Easy Homemade Pear Sauce
A simple sugar-free easy homemade pear sauce recipe. It is like applesauce, but made with pears. This recipe for pear sauce is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. It is so tasty, you should definitely try making this Easy Homemade Pearsauce this fall!
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Making Homemade Pear Sauce
When pears were on mega sale here a few weeks ago I was able to can a half a dozen jars of Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter. I also made some Pear sauce for us, though I didn’t can it. I only made enough for us to enjoy for a couple of days.
This is also a great way to use extra pears if you have a pear tree!
Why I Love Homemade Pear Sauce
As far as I can remember, I’ve never really been a big fan of traditional apple sauce – unless it was homemade, and even then I’m not likely to sit down to a bowl full for a snack.
Madeline, on the other hand, absolutely loves her applesauce. Store bought or homemade she doesn’t care. Either way is good to her.
But Pear sauce….mmmmm! Now that’s something that we both can agree on.
I don’t know why but this recipe just seems so much more sophisticated than homemade applesauce to me. The flavor and texture are more to my liking. Even the name sounds fancier than applesauce.
It’s that good! Have you ever canned homemade pearsauce before?
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Tools Needed to Make Pear Sauce
You’ll need a few kitchen tools to prepare this recipe. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before getting started:
- Vegetable Peeler – to peel the pears.
- Sharp Knife and Cutting Board – to chop the pears.
- Kitchen Scale and Bowl – to weigh the pears.
- Glass Measuring Cup – to measure the water.
- Citrus Juicer – to juice the lemon.
- Measuring Spoons – to measure the warm spices.
- Large Saucepan or Stock Pot – to cook the delicious sauce.
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula – for stirring as the recipe cooks.
- Pint Jars or Quart Jars – if you want to can the pear sauce.
Ingredients in Homemade Pear Sauce
- Fresh Pears
- Water
- Lemon Juice
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cardamom
- Ground Nutmeg
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this simple pear flavor fruit sauce, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Pear Sauce
- In a large saucepan, combine the pears, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a food processor, working in batches if necessary, fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy.
The above is simply a quick summary of this fruit sauce recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Pear Sauce Recipe Tips
- Make sure your spices are fresh so they have the best flavor! I also recommend using fresh lemon juice rather than the jarred type because the flavor will be higher quality.
- You can always play around with the amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom depending on your personal preferences.
- If you want to sweeten your batch of pear sauce, I recommend adding brown sugar in 1 tablespoon increments until your desired flavor is reached.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a potato masher or stick blender on low speed.
Pear Sauce Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this pear sauce recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
What type of pears should I use for Pear Sauce?
You can use a variety of different pears depending on your personal preference, what is available, and what has the best price.
Often I use bartlett pears because those are what usually go on sale for really inexpensive, but I’ve also used D’Anjou, Red D’Anjou, and Bosc pears. You can use a mixture of different pears or all the same variety.
The main thing that matters is that the pears are ripe. Ripe pears will be slightly soft to the touch and smell sweet and fragrant.
I do not recommend using Asian Pears for this recipe.
Can I change the ingredients in this recipe?
It is not recommend to make substitutions in recipes that you plan to water bath can unless it is adjusting the amount of seasoning. Altering the amount of pears, or the acidity (by omitting or substituting the lemon juice) would affect the ability to water bath can this pear sauce.
Always consult canning experts and reputable sources before deviating from the recipe when water bath canning.
If you are eating the pear sauce within a 3-5 days, or plan to store it in the freezer, you can make any substitutions that you would like when preparing this recipe for pear sauce.
How Long Does Pear Sauce Last?
This pearsauce will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
If you make a large batch of pearsauce, you can also opt to store it in the freezer if you would like. Just take out what you need as you want to use it (or gift it). Just make sure to use freezer-safe containers.
Plastic canning jars work great, but some glass canning jars are labeled as freezer-safe as well.
Freezer Tip
- For best results, make sure you cool the finished pear sauce to room temperature before freezing!
Can I Preserve this Pear Sauce?
Yes, you can! I’ve included instructions for how to water bath can pear sauce in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!
You can also pressure can this pear flavor sauce as long as you have the correct tools and consult reputable sources for the instructions.
Some tools you might need if you would like to pressure can pear sauce are: Pressure Cooker Canner, The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning, and of course – canning jars.
My Canning Jars Wont Open!
If you canned your pear sauce and then can’t get the jar open afterwards, head over to my post about How to Open a Jar for 5 proven ways to open jars with tight lids.
Fun Ways to Serve this Recipe
One of the best parts of making this recipe is all the different things that you can do with it besides just eating a bowl of it by itself. This recipe for pear sauce is pretty darn good on its own, but here are a few fun serving suggestions:
Make these cute Bite Sized Cranberry Walnut Tarts, but substitute the easy homemade pear sauce for the cranberry sauce.
Stir some into Maple Syrup to make pear flavored maple syrup. It will be so good poured over pancakes and waffles for a post-Thanksgiving brunch.
It is nice for snacking on alone, but is makes a great addition to plain yogurt for some extra flavor. Stir it into plain yogurt for a tangy, sweet flavor. Then, sprinkle granola and dried cranberries or fresh chopped pears on top.
Next time you’re craving a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast try stirring in a few spoonfuls of this delicious Pear sauce. Try it in Overnight Apple Steel Cut Oats.
Try substituting pear sauce for applesauce in baking recipes for a slightly different flavor, or use it as an oil substitute in baking.
Add it to Leftover Turkey Sandwiches after Thanksgiving for a little sweet and savory combo. Leftover turkey sandwiches are one of my favorites!
Make this Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter (pear sauce is the first step in that recipe – make an extra big batch and get both recipes out of it!).
Because there is no added sugar thanks to the natural sweetness of ripe pears, this recipe can be used for baby food (as long as your baby has already had the spices contained in the recipe).
Click and save this recipe for Homemade Pearsauce to Pinterest!
Try this Pear Sauce Recipe!
Next time you’re looking for a new recipe to make using fresh pears, give this easy pear sauce a try!
Did you love this twist on apple sauce? Leave a star rating and comment below to give it a review for others to see what you thought of this easy pear recipe.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me @goodlifeeats #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your homemade pearsauce!
★★★★★
Bela says –
“It’s not only tasty, but pretty too! Thanks for a delicious recipe!”
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Do you like pear sauce?
Homemade Pear Sauce
You should definitely try making this Easy Homemade Pearsauce or Applesauce this fall. It is so tasty!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
To Make the Pearsauce
- In a large saucepan, combine the pears, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a food processor, working in batches if necessary, fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved.
- Do not liquefy.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Alternatively, freeze in one cup quantities in the freezer and store for several months.
How to Can Pearsauce
- Wash and rinse the jars in hot soapy water. Drain the jars well of any excess water. Set the screw bands aside - they don't require sterilizing. Place the lids - the flat round portion of the two-piece closures - in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Don't boil. Keep lids hot until you're ready to use them.
- Ladle hot pearsauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Remove air bubbles and adjust head-space, if needed, but adding more pearsauce. Wipe rim. Center the lid on jar and screw band down until resistance is med, then increase to fingertip tight.
- Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
Notes
RECIPE TIPS
- I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon in this pearsauce recipe. Fresh juice will give you the best flavor!
- Do not omit the lemon juice if you intend to water bath can this recipe. The recipe needs acidity to be safely water bath canned.
- You don't need to chop the pears too finely since they'll be cooked down on the stove anyways. But you do need to peel them, otherwise your pearsauce will be the wrong consistency.
- Feel free to play around with the amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom in this recipe. I like it as written, but you can add more or less to suit your tastes. Changing these ingredients would not affect the ability to can this recipe.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS FOR PEARSAUCE
I don't recommend making any substitutions for this recipe if you plan to water bath can this recipe for pearsauce unless it is adjusting the amount of seasoning. Altering the sugar content, the amount of pears, or the acidity (by omitting or substituting the orange juice) would affect the ability to water bath can the recipe.
If you are eating this within a week, or storing it in the freezer, you can make any substitutions that you would like.
PRESSURE CANNING
You can pressure can anything that you can water bath can. Make sure you have the right tools and that you consult reputable sources for pear butter pressure canning instructions, as I personally am not an expert at pressure canning.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 21mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 7gSugar: 23gProtein: 1g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Debbie Stephens says
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Katie Kick says
Yes you can use a slow cooker
Bela says
I have a Bosc pear tree and it’s overloaded this year so I’m collecting pear recipes. The first time I made this, it was a bit tart. Could be my pears weren’t as ripe as they should’ve been which was maybe why I had to simmer 30 minutes instead of 20. I made it again today and added 2 tablespoons of white sugar (before I read your note which suggests brown sugar) and also added a teaspoon of almond extract. It came out a tiny bit sweeter than I thought it would, but this time my pears were more ripe. Ok so next time I’ll try just one tablespoon brown sugar!
It’s not only tasty, but pretty too! Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Katie says
Thanks for sharing your experience! How lucky to have a pear tree – I am envious!
carol says
Just canned a batch – used cranberry juice instead of water and mashed with an immersion blender. Delicious.
Kasey says
I replaced the 1/4 cup of water with 1/4 of maraschino cherry juice and threw in about 10 cherries along with the pears. Yummy, cherry-pear sauce!
andrea says
Hi. I want to make this asap but I don’t have a scale. Do you know about how many pears you used? thanks
Katie says
Sorry I do not know how many pears it was. Maybe you can borrow a scale from someone?
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I’m obsessed with homemade applesauce at the moment! My new favorite is raspberry applesauce. I seriously eat it for every meal. So yummy! And pear?! That sounds interesting and like you said, more sophisticated. 🙂
Jennifer says
Going to try canning this yummy recipe since we were given 80 lbs of free pears today! I’ll have to try your pear butter as well and maybe some will be made into a pear pie filling… Yikes! I feel like I have pears coming out my ears!