Sweet Autumn pears compliment tart cranberries in this wonderful cranberry pear butter spread, perfect for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or anytime you want to add a little sweet-tartness to your meal.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pear Butter
Fruit spreads like this cranberry butter can be such a lovely compliment to your meal, a other favorites are Crock Pot Applesauce, Cranberry Pear Sauce, Slow Cooker Apple Butter, and Pumpkin Butter.I especially love it with turkey or on a roasted turkey breast sandwich. Pictured below I served this with turkey on a whole wheat baguette with some broccoli sprouts – delicious.
And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
- Apricot Rum Glazed Spiral Ham
- Potato Leek Soup
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Green Bean Salad
- Mini Sweet Potato Meringue Pies
Slow Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter
Ingredients
- 5 oz cranberries, 1 generous cup
- 36 oz 7 large pears, peeled cored, and sliced
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground cloves
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
- zest of one orange
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for two hours, until the pears are tender.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth.
- Cook, uncovered, on high for 4 hours or more until very thick, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the pear butter to an air tight container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
I made this cranberry butter as a substitute for the can cranberry sauce. I even bought cranberry sauce for my kids for Thanksgiving. NO ONE ate the canned cranberry sauce. Everyone loved the cranberry butter.
Made this yesterday – I had some fresh cranberries left over from the holidays and didn’t want to lose them. Plus I’m in an “Oatmeal/Colligen Peptides Mornings” mode to try and spark some life back into my nails as a New Year’s New Beginning. But it’s really not fresh fruit season now, so oatmeal has already gotten boring! (but oatmeal has proven helpful in other ways…) So, I chunked a spoonful of this – fruity – cinnamon – goodness – into my bowl of oatmeal this morning and gave it a swirl. YUM! I will actually be VERY SAD when this batch is gone! I’m going out to see if I can still score some more cranberries this afternoon. Thanks, Gina! Great idea! One thing, it was late when I ladled it into the jar, and I couldn’t stay up any longer. But cranberries have a lot of natural pectin so what I thought was too soupy (I planned to reduce it more this morning) was MUCH thicker after spending the night in the refrigerator. I’ve also got some deli sliced turkey and some sourdough bread, so I’m going to try it as a sandwich spread too, I’d bet it makes a killer Turkey panini sandwich.
My husband does not like cloves at all, but he requested this recipe twice since my sister brought it to my mom’s for Thanksgiving three or four years ago. He loves it and so do I. Fixin’ to make it again! Thank you so much. It is now a favorite in our home.
Made this a few days ago….will be saving a jar for Thanksgiving….and already planning on making more…since we only get cranberries in the fall, will buy extras and freeze them…Really enjoy it on toast!!! Forgot to get the orange, so it wasn’t added, was still good!
I am going to make this for Thanksgiving. Do you think it could be adapted to the InstantPot?
Did you try this in the IP? I am standing here wondering about doing the same…This is a family favorite and I make it in the SC every year.
How long would you do this in the IP?
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This turned out so well and tasted so good! I gave some to family and everyone really liked it. It was so easy. Thank you Gina!!
I made this a couple weeks ago and it yielded two mason jars I kept one to sample and I froze one for a week. I thawed the second to give as a gift for Thanksgiving and it tasted exactly the same, froze beautifully. I cook this for the full 6 hours possibly more, and it was incredible! Try this as a fruit dip with fresh strawberries or apple slices, I ate an entire pound of strawberries doing this! Gina, this is wonderful!!! Thank you so much 🙂
I have a batch with apples going right now, I ran out of pears. I will report back on how it compares to the pear butter 🙂
how did it come out with the apples?
I made this but only cooked for 1 or 2 hours on high uncovered…I was afraid 4 hours would be too much. It was good but I'm making it again for tomorrow and was wondering if anyone else did the full 4 hours? Mine was pretty thick after just an extra hour or two..
Really excellent recipe, thank you for posting. Used Warren Pears.
I made this over the weekend and it turned out so good! My kids loved it! I need to make another batch already!! Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
Are you transferring it to a pot on the stove to cook on high for 4 hours?
Do the pears have to be ripe to make this? I have made peach butter with not-quite ripe peaches which was a disaster. I don't want it to come out too grainy. Thanks!
Yes, the pears should be ripe.
Gina – this looks amazing! I've never thought about this before and I think it would make a great gift for friends and family this holiday season. Just tie some ribbons to some mason jars and pass out after the big feast. Do you think this would freeze though?
Yes!! I want, we always run out of cranberries too fast at my house, now we will have a backup! Or first up, maybe 🙂
Ohhhhh can hardly wait to make this!!!! I've been making the cranberry pear sauce from your recipe — and everyone has always absolutely loved it! Can hardly wait to make this!!! Thanks Gina!
This looks fabulous! I would have never thought of this combination. Thanks for the recipe!
Gina, can't wait to make this for Thanksgiving! Do you think I could combine this recipe with the cranberries and use apples from your apple butter recipe? I have a few non-pear eaters coming on Turkey Day.
Can I substitute apples for pears? If so, what type of apple do you recommend?
How many small mason jars will this recipe make?!
the end of the recipe states it makes 2 3/4 cups
Any particular kind of pear? Can you freeze it?
I'd also like a response to this question!
Any pears would work, but I used Bartlett. I have not frozen any but it should work OK.
Did you use fresh or frozen fruit?
All fresh!
Could Agave nectar be used in lace of the sugar and if so how much?
Sure, you can use the same amount.
sweet recipe, is this the season of cranberry?
Yes, it is!
Can you can it?
Sure!
You might have to add some lemon juice to make it more acidic?
how long can this be left in the fridge??
I am guessing at least 2 weeks, if not longer.
this is simply fantastic ! I am going to make these and put them up for gifts. what a wonderful twist on the everyday butters. thank you for sharing this!! (I wonder how apple would work…. I have a ton of apples on hand. I might toss some of those in as well !)
Gina, you never cease to amaze me! I look forward to each and every Skinnytaste recipe, THANK YOU!!! Our Friendsgiving is this weekend and I just purchased little mason jars to hold something amazing for all to take home. And here you are to the rescue! Cranberry Pear butter it is, I love this!