Easy Pear Butter (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Recipe)
This easy homemade pear butter is the perfect way to use up pears, and can be made in a just a few simple steps in an Instant Pot or slow cooker. The smooth texture and spicy-sweet taste of pear butter is a perfect topping for toast, bagels, English muffins, and more!
What is Pear Butter?
Pear butter is a type of preserve that is made by cooking and blending pears into smooth spread. The pectin, fibers, and sugars in the fruit work together to create a creamy, “buttery” texture when cooked down. It’s much like apple butter, but with a pear flavor! This delicious pear butter is made with the addition of warm spices that really compliment the flavor of pears.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Easy
While cooking down to the right texture may take a while, this pear butter recipe requires very little work. Simply peel, core, and chop pears, then throw all of the ingredients into an Instant Pot or slow cooker. After cooking for a bit, blend with an immersion blender until smooth, then let it simmer on low heat until it’s nice and thick. Let it cool, and enjoy!
Healthy
This recipe is made using only a few ingredients: pears, maple syrup, lemon juice, spices, and water. The natural sweetness of the fruit combined with maple syrup adds enough flavor without the need for added sugar. It also naturally has a thick consistency without the need for unhealthy thickening agents!
Delicious
The smooth texture combined with the warming spices and sweet flavor of pears make this easy pear butter recipe a perfect treat on a chilly day. Top a toasted slice of ancient grain bread or some freshly made English muffins with this delicious pear butter for comforting sweet treat!
What Kind of Pears to Use?
Pear butter can be made with a wide variety of fresh pears. While the common choice for traditional pear butter is Bartlett pears – Bosc pears and Anjou pears can also be used. Pretty much any type of pear can be used, but keep in mind it’s important to use sweet ripe pears. If you have a pear tree, make pear butter with whatever abundance of pears you have during pear season! Avoid Asian pears since their flavor and texture is not the best for pear butter.
Tip: if you don’t have quite enough pears, feel free to throw in some apples too!
How to Store Pear Butter
Refrigerator: store pear butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer: store pear butter in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze in a glass jar: fill a high quality canning jar to the fill line (about an inch or so below the top of the jar), then place in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight without a lid. Once the pear butter is fully frozen, seal with a lid. Overfilling the jar and/or sealing before fully frozen can cause the jar to break from the expansion.
Canning: Follow proper water bath canning instructions to can this homemade pear butter for shelf stable preserves. Check out the Ball mason jar water bath canning instructions.
How to Serve Pear Butter
This homemade pear butter recipe can be enjoyed in a wide variety of delicious ways!
English muffins: spread this smooth fruit butter between all the nooks and crannies.
Bagels: top a bagel with sweet pear butter. You can even layer over cream cheese for a more complex and rich flavor.
Toast: pear butter is perfect spread on top of toast!
Biscuits, pancakes, waffles: pear butter is a perfect companion for your breakfast quick breads.
Yogurt: change up your usual yogurt topping with sweet, spiced pear butter.
Ice cream: give plain vanilla ice cream a cozy twist with this decadent fruit spread.
How to Make Homemade Pear Butter
Peel, core, and roughly chop fresh pears.
Combine chopped pears with maple syrup, lemon juice, ground spices, and water in the bottom of an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Instant Pot pear butter instructions: Seal pressure cooker and pressure cook on “high pressure” for 20 minutes. Release pressure and remove lid. Carefully blend hot pear sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. Select “simmer” button, and cook for about 2 hours stirring occasionally, or until it reaches a thick, smooth consistency. Let it cool before enjoying to thicken even more.
Slow Cooker/Crock pot pear butter Instructions: Cook pear mixture on “high heat” for 2 hours, then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Reduce slow cooker setting to “low heat” and cook for 6-8 hours, or until it reached a thick, smooth consistency. Let it cool to room temperature before enjoying.
Easy Pear Butter (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot or Slow cooker
- 1 fruit peeler
- 1 knife
- 1 pint size mason jar with lid
Ingredients
- 3 lb fresh pears
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Peel, core, and roughly chop fresh pears.
- Combine chopped pears with maple syrup, lemon juice, ground spices, and water in the bottom of an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Instructions:
- Slow cook pear mixture on “high heat” setting for 2 hours, then blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Reduce slow cooker setting to “low heat” and cook for 6-8 hours, or until it reached a thick, smooth consistency.
- Let it cool to room temperature before enjoying.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Seal pressure cooker and pressure cook on “high pressure” for 20 minutes. Release pressure and remove lid.
- Carefully blend hot pear sauce with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Select “simmer” button, and cook for about 2 hours stirring occasionally, or until it reaches a thick, smooth consistency.
- Let it cool to room temperature to thicken even more before enjoying.
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My favorite mason jars: Ball wide mouth pint size mason jars.
