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I get it: preserving may not be your thing. All the various components needed to prepare and cook the recipe may be overwhelming. If that’s the case, or if you just love to preserve, pear butter is the answer. Nothing is easier. Let me convince you further:
- There’s no peeling, only the removal of the core.
- There’s no monitoring and constant stirring over a hot stove.
- A few spices and a slow cooker do all of the work.
Plus, if you want to make this pear butter shelf-stable, simply can it or freeze it for use months later!
What is pear butter?
Fruit butters contain no actual butter, but instead are made up of fruit that has been cooked into a paste. They can be lightly sweetened and usually have added spices. Commonly, we think of the super traditional apple butter, but apricot, grape, peach, plum, and other fruits can be made into butters.
Pears have a lot of natural sugar, so only a few tablespoons of honey are added to enhance the sweetness. To amp up the seasonal notes, warm fall spices are also incorporated.
For me, this has become a family favorite on bread, oatmeal, and pancakes.
Do you have to use a slow cooker?
Short answer: no. This recipe can be made in an 8-quart stockpot on the stove. Using this method, the pear butter needs to be stirred occasionally to make sure the liquid has not evaporated entirely and the butter is not overcooking.
The slow cooker allows you to go about your day at home, or go to sleep and wake up to a finished pear butter. Simply put, it takes away any guesswork. In the last four to five hours of cooking, remove the lid of the slow cooker and allow any excess liquid to cook off.
Other slow cooker recipes
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Butter
Easy Slow Cooker Stuffing
Slow Cooker Pear Butter
Watch how to make this slow cooker pear butter
Slow Cooker Pear Butter
Ingredients
- 10 lb pears
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 12 whole cloves crushed
- 6 whole cardamom pods crushed
- 3 vanilla beans (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Cut ripe pears into quarters and remove the core. Slice roughly into ½-inch pieces and place in a 7- or 8-quart slow cooker. Add lemon juice, honey, cinnamon sticks, and ground ginger. Place cloves and cardamon pods in a small cheesecloth bag and add to the pears. Slice vanilla beans in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with the back of a knife. Add seeds and pods to the slow cooker. Turn the cooker on high for 8 hours.10 lb pears, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp honey, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, 12 whole cloves, 6 whole cardamom pods, 3 vanilla beans (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
- After 8 hours, remove the lid and cook an additional 1-4 hours to cook off excess liquid.
- Once most of the liquid has cooked off, turn off the slow cooker and cool for 30 minutes. Blend in a blender in batches until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- At this point, if freezing the pear butter, pour into airtight freezer containers and freeze. If canning in a water bath, bring the pear butter to a simmer on the stove.
- Remove and pour into sterilized 8-ounce canning jars. Fit with prepared lids and rings. Boil in a water bath for 10 minutes, making sure jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water.
- After 10 minutes, remove from the water bath and allow the jars to cool for 12-24 hours. The lids should seal within 1-2 hours. Any that do not seal can be placed in the refrigerator and used.
I made your Apple/squash pork tenderloin for my family last night . I had to double the recipe for my gang, but it was amazing! Thank you for the fall inspiration dinner. Looking forward to trying many of your recipes🤗
This was my first attempt at canning. I had a bit of a hiccup when the brand new Crockpot I got (from Amazon) was a bit wonky. I had to use my silicone hot pads to cover the gaps around the lid. It took probably 14 hours in the crockpot and I finally had to put it in my dutch oven to finish heating for about 2 more hours to remove more liquid. But in the end, it was delicious! I got 6+ 8oz jars from a little over 10 lbs of red pears. I will definitely be doing more canning! Thank you Kaleb for easy to follow recipes/videos! I live in Houston (only 50′ above sea level) so only had to boil for 5 mins per the Natl Ctr for Home Food Preservation ( a great website!).
Best apple butter AND easiest apple butter I have ever made! Try it you will love it. I did not have anise so I did not put it in but it was so good you probably don’t really need it. I thought the cloves were a little too overwhelming so I just added a bit more cinnamon and that balanced it out. Next time I will probably use just a little less of the cloves. I am making another batch today. This recipe made 7 half pints for me that I canned. I may freeze the next batch.
Made your pear butter this morning I’m not much of a canner but I did It. As I took my cans out from the water bath I heard one pop does that mean it is not good and it was the one that I didn’t tighten too much.I did not hear the other ones pop do not take a chance on the one that popped ? What would you advise? I had a little leftover so my husband and I had it this morning wow was it delicious. I’ll be waiting for your response Thank you
A huge pile of windfall pears brought me to your recipe and I am so glad it did! You were right about the wonderful fall smell filling my home. I have been swiping small tastes as I go through the canning and I love it. I can’t wait to taste on gingerbread pancakes with just a smidge of whipped cream. Thanks for sharing a delicious (and relatively easy) recipe!
I have made the apple butter a few times already and love it. I want to make the pear butter and was wondering if I can use ground spices instead of whole spices?
Thank you
Eileen
I’m an avid canner and would like to know if I can used canned pumpkin
First time trying this..I know it’s not really the usual time of year but whatever I’m excited to try. If all goes well this will be part of my Christmas baskets to my neighbors this year.
I’ll be back to let you know. Thanks for the recipe
Thank you for introducing me to fruit butters! At 68 years old, how did I not know these existed….ok, maybe because I live in Saskatchewan…no orchards. I love how you make everything easier. Love from Sask to Iowa!
I used an immersion blender, then heated on high for an additional half hour or so until the pear butter started to bubble again. Filled the jars straight from the slow cooker. I added extra honey b/c it was quite tart even though I used very ripe pears that were quite sweet. Like the ginger and cardamom.