The Sweetest Pears, Ranked (From Sweet to Tart)

The sweetest common US pear is a ripe Comice, at roughly 14–16 °Brix with low acidity. For a specialty pick, tiny Seckel pears are described by growers and the USDA as extremely sweet. We ranked each pear by measured sugar (Brix) where good data exists, plus how tart it tastes.

Pear Varieties Ranked by Sweetness

Rank	Variety	Typical sugar (°Brix)	Acidity	Texture	Best for	When to find it (US)
1	Comice	14–16	Low	Buttery, very juicy	Fresh eating, cheese boards	Sep–Feb
2	Seckel	Not widely measured	Low	Crisp to smooth, small	Snacking, lunch boxes, canning whole	Sep–Feb
3	Bosc	14–16	Low–moderate	Dense, firm	Baking, poaching, firm snacking	Late Sep–Apr
4	Concorde	Not widely measured	Low	Dense, crisp-tender	Snacking, roasting, salads	Fall–Dec
5	Starkrimson	Not widely measured	Low	Smooth, very juicy	Fresh eating, salads	Aug–Nov
6	Green Anjou	14–15	Moderate (citrusy)	Firm, juicy	All-purpose, baking, salads	Late Sep–summer
7	Red Anjou	Not widely measured separately	Low–moderate	Smooth, juicy	Salads, snacking, baking	Late Sep–summer
8	Bartlett	12–15	Moderate	Soft, melting when golden	Fresh eating, canning, smoothies	Late Aug–Jan
9	Red Bartlett	Not widely measured	Moderate	Soft, juicy	Fresh eating, salads, canning	Late Aug–Dec
10	Forelle	Not widely measured	Moderate (tangy)	Crisp, moist	Snacking, salads	Sep–Jan
11	Hosui (Asian)	10–13	Low	Crisp, juicy	Raw snacking, slaws	Late summer–fall
12	Shinseiki (Asian)	10–12	Low–moderate	Crisp, firm	Raw snacking, salads	Late summer–fall
13	20th Century / Nijisseiki (Asian)	9–11	Highest of the group	Crisp, very juicy	Raw snacking, salads	Late summer–winter

How We Ranked These

We ranked by soluble solids (°Brix), the refractometer measure of sugar in fruit juice, from university and peer-reviewed studies. Acidity matters because acid masks sugar: a HortScience study found consumers liked pears best above 14% soluble solids with fairly low acid. Pears marked "not widely measured" were placed using USA Pears and USDA descriptions, and the acidity column is a taste rating. Brix varies with ripeness, season, and orchard (several studies are non-US), so treat figures as ballparks. Sources are listed below.

The Sweetest Pear Varieties, From Sweetest to Tartest

1. Comice

Comice is the classic holiday gift-box pear. A Japanese study measured Comice at 13–14 °Brix at harvest, rising to about 14–16 after ripening. Its flesh is buttery and messily juicy. The fruit is squat and round, usually green with a red blush. Surface bruises rarely go deep, and color barely changes, so press near the stem to check. It's too juicy to hold up well in baking.

Best for: Eating fresh, sliced with Brie or blue cheese.

2. Seckel

Seckels are tiny, often just two or three bites, with olive-green skin and a dark maroon blush. USA Pears calls them ultra-sweet. The USDA germplasm record describes them as extremely sweet and spicy, with old pomology texts counting them among the best dessert pears. We couldn't find a reliable published Brix figure, so their rank is based on those descriptions. They're good crunchy or ripe. Their size makes them easy to pack for kids.

Best for: Lunch boxes, cheese plates, and canning whole.

3. Bosc

Bosc is the long-necked pear with cinnamon-brown, russeted skin. Two Hungarian studies put it around 14–16 °Brix with low acid, and USDA data gives it slightly more total sugar than Bartlett or Anjou. Its flesh is dense with a honeyed, lightly spicy flavor. USA Pears notes it tastes sweetest before it goes fully soft. Because it keeps its shape in the oven, it's the go-to pear for cooking.

Best for: Poaching, baking, and roasting, or snacking if you like a firm pear.

4. Concorde

Concorde is a newer variety that the USA Pears guide compares to Comice for sweetness. It's tall with a long neck, yellow-green skin, and patches of golden russet. It has a vanilla note and, unlike most pears, it doesn't need to soften to taste sweet. The flesh stays dense and slow to brown, so cut slices hold up well. Supplies are small and usually gone by December.

Best for: Cheese boards, salads, and roasting.

5. Starkrimson

Starkrimson is one of the first pears of the season, shipping from August. Its skin is solid crimson and turns brighter as the pear ripens, a useful cue since most pears barely change color. USA Pears describes it as mild and sweet with a light floral aroma, and very juicy when ripe. The skin turns thin and delicate, so handle ripe ones gently.

Best for: Fresh eating and salads where the red skin shows.

6. Green Anjou

Green Anjou is the egg-shaped pear you can find almost all year. Washington and Oregon studies measured ripe Anjous at about 14–15 °Brix. That's slightly above Bartlett, but a lemon-lime tang keeps it tasting less sugary. It stays green when ripe, so the neck test is the only reliable check.

Best for: An all-purpose pear for salads, pies, and snacking.

7. Red Anjou

Red Anjou has the same shape as the green type, with maroon skin that changes little as it ripens. USDA analysis shows almost the same total sugar as green Anjou. USA Pears describes it as milder and smoother, with plenty of juice. Most Brix studies don't separate red from green Anjou, so we placed it next to its green sibling.

Best for: Salads and fruit bowls where you want color.

8. Bartlett

Bartlett (Williams in the UK) is America's classic pear. It goes from green and tart to golden, soft, and juicy. A UC Davis study measured ripe Bartletts at about 12–14 °Brix, and a Hungarian study found up to 15. It was also the most acidic European pear in that study, which is why a green Bartlett tastes sharp. Wait for full yellow and it tastes intensely sweet and fragrant.

Best for: Eating fresh, canning, and smoothies.

9. Red Bartlett

Red Bartlett is a red-skinned form of Bartlett and tastes almost the same. The skin brightens from dark red, often with faint stripes, to vivid red as it ripens. Underripe ones are crunchy and tart, and ripe ones are soft and sweet. It's in stores for a shorter window than yellow Bartlett, usually through December.

Best for: Salads, cheese plates, and canning.

10. Forelle

Forelle is small and bell-shaped, with red freckles that stand out more as the skin turns from green to bright yellow. USA Pears describes it as very sweet with a tangy edge, and slightly firmer and crisper than most pears. That tang is why it sits below the mellower pears here.

Best for: Snacking and colorful salads.

11. Hosui (Asian Pear)

Asian pears are round, crisp, and apple-like, and they're ready to eat as soon as you buy them. UC Davis puts the group at 11–14% soluble solids. Hosui has golden-brown russeted skin and is one of the sweetest, low in acid and very juicy. A Polish gene-bank study measured it at about 10–13 °Brix. If you spot Kosui, its smaller cousin, it tested slightly sweeter and even less acidic.

Best for: Eating cold and crisp, or slicing into slaws.

12. Shinseiki (Asian Pear)

Shinseiki is a yellow-skinned Asian pear that ripens early, with firm, crisp flesh. University of Arizona Extension describes it as sweet, mild, and faintly aromatic, while UC Extension calls it less flavorful than 20th Century. It measured around 10–12 °Brix in the same Polish study.

Best for: Crunchy snacking and fruit salads.

13. 20th Century (Nijisseiki)

20th Century is the classic smooth, pale yellow-green Asian pear, often sold in foam sleeves because it bruises easily. It's extremely juicy and refreshing. UC Extension rates its flavor highly. Still, it had the lowest sugar (about 9–11 °Brix) and the highest acidity of the Asian pears tested, so it tastes the most tart and least sugary of the pears on this list.

Best for: A crisp, thirst-quenching snack or a bright salad.

What Makes Pears Sweeter (or Not)

Wooden bowl of ripe green and red-blushed pears

European pears (everything here except the Asian types) are picked mature but hard and ripened off the tree. Left on the branch, they ripen from the inside out, leaving a brown core and gritty or mealy flesh. Pears are climacteric: after harvest they produce ethylene, which drives softening, juiciness, and aroma. Most also need cold storage before they'll ripen properly, from about two weeks for Bartlett to two months for Anjou.

Sugar doesn't climb much after picking. Anjou held near 14% through ripening in one study, while Comice gained a point or two. Texture and aroma change most, and they make a ripe pear taste far sweeter than a hard one. Harvest timing, sun, crop load, and season largely set sweetness before the pear reaches the store.

Asian pears behave differently. They ripen on the tree and are sold ready to eat, so they won't get sweeter on your counter. Keep them in the fridge.

How to Pick a Sweet Pear at the Store

Two ripe red-blushed pears on a white plate

Buy European pears firm but not rock-hard, and plan to ripen them at home for a few days.
Check the neck. Press gently beside the stem with your thumb. When it gives slightly, the pear is ripe and at its sweetest.
Use color only for Bartlett, Red Bartlett, Starkrimson, and Forelle, which brighten as they ripen. Anjou, Bosc, Comice, and Seckel barely change.
Ripen pears at room temperature (about 64–72 °F). To speed things up, put them in a paper bag with a banana or apple.
Refrigerate pears once they're ripe to hold them a few more days.
For Asian pears, choose heavy, fragrant fruit without soft spots. They should already be crisp and ready to eat.

FAQs

What is the sweetest pear variety?

Among widely sold US pears, Comice is sweetest, at about 14–16 °Brix with low acidity. Seckel is described as just as sweet but rarely measured. In a 2021 Oregon State and Washington State taste test, Comice, Seckel, Bartlett, Green Anjou, and Concorde all tied near the top for overall liking.

Which is sweeter, Bartlett or Anjou?

They're very close. USDA data shows nearly identical total sugar, roughly 9.7 g per 100 g for each. Anjou often measures slightly higher on Brix, but a fully golden Bartlett is softer and more aromatic, so many people find it tastes sweeter.

Do pears ripen after you pick them?

Yes. European pears are picked hard on purpose and ripen on your counter in a few days. Asian pears are the exception. They ripen on the tree and won't soften or sweeten much after harvest.

Are Asian pears sweeter than regular pears?

Not usually. Asian pears typically measure 11–14% soluble solids, while ripe Comice, Bosc, and Anjou often reach 14% or more. Eaten crisp and less perfumed, Asian pears taste refreshing rather than rich.