Instant Pot Pear Sauce

This easy, no-sugar added pear sauce is a great way to use up leftover pears. Plus, there’s no peeling necessary!

If you like applesauce, then you’ll love this easy pressure cooker pear sauce.

Ingredients

• Fresh pears
• Fresh orange or lemon juice
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon (optional)

Top tips

The pressure cooker helps make this recipe come together quickly. But there are a few things you need to do to make sure it works.

Don’t peel the pears. Seed the pears and remove the stems. The pears will add a richer color and help the pear sauce to thicken naturally – no pectin needed. Plus the peel offers a great perk – fiber!

Cut pears into equally-sized chunks. This is important for even cooking.

Taste the pear sauce before adding sugar. If you add honey or maple syrup, do so after the sauce is cooked. If your pears are ripe and sweet, you can skip the added sugars.

Once all of the ingredients are loaded in the Instant Pot, close the lid and cook just 5 minutes before doing a natural release.

After a natural release, the pears will still have a chunky shape. At this point, you can use a potato masher to crush the pears into a thick paste or use an immersion blender (stick blender) for a silky smooth puree.

I used the immersion blender. And stored the finished pear sauce in glass jars.

Can I use the slow cooker?

Yes. Simply swap pears for apples in my Chunky Slow Cooker Applesauce recipe. Put the pears and cinnamon in a slow cooker. Cook on high 3-4 hours. Go the shorter time for firmer sauce, longer for a softer texture.

Make this recipe your own

Add cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, or any other warm spices to the sauce. I added a touch of honey to mine because the pears were not super sweet. Only add the honey after the sauce is cooked – once you have a chance to taste the final cooked recipe.

Best pears for sauce

Most pears will work for this recipe. To cut down on added sugar (honey, white sugar, etc.), use the sweetest pears you can find.

Try ripe and fragrant Anjou, Concorde, or Bartlett Pears. Comice pears would be really delicious but I generally eat these raw because they are so juicy and delicious fresh.

I might avoid Bosc pears for this recipe because they tend to be a bit more grainy and less sweet.

REMEMBER: Pears are in season during the cooler months in the US.

Ways to enjoy pear sauce

• Grab a spoon. Eat it straight as a snack or as a fruity side dish.
• Swirl pear sauce into oatmeal and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
• Swap pear sauce for syrup on your waffles or French toast.
• Top cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with pear sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Top chicken or pork with pear sauce for a sweet and savory entree.
• Add flavor and moisture to muffins.