Knowing how to stew pears is an easy recipe to learn and is such an easy dessert or snack! Full of natural sweetness from the pears and warm spices from ground cinnamon, this healthy stewed pears recipe is going to be a family favorite.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe for Stewed Pears
These easy stewed pears are not only delicious on their own, but as part of so many other recipes! I love swirling them into vanilla Greek yogurt, as a topping on cinnamon spice oatmeal, or with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt on top. It's a healthy way to sweeten other recipes without getting a lot of added sugar.
Equipment
- Cutting board - you want a sturdy place to cube the pears.
- Chef's knife - a sharp knife will help to easily cut the pears into bite-sized pieces!
- Medium saucepan - a saucepan that holds at least 5-6 cups will be perfect! The mixture will shrink as it cooks down.
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula - to stir and then serve the warm pears!
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh pears - it's totally personal preference on which type of pear you use in this recipe. The only thing to be considerate of is you want perfectly ripe pears. This maximizes the natural sweetness of the pears while keeping some sort of texture to the fruit. All pears are a great source of prebiotics, which are the food the healthy bacteria in our gut eat. Plus they're a good source of fiber!
- 100% apple juice - liquid is needed to create the delicious syrup that the stewed pears cook in. Apple juice compliments the flavors of the pears so well but you can use water instead! When it comes to any sort of juice, I recommend using 100% fruit juice to cut back on unnecessary added sugars.
- Lemon juice - fresh lemon juice isn't 100% necessary to make delicious stewed pears but helps to balance out the sweetness in the recipe. I always try to use fresh citrus juice over store-bought!
- Honey - any sweetener can be used but I like to use honey because it compliments the flavor of the pears well.
- Ground cinnamon - a classic spice to add when stewing fruit! Plus ground cinnamon has antioxidants to fight inflammation.
- Pure vanilla extract - a hint of vanilla adds a beautiful flavor to this recipe. You can use whole vanilla beans as well! I would just slice them in half before adding them to the pan.
How to Make Stewed Pears
1: Cut pears into 1" cubes and place in a medium saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Bring the liquid to a low boil over medium-high heat.
2: Reduce to low-medium heat (the liquid should be simmering) and cook about 10 minutes. Once the sliced pears are soft (but not mushy), remove from heat. Let the fruit compote cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.
*Taste and adjust the warm spices and sweetness level as needed!
Variations & Substitutions
- You can use many types of fruit instead of pears in this healthy recipe to make:
- Stewed apples
- Stewed plums
- Stewed rhubarb
- Stewed cherries
- Add a splash of wine to this recipe to resemble classic poached bears. Red wine or white wine would be delicious!
- Any sweetener will work in this recipe to sweeten the pears: honey (like in the original recipe), pure maple syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, or even a plain or cinnamon simple syrup!
- Cooking a Tablespoon or two of bourbon or whiskey into the stewed pears is a delicious way to add a depth of flavor!
- If you really want this recipe to have a strong fall flavor, you can use apple cider in lieu of apple juice!
- Other warm spices that would add amazing flavor to these pears would be (I'd start with just a pinch and slowly increase if needed):
- Grated fresh ginger or dried ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Ground cardamom
- A whole cinnamon stick or two
- Star anise
- Whole vanilla bean (sliced open before adding to the saucepan)
- Adding some dried fruit adds a different flavor profile and texture to this easy recipe. I recommend trying raisins, dried cranberries, golden raisins, dried apples, or chopped dried apricots!
- Stirring in chopped walnuts or pecans adds a nice crunch to these pears, as well as heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Pro Tips
- Try to find the perfectly ripe pear to use in this recipe! See "How to Ripen Pears at Home" below to learn how to speed up the ripening process if you need!
- On the other hand, overripe pears may not work well either. They may be too soft and become mushy after cooking for just a few minutes.
- Any kind of pears will work in this simple recipe, specifically anjou pears, bosc pears, and bartlett pears, which should be fairly easy to find in the produce section at the grocery store!
- Leave the skin on! It adds to the texture of the stewed pears as well as the fiber content. Peeled pears can become mushy a lot faster.
- If the cooking liquid thickens too quickly, add a splash of water, lemon juice, or apple juice to thin it out.
- I love making a big batch of this healthy dessert because it's a great recipe to make in bulk and have on hand for when I want something sweet!
How to Ripen Pears at Home
If you have unripe pears, I recommend putting them in a brown paper bag and sealing it with a clothespin or chip clip and letting it sit at room temperature for 2-3 days until they've ripened. Underripe pears just won't be as sweet and soft as ripe ones!
Storing & Serving
- STORING: Store any leftover cooked pears in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze any leftovers for up to 2 months as well!
- SERVING:This pear recipe is great as-is and served plain but fun ways to serve them:
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Swirled into cinnamon spice oatmeal
- Make an easy pear crumble by topping with crushed cinnamon granola with pecans
- On top of vanilla Greek yogurt with crushed walnuts and puffed quinoa
- On a charcuterie board (these stewed pears pair so well with basically any cheese!)
- On top of a wheel of brie cheese
- Scooped onto homemade pancakes or waffles
Recipe FAQ
Pears can be cooked any way you'd like: in the oven, air fryer, microwave, and on the stove! I love cooking them on the stove with some apple juice, honey or maple syrup, a splash of lemon juice, and ground cinnamon because they soften to the perfect consistency and have a hint of sweetness.
It totally depends on what they're stewed with! This stewed pears recipe is healthier because there's no added cooking fat (like butter or oil) and minimal sugar used.
Absolutely! Stewed pears freeze really well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
I recommend stewing the pears for just 10 minutes or so. You want them to soften but not become totally mushy and lose all texture.
Yes! It's the same exact concept. This is a recipe on how to make stewed pears but you could use apples or even pears instead.
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PrintHow to Stew Pears Recipe
Knowing how to stew pears is an easy recipe to learn and is such an easy dessert or snack! Full of natural sweetness from the pears and warm spices from ground cinnamon, this healthy stewed pears recipe is going to be a family favorite.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Stewing
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 ripe medium pears (992g; 2-2.5 pounds)
- ⅓ cup (70g) 100% apple juice (or water)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon honey (or pure maple syrup or brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cut fresh pears into 1" cubes on cutting board.
- Combine pears and remaining ingredients into medium saucepan.
- Bring mixture to a low boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer over low-medium heat.
- Cook ~10 minutes, or until pears have softened but retain shape and texture.
- Remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- STORING: Store any leftover cooked pears in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze any leftovers for up to 2 months as well!
- SERVING:This pear recipe is great as-is and served plain but fun ways to serve them:
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Swirled into cinnamon spice oatmeal
- Make an easy pear crumble by topping with crushed cinnamon granola with pecans
- On top of vanilla Greek yogurt with crushed walnuts and puffed quinoa
- On a charcuterie board (these stewed pears pair so well with basically any cheese!)
- On top of a wheel of brie cheese
- Scooped onto homemade pancakes or waffles
- Try to find the perfectly ripe pear to use in this recipe! See "How to Ripen Pears at Home" below to learn how to speed up the ripening process if you need!
- On the other hand, overripe pears may not work well either. They may be too soft and become mushy after cooking for just a few minutes.
- Any kind of pears will work in this simple recipe, specifically anjou pears, bosc pears, and bartlett pears, which should be fairly easy to find in the produce section at the grocery store!
- Leave the skin on! It adds to the texture of the stewed pears as well as the fiber content. Peeled pears can become mushy a lot faster.
- If the cooking liquid thickens too quickly, add a splash of water, lemon juice, or apple juice to thin it out.
- I love making a big batch of this healthy dessert because it's a great recipe to make in bulk and have on hand for when I want something sweet!
- You can use many types of fruit instead of pears in this healthy recipe to make:
- Stewed apples
- Stewed plums
- Stewed rhubarb
- Stewed cherries
- Add a splash of wine to this recipe to resemble classic poached bears. Red wine or white wine would be delicious!
- Any sweetener will work in this recipe to sweeten the pears: honey (like in the original recipe), pure maple syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, or even a plain or cinnamon simple syrup!
- Cooking a Tablespoon or two of bourbon or whiskey into the stewed pears is a delicious way to add a depth of flavor!
- If you really want this recipe to have a strong fall flavor, you can use apple cider in lieu of apple juice!
- Other warm spices that would add amazing flavor to these pears would be (I'd start with just a pinch and slowly increase if needed):
- Grated fresh ginger or dried ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Ground cardamom
- A whole cinnamon stick or two
- Star anise
- Whole vanilla bean (sliced open before adding to the saucepan)
- Adding some dried fruit adds a different flavor profile and texture to this easy recipe. I recommend trying raisins, dried cranberries, golden raisins, dried apples, or chopped dried apricots!
- Stirring in chopped walnuts or pecans adds a nice crunch to these pears, as well as heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 91
- Sugar: 9
- Sodium: 1
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Recipe for stewed pears, healthy stewed pears, stewed apples and pears, easy stewed pears, how to stew apples and pears, how to make stewed pears
Charlotte says
One of the best fall recipes. I'm so ready for fall and this pear crisp was fantastic.
Lauren says
Fall is one of my favorite seasons and this pear crisp tastes like fall to me haha. So glad you enjoyed it!