Easy Stewed Pears
This stewed pears recipe is so easy. It’s simply chopped pears that are simmered with spices in a lightly sweetened syrup.
Stewed pears are a delicious way to enjoy fresh pears over the cooler months. These are similar to poached pears, but they’re cooked in less liquid than poached pears.
These cooked pears are a great recipe to enjoy for breakfast, as a snack or as an easy dessert.
The pears
The best pears to use in this stewed pears recipe are those that can hold their shape when stewed without going mushy. They should be ripe pears. Not overly ripe and super soft, but not under-ripe and too crisp either.
Pears ripen off the tree, at room temperature so it can sometimes be a bit of a race to use them before they are too ripe. Bosc pears, Anjou pears and Bartlett pears are all good varieties to use. Ripe pears will stew a lot faster than under-ripe pears.
Looking for another pear recipe? Here’s a delicious pear and walnut salad.
Ingredients
Find the actual ingredient amounts for this simple recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Pears. You want a perfectly ripe pear if you can. Try to get them when they’re not under or over-ripe. Overripe pears can still be used, they’ll just cook faster and there’s the risk they’ll lose their structure. Underripe pears won’t be as flavorful and will take longer to cook.
- Warm spices. The pears are stewed in a spiced liquid with a cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon), star anise, cardamom pods and vanilla bean. If you’re after really simple ingredients, you can just use cinnamon.
- Water.
- Lemon juice.
- Vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract.
- Sugar or sweetener of choice. Just a little to enhance the sweetness of the pears, since they already have plenty of natural sugars. You could choose granulated or brown sugar, or for a refined sugar-free version use maple syrup or honey.
Method
In a medium saucepan, combine water, spices, lemon juice and sugar. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
In a medium saucepan, combine water, spices, lemon juice and sugar.
Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
While the water is heating, peel and quarter the pears, removing their cores. Cut them into 1-inch pieces.
Once the water is simmering, add the pears to the pot.
There won’t be quite enough water to cover the pears but that’s okay. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and place a lid on the pot.
Let the pears stew in the syrup mixture until they are soft, but not falling apart, stirring occasionally to coat the pears in the liquid. Insert a knife into one piece, it should slip in easily.
The cooking time can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the pears and how they were cut.
If you are using unripe pears, you may need to add a little extra liquid as it takes a lot longer to cook.
Once finished cooking, let the pears cool down in the poaching liquid.
When they are cool, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into a container.
Pour any remaining syrup through a sieve to remove the spices, then pour this over the pears.
You can also use this delicious syrup in drinks!
Serving
Serve the pears as a simple dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It can also be a great breakfast, over oatmeal or with yogurt.
Variations
The stewing liquid is a great way to bring in extra flavor, and you can tweak it to what you like. Here are some other flavors to try:
- Orange and lemon zest. There is lemon juice in the sugar syrup, but adding thinly sliced peel to the liquid will bring extra flavor. You could also add orange juice.
- Fresh ginger. Sliced fresh ginger is a great flavor addition.
- Rose water.
- Red wine or white wine
- Whole cloves and nutmeg
Storing
Once the pears are cooled to room temperature, they can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pears can also be frozen for up to three months.
Related recipes
Stewed Pears Recipe
These easy stewed pears are simmered with a cinnamon stick, cardamon, star anise, cardamom and vanilla.
Ingredients
- 5 medium pears, ripe
- 240g (1 cup) water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cardamom pods (optional)
- 1 star anise (optional)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine water, spices, lemon juice and sugar. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- While the water is heating, peel and quarter the pears, removing their cores. Cut them into 1-inch pieces.
- Once the water is simmering, add the pears to the pot. There won't be quite enough water to cover the pears but that's okay. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and place a lid on the pot.
- Let the pears stew in the syrup mixture until they are soft, but not falling apart, stirring occasionally to coat the pears in the liquid. Insert a knife into one piece, it should slip in easily.
- The cooking time can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the pears and how they were cut. If you are using unripe pears, you may need to add a little extra liquid as it takes a lot longer to cook.
- Once finished cooking, let the pears cool down in the poaching liquid.
- When they are cool, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into a container. Pour any remaining syrup through a sieve to remove the spices, then pour this over the pears. You can also use this delicious syrup in drinks!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 29mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 6gSugar: 22gProtein: 1g
