Easy Stewed Apples and Pears with Honey
An easy recipe for honey stewed apples and pears with vanilla and cinnamon. This quick Fall favorite is an excellent sweet snack on its own and makes a fabulous fruity topping for your oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast. As a spiced fruit compote, it also works well as a base for a quick galette, cobbler, or muffins. Delicious warm or cold!
Whether you’re blessed with baskets and baskets of apples and pears from your garden or want to take advantage of affordable, in-season produce, this easy recipe is perfect if you are faced with an overabundance of apples and pears. And what better way to preserve these Fall favorites than stewed in a fragrant, spiced honey syrup?
Ingredients
- Apples – I use Granny Smiths which are excellent cooking apples. Honeycrisp or Fuji work well too.
- Pears – Ripe Beurre Bosc pears are perfect for stewing and poaching, just make sure they are not too soft.
- Honey – I use clover honey but other mild honey varieties work well too. You can also substitute it with maple syrup, brown, or white sugar.
- Lemon juice – The acid of the lemon juice prevents the fruit from turning brown and balances the sweetness of the honey and fruit nicely.
- Vanilla – A teaspoon of good quality extract or vanilla syrup works well. Alternatively, you can add 1/2 a vanilla pod if you are after a more intense and indulgent flavor.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon gives this dish extra spice. You can use 1 cinnamon stick instead for extra depth of flavor.
Tips
- Make sure you’re adding a lid to the saucepan while cooking the apples and pears to prevent the liquid from evaporating.
- Keep an eye on the fruit to prevent it from turning into apple and pear sauce.
- Spice it up! Besides vanilla and cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cloves, or a mixed spice blend can create other interesting flavor combinations.
- If you’re after a healthier, sugar-free version, simply omit the honey.
Serving
Savor the stewed apples and pears warm or cold on their own or enjoy them with one of the following dishes:
- Overnight oats or granola
- Easy fruit crumble or cobbler
- Quick spiced muffin or cake filling
- Simple sweet galette
- Fruity topping for creamy rice pudding or semolina pudding
- German waffles or whey pancakes
- Vanilla ice cream, custard, or yogurt
- Sauce for pork roast
- Toddler or baby snack (omit honey)
Recipe FAQs
Granny Smith apples are excellent for cooking. Jonagold, Braeburn, and Honeycrisp work well too.
Beurre Bosc and Anjou pears are great as they hold their shape and texture while cooking.
You can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until fully heated through. They’re a great meal prep staple!
More fall recipes
If you’re looking for more cozy fall or autumn-inspired desserts, check out the following recipes:
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Easy Stewed Apples and Pears with Honey
Ingredients
- 1 cup apples diced
- 1 cup pears diced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Peel and core apples and pears. Cut them into small chunks and add them to a small saucepan.
- Add lemon juice, water, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Combine everything thoroughly.
- Add a lid to the saucepan and bring everything to a simmer on medium temperature on the stove. Reduce to low and let the apples and pears stew for about 20 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- Once the fruit softened, remove the saucepan from the stove. Let it cool slightly and enjoy!
So simple & yet so tasty
Thanks Marie, great to hear!