Cranberry Pear Sauce

pear cranberry sauce on silver tray crop.

5 from 98 votes

Cranberry Pear Sauce is full of natural sweetness from sweet ripe pear and orange juice with just a little bit of sugar. It's a low calorie cranberry sauce recipe everyone loves.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Chilling time (suggested)1

Total Time1 17

Course: Sauce, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: ¼-cup servings (total yield: 2 cups)

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Toni Dash

Ingredients

1 12-ouncce bag fresh cranberries rinsed and sorted to remove any blemished berries. Frozen and thawed cranberries can be used too.
½ cup fresh orange juice for the slow cooker method; increase to ⅔ cup for stove top method
1 medium ripe Bartlett pear peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
lime zest or orange zest OPTIONAL: use zest of half a lime OR zest from one quarter of an orange

Instructions

Slow Cooker method (3 hours)

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on High for 3 hours. Cranberries will be partially popped and the sauce will have begun to thicken. Stir.
The sauce can be done at this point, cooked longer to breakdown more or use an immersion blender to pulverize into a smoother sauce.

Stove top method (15 minutes)

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring periodically, until all the cranberries burst (about 5 minutes).Remove from heat and allow to fully cool. Note: the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Both methods

Remove from heat and allow to fully cool. It can be cooled to room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator for faster results.
Note: the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Notes

Variations

Add some spices. The natural flavor and sweetness of this cranberry sauce is delicious but you can change it up by:

adding some cinnamon, allspice, or cardamom start with ⅛ teaspoon, taste and adjust up if needed).
You could also add pumpkin pie spice.
OR add a cinnamon stick when simmering for natural cinnamon flavor. Remove before chilling.

Add a splash of port wine. This gives a sophisticated flavor.

Reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon. If you want to take out a few more calories you can just use 2 tablespoons of sugar (this removes 48 calories).

How to Store

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10-14 days.

How to Freeze

Allow it to fully cool. I would put it in the refrigerator overnight before freezing to chill it completely. Then add it to a freezer-safe airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Nutrition