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Sweet and delicious, these homemade stewed pears will be a family favorite. Serve them on top of ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese and more! Or, eat alone as a mouth watering and satisfying snack.

Homemade Stewed Pears Recipe

These stewed pears are also a great option for using up pears that aren’t ripening well. You can learn more ways to use unripe pears here.

I have a large number of very small pears from my trees, due to improper pruning over the years. So I will be sharing a recipe for those in similar situations, as well as a substitution for larger pears.

Stewed pears cook down significantly, so make a big batch and enjoy with friends and family. Or, you can divide this recipe in half for a smaller portion.

Stewed Pears Ingredients

Serves 8.

• 24-32 small pears or 8 large pears
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp honey

How to Make Stewed Pears

First, wash and peel your pears. Then, slice the pear flesh off the core on all four sides.

Alternatively, you can leave the skin on as that is where the majority of the nutrients lie.

Leaving the skin on can sometimes result in a bitter aftertaste. If you find that’s a problem, add in a few more tablespoons of brown sugar.

Next, combine all ingredients, except the sliced pears, in a pot. Bring the water mixture to a boil and then simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the pears and simmer underripe pears for 25-30 minutes, or until pears are soft when tested with a fork. (Note: If your pears are already ripe, you can shorten the cook time to 10-15 minutes.)

If you are cooking with unripe pears, you may have excess water once your pears have softened. If that’s the case, simply drain the excess. Otherwise, you should be left with a delicious pear syrup!

Let the stewed pears cool. You can serve them warm or cold.

Which Pears are Best for Stewing?

My favorite pear for stewing is Bosc as they are especially sweet.

Bartlett and Anjou pears are also great options.

Ripe pears will cook down much quicker than unripe pears. However, both result in delicious stewed pears that are perfect toppings for many foods.

What To Serve Them With

Personally, I prefer a warm bowl of stewed pears as a stand alone snack.

Sometimes, I’ll add chopped pecans, chocolate chips and a drizzle of caramel to make them their own sweet snack.

Here are some other foods that are delicious topped with stewed pears:

• Oatmeal
• Granola
• Grits
• Pancakes or waffles
• Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Chicken or Pork
• Ice Cream
• Cheesecake

More Pear Recipes

I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe! If you are looking for more ways to use pears, head to these recipes next.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today.

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~ Sarah