Salted Caramel Pear Butter

Salted Caramel Pear Butter is what happens when perfectly ripe pears simmer down into a deep, spoonable preserve with that cozy brown-sugar “caramel” flavor and just enough salt to keep things interesting.

Pear butter is one of those pantry staples that feels a little fancy, even though it’s made from the simplest ingredients. When pears are in season (or when I come home with a little too many), this is one of my favorite ways to turn them into something I’ll actually be excited to open later.

In the past, I’ve made Maple Bourbon Pear Butter using Ball’s tested recipe, and it’s always a hit. They recently developed this salted caramel version, and I just had to try it.

And I love that this one isn’t just “sweet.” The salt pulls it back into that salted-caramel zone where you want to eat it by the spoonful, but it also plays really well with savory things like cheese boards and roasted meats.

This recipe comes straight from Ball Canning, and it’s designed for the slow cooker, which makes it especially nice when you want big flavor without babysitting a pot on the stove. The result is a dark, glossy pear butter that tastes like fall desserts in a jar.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Pear Butter

This recipe is built around ripe pears and a slow reduction that concentrates their flavor into something thick, dark, and spreadable.

• Pears: the base of the butter, providing sweetness and body once cooked down
• Apple cider: adds a little liquid to get things started and boosts that warm, autumn flavor. You can use water or apple juice if that’s all you have.
• Lemon juice: brightens the fruit and helps the flavor stay lively after cooking. This recipe is caramel sweet, and can really use a bit of acidity for balance.
• Dark brown sugar: creates that caramel-like depth with molasses notes
• Sea salt or kosher salt: the “salted caramel” magic that balances sweetness and intensifies flavor

You can use most common pears here (Bartlett, Anjou, Bosc, Comice). I aim for pears that are ripe and fragrant, but not bruised to the point of off flavors. If you only have light brown sugar, it will work, but the finished butter will taste a bit less “caramel” and a little more straightforwardly sweet.

You can also add a pinch of warm spice (cinnamon or vanilla) if you want, but I like trying the base recipe first because the brown sugar and pears already bring a lot.

How to Make Caramel Pear Butter

This is a slow-cooker fruit butter, which means you’re cooking it in two phases: soften the fruit, then reduce the puree until it thickens.

Prep the pears

Wash the pears, then cut them in half lengthwise, peel, core, and coarsely chop. The pieces don’t have to be perfect since everything gets blended smooth later.

If you have a food mill, you can skip the peeling and use the mill to remove the peels. But, I would still core the pears. Pears have grit cells in their cores, unlike apples, and food mills will not remove those.

For the smoothest pear butter, you must core the pears, even if you remove the peels in a mill.

Personally, I just peel and core them, and then I’m not dirtying another piece of equipment. I only pull out the food mill if I’m making very large batches.

Soften the fruit in the slow cooker

Put the chopped pears into a four to six quart slow cooker with the apple cider and lemon juice. Cook covered on high until the pears are very soft, about forty minutes, then turn off the heat.

Blend until smooth

Puree the pear mixture with an immersion blender right in the cooker, or blend in batches in a food processor until very smooth. Watch for splattering, it’s hot and you don’t want to get burned.

Cook down with sugar and salt

Stir the dark brown sugar and salt into the pear puree. Turn the slow cooker back to high and set the lid slightly askew so steam can escape from both sides. Let it simmer, stirring about every half hour, until the pear butter is thick, darker in color, and holds its shape on a spoon.

This usually takes several hours, and the timing can be really variable depending on your slow cooker. I have found it usually takes about 4 to 6 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low.

If you cook it down on the stovetop, it’ll only take about 30 minutes, but you’ll need to stir frequently to prevent scorching. The flavor actually develops better in a long slow cook, so I recommend a slow cooker if possible.

Canning Pear Butter

Prepare a boiling water canner and heat your jars. Once the pear butter is hot and fully thickened, ladle it into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims clean, and apply lids and rings to fingertip tight.

Place the jars in the canner, making sure the water covers them by at least one inch.

Bring the canner to a rolling boil, then process half-pints for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see below). When processing is done, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars rest in the canner for five minutes before lifting them out.

Cool undisturbed for twelve to twenty-four hours, check seals, and store.

Serving Ideas

I use this the same way I’d use apple butter, but the caramel notes make it feel extra special. Spread it thick on toast, biscuits, English muffins, or pancakes, and don’t be shy about pairing it with something salty like butter or sharp cheddar.

It’s also fantastic swirled into oatmeal or yogurt, spooned over vanilla ice cream, layered into a grilled cheese with aged cheese, or brushed onto pork chops or roasted pork loin as a quick glaze.

This particular recipe comes out quite sweet, as it has a lot more sugar than most recipes, and you can actually treat it like a homemade caramel sauce too.

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