This Pear Jam recipe is a wonderful way to preserve pears long into the year. Pears and vanilla make a wonderful combination of flavours and this simple jam requires just 3-4 ingredients from pears (obviously haha!), sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. It doesn't require macerating the fruit and the jam cooks in around 30 minutes!
About This Pear Jam
Can you use pears to make jam? Absolutely! Sure pear jam isn't as common as say strawberry jam but it is absolutely gorgeous. This pear jam is a great way to use up excess pears. I'll show you how to make a simple but beautiful pear and vanilla jam (my favourite combination for pears) but I also have tips on how to use other spices too.
What is the difference between pear preserves and pear jam? Pear preserves are when small pieces of pear are cooked with sugar while pear jam uses pureed or mashed pears. This is a pear jam recipe as I prefer pear jam to pear preserves.
Does pear have pectin? Pears are relatively high in pectin so you don't need to add pectin. However the riper the pear or fruit, the less pectin it will have so choose firm pears or fruit for jam making.
Ingredients for Pear Jam include:
Pears - Any type of pear will do!
Lemon juice - to stop the pears browning but also to add a tangy flavour to the sweet jam
Sugar - Use white sugar or caster/superfine sugar for jam making
Water - Some jams don't need water, some do and this pear jam does as firm pears are generally not overly ripe or watery.
Vanilla - You can use vanilla bean, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract or essence.
Tips For Making Pear Jam
1 - Choose the right pear. Any variety of pear works and they also vary in size so I've give you the total weight of whole pears. You want to choose firm and not soft pears for this jam as firm pears have more pectin in them. You can add pectin powder if your pears are very ripe or you can just omit pectin, I never add pectin to jams.
2 - I use a melon baller to remove the core from pears and apples.
3 - Always use a heavy bottomed saucepan for jam making. Cast iron works very well here as it gives an even temperature distribution so less hot spots where the jam can burn and more even temperature regulation.
4 - Make sure to keep the jam at a gentle simmer and leave the lid on and watch it so that it doesn't burn. Pears do not release much liquid so you don't want it all evaporating and the jam burning. All it means is just checking on it every 10 minutes or so.
5 - The way to tell if a jam is ready is by placing a plate in the freezer and doing the "line" test where you draw a line with your finger. If the jam doesn't move, then it's ready. I use a metal plate for this (rather than a ceramic) as it is fine in a cold freezer.
6 - Other suggestions for spices and flavours for your jam are: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove star anise, ginger powder or stem ginger!
7 - Try this with freshly baked bread. This is my recipe for 60 minute baguettes (also perfect for a weekend).
Pear Jam Recipe
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Step 1 - First place a metal or ceramic plate in the freezer. Peel and core the pears. From 1.1kgs/2.4lbs of pears you should end up with around 900g or 2lbs of pear flesh. Chop roughly and then place into a food processor and blitz until you get an applesauce consistency. Place the pear puree, sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Knock heat down to a simmer and place the lid on and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally but always replacing the lid back on. If the pears are drying out, add a bit more water and ensure that the heat isn't too strong.
Line test for jam
Step 2 - After 25 minutes, add the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and cook for another 5 minutes stirring. Take a teaspoon of the jam and place on the cold plate from the freezer. Run your finger or the spoon along the centre and if the jam stays put and doesn't move it is ready! Place jars and lids in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes (make sure there are no rubber seals as these will melt). Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars and secure lids on (use gloves). Turn upside side which should make a seal. To ensure that the jam can last for a few years you can place filled jars in a pot large enough to cover the jars. Cover the jars with cold water and boil for 10 minutes. Remove with tongs and let air dry on a rack.
Personal Note
I love preserving and jamming and pickling is one of my favourite things to do with extra fruit and veg. Usually it's done in summer when fruit is plentiful but we do get some nice winter fruit like apples and pears. Not all preserving is a delicious success like jam. I find that jam is one of the easiest things to make but making pickles can be a bit trickier. A while back, I was trying my hand at making dill pickles. A friend had given me a recipe of her mother's. She never made it herself but said that her mother would pickle cucumbers over summer as they grew them.
I was so excited when I saw some small cucumbers that I bought them. The only vinegar I had was double strength vinegar. I bought it during the great moth invasion of 2023 and 2024 and it sat unused. I took a sniff and recoiled - it smelled so strong. I muttered to myself that this surely couldn't be for cooking but the label said that it was great for cooking. So despite my misgiving, I dove right in and made my pickles.
The thing about pickles that makes it a bit more trouble than jam is that you have to wait for it to do its thing. Sometimes you have to wait for a few weeks. I placed my jar full of dill pickles in the fridge and waited and waited. Then it came time to open them up. I took a good look at them and gasped. They were tiny and shrivelled up completely! It was as if the liquid had been extracted out of them. I went to try the brine but every time I lifted the spoon to my nose my brain would not let me eat it. It smelled like acetone nail polish and no matter how I tried to convince myself that it said it was safe, my mouth wouldn't open to let me drink it. So not everything with preserving can be a success but I promise that jam making is much easier!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you ever make jams or pickles? Does anything ever go wrong?
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