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–+ servings
Easy pear butter recipe

Slow Cooker Pear Butter

Slow cooker pear butter is so easy to make. Loaded with warm fall spices, it's the perfect fall treat. Enjoy it as a spread, dessert, or in your baking. Easy to can or freeze to enjoy all year.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 30 minutes
Serving Size 6 pints

Ingredients

  • 1/2 bushel of pears or 7 quarts of pear sauce
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 to 6 cups sugar to taste

Instructions

  • If you're starting with fresh pears, you need to peel and core the pears before cooking. If you are using a food mill, then you can skip that step. Wash the pears and cut them into quarters.
  • Cover pears with water and boil gently until tender.
  • Process the pears through a food mill to remove the seeds, skins, and stems. If you are not using a food mill and have already peeled your pears before starting to blend them with a stick blender or hand mixer.
  • Pour your pear sauce into your slow cooker. Then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. If your pears are very sweet, you will need less sugar. I use 1 cup, but adjust to taste up to 6 cups.
  • Cover your slow cooker leaving the lid ajar to let the steam out. Cook on low or medium for 8 to 12 hours or until reduced to your liking.
  • If freezing, allow the pear butter to cool and ladle it into containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace for expansion in the freezer.
  • If canning, ladle your hot pear butter into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headroom.
  • Run a spatula around the inside edge of the jar to release air bubbles.
  • Wipe the jar rims clean and place lids on finger tight.
  • Process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes or according to your altitude.
  • Remove jars from the canner and place them on a towel. Allow to sit undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals. Any jars that have not sealed can be reprocessed in the canner or placed in the fridge. Remove the lids from the sealed jars and wipe them clean, label and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.