Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote

Sweet, juicy pears are cooked and caramelized with real maple syrup and fall spices for a delicious and simple pear compote recipe. Such a quick pear recipe that can be served as a snack, with breakfast, or for dessert – try serving spiced pear compote over ice cream or with yogurt and granola.

Easy Pear Compote Recipe

Things I’m obsessing over this fall? Cardamom and pears. Sweet juicy pears.

If you’re looking for something to make with delicious fall pears, look no further! Spiced Pear Compote embraces all the delicious flavors of fall.

What is Pear Compote?

This recipe is the perfect place to start if fruit compote is unfamiliar to you. It might sound and look fancy, but it is very simple to prepare and a very versatile recipe.

Compote is a chunky fruit sauce made from cooking fruit and sugar together – that’s it!

In this pear compote recipe, juicy, sweet pears are caramelized in a mixture of real maple syrup and fall spices. I’m getting hungry just writing about it!

It can be served over ice cream, with granola and yogurt, and in many other ways – I guarantee you’ll love making this fall pear recipe.

Tools Needed for this Recipe

You’ll need a few simple kitchen tools to prepare this a batch of this pear compote. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before getting started:

• Vegetable Peeler — The pears need to be peeled before you cut them into cubes. 
• Cutting Board and Knife — Use a cutting board that hasn’t come into contact with garlic or onion to prevent any lingering smells from transferring to the pears. 
• Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring the individual ingredients. 
• Sauté Pan — Use a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast iron pan, when cooking the pear compote. 
• Wooden Spoon — For stirring the compote as it cooks. 

Ingredients for Spiced Pear Compote

This quick pear dessert is made with a handful of basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple pear compote:

• Fresh Pears
• Unsalted Butter
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground cardamom
• Pure Maple Syrup
• Pecan Halves
• Greek Yogurt or Ice Cream, for serving (optional)

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions for this pear compote recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Recipe Substitutions to Try

If you choose to make substitutions in this recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple substitutions that can sometimes lead to unsatisfactory results.

• Use a different sweetener: If you don’t have pure maple syrup on hand, brown sugar, honey or agave may also be substituted. Just note the flavor will be slightly different.
• Try a different fruit: A few readers have asked if they can make spiced apples using this recipe. You likely can, but you might need to cook them slightly longer until you get to your desired tenderness since apples will be harder than pears.
• Add different spices: I love the cinnamon and cardamom in this recipe, but you’re welcome to play around with the spices and experiment with your favorites. Chai spice blend or gingerbread spice blend have flavors that would pair well with the other ingredients in this recipe.

Pear Compote FAQs

Got questions about how to make this simple pear compote? 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.

Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?

Yes, you can substitute the butter with a vegan butter spread or you can use coconut oil when making this easy recipe.

What are the Best Pears for this Recipe?

The only variety of pears I don’t recommend using when making these pears with spiced syrup are Asian Pears. Other than that, usually any pear that you find in your grocery store will work.

The following varieties would all work fine as long as they’re ripe, but firm pears:

• Anjou Pears – Green or Red
• Bartlett Pears – Green or Red
• Bosc Pears

For more info about fall fresh fruits, check out my fall produce guide.

Ways to Use Spiced Pear Compote

Here are a few ways you might like to use this recipe for spiced pears:

• For an elegant dessert, try serving these spiced pears over vanilla panna cotta.
• Add a scoop of spiced pears over greek yogurt with granola.
• Serve these spiced pears on top of plain oatmeal.
• Enjoy them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Make a pear fool (a fall version of this strawberries and cream recipe) by layering the spied pears with whipped cream in a parfait dish.
• Serve over over waffles or pancakes for a Saturday morning brunch idea.

How to Store Leftover Spiced Pear Compote

This recipe for spiced pears is best enjoyed immediately, but you can save the leftovers for later. Here’s how:

Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and used within about 3-5 days. Make sure you transfer any leftover syrup with the spiced pears. Reheat leftovers gently in a saucepan or in the microwave.

I haven’t tested freezing this pear recipe, so I can’t speak to the success of that. Let me know if you decide to give it a try.

Try this Delicious Spiced Pear Compote Recipe!

Next time you’re looking for new recipe ideas to make with pears, give these spiced pears a try!

Did you think it was the perfect way to enjoy sweet pears? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this fall pear recipe.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this recipe for Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote with Pecans!

More Easy Pear Dessert Recipes:

This Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter makes an excellent homemade gift during the holidays!

This recipe for Pear Sauce is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s essentially applesauce, but it’s made with pears – a great way to enjoy pears during the fall.

Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Crostini are the perfect solution for simple entertaining during the holiday season. They look far more special than a plate of fruit and cheese, but they’re really a cinch to prepare.

This Cinnamon Pear Galette is essentially a free-form, rustic fruit pie. This pear dessert is a great recipe for fall entertaining!

If you’ve had bad experiences with dry, dense scones, don’t worry! These Glazed Pear Almond Scones have a nice crumb and are kept incredibly moist by the diced pears.

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out the How to Make Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote Story.