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READY IN 31 mins

Pear Butter

Read Reviews (43)

"Pear butter is lightly scented with orange and nutmeg. This is an old recipe from a dear friend. Its taste is so good in toast or even on top of steak or chicken." — SUNFLOWER71

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Sugar and Sweeteners

Original recipe makes 2 pints Change Servings

4 pounds medium pears, quartered and cored
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup orange juice

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Directions

Place pears into a large pot over medium heat, and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot and keep them from sticking, about 1/2 cup. Cook until the pears are soft, about 30 minutes. Press pears through a sieve or food mill, and measure out 2 quarts of the pulp.
Pour the pear pulp and sugar into a large saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in the orange zest, nutmeg and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to mound in a spoon. When the mixture begins to thicken, stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom. This will take about 1 hour.
Ladle the pear butter into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles by sliding a metal spatula around where the pear butter touches the glass. Wipe jar rims clean, and seal with lids and rings. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. The water should cover the jars by 1 inch. Check with your local extension for exact processing times for your area.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 1 min
READY IN 31 mins

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This is a long one…The recipe makes a good pear butter but needs some tweaking. 1) I used 6-1/2 lbs. of fairly large pears and came up with exactly 2 qts. of pulp. 2) The cook time is way off--to get it thick enough to consider butter and give it a nice color it has to be cooked for at least 2-3/4 hours. 3) The orange flavor is a bit much. Next time I’ll cut the juice down a bit(not the zest as it looks pretty in the jar). I’ll also put it in the crockpot on low overnight (8 or more hours) next time so I don’t have to hover over the stove stirring for hours on end. A note about checking for doneness: Don’t go by the cooking time, drop a little on a plate and if watery liquid seeps out around the edges it needs to cook longer. Oh, and I got 7 half-pint jars (3-1/2 pints instead of the 2 pints stated).

—MOMOFADDY

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 28, 2006

4 lbs. of medium pears yielded a very scant quart of pulp. Prep time is not even close. It took a full hour to soften the pears (partly the fault of the fruit, I know.) "Large pot" isn't a very helpful description. The second phase of the cooking took 2 hours, and the product was still not "butter," I think an earlier reviewer was correct. The flavor was bland and indifferent, but again, perhaps the problem was in the fruit.

—Anne Fraser

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50 Ratings

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Jun 04, 2008

EASY RECIPE!!! I cooked mine in the crock pot just add everything in the crockpot and cook till tender. Then blend and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes ENJOY

—lassenpeak

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Aug 10, 2008

This is the best pear butter recipe I have ever made. Use slightly under-ripe pears. The cooking will bring out the sweetness and pear flavour. Make it easy; quarter the pears and take out the bad spots, then when they're softened, run them through the food mill to remove the seeds, stems, and peel. To make pear sauce, add sugar and cook for another 15 minutes or so, without adding the other ingredients. I use less sugar than the recipe calls for; this recipe is way too sweet for my tastes.

—Lizzy

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Sep 04, 2008

FANTASTIC RECIPE I altered it to siut my needs. I used a 4qt. crockpot. I quartered and removed seeds, placed all pears in the pot to heaping. Then I added 4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup white grape juice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon orange extract. Put it on low and let it cook overnight ( 8-10 hours). In the morning I used a hand blender to blend righ tin the pot. Then I processed pint jars, and filled them ( nine jars). THen processed in a hot bath for 10 minutes. I received several compliments. This was the 1st time I had ever made this item.

—kathy

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Oct 08, 2006

Delicious. I prefer a chunky version thus eliminating the food mill -- tedious. Plus, prep time is longer if pears are small and you peel them. Cooking time is 1 hour not 1 minute and it's not "Ready in" 31 minutes...

—joymadden

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Sep 28, 2006

This is a great recipe. I made 14 half-pints today. The orage zest and nutmeg gives it a great taste. Thanks!

—Teri S

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Oct 09, 2007

This is a fantastic way to use those hard little pears you can't eat! It's great on toast, ham or pork!

—Keepingitspicy

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Nutrition

Calories
82 kcal
4%

Carbohydrates
21.5 g
7%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
0.1 g
< 1%

Fiber
1.8 g
7%

Protein
0.2 g
< 1%

Sodium
< 1 mg
< 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Pear Butter

Serving Size: 1/32 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 82
Calories from Fat: < 1

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.1g < 1 %
Saturated Fat 0g < 1 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium < 1mg < 1 %
Potassium 72mg 2 %
Total Carbohydrates 21.5g 7 %
Dietary Fiber 1.8g 7 %
Protein 0.2g < 1 %
** Sugars 18.2g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 6 %
Calcium < 1 %
Iron 1 %
Thiamin 1 %
Niacin < 1 %
Vitamin B6 1 %
Magnesium 2 %
Folate 3 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.