This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.
This spiced pear compote is a delicious fruit sauce for your favorite waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, desserts, puff pastry, yogurt, crepes, savory dishes and more! Made with sweet pears, warm spices, and no processed sugar, this easy to make fruit compote is going to become your new favorite topping!
Compote is basically a fruit sauce that is sweet and chunky, although it can be made smooth. But most fruit compotes have tons of sugar added, which turns them more into a dessert than a versatile condiment!
But you actually don't need a ton of sugar to make fruit compote sweet, because fruit is already sweet! So I decided to make a healthier version of this classic fruit topping, using one of my favorite fruits - pears!
This healthy pear compote is a great alternative to jam because it's much lower in sugar. There are tons of variations, I added eight of my ideas later in this post, but you can get creative with your own ideas too! You'll love this simple pear compote recipe and all the different ways you can make it!
If you need some recipe inspiration, try serving this with my almond milk pancakes or vegan protein waffles. Or for a healthier dessert, this cinnamon pear compote would be delicious over caramel nice cream too!
No matter how you serve it, you won't be able to get enough of this warm spiced pear ginger compote!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Super easy to make
- Great recipe for a variety of dishes
- Simple ingredients
- Easy to customize (see variations below!)
- Healthy, vegan, gluten free
- Family friendly
- Kid approved
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
This delicious pear compote is made with 8 simple ingredients, all of which are easy to find at any grocery store! Get the full measurements, directions, and nutritional information in the recipe card below.
- Pears: Fresh pears that are perfectly ripe make this pear fruit compote sweet. The type of pear you use will make a difference in the sweetness as well. Bartlett pears are great for making vegan pear compote. You could also use bosc pears or Asian pears.
- Spices: We used a cinnamon stick, star anise, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. For the cinnamon sticks, you could use ground cinnamon if you prefer, but the cinnamon flavor will be much stronger. Star anise is a spice used much like cinnamon with a flavor most closely related to clove. It's very sweet and licorice-like. The warming addition of ginger brings a peppery sweet spice, and nutmeg adds a nutty flavor to this ginger pear compote. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste as well to bring out the natural sweetness of the pears even more.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a slight tartness to this pear cinnamon compote and will also prevent it from turning brown if it isn't eaten right away. Feel free to add some lemon zest for even more citrus flavor.
- Maple Syrup, optional: Maple syrup is an optional ingredient. It's what I recommend for sweetening this easy pear compote recipe but you only need it if you don't have very ripe pears. You can also use brown sugar or cane sugar if you don't have maple syrup. This easy recipe can be even lower in sugar by leaving out the maple syrup.
- Water: Water is used to help the pears cook down and to create the sauce in the homemade pear compote.
🔪 Instructions
This chunky pear sauce is super easy to make and is ready in less than 1 hour! Here's how to make this recipe for pear compote.
Prepare Pears, Mix Ingredients: Peel and core the pears. Dice into ½ inch cubes. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Cook: Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat, and slow simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring often until the diced pears have softened and the liquid has thickened.
Remove From The Heat & Blend: Turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and star anise. Add ½ of the cooked pears to a high speed food processor or regular blender and blitz until smooth.
Add Pear Puree Back To Cooked Pears: Stir the puree through the remaining stewed pears.
Cool: Allow to cool completely before transferring to a glass jar to store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serve warm or at room temperature.
💭 Expert Tips
- Don't overcook. Overcooking compote will make the pears mushy and will turn this recipe completely into sauce. Make sure to keep it chunky and thick for a delicious compote. You want to cook this recipe until the pears are soft and easy to mash, but haven't completely fallen apart.
- You can make this with a chunky or smoother consistency. Use an immersion blender and blend all of the pears in the pot for a smoother compote. Or if you want to keep it chunky, follow the instructions as outlined in this recipe.
- Compote freezes well. For best results, store it in an airtight, freezer safe container or a jar with a sealed lid. You can also store it in ice cube trays so you can defrost only as much as you need every time you serve it.
- Compote thickens as it cools. If you want to thin out this pear preserves recipe after it's been refrigerated, simply reheat it before using it. If it's still too thick, add a little water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
📖 Variations
- Pear Apple Compote: Switch up this recipe up by adding half pears and half apples. Fuji apples would make the perfect accompaniment to pears.
- Sugar Free Fruit Compote: Leave out the maple syrup entirely if you don't want any added sugar.
- Pear And Cranberry Compote: Add some bright, tart flavor to your pear and ginger compote by adding fresh cranberries. You could also add some raisins for additional sweetness!
- Pear And Rhubarb Compote: Rhubarb is another tart ingredient that would make a great addition to this pear cinnamon compote. The sour flavor of raw rhubarb will calm down some when cooked and give a good tart flavor to this recipe.
- Pear And Blueberry Compote: Adding blueberries to this pear ginger compote is a great way to add a little more subtle sweetness. Just make sure your blueberries are nice and ripe so they aren't sour.
- Savory Pear Compote: Savory fruit compote is often made with ingredients like onions and are ideal for appetizer and dinner recipes. You could also add herbs like rosemary or thyme for a more sweet and savory flavor.
❓Recipe FAQs
What makes a compote?
Fruit compote recipes are made with fresh chopped fruit or dried fruit (or a combination of both) that turns into a chunky sauce. A compote can be sweet or more on the savory side.
What do you use compote for?
Compote can be used to top many different types of food. Savory compote is often used to top meats like pork chops or other dinner dishes. Sweet compote is used for breakfast and desserts.
Here are some of our favorite ways to serve this compote made with pears:
** Over Breakfast Foods: Try it on these air fryer pancakes, vegan potato pancakes, or mochi pancakes, on this vegan french toast casserole, or on top of quinoa oatmeal.
** Over Cake: This would taste great on top of this Biscoff mug cake, with this vegan fruit cake, or with this gingerbread bundt cake!
** On Ice Cream: Make an easy pear dessert recipe by topping ice cream with this compote. Try it to top chocolate banana ice cream or even lychee ice cream!
** On Sandwiches: Take sandwiches to the next level by using this compote as a topping or a spread in this sourdough grilled cheese, this garlic bread grilled cheese, this kale and caramelized onion veggie panini, or even on this banana peanut butter sandwich.
** With Savory Dishes: Try it as part of this vegetarian cheese board, on this vegan chicken sandwich, with vegan turkey, or with these vegan roasted potatoes.
What is the difference between jam and compote?
Jam is a more spreadable form while compote is chunkier and more of a sauce. Jam is also made to keep much longer than compote, and is typically canned or jarred for future use. It contains more sugar and contains ingredients to help preserve the jam longer.
How do you thicken compote?
Cornstarch is the best way to thicken compote. Simply dissolve 1 teaspoon of corn starch in 1 teaspoon of water, then add it into the compote as it is cooking.
How do you store pear fruit compote?
Let the compote cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze this recipe by letting it cool, transferring to a freezer safe container, and storing in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm in the microwave or on the stovetop before using.
🍲 More Delicious Recipes!
