The stewed pears are simmered in a delightful spicy syrup with cinnamon and star anise. This simple dessert is ready in no time and perfect for serving with ice cream, waffles, pancakes, or on its own.
Stewed pears, roasted pears, and baked pears with yogurt, no matter how you cook them, pears make the most wonderful autumn or winter dessert. Iโve cooked todayโs simple recipe so many times that Iโve lost count.
And if you like stewed fruit, Iโve got you covered. Please try the Stewed Plums or the Crepes with Rhubarb Filling; you will love them! Or make a simple and delicious Nectarine Compote in summer.
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Recipe ingredients
Pears: Use any kind of pears you like, but make sure they are not too ripe. Slightly firm ones are best.
Sweeteners: White or brown sugar, xylitol, agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey. Taste and add as much as you like, depending on how sweet the pears are.
Flavoring: A bit of lemon juice makes the dessert taste fresher, so donโt skip it. For extra flavor, add a cinnamon stick and a star anise. You can also use other spices like a slice of ginger, a few cloves, or some cardamom.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to stew pears?
Make the syrup: Place water, lemon juice, spices, and sweetener in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat, then simmer on low heat for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is slightly glossy.
Step #1: In the meantime, prepare the fruit. Cut it into large cubes. You can peel it first if you like, but I never do.
Step #2: Add pears to the syrup mixture, cover, and simmer gently for about 7 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the ripeness and type of pear. The fruit should be on the soft side but not mushy; I like it when it still has a slight bite.
Tips
Regarding the ripeness of the fruit, firm pears will need a longer cooking time than soft ones. This is probably the best advice I can give you when stewing pears.
Stew the pears in white wine, red wine, or mulled wine instead of water.
Storage
You can make a big batch if you have a glut of pears. Keep leftovers refrigerated in a jar or another airtight container for 3-4 days.
Serving suggestions
You can serve them on their own, warm or at room temperature.
Serving ideas:
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- On top of German waffles, crepes, or pancakes.
- With Greek yogurt or strained yogurt.
- Make a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, homemade muesli, or buckwheat porridge topped with the fruit stew.
Easy Stewed Pears Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb pears Note 1
- ยพ cup water
- 3 tablespoons sweetener more to taste, Note 2
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Syrup: Place water, lemon juice, spices, and sweetener in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.ยพ cup water + 3 tablespoons sweetener + 2 tablespoons lemon juice + 1 star anise + 1 cinnamon stick
- Pears: In the meantime, cut pears into large cubes. You can peel them first if you like, but I never do.1 lb pears
- Simmer: Add pears to the syrup, cover, and simmer gently for about 7 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking for 5 to 8 minutes depending on the ripeness and type of pear. The fruit should be on the soft side but not mushy.
Notes
- Pears: From underripe to ripe, but not too ripe. The cooking time depends on the ripeness of the fruit.
- Sweetener: I use xylitol. Sub with granulated sugar (the same amount) or any other sweetener you like to taste.
Mike says
Oops! Found the ingredients quantities and the temperatures for the recipes I was looking at. I was too busy drooling over the photos of the food to keep scrolling to the end. ๐
Mike says
Hi, I have just found your Web site. Nice recipes and the finished food looks great but there are no quantities given for ingredients or temperatures given for cooking???
Robin says
Could I water bath can this?
Looking to store up for these very uncertain times.
Can you take a jar or two, thicken it and make a pear pie or gallery?
Thank you for all your help. Blessings
Adina says
Hi Robin. I've never canned these pears; maybe it's better to follow a recipe that's strictly developed for canning, just to make sure that everything goes right. This one seems good to me.