This Crock pot Pear Butter Recipe is one of the best ways to preserve an abundance of pears. Not to mention they make the perfect hostess gifts.
Introduction
For most of my adult life, I never gave fruit butter any consideration. To be honest, I had a preconceived idea that fruit butter actually had butter in it (if you could see me now, I am blushing …)
About a decade ago, I had a conversation with a colleague who enlightened me on the subject of fruit butter.
And that is how my obsession with fruit butter began…
I started with this spiced apple butter recipe, and this pear butter was the natural next step!
But I didn’t stop there. I also published a recipe for plum butter that tastes amazing!
What is a fruit butter?
A fruit butter is a highly concentrated form of pureed fruit (apple, pear, plum, etc…). It has a smooth consistency and silky texture, which can easily be spread, like butter. Spices are often used to highlight the fruity taste, and they are usually made without any pectin.
How is a fruit butter made?
Fruit butter is made by chopping fruit into chunks and cooking it so that it softens. It is then pureed and cooked again until all the moisture evaporates, transforming into a smooth, silky fruit spread. Fruit butter can easily be made in a slow cooker.
I have previously mentioned that I have a wonderful pear tree growing in my backyard that my dad planted. It truly is a privilege to watch the May blossoms slowly develop into actual pears.
A recent weather warning of thunderstorms and risk of high winds left us no choice but to go pear picking in our backyard – we didn’t want to end up with pears splattered everywhere, blown around by the wind!
So we picked the pears… about 40 pounds worth!
Now, my dilemma. What to do with two bushels of freshly picked pears? I considered making this Almond Pear Tart. But there are only so many tarts one can make. I also have a recipe for a wonderful pear cake, but then again, that would only have used up three pears out of the two bushels that we had…
That’s the thing with fruit trees – the fruit ripens all at the same time, and then you are left scrambling, trying to find ways to use or preserve it for the long winter months.
So if you are wondering how to preserve pears, I have the perfect solution… make this perfectly spiced pear butter! It really is so easy to make in a crockpot!
How to make Slow Cooker Pear Butter:
The first thing we are going to do is give the pears a good rinse. Once that is done, we need to peel and core the pears. Feel free to use a variety of pears for this recipe.
Pro Tip: Use a melon baller to remove the core of the pear.
Next, we need to add the peeled and cored pears to the slow cooker along with a scraped vanilla been, some orange peel, a few tablespoons of brown sugar, orange juice and a little bit of water.
Pro Tip: The water is added to prevent the pears from scorching so it is important not to skip this addition.
Set your crockpot on high and cook for 3-4 hours. The total time will depend on the ripeness and the type of pears. As soon as the pears have softened enough to be pureed, remove the vanilla bean and the orange peel.
With a handheld immersion blender, process the pears until smooth. You will notice that this is a very wet mixture. Alternatively, the cooked pears can be transferred to a food processor and pureed.
Next, cook it down until there is no liquid that seeps out when a teaspoon of the fruit puree is placed on a dish.
How to use
- Spread it on toast, muffins, breakfast buns, bagels, french toast, waffles or pancakes;
- Swirl it in yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese or even ricotta;
- Makes a great topping for ice cream and parfaits;
- Makes a great sandwich spread, especially with cheese
Nutrition Note: This pear butter can be a great fat-free alternative for butter. But remember, fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Moderation is key!
As I was looking for some fruit butter inspiration, I was surprised to see that some recipes actually had up to 4 cups of sugar added to 4-5 pounds of pear. I think that would be appropriate for a jam or jelly, but for a fruit butter? I’ll let you decide.
It’s definitely too sweet for me. I opted for just a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, due to the fact that my pears were not yet fully ripened.
Recipe origins
My daughter-in-law and daughter are just as obsessed as I am with fruit butter. And so they became my taste testers for this recipe. After some tweaking, we decided to enhance the flavor of the pears with some vanilla beans and just a hint of orange.
In case you are wondering, we tried adding different “warm” spices to the pears (cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice). As you probably know, spices have the wonderful ability to complement and add a little bit of depth to the fruit.
We felt the delicate flavor of the pear was overpowered by the spices, despite the fact that we used very little amounts.
We then attempted a lemon and vanilla bean pear butter, followed by an orange and vanilla bean pear butter. Ultimately, we decided that it was best with a hint of orange. The inspiration for this pear butter came from a recipe found on this site.
It really is one of the best ways to preserve an abundance of pears. Not to mention, they make the perfect hostess gifts.
Enjoy!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Pear Butter recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Crock pot Pear Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds ripe pears peeled, cored and cut into pieces
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ vanilla bean split lengthwise and scraped to release seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1-2 strips of orange peel
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on the high setting for about 3 -4 hours (Total time will vary based on ripeness of pear).
- Stir occasionally.
- When the pears have softened, remove the vanilla bean and the orange zest.
- With a handheld immersion blender, process the pears until smooth. Alternatively, the cooked pears can be transferred to a food processor, pureed and transferred back to the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for an additional 6-8 hours. The total time will depend on the total moisture of the fruit. The pear butter is done when there is no liquid that seeps out when a teaspoon of the butter is placed on a dish.
- Ladle the pear butter into sterile canning jars. Always leave about ¼ inch of head space. Try to remove as many air bubbles as possible.
- Seal with sterile lids and rings.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
- Remove jars from the pot.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Check the lids by pressing on the center of each seal. If it springs back, the jars need to be refrigerated. Otherwise, they can be stored in a cool dark place for about 1 year.
- Once the jar is opened, it can be stored for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- I used Madagascar Natural Bourbon Vanilla Beans;
- This recipe works well with any variety and/or combination of pears;
- To freeze the pear butter: Allow the pear butter to cool to room temperature; place in containers which are freezer safe (always leave about 1-inch headspace) and freeze. They will keep for about 6 months in the freezer. Once thawed and opened, they should be stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on September 18, 2016 and republished on September 26, 2018 with improvements to the recipe, updated content and a video.
Peg
Hi everyone! Thank you Maria for the recipe. I’m planning on trying it but was wondering, is it okay to double the recipe? Would that increase the cooking time? I have a lot of pears to use up!
Maria
Thanks for your interest Peg. Lucky you! You can definitely process more pears but you may have to make some adjustments to the amount of brown sugar, orange peel and vanilla… not necessarily double the amount. Yes, the overall cooking time may be longer depending on the type of pears you use. You can always remove the cover of your slow cooker in order for the extra moisture to evaporate. Have fun!
Lori Jones
Can I double or triple this recipe in my crock pot? I have so many pears and would love to make lots of this recipe!
Maria
Thanks for your interest Lori. You can definitely process more pears but you may have to make some adjustments to the amount of brown sugar, orange peel and vanilla… not necessarily double the amount. Yes, the overall cooking time may be longer depending on the type of pears you use. You can always remove the cover of your slow cooker in order for the extra moisture to evaporate more quickly. Have fun!
Kelly
Can this recipe be doubled?
Maria
Thanks for your interest Kelly. You can definitely process more pears but you may have to make some adjustments to the amount of brown sugar, orange peel and vanilla… not necessarily double the amount. Yes, the overall cooking time may be longer depending on the type of pears you use. You can always remove the cover of your slow cooker in order for the extra moisture to evaporate. Have fun!
Becky
What do you do if many (16) hours of cooking your pear butter is like soup?
Maria
Oh, I’m sorry to hear this… I would remove the cover… this will allow the extra liquid to evaporate.
SB
I made this with a combination of Bartlett, Bosch and Asian pears. Loved the hint of orange! The amount of sugar was perfect and I added a bit of cardamom. Cooking time and consistency was spot on. Definitely adding this to my Fall harvest recipes!
Maria
How wonderful SB! Thanks so much for sharing.
kalani
Hi there! Wondering how much cardamom you used? Fresh or a pod? Thanks! I am *so* thrilled about how little sugar there is in this recipe. 🙂
Chip Lucas
I have made this recipe about a half dozen times now and have adjusted slightly. I do not have the real vanilla beans so just using real flavoring. I have made it in two different crock pots and one tends to cook the pears darker than the other. I have done a combination of the canning in a water bath and freezing. I am glad that I have found this recipe and can preserve the pears which are still falling and I am still making. We will have many gifts for the upcoming holiday seasons.
Maria
Such thoughtful gifts Chip! Thanks so much for sharing… you must have a beautiful pear tree! Enjoy!
Stephanie
Hi! I need help 😅
I made this twice: everything seems to be going well through the immersion blender stage. The first time, I added only one table spoon of water. The liquid was incorporated at 2 hours, but the butter was scorched. The second time I added about 1/4th cup of water. After two hours, it had carmelized and was getting a burnt flavor but the liquid wasnt nearly absorbed. This happened on my low setting. Is my crock pot to hot? Less time?
Maria
I’m sorry to hear you are having problems with the recipe Stephanie. By the sounds of it, I would say less time. Just wondering did you have the cover on?
Stephanie
I did, I’m going to try it again in a different crock pot and keep a close eye on it!
Maria
Great! Thanks Stephanie!
Patti E
I had to watch mine carefully and turn off the slow cooker a couple of times. I have a Crockpot brand one that tends to run very hot so even on low it has burned a few recipes. I ended up finishing the last couple of hours on the Keep Warm setting, with the lid off. I lost a tiny bit to scorching on the upper sides, possibly due to missing a few stirs. But I have 3 precious little jars cooling now. And the taste and smell is heavenly!
Therese
This was a perfect recipe for my batch of pears :). I canned most of it and kept one for the fridge and one in the freezer for easy quick fall access. Thank you
Maria
How wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing Therese. Enjoy!
Sue
Cardarmom! That’s the spice you were looking for. Pears and cardamom are great friends.
I used only 1/8 tsp, but it gave the pear butter a lovely, subtle dimension.
I did not use vanilla in my cardamom test batch. I didn’t have vanilla beans and didn’t want to add vanilla extract due to the water/alcohol. When I get the beans I will try the vanilla/cardamom combo.
But with just the orange and the cardamom, I thought the pear butter was out-of-this-world luscious. Thank you for sharing such a simple but amazing recipe!
Maria
Fantastic Sue! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, appreciate it!
Catherine Boyer
Very easy to make. Tastes yummy. Tiny batch but I’ll make it again. Soo many pears.
Maria
Thanks for taking the time to share Catherine! Glad you enjoyed the pear butter.
Jill Wyatt
Are there adjustments to make if I double?
Maria
Thanks for your interest Jill. You can definitely process more pears but you may have to make some adjustments to the amount of brown sugar, orange peel and vanilla… not necessarily double the amount. Yes, the overall cooking time may be longer depending on the type of pears you use. You can always remove the cover of your slow cooker in order for the extra moisture to evaporate. Have fun!