The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Pear Butter, Pear Sauce, and More: Delicious Pear Canning & Preserving Recipes

There’s an undeniable joy that comes from transforming fresh, ripe fruit into delicious homemade preserves, and pears are no exception. Making your own pear butter, pear sauce, and other delightful pear creations is not just rewarding; it’s a wonderful way to capture the essence of the season. The rich flavors and comforting aromas make every moment spent in the kitchen truly worthwhile.

The Gift of Abundance: A Heartwarming Pear Harvest Story

I am incredibly fortunate to have a truly special friend, Mrs. Bobbie. For the past twelve years, since the day our paths first crossed, she has been a nurturing presence in my life, like a second mother. Her kindness and generosity are boundless, and a few weeks ago, she shared some exciting news: her pear trees were laden with fruit, ready for harvest.

When the day arrived, my daughters and I eagerly gathered our buckets and headed over to Mrs. Bobbie’s home. The air was filled with anticipation. She watched with a smile as the girls enthusiastically picked the tree clean, not caring in the least about the abundance they were gathering. We spent some time visiting, sharing stories and laughter, and by the time the girls were finished with their diligent work, we had accumulated a staggering four large boxes of beautiful, ripe pears. Our delightful visit concluded with plans for an upcoming fishing trip, making the day even more memorable.

Unlocking the Versatility of Pears: Beyond the Simple Tart

Now, with such a generous bounty of pears, the immediate question arose: what do you do with so many? If you start searching for pear recipes, you might quickly find yourself frustrated. Many culinary resources tend to focus almost exclusively on pear tarts, which, while delicious, barely scratch the surface of what’s possible when you have four boxes of fruit!

But here’s a little secret: consider the pear the “other green apple.” Anything you can make with apples – from sauces and pies to preserves and syrups – you can almost certainly make with pears. This realization opened up a world of possibilities! Suddenly, we were envisioning pear sauce, rich pie filling, luscious pear butter, delicate pear syrup, and shimmering pear jelly. Our kitchen quickly transformed into a bustling hub of activity.

Our pear-processing marathon began on Monday, and by Thursday, we had already made significant progress, putting up more jars each day. It’s an ongoing labor of love, but the results are always worth the effort.

Mastering Homemade Pear Sauce: A Staple for Your Pantry

Making pear sauce is surprisingly easy and incredibly rewarding. It’s a versatile treat that can be enjoyed on its own, with breakfast, or as a healthy snack. Here’s how we make ours:

Pear Sauce Recipe

Yields: Varies depending on pot size and pear quantity
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pot full of cut-up pears (peeled, cored, and chopped into chunks)
Approximately 1/2 cup of water (just enough to prevent sticking and get the natural juices flowing)
2-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar (adjust to your preference and the natural sweetness of your pears)
Cinnamon to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if desired)

Instructions:

Place the cut pears into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and cinnamon.
Stir gently to combine all ingredients.
Place the pot on the stove over low to medium-low heat. Cover loosely with a lid, allowing some steam to escape.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes, or until the pears are very soft and easily pierced with a fork. The pears will release their own juices as they cook.
Once soft, remove the pot from the heat. Use a potato masher to mash the pears to your desired consistency. For a smoother sauce, an immersion blender or a food mill can be used.
Carefully ladle the hot pear sauce into clean, sterilized jars, leaving appropriate headspace as per your canning guidelines.
Follow the specific directions for your water bath canner or pressure cooker to seal the jars. This ensures shelf-stable preservation.
Alternatively, allow the pear sauce to cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers. It will keep well in the freezer for several months.

After making a generous batch of pear sauce, you might still find yourself with more pears. What’s next?

Pear Pie Filling: A Sweet Foundation for Desserts

Creating pear pie filling is incredibly straightforward, building directly on the pear sauce method. It’s perfect for making delicious pies, tarts, crumbles, or as a topping for ice cream and pancakes.

Pear Pie Filling Recipe

Follow all the directions for the Pear Sauce above, with one crucial difference: DO NOT MASH the pears. After the pears are tender, simply spoon the cooked pear chunks and their juices directly into jars. Seal them using your preferred canning method or freeze for later use. This provides a delightful, ready-to-use filling that holds its shape beautifully in baked goods.

With two boxes of pears still remaining, and having run out of my larger canning jars, it was time to get creative. Pear butter seemed like the perfect next project!

Irresistible Slow Cooker Pear Butter: A Labor of Love

Everyone adores apple butter, so why not try a pear version? I found a great starting point on allrecipes.com, specifically their All Day Apple Butter recipe. After making it twice, I’ve adapted it to perfection for pears. The slow cooker method is ideal for pear butter, allowing the flavors to meld and deepen over many hours, resulting in an incredibly rich and smooth spread.

Pear Butter Recipe (Slow Cooker Method)

Yields: Varies depending on crock pot size
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 13-18 hours

Ingredients:

A crock pot full of cut-up pears (peeled, cored, and chopped), about 1 inch from the top rim
3 cups granulated sugar (adjust based on the natural sweetness of your pears; you may increase or decrease)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Place all the chopped pears into your slow cooker.
Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over the pears. Mix thoroughly to ensure the spices and sugar are evenly distributed.

Cover the crock pot and cook on the HIGH setting for 1 hour. This helps to quickly bring the mixture to temperature and start the cooking process.
After 1 hour, give the pear mixture a good stir.

Reduce the heat to LOW and continue to cook for an additional 11-16 hours. The longer cooking time allows the pears to break down completely and the flavors to intensify. The mixture should be thick and dark.
Towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and cook for 1 more hour. This step allows excess moisture to evaporate, further thickening the pear butter.

By the time the cooking is complete, you’ll notice a significant reduction in volume – typically about half of what you started with. This concentration of flavor is what makes pear butter so incredibly delicious and rich.

Now, for the easiest part. While the original recipe might suggest a whisk, I highly recommend making your life simple: get out the blender! An immersion blender works wonderfully directly in the crock pot, or you can transfer batches to a regular blender.

Just a few seconds of blending is all it takes to achieve that perfectly smooth, silky texture that characterizes a wonderful pear butter. Once blended, you can immediately transfer it to jars for canning or into freezer-safe containers for later enjoyment.

This pear butter is fantastic spread on toast, biscuits, pancakes, or mixed into oatmeal. It’s truly a taste of autumn in a jar!

Maximizing Your Harvest: Pear Syrup from Scraps

One of the best lessons Mrs. Bobbie shared with me is how to make the most of every part of the pear, truly embracing a zero-waste philosophy. Even the peels and cores, which are often discarded, can be transformed into a valuable and delicious pear syrup.

Homemade Pear Syrup from Peels and Cores

This syrup is an excellent way to add natural pear flavor to various dishes and can also serve as a base for jelly or a thick, rich syrup for breakfast foods.

Instructions:

Gather all the pear peels and cores that accumulate from preparing your pear sauce, butter, or pie filling.
Place the peels and cores into a large pot.

Add just enough water to barely cover the scraps. This ensures a concentrated flavor.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Continue to simmer for about 30-45 minutes, or until the liquid has absorbed the pear flavor and taken on a light golden color.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the cooked scraps.
This concentrated pear liquid can be used in several ways:

Thicken your sauces: If your pear sauce or pie filling turns out too thick, add a bit of this syrup instead of plain water.
Jelly base: It makes an excellent, flavorful base for homemade pear jelly.
Standalone syrup: Simmer the strained liquid further, adding sugar to taste (typically a 1:1 ratio with sugar to liquid), until it reaches a desired syrup consistency. Use it over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or to sweeten beverages.

Essential Canning & Preserving Tips for Safety and Success

Canning is a fantastic way to preserve the harvest, but it requires careful attention to detail to ensure safety and prevent spoilage. Mrs. Bobbie also shared some invaluable advice regarding the canning process:

Avoid Overcrowding: When using a canner or pressure cooker, it’s crucial not to try and squeeze in an extra jar to save time. Each jar needs adequate space for proper heat circulation and to prevent them from bumping against each other during the boiling process.
Use Quality Jars: Always use jars specifically designed for canning. Avoid using old, chipped, cracked, or repurposed jars that were not made for the high temperatures and pressure of canning.

I learned these lessons the hard way when two of my jars broke during canning. After troubleshooting, we determined the most likely reasons were:

Both were older jars, potentially weakened over time or through prior use.
I might not have left enough space between the jars in the canner, causing them to collide forcefully during the vigorous boiling, leading to breakage.

Always inspect your jars for any imperfections before filling them, and ensure your canner is not overcrowded. Following these simple guidelines will help ensure your canning projects are successful and safe.

Bonus Recipes: Delicious Pear Preserves and Pear Honey from Mona

A wonderful reader, Mona Hickey, generously shared her cherished recipes for Pear Preserves and Pear Honey, and graciously allowed me to share them with all of you. A huge thank you to Mona for these delightful additions!

Pear Preserves Recipe (from Mona Hickey)

Ingredients:

8 cups peeled pears, sliced or grated
8 cups granulated sugar
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple (undrained)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until the mixture reaches a thick, jam-like consistency.
Carefully fill sterilized jars with the hot pear preserves, leaving appropriate headspace.
Seal the jars according to your preferred canning method (e.g., water bath canning).

Note from Mona: Some prefer this preserve with sliced pears for a chunkier texture, while others enjoy it better with grated pears for a smoother spread. My personal preference is sliced pears for that delightful texture. Both versions are incredibly tasty!

Pear Honey Recipe (from Mona Hickey)

This recipe uses pear peels and cores, similar to our pear syrup, but takes it a step further to create a thick, golden “honey.”

Ingredients:

Pear peels and cores (from approximately 8 cups of pears)
Water, to cover
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple juice
Granulated sugar (equal amount to the strained liquid)
A few drops of yellow food coloring (optional, to enhance the “honey” appearance)

Instructions:

Place the pear peels and cores in a pot and cover them completely with water.
Boil gently for about 30 minutes, allowing the pear flavor to infuse into the water.
Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids.
Add the 8 oz. can of pineapple juice to the strained pear liquid.
Measure the total volume of this liquid. Add an equal amount of sugar to the pot.
(Optional: Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to give it a more golden, honey-like appearance.)
Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens to the consistency of honey. Remember that the mixture will thicken a little more as it cools.
Pour the hot pear honey into sterilized jars and seal.

Note from Mona: I personally prefer the pear honey over the preserves for its unique flavor and texture. I’ll definitely be trying this pear honey myself!

Conclusion: Embrace the Pear Season!

From the joy of harvesting fresh fruit with loved ones to the satisfaction of seeing your pantry filled with homemade goodies, preserving pears is a truly rewarding experience. Whether you choose to make smooth pear butter, versatile pear sauce, convenient pie filling, resourceful pear syrup, or Mona’s delightful pear preserves and pear honey, each recipe allows you to savor the taste of the season long after the harvest. These homemade pear creations make wonderful gifts, too! So, gather your pears, roll up your sleeves, and dive into the delicious world of pear preserving. Your taste buds (and your family) will thank you!