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Homemade pear butter is made in the slow cooker with fresh pears, warm spices, and vanilla for a thick, flavorful spread that takes your morning toast to a whole new level.
I feel like pears don’t get quite enough attention. Obviously they’re great for snacking on, especially during the fall when they’re really in season, but they’re so good for cooking and baking with, too.
Their mild, sweet flavor goes great in apple pear crisp, spiced pear cake, and pear Thanksgiving punch. The South has even made an entire pear salad around them!
And they make a really, really great pear butter! If you’re a fan of apple butter, you’re gonna love this pear version.
What is pear butter?
Don’t let the name fool you: there’s no butter in pear butter.
Fruit butters are made from fruit that is cooked down so the flavor gets really concentrated. Then the fruit is pureed, making a thick, luscious spread.
This recipe uses fresh pears as the base. Pears might not be as popular as apples, but this is the time of year when they’re both in season. So make sure to grab some at the grocery store or farmers’ market so you can make this pear butter!
I make my homemade pear butter in the slow cooker so it’s super hands-off. You can even start it before going to bed and let it cook overnight!
You’ll get about 2 quarts of pear butter from this recipe. That’s plenty to freeze some for later or share with a neighbor!
How to make homemade pear butter
This homemade pear butter is adapted from my slow cooker apple butter recipe. The two recipes are super similar, so if you’ve made that recipe before, you’ll know what to expect in this one.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- 6 pounds fresh pears (peeled, cored, and sliced or cut into chunks)
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Be sure to weigh out 6 pounds of pears before you peel and core them. Once they’re prepped, you can either slice them or cut them into medium-size pieces. You just need to break them down enough to fit into the crock of your slow cooker.
The biggest difference between my apple butter recipe and this pear butter recipe is in the amount of sugar. Since pears are a bit sweeter than apples, we don’t need quite as much sugar.
I like using mostly brown sugar for extra richness. If you’re out of brown sugar, use a brown sugar substitute instead.
Cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cloves all complement the mild flavor of the pears. You could use 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple pie spice instead if you prefer, though.
Making this recipe
Using a slow cooker makes this recipe really hands-off. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this on the stovetop using the instructions for my stovetop apple butter. Be sure to add 1 cup of apple juice or water to the recipe if you use the stovetop method.
Add the pears, both sugars, spices, and salt to the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. Stir the mixture occasionally, until the pears are very soft.
Recipe Tip
If your pears are really ripe, you may not need to cook them as long, so keep an eye on them. Move onto the next step once the pears are starting to break down.
Once the pears are soft and starting to break down, remove the lid. Keep cooking on low, uncovered, for 2 more hours.
Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the vanilla. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until very smooth.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a standard blender or food processor. Be sure to work in batches and vent the top, since the mixture is hot.
Let the pear butter cool before transferring it to sterile jars.
Storage options
Store your homemade pear butter in jars or other airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
When storing in the freezer, make sure you leave space at the top of the jars so they don’t crack during freezing.
You can also can this pear butter for longer-term storage. Follow the instructions listed in my post on how to can apple butter, processing the jars for 10 minutes for both pint and half-pint sizes.
You won’t need to make any adjustments to the recipe for water-bath canning. The combination of the sugar in the recipe and the acidity of the pears makes it safe for canning.
Serving suggestions
Pear butter is incredible spread on top of toasted English muffin bread or a buttermilk drop biscuit.
You can also swap it out in recipes that call for apple butter, such as apple butter brie bites or apple butter cake. Or use it in place of the fruit filling in crumb bars, such as my raspberry bar recipe.
Pear butter is also lovely as part of a cheese board. Add a bowl of it to your next cheese board alongside some crackers. It’s especially delicious with brie, cheddar, and goat cheeses.
It also makes a lovely host gift. If you’re heading to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving, consider taking along a jar of homemade pear butter!
Frequently asked questions
A full batch of this pear butter (using 6 pounds of pears) definitely needs a 6-quart slow cooker. If you only have a smaller slow cooker, I suggest halving the recipe.
No! If you don’t want to spend the time peeling the pears, you might want to run the final pear butter through a fine mesh strainer after pureeing it for the smoothest texture.
I prefer to peel the pears and save myself the work at the end, but it’s up to you and what you prefer.
Homemade Pear Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 pounds pears peeled, cored, and sliced or cut into medium-size chunks
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine the pears, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the pears are very soft.6 pounds pears, 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Remove the lid and continue to cook uncovered on low for another 2 hours.
- Turn off the slow cooker. Add the vanilla. Puree the mixture until very smooth using an immersion blender or carefully puree in batches using a standard blender, being sure to vent the top since the butter is hot.1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Cool and transfer to sterile jars. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
- How long the first stage of cooking takes will depend on how ripe/soft the pears are.
- If you prefer to make this on the stove, follow the instructions for making stovetop apple butter, adding 1 cup of water or apple juice to the pot during the first stage of cooking.
- To can this pear butter, follow the instructions listed in my post on how to can apple butter, processing the jars for 10 minutes for both pint and half-pint sizes.
- Makes about 4 pints.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
