A medium raw pear (about 178 grams) contains roughly 100 calories. Nearly all of those calories come from carbohydrates, with 27 grams of carbs, 17 grams of natural sugar, and a notable 6 grams of dietary fiber. That makes pears one of the higher-fiber fruits you can grab off the shelf.
Calories by Size
Pear sizes vary quite a bit at the grocery store, so your calorie count shifts accordingly. A small pear (around 148 grams) runs about 85 calories, while a large one (around 230 grams) lands closer to 130. The medium pear, at 178 grams, is the standard reference at roughly 100 calories. If you’re tracking intake, weighing the fruit gives you a more reliable number than eyeballing it, since a particularly hefty Bartlett can weigh twice as much as a small Seckel pear.
What’s in Those Calories
Pears are almost entirely carbohydrates. A medium pear has virtually no fat and less than a gram of protein. The 17 grams of sugar are mostly fructose, which gives pears their characteristic sweetness. But the 6 grams of fiber slow down how quickly that sugar hits your bloodstream. Pears score between 20 and 49 on the glycemic index, placing them in the low category. For context, white bread sits around 75. That low glycemic score means pears produce a gradual, moderate rise in blood sugar rather than a sharp spike.
Half of a pear’s total fiber lives in the skin. Peeling a pear before eating it cuts your fiber intake from that fruit roughly in half, and you also lose protective plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Eating the skin is the simplest way to get the most nutritional value from the calories you’re consuming.
Vitamins and Minerals
Pears aren’t a powerhouse for any single micronutrient, but they contribute modest amounts of several. A medium pear provides 8 milligrams of vitamin C (about 9% of your daily value), 8 micrograms of vitamin K (7% DV), and 206 milligrams of potassium (4% DV). You won’t meet your daily targets from pears alone, but as part of a varied diet, they add up. The vitamin C supports immune function, the vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting and bone health, and the potassium helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure.
Fresh vs. Dried vs. Canned
How a pear is prepared changes its calorie density dramatically. A quarter-cup serving of dried pears packs 118 calories, 31 grams of carbohydrates, and 28 grams of sugar. That’s more calories and sugar than an entire medium fresh pear, compressed into a handful. Dried pears retain the same nutrients as fresh ones, but because the water has been removed, it’s easy to eat two or three times as many calories without feeling full.
Canned pears vary depending on the packing liquid. A half-cup serving of pears in extra light syrup contains about 60 calories. Pears canned in heavy syrup can run significantly higher, sometimes 100 calories or more for the same portion, because the syrup itself adds sugar. Pears packed in water or their own juice stay closest to the calorie profile of fresh fruit. If you’re buying canned, checking the label for “in juice” or “in water” keeps the calorie count in check.
How Pears Compare to Other Fruits
- Apple (medium, 182g): about 95 calories, 4.4g fiber
- Pear (medium, 178g): about 100 calories, 6g fiber
- Banana (medium, 118g): about 105 calories, 3.1g fiber
- Orange (medium, 131g): about 62 calories, 3.1g fiber
Pears sit right in the middle of the calorie range for common fruits, but they lead the group in fiber. That fiber content is a practical advantage if you’re trying to stay full between meals. Foods higher in fiber tend to promote satiety, meaning you feel satisfied longer after eating. For roughly the same 100 calories as an apple or banana, a pear delivers about 35 to 90 percent more fiber.
Keeping Pear Calories in Perspective
At 100 calories for a medium fruit, pears are a low-calorie snack by any reasonable standard. The combination of water content (pears are about 84% water), fiber, and natural sweetness makes them filling relative to their calorie count. If you’re choosing between a pear and a 100-calorie pack of crackers, the pear gives you more volume, more fiber, and more micronutrients for the same energy cost. The main thing to watch is portion size with dried pears or sweetened canned varieties, where the calories concentrate quickly without the same feeling of fullness.