Pickled Pears

No ratings yet

Sweet, tangy pickled pears simmered in a cinnamon-clove-allspice vinegar syrup, then hot-packed into jars and processed in a boiling water canner for a pantry-stable treat that’s perfect with roast meats, cheese boards, and holiday desserts.

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Canning Time20

Total Time1 30

Course: pickles

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fruit pickles, Fruit Pickling Recipes

Servings: servings, makes 7 pints

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

8 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar or cider vinegar, 5% acidity
2 cups water
8 whole cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp whole cloves
2 Tbsp whole allspice
8 Lbs Pears Seckel, or other small firm pickling pear

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water canner and heat pint jars. Keep jars hot until ready to fill.
In a large pot, combine sugar, vinegar, water, and the cinnamon sticks. Tie cloves and allspice in a clean, thin, white cloth (or use a spice bag) and add to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes.
While the brine simmers, prepare the pears. Wash pears, peel, and remove all of the blossom end. Leave stems on if desired. Halve or quarter large pears. To prevent browning, hold peeled pears in an ascorbic acid solution while you work. Drain just before cooking.
Add drained pears to the hot syrup. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until pears are heated through and becoming tender.
Pack hot pears into hot pint jars. Add one cinnamon stick per jar (from the simmer syrup).
Ladle boiling syrup over pears, leaving 1/2-inch headspace and ensuring pears are covered. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, and apply lids fingertip tight.
Process pint jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes for pints, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12 to 24 hours. Check seals, label, and store.

Notes

Sugar is for quality: The sugar isn’t required for preservation safety here, but it is important for texture and balance. This is meant to be a strong sugar-and-vinegar syrup. Lower-sugar batches tend to be more sour, and the pears are more likely to turn soft.

Choose firm pears: Use firm-ripe pears that still have structure. Overripe pears will break down quickly during the simmer and can turn mushy in the jar. Seckels hold their shape especially well.

Don’t skip the hot-pack simmer: This is a hot pack recipe. Simmering the pears in the syrup before packing helps them heat through properly and prevents floating fruit. Raw pack isn’t recommended.

Keep pears covered with syrup: Make sure the pears are fully submerged when filling the jars. Exposed fruit can discolor and lose quality during storage.

Cooling and storage: After processing, let jars cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours, check seals, and store in a cool, dark place. For best flavor, wait 1–2 weeks before opening so the spices fully infuse.

Altitude Adjustments

This recipe is specifically tested by NCHFP for pint jars. Some extensions mention quarts, and the pint processing times match pears in syrup, so quart times are often assumed to be the same as for canning pears in syrup. That said, quarts haven’t been explicitly lab-tested for this exact pickled pear recipe. If you choose to can quarts, use your best judgement and understand that the larger jar size isn't explicitly tested.

Altitude adjustments for hot pack are as follows:

0 to 1,000 ft: 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
1,001 to 3,000 ft: 25 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
3,001 to 6,000 ft: 30 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
Above 6,000 ft: 35 minutes for pints, 40 minutes for quarts

Nutrition