Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce

A recipe for Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce! Pears and apples are heated with warming spices in a slow cooker until tender.

This Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce is such an easy and delicious option for fall or any time of year. Peeled and roughly chopped pears and apples are simply tossed together with a little brown sugar and warming spices, then cooked in a slow cooker on low until tender.

It does take 6 hours to cook, but the pear applesauce is mostly hands off. The prep work itself is only about 15 minutes before everything is combined. The kitchen also smells amazing as it cooks!

This sauce pairs with a variety of comforting meals and it is especially perfect over vanilla ice cream.

A Few Tips

If vanilla beans are unavailable, substitute with about 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. You can also use vanilla bean extract, but don’t stir it in until after cooking.

Don’t love pears? Simply add in more peeled and chopped apples.

The easiest way to puree the Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce is with an immersion blender. Take care not to scrape the edges of the slow cooker.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a stand blender or food processor once the apples and pears cool a little, but are still warm. Be very careful when transferring and don’t overfill. Puree in batches if needed.

If you don’t want a completely smooth sauce, simply use a potato masher to crush the sauce to desired consistency.

Avoiding brown sugar? You can swap it for maple syrup or honey. Don’t add the maple syrup or honey until after cooking so the flavors can be adjusted to taste.

Looking for more Slow Cooker recipes?

Try my:

• Slow Cooker Creole Chicken and Sausage
• Slow Cooker Lasagna
• Giouvarlakia Soupa (Beef and Rice Meatballs in Egg-Lemon Soup)

Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce Recipe

Adapted from Oh My Veggies

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5 from 4 votes

Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce

A recipe for Slow Cooker Pear Applesauce! Pears and apples are heated with warming spices in a slow cooker until tender.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine N/A

Keyword apple, applesauce, pear, slow cooker

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

0 minutes

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 28 ounces (800 grams) apples about 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
• 24 ounces (680 grams) pears about 4 medium pears, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) lemon juice
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) light brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

• Place the pieces of apples and pears in a large slow cooker.
• Sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss gently to coat thoroughly.
• Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the slow cooker and toss in the pods (or add 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste).
• Add the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Toss gently to coat.
• Cover the slow cooker and set to low heat. Cook for about 6 hours or until the apples and pears are completely tender.
• Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and vanilla pods. Use an immersion blender to carefully puree the apples and pears to desired smoothness or transfer the mixture to a stand blender and puree.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.