An EASY 3-ingredient cranberry pear sauce! This is my go-to cranberry sauce recipe for the Holidays. I love how the sweet pears compliment the tart cranberries, perfect to add to your Thanksgiving table.
Cranberry Pear Sauce
Cranberry Pear SauceThis is the BEST cranberry sauce recipe, it’s my go-to every year. More favorite Thanksgiving sides include Garlic Mashed potatoes and Roasted Heirloom Carrots with Feta, Truffle and Lemon.
Cranberry sauce can be served chilled or at room temperature. I just love how fruit spreads can be such a lovely compliment to a meal. I especially love it with turkey or on a roasted turkey breast sandwich. The day after Thanksgiving, if there’s leftover turkey, I’ll slice it and out it on a whole wheat baguette with some broccoli sprouts – delicious. It’s also great with a pork roast or roasted chicken. Other favorites are Crock Pot Applesauce, Slow Cooker Cranberry Pear Butter, Slow Cooker Apple Butter, and Pumpkin Butter.
Make it a few days ahead, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Potato Leek Soup
- Roasted Asparagus
- Brussels Sprouts Gratin
- Chicken Sausage and Herb Stuffing
Cranberry Pear Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored, cubed small
- 1/2 cup honey or agave
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Bring all the ingredients to a boil on high heat in a medium saucepan.
- When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool before refrigerating. Serve chilled or room temperature. Makes 3 1/4 cups.
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I forgot to put this out on the table on Thanksgiving. Found it a few days after Thanksgiving in the back of the refrigerator. It was so good. This will be a regular dish on Thanksgiving at my house!
This sounds great! What type of pears do you recommend? And have you ever tried adding uncrystallized candied ginger? How far in advance can it be made and still be as good as fresh?
Thanks for your help
For anyone wondering, I don’t recommend using canned pears. It just doesn’t look as good. I made this recipe for Friendsgiving and made one sauce with fresh pairs and another with canned. My friend’s didn’t think the canned pears tasted that bad, but the fresh pears were definitely more appetizing
This is my go to cranberry sauce. It’s always a hit with the family. It tastes great on yogurt too.
I was going to make the recipe on the back of bag of cranberries until I saw that it called for a cup of sugar. This recipe came across my Instagram so I tried it instead. YUM! From now on this will be on my Thanksgiving table!
Perfect!
Can I use fresh cranberries??
yes thats what I use
Thank you for this recipe. It’s my new favorite cranberry sauce.
Do you think I can use maple syrup instead of honey or agave? I can’t eat either one of those but have no issues with maple syrup. What are your thoughts? Thanks and happy thanksgiving!
Sure
I can’t get decent pears where I live. Could I use canned? I’d use the kind packed in juice not syrup.
this was a great recipe, easy to make ahead of time, let it blend. not too tart, but not sweet either. thank you for the idea.
I love how easy and “skinny” this recipe is. I put only 1/4 of the agave and it was sweet enough for my guests.
I added a little extra honey, but that was it. This recipe is both delicious and healthy, I will be making it from now on.
I made this last year and loved it! This year I could only find frozen cranberries. Do you thaw them first?
I loved this! I had cranberries frozen from Christmas and wanted to use them up. I didn’t have pears, so I used apples instead. It was delicious!
The pear cranberry sauce is definitely one that I have made several times already. I have cut the recipe in half and it comes out perfectly. Just enough for me and hubby. Plus I like that I can make it in a pinch. Thanks.
Delicious! I only used one pear and added a sprinkle (maybe 1/8 tsp) cinnamon. I’m a cranberry sauce snob and this one passed my test!
Love this! I always add a bit of fresh ginger. So tasty!
I made it with agave syrup and it was fantastic!
Why would the points be different on the 3 ww programs? Aren’t you just counting the points for the honey in all three?
Does it matter which type of pears you use?
How do you measure cranberries? Do you usually just use one bag of cranberries? I’m always confused on this part.
You can use a kitchen scale to measure ounces.
Love these recipes
This is an absolute favorite and I make it as soon as I can get cranberries again each year. Big difference between honey and agave. I prefer agave. I have it as the fruit part of my morning work snacks.
I made this with the air fryer turkey breast this past weekend. DELICIOUS!!!!!
I am with AUSTIN JENSEN, has anyone tried this in the insta pot? The cranberries we get here in the UK are like little rocks 🙂
Has anyone done this in the crockpot/slow cooker?
Is the gave used agave nectar or raw agave?
nectar
I scrolled down through the comments and there was my post from 2016!
Yes this is an old recipe
I have been making this for Thanksgiving since the first time you published this recipe!! It is soooo gooood!!! I also make it and gift it to friends!!!!
Thank you Gina!!!!
Awesome!
Oh delish! This is pretty much the same recipe I’ve been making for 30 + years with one exception. The recipe I use calls for grated lemon/lemon zest! Love finding this recipe here!
I was wondering how long this would keep, and could you seal in jar to keep longer
Anybody try this is in a pressure cooker?
Had to simmer for an hour longer than recipe called for but other than that…love the tartness. We served it with a pork roast.
Loved the tartness of this side. Perfect with roasted turkey. I did add in a touch of orange zest.
Used 1/2 cup of maple syrup as I did not have enough honey and it was perfection. So good!
I would try using a potato masher on it instead of blending it. You would retain done of the chunkiness, but thin it a bit.
Has anyone tried blending this after boiling to smooth out? If so, how’d it work out
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Has anyone ever used canned pears instead of fresh fruit?
I wonder if you could use strawberries instead of pears
This is our favorite cranberries sauce! It’s delicious! I made this few times a year and use as preserve.
I made this for Thanksgiving and a “repeat performance’ was requested for Christmas dinner. Made it last night for dinner later today. Delicious and oh so easy.
Great! 🙂
Perfection! Real cranberry taste! So easy to make. Huge hit even for those that don’t like cranberry sauce. I just used Bartlett pears.
Did you use canned pears in making the cranberry sauce?
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was so easy and tasted so much better than the canned version!
Thank you for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely perfect!
Has anyone tried freezing this recipe?
Gina, thank you for the great recipes. My family and I enjoy them almost daily,
Just tasted it & it is delicious. Can’t wait to take it to a Thanksgiving get together on Sunday.
Great!
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Such a great recipe!! I made this for a holiday dinner party and it was a huge hit. I served it warm for dinner, but then also ate the cold leftovers with Camembert and crackers — so yummy!
Gina this was absolutely fantastic! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe!
Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!
This cranberry sauce has become a favorite in my family. Thank you for this sweet and tangy addition to our Thanksgiving traditions!
We made this for thanksgiving and it was a big hit!
So glad to hear!
This was very good! Instead of water, I used fresh squeezed orange juice and a little orange zest. It is a bit tart, but I like my cranberry sauce that way. This is a keeper!
Made this cranberry sauce for Thankgiving. I’m glad I left some home. Used it on my pancakes the other morning! Delicious
I just have to say this recipe is amazing, I took the left overs this morning and added it to my steel cut oats with slivered almonds delicious!!
Yum!
I just made this for Thanksgiving and it’s REALLY tart. I added a 1/4 cup of brown sugar and that helped.
Hi Gina! I love all your meals. Thank you. I just made this and the pears turned out really hard. I thought when I boiled them, they would soften a bit. Any suggestions?
I just made this tonight for Thanksgiving and had to sample. Amazing!!
🙂
how many days in advance can you make the sauce?
3 to 4
This is a great recipe that I plan to use for Thanksgiving this year as a standard cranberry pear sauce (with sugar) is 9 smart points!! Just a head’s up that when I put the serving info into the current WW calculator it comes out as 3 points – not 2 as listed. Either way, a great deal for a terrific side. Thanks!!
Correct, but that is not the right way to calculate Smart Points because fruit is 0. I use WW recipe builder, which comes out to 2. The only way to get accurate Smart points.
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My husband’s family is doing Thanksgiving tomorrow, and we are all expected to bring a dish. I can not cook to save my life, so when I stumbled across this, I knew I had to make it. I LOVE cranberry sauce, and this one looked divine. I just took it off the heat to let it cool, and I’ve already had several tiny tastes. It is DELICIOUS! 🙂 I hope they love it, too!
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I make something similar every year, but add a bit of fresh ginger and orange rind. Tasty!
Did you have any trouble finding frozen cranberries? I didn’t see any in the frozen food section of my store.
I make this often — not just for Thanksgiving!! It is soooo good and easy!!!! Thanks Gina!!
I just made this using Splenda. It is soooooooooo good I doubt it’s going to make it to Thanksgiving. I’m assuming it’s 0 smart points using Splenda. I cooked it down and down so it thickened. I’m going to make some more to freeze before the stores stop offering cranberries.
Next I’m trying your mom’s stuffing. This could be the lightest, healthiest Thanksgiving on record for us!
Hi Gina, huge fan, have all your cookbooks. Wonder if I were to substitute Splenda or Erythritol, would half a cup be about right? Thanks and I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Has anyone tried subbing apples? I don’t eat pears 🙁 Thanks.
Looks great, can it be preserved in jars?
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Has anyone tried to make this ahead and freeze it??
YUM!
I made this twice in the past 2 weeks! First time, with the agave, to rave reviews. Not too sweet, not too tart. Second time, for my diabetic DH, made with splenda. It was good, but I ended up adding 1/4c extra splenda to get the sweetness just right. Thanks for the recipe!
Gina, can this be frozen if I make it ahead of time for Thanksgiving. Otherwise, how long will stay in the frig?
Hi Gina! I made this for Thanksgiving and it was fantastic! Easy, fresh, and yummy! The next morning, we added the leftovers to your baked oatmeal…extra YUM!
This came out super good! I recommend making it the day before though as it tastes better after sitting over night!
I made this for thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it!!! Thank you so much for another healthy delish recipe!!
I've never made cranberry sauce before, nor do we ever have it at Thanksgiving…but this looked too good to not give it a try. (I love cranberries in general) Just finished a double batch and it looks and tastes wonderful! I've never been disappointed with any of your recipes!
i just made this today and it's delicious! perfect amount of sweetness!
Thanks for the recipe! I usually use cut up apples, but pears will be even better! Am cooking it now. If people prefer their cranberry sauce a bit jellied, they can push it through a mesh sieve then let cool to room temp before refrigerating it.
I love this recipe….just made a triple batch for Thanksgiving at my daughters……..going to freeze a couple small bowls just to see if that works. Just the 2 of us here and can't eat it all before it spoils. Loved sampling it as I was stirring…….nummy!!
I make cranberry pear sauce but add the juice and zest of a lemon and when it is cool, I add 1/4 cup Amaretto.
I made this recipe at least 5 times last year.
Time to print it again – it's now a Thanksgiving staple!
I've been making pear sauce lately, but love the idea of adding cranberries. It's gorgeous.
I was wondering if it would be possible to can this? It looks wonderful.
I made this today! It was delicious while warm and I can't wait to try it cold later. I'm loving the pear and cranberry combo!
This was SO good and super easy to make! And I ended up eating most of it myself!
I'm really glad you all liked it!
I was never a fan of cranberry sauce but after this recipe I totally loved it and my family did also! A total hit in my house and best of all it was super easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I made these for my family, but I added a little extra Agave to the recipe-came out wonderful! Thanks!!
OMGosh! This cranberry sauce was a HUGE hit at Thanksgiving this year…..thanks so much!
Discovered your site about a yr ago.. made this recipe tonite and used apple cider. YUMMY!!!
I made this tonight and it is really tart, any suggestions? Is it supposed to make you pucker? Maybe I did something wrong…I am not used to cooking with fresh cranberries.
Any ideas, on how to get the bitter taste out?
I just made this for tomorrow & it came out sooo delicious. I don't think I will ever make another kind of cranberry sauce. This was my first time cooking with agave. I added some spices too
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
I am making it as we speak. I bought Red Pears to use and I am doubling the recipe, will that affect the points at all?
To the person regarding the skin, I didn't find the skin to be an issue but you could always purée it if you like it smooth.
I love using fruit to sweeten the sauce to cut out some sugar. Love apples with cranberries, I bet all three will be great.
Great site for inspiration. Added a bit of nutmeg, cinnamon and an apple along with the pears. Fabulous! And I love that I can make it days ahead to cutdown on some of the Thanksgiving crazy rush.
Thinking of making this but pureeing it afterwards for a smooth sauce. Hoping it turns out well.
This was sooooooooo good!
This will be on our Thanksgiving table, for sure!
I love that you don't dump an entire cup of sugar into your cranberry sauce [like everyone else]! This needs to be added to our Thanksgiving table, no question.
OMG!!!! This is fantastic!!! I used Splenda instead of sugar and used almost 3/4 cups. Was a big success with my guests! Will make again – even after the holidays!
I didn’t see where it called for sugar…..agave or honey….but not sugar. Are we seeing the same recipe?
Made this last night, experimenting for our work Thanksgiving potluck. I didn't think a cranberry sauce could be better than the pineapple one from last year. I didn't measure my agave, but I think it was a little more than 1/2 cup…This will now be my to go recipe…I love it!!!
Have you tried it with "Asian pears"
Oh we always make cranberry sauce with apples but I might have to try this instead this year. Thanks for the idea!
This looks fabulous! Love the tartness of cranberry and sweetness of pear.
– Katie
Check us out sometime at BloomEveryday.wordpress.com! 🙂 We can't wait to start sharing recipes with you.
Need your advice:
I have tried to make homemade cranberry sauce before but didn't like the skins left behind. What do you do with the skins that are left in the sauce?
I think canning this and giving it as a gift would work out great. I love homemade gifts!
This looks and sounds DELICIOUS!! I definitely want to make this!
Already have all the ingredients, can't wait to try this. Do you think it would freeze well?
I have recently found and fell un love with your site. There are so many recipes I am so eager to try. I've tried a few already….and I'm definataly hooked. Thank you for all that you are doing to help keep some of us on track with our weight loss journeys. Keep up the awsome work, and again…Thank you very much!!
You had me at pancetta! I have tried brussel sprouts and had almost given up until now. This might be the recipe that changes my mind 🙂
It looks easy enough…. I think I'll try this for the family Thanksgiving pot luck!
I've totally made something similar but instead of the agave I just removed that and replaced half of the water with fresh apple juice! It sweetened it naturally and tasted awesome!
This looks SUPER!
Do you think I could can this if I did a traditional hot water bath for about 15 minutes after putting it in sterilized jars? Would be great to give as gifts.
I just want to thank you so much for your site. I am 6 weeks into WW and my husband and I look through your recipes every week before grocery shopping!
I love your recipes. So creative and easy to follow. The autumn pasta with brussel sprouts was awesome! I think I will definitely try this sauce! Great job!
Ellie
this looks amazing…I'm living in Europe but I am still planning on celebrating Thanksgiving over here so easy basic, healthy recipes like this are PERFECT for me! 🙂 Thanks
What a great recipe to use for Thanksgiving!!! I like cranberry sauce, but my husband only likes that jelly stuff in a can! Yuck!
I like the combination of the pear and cranberries. It gives a distinct sweet taste that everybody would surely love! Great recipe!
The flavor of the pears is wonderful. I like the idea of raspberries too.
You can replace the agave for sugar, same points.
I love the idea of using the pears. I bet they balance out the cranberries nicely and this would be fantastic on leftover turkey sandwiches.
I have sand pears…do you think they would work? They are a harder than your average pear.
Delicious, can't wait to try this on the family during Thanksgiving
this sounds wonderful! I love the addition of pears, normally you see oranges and I have never seen pears added til now. Wonderful!
I just got fresh cranberries at in my CSA share, so this was perfect timing! I used a sweet Comice pear and started with 1/4 cup of agave – I like my cranberry sauce nice and tart! I ended up adding another 1/8 of a cup. Thanks for another great recipe!
Oooo, this would be good on a "normal", not Thanksgiving, day with chicken. Thanks for this recipe!
Oh my! Can't wait to try this. Looove the pear addition to this sauce!
I am definitely going to make this one!
I love the look of cranberries, I just wish I liked them enough to make this gorgeous recipe. I do buy them as votive candle fillers so thanks for the reminder! (Not quite the intent, I know but still!)
What are the best type of PEARS to use? It's overwhelming standing there deciding which ones to use…I know certain pears, like apples are better to cook with? Thank you!
Yummy….its looks amazing
I'm always looking for new things to mix pears with. This looks great!
Oops… read first, ask questions later. I see that you can use Splenda. I'm still curious about the point value difference between agave and sugar, though.
A question about agave – if I replace it with sugar, does that impact the points? Or would it work to use Truvia or Splenda instead?
How do you think it would hold up if you pureed it so it would be smooth?
Yum! My mom makes something like this, but with raspberries.
This looks so delicious! I'm sort of dreading the holidays… I fell off the wagon last year,
It’s not what you eat at Holidays, it’s what you eat the other 350 days of the year, Don’t give up!
I cannot thank you enough for posting Thanksgiving recipes so early… and light ones too! Looking forward to seeing more!
This looks amazing! I am so so so so happy you're doing Thanksgiving recipes! I was getting really stressed about being on Weight Watchers and holidays!
This looks fantastic! I just discovered your site, and I'm totally digging the recipes and the GORGEOUS photography. =) Yay!