How To Make Pear Sauce 🍐 With Canning Instructions

Pear Sauce is just like homemade applesauce but made with fresh pears! Add additional layers of flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and vanilla to personalize your sauce. This is a sugar-free pear sauce recipe.

My grandmother had a grove of pear trees and she had an abundance of pears to eat, give to neighbors and of course make delicious pear recipes. Make an extra batch of homemade pear sauce and turn it into pear butter recipe with my easy step-by-step instructions.

Once you wet your feet with canning pear sauce you are going to want to make bread and butter pickles, spiced it up with candied jalapenos, pickled banana peppers or my favorite blueberry jam!

🍐 Ingredients to make this recipe:

• Pears
• water
• fresh lemon juice
• vanilla extract
• Cinnamon sticks (optional)
• nutmeg (optional)
• star anise (optional)

Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Recommended Varieties of Pears To Use to Make an Easy Pear Sauce

When making pear sauce, consider using a combination of these pear varieties to balance flavors and textures. It's also a great way to utilize a mix of different pear colors for an appealing appearance in your sauce.

• Bartlett Pears: These are one of the most popular varieties for making pear sauce. They're juicy and have a sweet flavor that translates well into sauce.
• Anjou Pears: Both green and red Anjou pears can be used. They have a smooth texture and a slightly sweet, mild flavor.
• Bosc Pears: Bosc pears have a firmer texture and a more complex flavor. They can add depth to your pear sauce.
• Comice Pears: These pears are incredibly juicy and sweet, making for a luscious and flavorful sauce.
• Seckel Pears: If you're looking for a unique twist, Seckel pears are small and very sweet. They can add a concentrated sweetness to your sauce.

🍐 How to make pear sauce:

1. Dice ripe pears into medium-sized pieces. 
2. Combine the pear pieces, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, if using, in a large pot.
3. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, until the pears are soft when pressed with a fork.
5. Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked pears until smooth. If you don't have one a potato masher is a great substitute.
6. Once the pear sauce has cooled completely, portion it into glass or plastic containers.
7. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The pear sauce will keep in the fridge for one week. You can also freeze or can the pear sauce.

How to make pear sauce without peeling

1. Dice pears into medium-sized pieces. Leave skins seeds and stems in tact. The food mill will remove them.
2. Combine the chopped pears, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, if using, in a large saucepan.
3. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft, about 25-30 minutes or until the pears are mush when pressed with a fork.
5. Ladle the soft pears into the hopper of the food mill. 
6. Turn the crank to pass the pears through the fine mesh.
7. If desired, pass the skins through the mesh strainer for a second time.
8. Once the pear sauce has cooled completely, portion into glass or plastic containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The pear sauce will keep in the fridge for one week. You can also freeze or can the pear sauce.

How to can pear sauce

1. Prepare your hot water bath canner
2. Ladle hot pear sauce into hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace at the top of the jars.
3. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars. Center lid on the jar and adjust band to fingertip-tight.
4. Place jar on the rack elevated over simmering water in a boiling water bath, repeat until all jars are filled.
5. Lower the rack into simmering water. Cover with enough water to cover the jars by 1 inch.
6. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner and bring water to a rolling boil.
7. Process pint or quart jars 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover.
8. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Remove jars from the canner; do not retighten bands if loose.
9. Cool 12 hours. Test seals. Label and store jars.

Ways to enjoy pear sauce

• Plain: Simply enjoy the pear sauce on its own as a flavorful and wholesome snack.
• Pancake or Waffle Topping: Spread a generous dollop of pear sauce over pancakes or waffles for a fruity and delightful twist on your breakfast.
• Yogurt Parfait: Layer pear sauce with yogurt and granola to create a refreshing and nutritious parfait.
• Toast or English Muffin Spread: Spread pear sauce on toasted bread or an English muffin for a tasty and wholesome toast topping.
• Pork or Chicken Glaze: Use pear sauce as a glaze for roasted pork or chicken to add a sweet and tangy flavor to your savory dishes.
• Smoothies: Incorporate pear sauce into your smoothies for a natural sweetness and a boost of fruity goodness.
• Ice Cream Topping: Drizzle pear sauce over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt to create a delectable dessert.
• Baked Goods Filling: Use pear sauce as a filling for pastries, turnovers, or hand pies to infuse them with a burst of fruitiness.

📝 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND TIPS:

Will pear sauce thicken as it cools?

Yes, pear sauce will generally thicken as it cools. Pectin, a natural thickening agent present in pears, becomes more effective as the sauce cools down. This process is similar to how other fruit sauces or jams thicken as they cool. If you find that your pear sauce hasn't thickened to your desired consistency after cooling, you can gently reheat it and continue to simmer until it reaches the thickness you prefer. Remember to stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

👩‍🍳 Chef Tip

Don't be afraid to combine different varieties of pears to make a sauce that is all your own. Asian pears, Bartlett pears, bosc pears and D'Anjou pears are all sweet and would make super delicious sauce in any combination.

🍱 More Recipes To Explore

Pear Sauce Recipe

Sarah Mock

Homemade Pear Sauce is just like applesauce but made with fresh pears! Add additional layers of flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and vanilla to personalize your sauce.

4.78 from 27 votes

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Note From Sarah

There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Prep time for the recipePrep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook time for the recipeCook Time 30 minutes mins

total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 40 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark, toggle to button to the right to turn GREEN

Course Canning Recipes

Cuisine American

Makes 3 cups

Per Serving 134 kcal

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

Ball Preserving Starter Kit

4 ounce ball jars

Canning Jar Lifter

Canning Funnel

Granite Ware Stock Pot

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 pounds (Pears)
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
• ▢ 1 star anise (optional)

Instructions

 

• Dice pears into medium sized pieces. Remove the seeds and stem if not using a food mill. Peel pears, if desired.
  3 pounds
• Combine the diced pears, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, if using, in a large saucepan.
  ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 star anise
• Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft, about 25-30 minutes or until the pears are mush when pressed with a fork.
• Use an immersion blender to process the sauce until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier, more rustic sauce, mash the soften pears with a potato masher.
• Alternatively you can transfer the cooked pear mixture to a food processor or blender to process, just make sure the pear sauce has cooled down.
• Once the pear sauce has cooled completely, portion into glass or plastic containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The pear sauce will keep in the fridge for one week. You can also freeze or can the pear sauce.

Notes

How to can pear sauce:

1. Ladle hot pear sauce into a hot pint jar, leaving ½-inch headspace.
2. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip-tight.
3. Place jar on the rack elevated over simmering water (180°F) in boiling-water bath, repeat until all jars are filled.
4. Lower the rack into simmering water. Water must cover jars by 1 inch.
5. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner and bring water to a rolling boil.
6. Process pint or quart jars 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove cover.
7. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner; do not retighten bands if loose.
8. Cool 12 hours. Test seals. Label and store jars.

 

How to make pear sauce with a food mill:

1. Dice pears into medium sized pieces. Leave skins seeds and stems in tact. The food mill will remove them.
2. Combine the diced pears, water, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise, if using, in a large saucepan.
3. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft, about 25-30 minutes or until the pears are mush when pressed with a fork.
5. Ladle the soft pears into the hopper of the food mill. 
6. Turn the crank to pass the pears through the fine mesh.
7. If desired, pass the skins through the mesh strainer for a second time.
8. Once the pear sauce has cooled completely, portion into glass or plastic containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The pear sauce will keep in the fridge for one week. You can also freeze or can the pear sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 1gSodium: 4mgFiber: 7gSugar: 22g

Nutrition Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock

CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.