Spiced Pear Preserves Recipe

Syrupy sweet with a rich blend of warm spices, this simple pear preserves recipe will be your new favorite cheese platter condiment or topping for toast, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, and more.

Course Condiments, Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword Pear Preserves, Recipe For Pear Preserves

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Other Time: 1

Servings servings

Calories 133kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

3 pounds ripe pears (peeled, cored, and chopped; about 6 to 7 cups chopped; see Notes for what kind of pears to use)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use a slightly heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Macerate. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss to coat the pears. Cover the bowl, and let it set at room temperature for 1 hour so the pears start releasing their liquid.
Cook. Add the pears (along with their juices) to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat slightly so it doesn’t boil over, and cook 15 minutes.
Mash and thicken. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If desired, use a potato masher to coarsely mash some of the pears. (TIP: If you want it thicker, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, but remember it will thicken more as it cools.)

Notes

Pear Type: I use ripe Bartlett pears here. Because they’re ripe, they’re soft and sweet, which means this recipe cooks relatively fast and doesn’t need as much added sugar. You can use other pear varieties, but each variety has a different texture and sweetness level. (Remember that the fruit’s ripeness level also plays a big role in texture - and therefore cook time - as well as sweetness and flavor.) If you want a good substitute for Bartlett pears in this recipe, you can use Forelle, Seckel, or Anjou (or a mix).
Chopping the Pears: I like my preserves on the jammy side, so I chop the fruit, and then coarsely mash some of it towards the end of the cooking process. If you want your preserves with larger fruit pieces (such as quartered or halved), I recommend using slightly under-ripe Bartlett pears, or going with a different type of pear that holds its shape better, such as Bosc, Concorde, or Kieffer.
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of preserves, or 14 (1/4-cup) servings.
Storage: Without canning, you can store this in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Canning: You can process pint-sized jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes and store it in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years. After opening, store refrigerated for up to 3 months.
Low(er) Sugar Tip: Sometimes I replace half of the granulated white sugar and half of the light brown sugar with keto granulated sweetener and keto brown sugar. This greatly cuts down on the carbs and sugar content, and we can't taste any difference.

Nutrition