise, cheese, and maraschino cherries.

Pears – Canned pear halves come in heavy and light syrup. Choose your favorite. Drain the pear halves well. Fresh pears won’t work as well, so I advise using canned ones.

Mayonnaise – Use your favorite creamy mayonnaise. You’ll need about a teaspoon of mayonnaise per pear half.

Cheese – I love to use freshly shredded cheddar cheese for this recipe.

Cherries – I prefer to use maraschino cherries with the stems removed, but we all loved to play with the stems growing up!

Lettuce – Optional – You can use iceberg or butter lettuce leaves and arrange the pears on top of the leaves if you wish.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Platter with pears, cherries, cheddar, and mayo ready to assemble pear salad. - 4 Pear halves arranged around a round tray in a circle with cherries in the middle with dollops of mayo in the center of each pear. - 5

Arrange pears and add mayonnaise. Drain the pears from their juices and place them onto a serving platter. Add a dollop of mayonnaise to the center of each pear.

Pear salad being assembled with cheddar cheese added to top of pears. Cherries are in the center of each. - 6 Pear salad is garnished with cherry on top of each pear. - 7

Add cheese and cherries. Top the mayonnaise with shredded cheddar cheese and then with a cherry. Serve cold.

Photo of pears topped with cheese and cherries and a bowl of cherries on a white platter. - 8

Make Ahead Instructions

To make ahead. Prepare the pear salad without adding the cherry to the top and wrap well with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add the cherries right before serving.

More Favorite Salad Recipes

Southern Pimento Cheese

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Chicken Salad with Grapes

Southern Macaroni Salad

Potato Salad

Here’s the Southern Pear Salad Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients

  • ▢ 1 (29-ounce) can pear halves , drained well
  • ▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • ▢ 1/2 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
  • ▢ maraschino cherries
  • ▢ lettuce leaves (butter or iceberg lettuce) , optional

Instructions

  • Remove pear halves from can, taking care to drain away as much liquid from pears as possible. Place pears onto a serving platter on top of lettuce leaves (if using) or straight onto the platter.
  • Top each pear half with about a teaspoon of mayonnaise, then add a little cheddar cheese to the top of the mayonnaise, and top each with a maraschino cherry.
  • Serve cold.

Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy! Robyn xo

Pear halves with cheese and cherries - with text - addapinch.com - 9 Photo of pear salad on a white plate with a bowl of cherries in the center. - 10

Pear Salad Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 (29-ounce) can pear halves drained well
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • maraschino cherries
  • lettuce leaves (butter or iceberg lettuce) optional

Instructions

  • Remove pear halves from can, taking care to drain away as much liquid from pears as possible. Place pears onto a serving platter on top of lettuce leaves (if using) or straight onto the platter.
  • Top each pear half with about a teaspoon of mayonnaise, then add a little cheddar cheese to the top of the mayonnaise, and top each with a maraschino cherry.
  • Serve cold.

Notes

Nutrition

Pear Salad Recipe https://addapinch.com/pear-salad-recipe/