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 peel 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.

Consider the juiciness of your pears before adding water. There’s this idea that all instant pot recipes require at least a cup of water to cook the food. This is not necessarily the case for this recipe. Because the fresh pears will release their liquid pretty quickly, in testing, I didn’t see a need for extra water or juice. So, unless your pears are excessively dry, you probably won’t need extra.

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. You can also use them up in my Canned Cinnamon Pears.

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.

Looking for a traditional applesauce recipe? Be sure to check out my step-by-step recipe sharing how to can your own applesauce! It’s very easy and a great way to use up fresh apples.

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Pear Sauce

This easy, no-sugar added pear sauce made in the pressure cooker is a great way to use up leftover pears. Plus, there's no peeling necessary!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: leftover pear recipes, pear baby food

Servings: 12 ½ cup servings

Calories: 67kcal

Author: Marisa Moore

Ingredients

• 3 pounds seeded pears, skin on (I used Anjou)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Wash, seed, and slice the pears into large chunks.
• Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot liner. Set the valve to "sealing" and set to manual mode for 5 minutes at high pressure. Allow a natural release. Once the pressure is released, open the top using an oven mitt.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the cooked pears to the desired pureed consistency. Feel free to leave it chunky (by using a potato masher) or make it smooth as shown in the photos. Serve the pear sauce warm or cold – as is with a spoon or use it to top oats!

Notes

Storage: Store in a sealed jar up to one week or freeze extra pear sauce in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. 

Tips for success:

Don’t peel the pears. Seed the pears and remove the stems. The peels will add a richer color and help the pear sauce to thicken naturally – no pectin needed. 

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.

Consider the juiciness of your pears before adding water. There’s this idea that all instant pot recipes require at least a cup of water to cook the food. This is not necessarily the case for this recipe. Because the fresh pears will release their liquid pretty quickly, in testing, I didn’t see a need for extra water or juice. 

Nutrition

Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg