Easy. Simple. Delicious. Ready in just 20 minutes! My stewed pears recipe is lightly sweetened maple syrup and brown sugar, with a touch of cozy ground cinnamon and ginger. Cooked on the stovetop they’re the perfect topping for pancakes, waffles, stirred into creamy oatmeal, vanilla ice cream and more.
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Cozy Season = Easy Cooked Pears
A taste of the season, fresh stewed pears can be whipped up while you’re flipping pancakes or waiting on the waffles to bake. Warm and inviting, like this reader favorite Easy Stewed Apples, stewing pears on the stove softens and prepares them for enjoying with a fork and as a condiment or component for your homemade recipes.
This Recipe Is
- versatile
- customizable
- lightly sweetened
If you enjoy making homemade condiments, you’ll love this tasty seasonal recipe!
Gather Your Ingredients
Most are pantry staples here, but two ingredients stand out for this recipe:
- Corn Starch: we’re adding just a bit at the end of cooking to thicken the syrup, otherwise we’d have to add more sugar. Since the pears are already sweet, corn starch does the job without making the stewed pears too sweet, allowing their sweet, juicy and almost floral flavors shine.
- Spices: you can play with the spices in this recipe, adjusting to taste. Aromatic star anise has a mild sweet licorice taste. It’s optional, but I find it adds a unique fall flavor to this recipe that’s warm and inviting.
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How to Stew Pears
step by step
For this recipe, I use Bosc, and green or red D’Anjou pears because they stand up to heat and hold their shape. Be sure to choose firm, ripe pears. Avoid Bartlett pears for cooking and enjoy them raw. They tend to turn to mush when heated.
Enjoy Stewed Pears With
Spoon warm stewed pears on all the breakfast things! Here are a few ideas:
- Classic Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes
- Banana Pecan Oat Waffles
- Sourdough Oatmeal Pancakes
- Creamy Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Porridge
- Sourdough Vegan Pancakes
- Gluten Free Sourdough Waffles
- Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes
Also, try swirling chilled stewed pears into yogurt or spoon warm onto vanilla ice cream!
Traci’s Tips
- Make Ahead: These stewed pears will keep in the fridge for up to four days, or you can freeze them for up to about three weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight and gently reheat in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of water to loosen the pears.
- How to Choose Pears: Make sure to use firm ripe, pears. If the pears of over ripe, or too soft, this recipe for stewed pears will turn mushy. To test for ripeness, use your finger to apply gentle pressure to the neck of the pear. If it yields to gentle pressure, it’s ripe.
20 Minute Stewed Pears
Easy. Simple. Delicious. Ready in just 20 minutes! My stewed pears recipe is lightly sweetened maple syrup and brown sugar, with a touch of cozy cinnamon and ginger. Cooked on the stovetop they're the perfect topping for pancakes, waffles, stirred into Creamy Oatmeal, vanilla ice cream and more.
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Ingredients
- 5 cups (670 grams) Diced Pears, peeled*, seeded and diced to about 1/4"- 1/2" (.6cm – 1.2cm). You'll need about 4 pears *See note
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice, about half a lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, vanilla paste, or one vanilla bean scraped
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, or more maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 Star Anise, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Corn Starch
- 2 Tablespoons Water
Optional Stir Ins:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 1/2 cups (60 grams) Chopped Toasted Nuts, such as pecan, hazelnuts or walnuts
- 1/2 cups (55 grams) Dried Cranberries, rough chopped
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, add diced pears, lemon juice, vanilla extract, maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, 1 star anise (optional) and salt. Stir.
- Bring the ingredients to a low bubble, stir, lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes, checking at five minutes for texture and stirring occasionally. The pears should be fork tender, and soft but not mushy when they're done (although if they get mushy, they're still delicious! – this is the versatility of this recipe – cook em' how you like em'!). Cook for a few more minutes, lid on, if needed.
- Meanwhile, whisk the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Once the pears are done, remove the lid and pour in the slurry. Stir. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, stirring a few times until glossy. The pears will thicken further as they cool. If you prefer a little looser set, add a splash or two of water and stir. Now is a good time to taste for cinnamon and ginger adjustment. If more spice is preferred, sprinkle in another 1/4 teaspoon of each. More sweet? Add a drizzle more of maple.
- Stir in additions, if using, and/or share the pears warm on banana pecan oat waffles, pancakes, like these sourdough pancakes, in creamy oatmeal or spooned over ice cream.
- To Store: Store the pears in a lidded container in the fridge for up to three days. Freeze for about three weeks for longer storage. Thaw in the fridge and gently rewarm on stove top adding a splash of water, to loosen as needed.
Notes
*Do You Have to Peel Pears Before Stewing? This is up to you. I like the texture of peeled pears, but if you prefer to leave the skin on, you can!
How to Slice/Dice: After you slice a pear in half and remove the seeds, you’ll notice a tough stem that runs the length of the pear. Take a paring knife and cut this area out as it tends to be tough. Dice the pears for topping pancakes or waffles. If you’d like to serve stewed pears sliced, cut the pears in half, lengthwise, then slice each half, lengthwise into four equal pieces.
Which Pears to Choose: For this recipe, I like Bosc, green D’Anjou or red D’Anjou pears because they stand up to heat and hold their shape. Be sure to choose firm, ripe pears. Avoid Bartlett pears for cooking and enjoy them raw. They tend to turn to mush when cooked.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.03g | Fat: 0.01g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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Loved this recipe! Used it for the first time on a ham and sweet potatoes. First I thought I would use it only on the ham ended up using it on everything.
Hi Bob! Thank you for your note and giving the pears a go. SO glad you’re enjoying them on everything!