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Homemade Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter – Easy & Perfect

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This incredibly easy slow cooker spiced pear butter requires no constant stirring or watchful eye. Just toss pears, sugar, and spices in the slow cooker and let it work its magic while you go about your day, resulting in a silky, perfectly spiced spread that tastes like autumn in a jar.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 pounds ripe pears (about 10–12 medium pears, Bartlett or Bosc work beautifully)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup if pears are very sweet)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon recommended)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is amazing)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional but highly recommended)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pears (15 minutes): Wash the pears thoroughly. Peel them with your vegetable peeler. Cut each pear in half, remove the core and seeds, then chop into roughly 1-inch chunks.
  2. Combine everything in the slow cooker (5 minutes): Add the chopped pears to your slow cooker. Sprinkle the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt over the top. Pour in the lemon juice and give everything a good stir.
  3. Cook on low (6-8 hours): Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Try to leave the lid on for the first 4 hours. After about 4 hours, give it a stir. The pears should be very soft and starting to fall apart.
  4. Blend until smooth (5 minutes): Once the pears are completely tender, blend using an immersion blender right in the slow cooker until smooth. If using a regular blender, let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer it in batches and blend until silky, then return to the slow cooker.
  5. Continue cooking uncovered (1-2 hours): Turn the slow cooker to low and remove the lid. Let the pear butter cook uncovered, stirring every 30 minutes, until it thickens to your desired consistency. The butter should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clean trail when you run your finger through it.
  6. Test for doneness (1 minute): Spoon a small amount onto a chilled plate and let it sit for 30 seconds. If no liquid separates around the edges, it’s ready. If it’s still runny, keep cooking and check again in 30 minutes.
  7. Stir in vanilla (1 minute): Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  8. Cool and jar (15 minutes): Let the pear butter cool in the slow cooker for about 15 minutes. Ladle into clean glass jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace. Let the jars cool completely to room temperature before sealing and refrigerating.

Notes

The pear butter will thicken more as it cools, so stop cooking when it’s slightly looser than your ideal consistency. Don’t skip the lemon juice as it helps preserve the golden color and balances sweetness. If your slow cooker runs hot, check after 3 hours and stir. For a lower-sugar option, reduce total sugar to 1 cup and add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. For a completely sugar-free version, use monk fruit sweetener but expect slightly different texture.

Nutrition

Keywords: pear butter, slow cooker pear butter, spiced pear butter, homemade pear butter, easy pear butter, fall recipe, fruit butter, canning recipe

Find it online: https://elaraeats.com/homemade-slow-cooker-spiced-pear-butter-easy-and-perfect/