This easy stovetop pear butter is perfect for fall! Simmer fresh pears with a splash of maple syrup and a few cozy, warm spices until they're soft, then purée with an immersion blender for a rich, velvety spread. Vegan.
Homemade pear butter is one of our favorite fall traditions! Spread this cozy fruit butter on toast, spoon it over ice cream, or swirl it into your favorite baked goods (like coffee cake or in the filling of our small batch cinnamon rolls).
This recipe is made without refined sugar - just a splash of maple syrup to complement the natural sweetness of fresh fall pears. Also? No peeling necessary! A good immersion blender will make quick work of those pear peels after a few hours on the stovetop.
This recipe is very similar to our fan-favorite stovetop apple butter, but we pared down the spices to let the delicate flavor of the pears shine through. While this easy pear butter recipe is simple and fairly hands-off, it does take some time: Plan to have it on the stovetop for at least 4 hours (it's a great project for a cozy afternoon at home!)
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
- Fresh pears are the star of the show here! We used Bartlett pears in these photos; we've also tested this recipe with Bosc and Anjou pears. Use any pear variety you like, or use a mix of different pears! Keep in mind: the sweeter your pears, the sweeter your pear butter will be.
- Lemon juice lends a bit of acidity to this spread to balance the sweetness and give it more complexity. Bottled or fresh lemon juice both work here!
- Cinnamon and cloves. Skip the cloves if you want a more delicate, pear-forward fruit butter, and feel free to adjust the exact amount of each spice!
- Maple syrup is our primary sweetener here. Use pure maple syrup (not an artificial pancake syrup) for best results.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add a splash of bourbon or whiskey to the pear mixture as it cooks for extra depth of flavor! You can also add a small dash of vanilla extract if you like.
- Swap the maple syrup for brown sugar or honey if you like. You can also use molasses for an even richer, deeper flavor with a more bitter note.
- Add extra spices. A pinch of ginger, nutmeg, or your favorite pumpkin spice blend are fun additions to this pear butter recipe.
- Use orange juice in place of the lemon juice if you like.
Step by Step Instructions
Cook the pears
Add pears, maple syrup, lemon juice, and spices to a medium saucepan (make sure it has a lid!) with a pinch of kosher salt (Image 1, above). Stir everything together (2), then cover cook on low heat for 2-3 hours until the pears are very soft (3). Stir the pears occasionally as they simmer to help them cook evenly.
When they're ready, the cooked pears should be a rich brown color, and will squish easily when you press them with a spoon. You should also see quite a bit of liquid in the bottom half of the pot.
Let the cooked pears cool for a few minutes, then use an immersion blender to purée the mixture (4).
Blend until smooth
For best results, continue blending an extra minute or so even after the pear butter looks smooth (Image 5, above). This extra blending time helps achieve a silky-smooth texture!
Pro Tip: Work slowly and keep the immersion blender head fully submerged to avoid splatters! For more tips on proper immersion blender use, see our how to use an immersion blender guide.
Thicken the pear butter
Return blended pear butter to the stovetop - uncovered this time - over low heat (Image 6, above). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pear butter has reached a thick, spreadable consistency. Keep the mixture over low heat, which lets extra water evaporate but controls the heat so we can reduce the mixture without caramelizing it (which will change the flavor quite a bit).
When it's ready, the pear butter will have darkened slightly in color, and should resemble a thick applesauce or pudding (7).
The exact cooking time will vary depending on variables like the pears you use, the size of your saucepan, and even the humidity in your kitchen. Keep an eye on the purée as it reduces, and use visual cues to help determine when it's "done". This can take some practice!
Storage and Freezing
Let pear butter cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you're freezing your pear butter, leave a little bit of headspace in each container to allow the spread to comfortably expand as it freezes. Defrost frozen pear butter in the fridge overnight when you're ready to use it!
Equipment Notes: We like freezing pear butter in small deli containers or small mason jars so it's easy to defrost a little at a time!
Uses for pear butter
Pear butter is great as a standalone condiment (use it as a topping for toast, an english muffin, waffles, ice cream, or add it to a Thanksgiving cheese board!) It can also add moisture and flavor to baked goods: swap it for the apple spread in any of our recipes with apple butter! A few other tasty ways to use pear butter:
- Dolloped on crostini with a bit of brie (à la this apple butter appetizer!)
- Swirled into yogurt with a drizzle of honey, fresh pear slices, and homemade granola
- Mixed into cinnamon roll filling for extra flavor
- Whisked into french toast batter (use our apple butter french toast as a guide!)
FAQs
Yes! You'll need a few small tweaks to make this work perfectly for a crock pot, and it will take some extra time to thicken once blended. We recommend following the instructions in our slow cooker apple butter recipe (just use pears instead of apples and reduce the cinnamon a bit) if you'd like to make slow cooker pear butter.
Unfortunately, no. This recipe has not been lab-tested or pH-tested for home canning safety, so we do not recommend canning this fruit butter with home canning methods (including a water bath canner, boiling water bath, or pressure canner). That said, this delicious pear butter recipe freezes beautifully: We recommend storing pear butter in small, airtight containers in the freezer and defrosting them as needed throughout the year!
The exact amount of time it will take for this pear butter to thicken will depend on several variables, including the moisture content and size of your pears, the size and shape of your saucepan, the exact strength of your burner, and even the humidity in your kitchen. If you want to thicken up your pear butter, it will just take a bit of extra time!
Don't worry if your pear butter looks a little runny right after you blend it! Just return the saucepan to the stove over low heat, stir frequently, and let any extra moisture evaporate until it reaches your desired consistency.
While this is a simple recipe, it does cook at a slow pace, and will usually take a full afternoon to cook and thicken. Be patient, and pay attention to the visual cues as you go along! We do find that pear butter takes a little longer to cook and thicken than our homemade apple butter: If you're used to apple butter, you may find this fruit butter moves a bit more slowly.
Let the cooked pears cool completely, then put the mixture through a food mill or blend in a food processor until smooth. Regular blenders are a little hit-or-miss with this recipe: most high-powered blenders will do just fine, but this mixture is a bit too thick for some of the older blenders we've tested and doesn't always blend smoothly. We recommend an immersion blender, food mill, or food processor for best results! Once blended, you can return the pear butter to the stove and thicken normally if needed.
More fruit butter ideas
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Pear Butter
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Makes 3-4 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy pear butter is perfect for fall! Cook this cozy spread on the stovetop and serve it on toast, bagels, ice cream, or alongside a quick cheese and charcuterie board.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh pears, cored and roughly chopped (5-6 large pears)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 hours, until pears are very soft and everything is a boring brown color (this recipe has a definite it-gets-worse-before-it-gets-better phase. Trust).
- Turn off the heat and let pear mixture cool, uncovered, for 15-30 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to carefully purée the pear mixture until smooth.
- Return pear purée to the stovetop, leaving the saucepan uncovered this time. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the pear butter has thickened to your desired consistency. This usually takes about an hour, but the exact time will vary depending on the pears you use, the size of your saucepan, and the humidity in your kitchen. Keep an eye on the pear butter as it thickens, and don't forget that the butter will continue to thicken a little bit as it cools!
- Serve pear butter warm, or let it cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Additions and Substitutions. Use honey, molasses, or brown sugar in place of maple syrup. Adjust the exact amount of cinnamon and cloves to suit your personal taste. Add a splash of bourbon or whiskey for extra depth of flavor. Swap the pears for fresh apples or peaches.
The ground cloves are optional in this recipe - use this spice if you want a deeper, richer fall flavor, but skip it if you want a more delicate flavor that lets the pears shine through even more!
What kind of pears should I use? Use any varieties you like, or mix a few different pear types together! The sweeter the pears you use, the sweeter your pear butter will be. We used Bartlett pears in these photos; we've also tested this recipe with Anjou and Bosc pears with good results.
You don't need to peel the pears unless you really want to. A good immersion blender will give you a pretty smooth pear butter, and you shouldn't notice much extra texture from the peels. That said, if you want the smoothest possible pear butter, you can peel the pears beforehand and/or run the finished pear butter through a food mill to remove any texture. Cook the pears until they are very soft for best results, and continue blending for an extra minute or so once you've worked out all the chunks to help the pear butter be silky smooth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
- Calories: 39
- Sugar: 6.6 g
- Sodium: 13.9 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.5 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry
This pear butter is SO GOOD. It feels more delicate than our stovetop apple butter; I love how much pear flavor shines through. It's great on toast or as part of a cheese plate - I've also been using it as the filling for cinnamon rolls (which is slightly messy to assemble, but DELICIOUS).
Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry
Oh - on cinnamon rolls - delicious, and great use of the pear butter!