Nothing says fall better than the aroma of cinnamon coming from the kitchen. This pear butter recipe literally filled my house with the most delicious smells of fall. I get almost gitty just thinking about it.
I have a friend who is the perfect example of the quote above my Mother Teresa. She loves endlessly and tirelessly. This same friend has this pear tree that just keeps dropping the most beautiful green pears. Her kitchen counters are covered with bowls of ripe pears and others waiting to ripen. Her and her girls now have a daily routine of collecting the pears that have pears from the tree. She asked me what should I do with all of these pears. Being the nerd that I am, my mind flooded with ideas! I came over and we went to work in her kitchen. First we made pear baby food for her sweet baby girl, then we made pear caramel pies, and finally I took a big bowl of pears home and I made this pear butter.
I gave one of the jars of Pear Butter to a friend and she asked, “So what should I put this on?” I replied, “Well anything really!” The easy answer is- put it on toast, but you could also put it on yogurt, oatmeal, waffles, or even over chicken or pork. Limitless possibilities really. My favorite combo so far has been pear butter over gingerbread waffles (I’ll be sharing that one soon, I promise!).
I’ll be enjoying pear butter through the winter now and thinking of my grandma who used to always keep a jar of apple butter in her fridge to smear on toast.
Pear Butter Recipe
A simple recipe for homemade pear butter.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs pears
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- zest of 1/2 orange
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and quarter the pears.
- Combine pears and water in large dutch oven or heavy bottom pan.
- Cover and cook over medium low heat for 40 minutes or until pears are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Drain any excess liquid.
- Press pears through a sieve, food mill, or use a potato masher to mash the pears.
- Add remaining ingredients and cook the pureed pears over medium heat for 15 minutes (or longer if you want it to cook down the pears for a more concentrated flavor).
- Pour hot mixture into sterilized jars, filling 1/4 inch from the top.
- Process jars according to manufacturer’s instructions. You may also just store in the freezer if you’re not doing the canning process or just eat within 2 weeks.

Pear Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lbs pears
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- zest of 1/2 orange
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and quarter the pears.
- Combine pears and water in large dutch oven or heavy bottom pan.
- Cover and cook over medium low heat for 40 minutes or until pears are soft, stirring occasionally.
- Drain any excess liquid.
- Press pears through a sieve, food mill, or use a potato masher to mash the pears.
- Add remaining ingredients and cook the pureed pears over medium heat for 15 minutes (or longer if you want it to cook down the pears for a more concentrated flavor).
- Pour hot mixture into sterilized jars, filling 1/4 inch from the top.
- Process jars according to manufacturer’s instructions. You may also just store in the freezer if you’re not doing the canning process or just eat within 2 weeks.
This photo just made me laugh because Henry somehow made it in… (now you also know that I often take my food pictures on the floor.)
I’m not the biggest fan of pears on their own (I think it’s a texture thing) but I love them in anything else. I have always wanted to try pear butter, and this looks so perfect!!
Pears are one of my most favorite fruits! I love when they come in season. I can’t wait to try this recipe. So did you freeze or can yours? I’m excited about the orange accents.
Sometimes I’m a floor picture taker too. You do what ya gotta do! 😉
I froze this batch since I was only making a few jars. Plus I’ve been canning like crazy lately so I needed something a bit more simple 🙂
Your pear butter has charmed me! I have been coveting the fresh crop of pears at the market and having great fun choosing which varieties to bring home. A lovely ode to the new season, autumn!
oh what?! I’ve never had pear butter. We should try making peach sauce together. I’ve heard it’s amazing!
Wow—I must find some pears. My mom just scored 10 dozen jars for me (at $2 a dozen) so I have plenty of jars now for more preserves. I can just smell this simmering away!
always i used to read smaller posts which as well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of writing which I am reading here.
A very important part of a canning recipe is HOW MANY/WHAT SIZE jars does the recipe make!
The recipes yields 2 pints. Thanks for catching that.
I would love to try your recipe for pear caramel pie. It sound amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
I am not sure what “an” means in front of the orange zest and orange juice. Would you please explain. Thanks.
Bonnie, sorry if that was unclear. I just meant ‘one orange’ but I went ahead and changed the wording so it would be more clear! Thanks for the comment!!
I make jam and you just turn the jars upside down for a minute then flip them over and wait for them to seal, when canning you have to do a water bath. Which would be best for this recipe?
I would do a water bath for these! Thanks Jess!
What is the shelf life for pear butter.I wanted to use vanilla bean.do I need something acidic for it to last longer canned?
I froze mine and it lasted a good 6 months or so. Add lemon juice to make it last longer. The less sugar in something canned the less time it will last. Hope that helps!