8 October, 2013
Crock Pot Recipe: Pear Butter
Pears are another one of those great fall fruits. They are easy to find at a great price this time of year. I bought a 3 pound bag of organic pears the other day. I put pears in my green smoothies, freeze them to make sorbet, and make fruit butter.
I love apple butter and use it a lot in yogurt. I thought that pears would make a great fruit butter, but the only recipes I could find called for the addition of juice and/or sugar. I wanted to make one that was sugar free and let the pears be the star. I used a few dates to help add some additional sweetness but that is completely optional. I love using dates in the place of sugar. Dates are a great whole, real food sweetener that is completely unprocessed. Dates contain almost 1/2 of the amount of calories as sugar and provides 12 times more fiber.
I used the whole pear, skin and all, for this recipe. The skins of pears contain 3-4 times as many antioxidants as the flesh and contains half the fiber for the whole fruit.
Pears are hypo-allergenic and people with food allergies can safely eat pears. In fact pears are one of those foods that is recommended as a first food for babies because they are soft, easy to digest, and not found to cause allergic reactions.
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds of Pears about 12 (organic if possible)
- 6 Large Dates pitted
- Half a Lemon juiced (about 1-2 Tbsp)
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
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Wash the pears.
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Core all the pears and cut into 1 inch cubes.
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Put the pears into the crock pot.
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Add the dates, lemon, water, and cinnamon to the crock pot.
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Turn the crock pot on low and let them cook about 12 hours. (I cook them while at work).
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With a stick blender or potato masher puree the cooked pear mixture until as smooth as you like it.
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Let cook another 3 hours (keep the lid off if you want it really thick).
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Store in a air tight container in the fridge for one week. Freeze some for 3 months.
28 Comments
I have never made a fruit butter. But you just inspired me! I’ll try this soon
Great! Glad I could inspire you!
EASY! I have 3 non-functioning fingers on my work hand and still could do this! But, I used a lil handful of diced dates. Yesterday, I was feeling helpless that I could not make a dessert with the end season of our pears, but this is even much more healthy. Pears are in the crock pot now. Thank you for your no-sugar added recipe.
I am so glad that I could help you. I hope that you enjoy this recipe. It is so Easy and I try to find ways not to use sugar whenever I can.
This is a great blog, would you be involved in doing an interview about how you created it? If so email me! dbdbgeddedebdcee
Thanks for your efforts on this web site. I am an “arm chair” nutritionist that agrees wholeheartedly with the idea of getting America out of the box and back in the kitchen (and organic garden). We need more of this and less “there’s a pill for that philosophy.”
Thanks again,
Shirley Hopkins
Love that you use the peels in the pear butter. I assume this can be preserved by canning in boiling water?
I try to use the whole food whenever possible! Yes you could totally preserve this pear butter. Enjoy!
Hi Sara!
I was wondering if you could send me the nutritional information on this. I’d greatly appreciate it!
I remember, as a kid, making pear butter with my mother. She made jars of it and it was soooo good!! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thanks,
Linda
I make it with Asian pears, peels on, nothing added but a little cinnamon and ground cloves. No sugar or dates or anything. I only wash and quarter them, removing stems and seeds. Then I cook until soft on low overnight in a large stock pot, pour off the clear liquid to cook down separately on the stovetop (to save crockpot space), then blend the rest with an immersion blender and cook down in a crock pot for most of the next day. The peels add a slight grittiness which I don’t mind. Even if the pears are half green and not very sweet to start with, the cooked-down pear butter will be sweet.
I don’t mind the peels either…more fiber right. Fruit is sweet enough usually so it is awesome you don’t need added sweetness!
I have been looking for canning recipes that don’t have sugar added too the mix, I find that fruit is sweet enough. Thank you for the recipe! I just put 4 pounds of pears from my pear tree in my slow cooker! Can’t wait to enjoy this pear butter guilt free. I love to can , but I have had some major life changes! I have gout, diabetes, and a fatty liver! Not good. I have lost 40 lbs so far and will continue watching my diet. Thank you again for the recipe????
You are so welcome! I am happy to help. I am so glad that you are taking control of your health and eating real food is my #1 recommendation.
Do you think dates would work with peach butter?
Absolutely!
Looks great! I am thinking of making a batch or 2 of this to put in small jars to give out at my grandmas 95th birthday party, can you tell me how many ounces your recipe makes? Or how many small jars do I can get enough jars!
Sorry I don’t know how many ounces it makes. Plus it depends on the size of your pears.
My sister is Vegan and she purchases Almond Butter and Pumkin Butter. Do you have any recipes for either of these? Thank You!
I have this she may enjoy…https://theorganicdietitian.com/pumpkin-almond-butter/
Made this today with Asian applepears…..ugly hard green ….wow!!!!…what a tranformation!!! Sooooo goooood…thank you
I made this recipe last year and absolutely loved it. It’s now my go to recipe in the fall for our pear tree. Have you ever made this when the pears are just picked? Or do you usually wait until they are ripe? Does it make a difference in the taste?
The fruit gets sweeter when it is more ripe so it will only impact the sweetness. So happy you love it!
Do have the nutritional value?
Unfortunately I don’t but you could plug the ingredients into something like My Fitness Pal to get that information.
How long does this stay good for if stored in a jar in the fridge?
At least a week…I will sometimes store extra in the freezer for longer.
Can you tell me the nutrition info for this recipe please
Hi Tasha- I don’t have that information but it is very easy to use an app such as MyFitnessPal or others to plug in the ingredients and get the nutrition information.