Homemade spiced pear chutney recipe made with fresh pears and apple cider, flavoured with ground spices and cinnamon. A simple and delicious chutney that can be made and jarred in under an hour. Use with cheese and biscuits, serve up with roast chicken or pork casserole or why not save for using as a Christmas chutney or for a lovely foodie gift.
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👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
Brown sugar and ginger spiced pears, poached in cider and reduced to a sweet and spicy chutney. Your cheese and biscuits is crying out for this recipe! This easy homemade chutney recipe is also great for using up a glut of pears or generally making use of and preserving some lovely autumnal fruit. It also makes for a pretty good foodie gift or Christmas present, just preserve in jars and add some tags.
🥘 Ingredients
This recipe makes 10 small jars (110ml/4fl oz) or 6 large jars (225ml/8fl oz) of chutney. To make this spiced pear chutney you will need:
Ingredient notes
Measurements: For the amounts required, see the recipe card below and use the toggle button to see the recipe in cups.
Pears: This recipe uses conference pears but any variety of pear will work well in this chutney.
Apples: This recipe uses red eating apples, which keep their shape better than baking apples so results in a chunky textures chutney.
Vinegar: Use a vinegar with at least 5% acetic acid. This will ensure proper preserving of the chutney and prevent spoilage.
Demerara sugar: Sugar of course helps to sweeten the chutney but its also an important part of the preserving process, so don't leave it out.
Cider: Cider gives a fantastic flavour to this pear chutney, however if you'd prefer an alcohol free version just replace the cider with apple juice.
Mixed Spice: This is a ground spice mixture of cinnamon, coriander, caraway seeds, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. For a simple substitute use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon nutmeg.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Add chopped shallots to a large pan with a little oil and fry gently until soft.
- Next add the chopped pears, apples and ginger to the pan and mix together.
- Then add the cider, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mixed spice and cinnamon stick. Stir well and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, check and stir occasionally.
- After 30 minutes or so, the chutney should have started to thicken. Use a masher to help mush down any larger pieces of apple or pear. Continue to simmer, allowing the liquid to reduce, until you are happy with the consistency.
- Transfer the hot pear chutney to sterilised jars. Screw the lids on right away so a tight vacuum seal will form as the sauce cools.
- If you plan to eat the chutney that day or week then once the sauce has cooled, transfer to a dish or container, cover and keep the fridge until needed.
💭 Expert tips
- To test the consistency: Spoon some of the chutney onto a small plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes. If you are happy with the thickness of the cooled chutney you can remove the pan from the heat. If not, continue to simmer if too thin, or add more cider/apple juice if too thick.
- Handling hot sterilised jars: For ease, use rubber gloves for handling hot jars and to ensure a tight grip when screwing on the lids.
❓ Frequently asked questions
To sterilise the jars wash them thoroughly in soapy hot water, then rinse and place on a baking tray in the oven for 5 minutes at 150°C/300°F (until dry). Alternatively, put them through the dishwasher.
Place hot pear chutney in hot sterilised jars (use a jam funnel for ease) and seal immediately by screwing on the lid. As the chutney cools a vacuum will form, pulling the lid in nice and tight.
You can check the seal of the jars by pressing on the lid to make sure it doesn’t depress any further. Jars of pear chutney can then be stored in the cupboard for up to 6 months. If the lid does depress and a seal hasn’t formed you will need to use a water bath to ensure proper processing or alternatively store in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. Once opened, after proper sealing, refrigerate and eat within 1 month.
Chutney is usually fruits or vegetables preserved in vinegar and sugar.
Any vinegar will work well in chutney as long as its contains at least 5% acetic acid, which will kill any bacteria and allow the chutney to be preserved without spoilage. The type of 5% vinegar you choose will be down to taste. For a lighter taste opt for white wine vinegar, for something stronger and sweeter choose an aged balsamic vinegar.
Other Christmas recipe ideas
- Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Fig and Apple Chutney
- Baileys Irish Cream with Coffee
- How to Roast Chestnuts
- Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
- Christmas Cake Muffins
- Roast Chicken
- Honey Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
- Honey Glazed Prawns Starter
If you've tried this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a star rating in the recipe card or comment section below. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram or Sign up to my email list!
📖 Recipe
Pear Chutney
Equipment
- Masher
- Jam funnel (for transferring chutney to jars)
- Jars (for storage)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 medium Echalion shallots finely chopped - 300g
- 3 large conference pears peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks - 650g
- 2 red Gala apples cored and chopped into 1cm pieces with skins left on - 180g
- 2 cm piece fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 350 ml apple cider
- 75 ml white wine vinegar 5% acetic acid
- ½ a lemon juiced
- 250 g demerara sugar
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Add chopped shallots to a large pan with a little oil and fry gently until soft.1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 medium Echalion shallots
- Next add the chopped pears, apples and ginger to the pan and mix together.3 large conference pears, 2 red Gala apples, 2 cm piece fresh ginger
- Then add the cider, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mixed spice and cinnamon stick. Stir well and bring to the boil350 ml apple cider, 75 ml white wine vinegar, ½ a lemon juiced, 250 g demerara sugar, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 cinnamon stick
- Simmer for 30 minutes, check and stir occasionally
- After 30 minutes or so, the chutney should have started to thicken. Use a masher to help mush down any larger pieces of apple or pear. Continue to simmer, allowing the liquid to reduce, until you are happy with the consistency.
- Transfer the hot pear chutney to sterilised jars. Screw the lids on right away so a tight vacuum seal will form as the sauce cools.
- If you plan to eat the chutney that day or week then once the sauce has cooled, transfer to a dish or container, cover and keep the fridge until needed.
Nutrition
Notes
This post was first published in Dec 2017. Updated in Jan 2022 with new images, step by step instructions and expert tips.
Leigh
Can you please tell me approximately how many jars the recipe fills?
Many thanks!
Debbie
Hi Leigh! Thanks so much for your comment. I usually use the 110ml jars for storing my chutneys and this recipe usually fills around 10 of these. So if you are using bigger jars I imagine it would fill around 5. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the recipe!! Debbie x
Gloria
What is mixed spice
Jean
Ditto that question, whatbis mixed spice?
Debbie
Hi Jean and Gloria, mixed spice is a blend of Cinnamon, Coriander Seed, Nutmeg, Clove, Pimento, Ginger. its a ready mixed spice available in the UK:
If you aren't in the UK I would just replace this with a mixture of ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Hope this helps. Thanks, Debbie
Elaine
Can this be water bath processed?
Debbie Jones
Hi Elaine! Thanks for your comment. Yes this can be water bath processed if you prefer.
You can always check if jars are sealed properly by pressing the lid, - it wont depress further if sealed correctly.
Sealing can just be whilst the chutney is still hot and jars should be sealed immediately. As the chutney cools a vacuum will form, pulling the lid in nice and tight.
You can then check the lid - If it does depress and a seal hasn’t formed you will need to use a water bath to ensure proper processing. But you can just skip straight to the water bath if you prefer.
Hope this helps! Thanks,
Debbie x
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
This chutney sounds mouth wateringly good! And your photos are just beautiful!
Debbie
Aw thanks so much Kat - I was going for a festive, glowing look 🙂
Corina
All the ingredients in this sound delicious! I'm not normally a big fan of chutney but I think if I had a go at making some myself I'd really like it. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Debbie
Thanks Corina - I'm a massive fan of chutney so absolutely love making my own. Its so simple as well 🙂 I must get around to doing some jams at some point as well 🙂
Monika
This is a great gift idea and a delicious sauce, pinned onto my special Christmas board:)
Debbie
Thanks so much Monika - and thanks for pinning. Yes cant wait to give mine out this year and see what people think 🙂