Spiced Pear Compote

This is an easy and delicious pear compote made from stewed pears that are lightly sweetened and spiced with cloves, cardamom, ginger and vanilla. With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, you’ll love this simple recipe that you can serve as a side dish, or spooned on top of ice cream or oatmeal.

You might also like this homemade cranberry sauce and poached pears with vanilla bean custard.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple and Easy. In just a few minutes, you’ll have this pear compote simmering on the stove and ready to eat.

Versatile. You can use your favorite sweetener and blend of spices in this recipe to customize the flavor just how you like.

Uses up Over-Ripe Pears. When I developed this recipe, I had 6 pears sitting on my counter that suddenly ripened all at once, and we couldn’t eat them all in time. Stewing them with sugar and spices was the perfect solution to using up too much ripe fruit. You can even freeze leftover compote for later.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Pears. I used Bosc pears, but you can use any variety you like. The more ripe the pears are, the less liquid you’ll need to add.
• Lemon Juice. Adds some tartness to balance the warmth of the spices.
• Sugar. Sweetens the compote.
• Spices. I used a blend of cloves, cardamom, ginger and vanilla bean powder, which was just delicious with the pears.

Instructions

• Peel the pears, remove the core, and chop the pears into 1-inch pieces.
• In a saucepan, combine the chopped pears with the lemon juice, sugar and spices.
• Bring to a simmer over medium low heat, and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the pears are very soft. Gently mash the pears with a potato masher or a fork for a chunky texture.
• Simmer uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, until some of the liquid has evaporated.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Variations

• Use orange juice or even white wine instead of the lemon juice, and add a little fresh orange zest.
• Add a splash of bourbon or brandy.
• Sweeten the pear compote with maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, etc, instead of the brown sugar.
• Try some other spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or star anise.

Serving Suggestions

• As a side dish with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
• On the side of bone-in pork chops.
• Use instead of applesauce in cakes and other baked goods.
• Serve warm on top of yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes or ice cream.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I add water when simmering the pears?

If your pears aren’t very juicy, you may need to add a little water as they simmer. If you end up adding too much liquid, just continue to simmer the compote, uncovered, to evaporate some of the liquid.

How should I store pear compote?

Store the compote in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the compote for up to 3-6 months.

What kind of sweeteners can I use?

You can use any sweetener you like, including sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or other sweeteners.

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