This super easy Spiced Pear Compote made with Cinnamon, Ginger and no processed sugar is a delicious and healthy Winter sauce to enjoy over pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, cakes and desserts - or simply on its own!
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Why we love this recipe
Compotes are always super easy to make, and oh so delicious! This pear sauce only requires a few ingredients and will be ready in less than 30 minutes.
This pear compote recipe is the perfect idea if you are wondering what to do with lots of pears. It is such a versatile recipe too that can be used in many different ways, from breakfast topping to cake or pastry filling like for these Puff Pastry Pear Tartlets - or simply on its own.
It can be blended smooth or kept chunky and be served warm or cold.
The Cinnamon, Ginger and touch of Lemon Juice really complement the flavours of the ripe pears. And bonus point, this recipe is made with no sugar. The compote is simply sweetened with Maple Syrup instead!
More Compote Recipes:
Ingredients
This recipe is made with 6 simple ingredients, and can be easily customised with many other spices, fruits or flavourings.
- Pears: go for juicy, ripe pears for the best results. Firm pears will take much longer to turn soft and won't be as naturally sweet as ripe pears.
- Maple Syrup: my favourite natural sweetener to go with pears; their flavours really complement each other! It can be replaced with any liquid sweetener like Honey or Agave Syrup. Alternatively, you could use Brown Sugar too.
- Lemon Juice: a simple way to balance the sweet flavour of pears. It will also help to thicken, set and preserve the pear compote.
- Spices: I used a mix of Ground Cinnamon and Ground Ginger. But you could really use any of your preferred spices like Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice, Cloves, Star Anise...
- Water: depending on the ripeness of the fruits you use, you might need a bit more or less water to cook the pears. Don't worry if you use too much water though, just keep on cooking the fruits until it has evaporated.
Optional Addition
- Citrus: you could also use a little bit of Orange Juice (to substitute with water) for more citrus flavours!
- Vanilla: another great ingredient to boost the flavours of this compote!
How to make Pear Compote
The process is seriously easy. You only need one saucepan and an immersion blender (but see FAQs section below to make this compote without a blender!).
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The first part of the recipe is very similar to my Stewed Pears or Red Wine Poached Pears. The difference is that we are cutting the pears into small chunks and cooking them until very very soft here.
- Photo 1: peel, core and cut the pears into small cubes.
- Photo 2: place the cubed Pears in a small saucepan, along with all the other ingredients. Stir to combine then turn on medium low heat.
- Photo 3: Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pear chunks are very soft. You should be able to easily mash them with a fork. The exact cooking time will depend on the heat of your stove and how ripe the fruits are.
- Photo 4: remove from the heat, then use an Immersion Blender to blend the compote until smooth (or when you reach the desired consistency if you want to keep it more chunky). See FAQs section below if you don't have an immersion blender.
- Leave to cool down at room temperature, then transfer into a large clean jar and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- You may need more or less Water, depending on the ripeness of the pears. Start with the recommended water quantity (see below) and add a little bit more if needed. If too watery, continue to cook for a little bit longer until the water has evaporated. You can also put it back on the stove if you find the consistency to be too watery/liquid after you blend the fruits.
- The Cooking Time may vary based on the temperature of your stove and how ripe or firm the pears are. You want to keep cooking them until the fruit chunks are very soft. To check if the pears are ready, simply press on them with a fork; they should easily turn into mash.
- Smooth or Chunky Compote: I blended my pear compote to be very smooth, but you could absolutely keep it chunky instead if preferred! To do so, either only blend the pears roughly, or mash them by hands with a fork or a masher. Alternatively, you can also continue to cook the pears until they start to fall apart if you don't want to use a masher or blender.
How to serve this compote
This pear compote can be served cold or warm, smooth or chunky - it is completely up to you!
It will be delicious over Banana Pancakes, Apple Baked Oatmeal and Pear Ice Cream, or as a sauce over this Pear Almond Cake or Apple Pear Crumble.
Recipe FAQs
They both use similar ingredients, but a jam usually has a much higher sugar content than a compote. Jams are often reduced for longer until very thick, while compote stay somewhat liquid.
You want to use a variety of pears that is naturally sweet and that will fall apart easily when cooked. I recommend using Bartlett (the ones I used), Williams or Taylors.
Always try to use ripe pears to make compotes, jellies and sauces.
If you want the compote to be very smooth like mine, you can use a regular blender or food processor instead (just make sure not to over-blend it or it will turn quite watery).
If you are after a more chunky compote, simply mash the pears with a fork or a masher until you reach the desired consistency. Alternatively, continue to cook the pears for a little bit longer until they start to fall apart on their own.
Yes, this would make a delicious and healthy fruit compote for toddlers and kids, made without processed sugar! You might simply want to remove the spices if your children are not used to those.
Storing & Freezing
This compote will keep for about a week when properly stored in the fridge. Store it in a clean jar or large sealed container.
Pear compote will freeze quite well too, but you might need to re-cook it for a few minutes after thawed to remove any excess water. It can be frozen in a freezing bag, freezer-friendly container or even in smaller individual portions!
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Recipe
Pear Compote
Ingredients
- 6 Pears - ripe
- 250 ml (1 cup) Water - more if required
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Lemon, Juiced - (about 1 tablesp. juice)
- 1 teasp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teasp. Ground Ginger
Disclaimer
I highly recommend using the measurements in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
- Peel, core and cut the pears into small cubes.
- Place the pear chunks in a small saucepan with the water, maple syrup, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and ginger. Stir to combine then turn on medium low heat.
- Cook for 15 to 20 minutes (see note 1), occasionally stirring, or until the pear chunks are very soft.
- Remove from the heat then blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Alternatively, roughly mash the pear chunks with a fork or masher for a chunky compote (see note 2).
- Serve warm, or leave to cool down at room temperature before transferring into a jar or sealed container. Keep in the fridge until ready to use or for up to a week.
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Notes
- Pears: make sure they are very ripe. Use a pear variety that will easily turn into mush when cooked like Bartlett or Williams.
- Spices: add any other of your preferred spices to suit your taste, like Cloves, Cardamom, Star Anise, Allspice, Nutmeg etc...
- Water: you might need more water, depending on how ripe or firm the pears are. If there is too much water, simply cook the pears for longer until most of the water has evaporated.
- The cooking time will depend on the heat of your stove and how ripe the pears are. Continue to cook until the pears are very soft; you should be able to easily mash them with a fork. If needed, add a little bit more water.
- The compote can be served smooth or chunky, it is completely up to you! If using a blender, you can play around with how smooth or chunky you want the compote to be. Alternatively, you can also continue to cook the pears until they start to fall apart if you don't want to use a masher or blender.
