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This homemade Pear Applesauce uses simple ingredients, freezes beautifully, and has the perfect amount of maple sweetness with hints of cinnamon. It tastes delicious on it’s own or with your favorite fall dinners, plus it’s ready in just over 30 minutes.
Speaking of fall dinners, you’ll love this with my Pumpkin Pasta Bake and Apple Butter BBQ Pork Sliders.
Our annual apple orchard trip always leaves Riley and I with more apples than we know what to do with. That’s why this Pear Applesauce has become a fall staple, it’s the perfect way to use up a variety of apples and pears. Plus we love how we can make enough to enjoy now and still have some tucked away in the freezer for later.
Better yet, this isn’t your typical applesauce recipe. It’s free of refined sugar and relies on maple syrup for natural sweetness that doesn’t taste overly processed. It’s also made in small batches which means you’re not stuck canning and processing for hours.
For another fall-flavored sauce, try my Apple Butter BBQ Sauce. It’s a little sweet, a lot of savory, and great on a variety of things. And if you love pears you’ll love my fresh Pear Shrub drink.
What Pears Make The Best Sauce?
Honestly, you can use whatever pears you have on hand. I do recommend getting them from your local orchard or a farmer you know. Lots of time they have old pear trees in the tree line of their fields, that’s how I get mine every year.
In this batch I used Bartlett pears. Other great options are Red Bartlett, Forelle, and Seckel pears because they are all very sweet but also on the crisp side which is perfect for sauce. I would stay away from Anjou pears because they tend to be super soft, and Bosc because they aren’t very sweet.
Pear Applesauce Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this applesauce, and a few important notes so keep reading!
- Bartlett Pears: These are perfect for sauce because they’re a sweet firm pear variety. Go back one section to read about other pears I would choose (if you missed it). You’ll also want to wash them before peeling, coring, and chopping into 1-inch chunks.
- Apples: I use a combination of apples from the orchard. My favorites are Gala, Cortland, Jonathon, and Ambrosia. You can also use Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Fugi, or Granny Smith. Just stay away from Red Delicious. And don’t forget to wash them before peeling, coring, and chopping into 1-inch chunks.
- Maple Syrup: Typically applesauce uses granulated sugar, but I really love maple with pear and apple. Using maple syrup also makes this recipe refined sugar free. You can use granulated sugar or even honey, just know the flavor and sweetness level will vary.
- Lemon Juice: Feel free to use fresh or bottled, just do not skip this ingredient. Lemon juice preserves the color of the apples, balances the sweet level, and helps raise the acidity to stay fresher longer.
- Cinnamon: I love using a cinnamon stick because the flavor is pronounced but sweet and mellow at the same time. You can use ground cinnamon if that’s all you have available.
- Water
How to Make Pear Applesauce
1. Simmer fruit until tender. To a large pot, add the apples, pears, water, maple syrup, and cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon). Bring it to a boil, cover, and allow it to simmer until the apples and pears are tender.
2. Mash and jar it up. Allow the mixture to completely cool before mashing to the perfect consistency. Use a potato masher for chunky and an immersion blender for smooth Pear Applesauce. Ladle into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.
Freezing Information
Unless you are going to eat all of your Pear Applesauce at one time, I recommend refrigerating one jar and freezing the rest. It actually freezes beautifully and can stay there for up to 3 months.
The big difference is you’ll want to use wide mouth jars and keep an inch of headspace so the applesauce has room to expand. Tightly seal the jar with a new lid and ring, label it with today’s date and contents, then freeze. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw the applesauce in the refrigerator overnight.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
Alter the level of sweet to your taste preferences. Depending on how sweet your apples and pears, you might want to alter the amount of maple syrup you add. Feel free to add none, less, or more. Just a note, you can add more maple syrup after your Pear Applesauce has cooked down.
Make it silky smooth or chunky. Our family is divided on this, so I typically mash some for me and immersion blender the rest for Riley. The easiest way to do this is by portioning out the mashed applesauce first, then blending the remainder in the pot until it’s your desired consistency.
Choose the right jars. For refrigerator storage you can use regular mouth jars or wide mouth jars. But if you are freezing this Pear Applesauce, use wide mouth jars only. Because of their narrow shoulders it doesn’t allow proper expansion. Without this pressure builds up in the jar and causes it to crack or even shatter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Fresh Apple Recipes You Might Enjoy
Pear Applesauce
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups apples - washed, peeled, cored, and chopped in 1/2" chunks
- 2 cup Bartlett pears - washed, peeled, cored, and chopped in 1/2" chunks
- 1 ½ cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 lemon - juiced
- 1 cinnamon stick
INSTRUCTIONS
- To a large pot, combine the apples, pears, water, maple syrup, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes. The apples and pears will be fork tender and soft enough that they slide off the fork when pricked.
- Remove mixture from the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick and mash with a potato masher (for chunky applesauce) or immersion blender (for smooth applesauce).
- Ladle the Pear Applesauce into jars leaving one inch of headspace. Add new lid, ring, and tightly seal jar.
RECIPE NOTES
- Pick the best pears. I recommend Bartlett pears. Other options include Red Bartlett, Forelle, and Seckel pears.
- Use a combination of apples for the best flavor. Good options are Gala, Cortland, Jonathon, Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Fugi, or Granny Smith apples. Stay away from Red Delicious, their soft texture makes applesauce grainy.
- Swap ground cinnamon in place of cinnamon sticks. For every batch, add a 1/2 teaspoon.
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container or glass jar, for up to 1 week.
FREEZING INFORMATION
- Stored in wide-mouth jars with 1-inch of headsapce, for up to 3 months. Be sure to label them with the date and contents.
- When ready to eat, thaw applesauce in the refrigerator overnight.
WATERBATH CANNING INFORMATION
- Fill hot pint jars with hot applesauce, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Debubble, wipe rims with vinegar, place on warm lids, and screw rings on fingertip tight.
- Process in a hot boiling-water canner for 15 minutes. Remove lid and allow the jars to sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing.
- Place them in an undesturbed place for up to 24 hours before checking seals, washing, and storing in your pantry.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Just made this with apples freshly picked from the orchard & its so delicious! The pears add an extra bit of flavor to make it more than just applesauce. Definitely need to add this as a fall staple every year.