Fresh from the orchard! Preserve the best of autumn with a batch of spiced apple pear jam. This homemade treat is a cozy combination of fall fruits and warm spices like cinnamon and ginger.
Table of Contents
Looking for even more apple and pear recipes? Try this easy pear crisp, a simple and flavorful apple strudel, my mom’s easy apple pie, apple dip, and a quick apple galette, too!
I made the jam as stated in your recipe. Smells like one was making an apple pie after the sugar and spices were added. Taste tested by hubby & he gave it 5 STARS. Set perfectly. Looking forward to making another batch. I would not change anything. This recipe has been added to my collection of favorite jams to make. Thanks for an easy recipe.
– Karen
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- My neighbors grow a pear variety that’s very similar to Bartlett pears, so that’s what I used here. While bosc, comice, or anjou pears are all fine, I find that Bartlett tend to have the most flavor. Honey Crisp apples are our top choice.
- The pears do not need to be perfectly ripe. In fact, I prefer very firm (not-quite-ripe-enough-to-eat) pears for the jam.
- Peel both the pears and the apples so that you don’t have tough chunks of chewy skin in your final batch of jam.
- The food processor is a quick way to pulse large chunks of fruit into very small pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, no problem — it will just require a bit more prep time to finely chop all of the apples and pears by hand.
- Apples and pears both contain a lot of natural pectin. That said, the dry fruit pectin is still a necessary ingredient in this recipe, as it helps the jam set properly. The pectin also shortens the cooking time, resulting in a fresher apple and pear flavor.
- You won’t actually taste the lemon. Instead, the lemon juice serves to lower the pH of the jam, which neutralizes negative charges on the strands of pectin and helps the jam set.
- The butter is optional in this recipe (although I highly recommend including it). Adding this fat reduces the amount of foam on top of your jam.
Equipment Needed
Have all of your ingredients and supplies ready to go before you get started, since this process moves very quickly. Check out our roundup of the best canning supplies if you’re looking to add to your collection. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 6-7 sterilized half-pint mason jars and lids: this recipe yields about 6 cups of jam (maybe a bit more), so you can use any size jars that you prefer to accommodate this amount. I like half-pint jars because it’s just the right amount of jam to keep in the fridge after it’s opened.
- A sterilized funnel: this tool this makes it easier to get the jam inside the jar without spilling; however, it’s fine if you don’t have a funnel — you can carefully spoon the jam into the jars instead.
- Tongs: canning tongs are incredibly helpful when taking the jars in and out of the boiling water.
- Saucepan or Dutch Oven: for cooking the jam. Allow plenty of room for the fruit to boil, bubble, and foam! I use my 7 ¼-quart cast iron Dutch oven.
- Water Bath Canner or Large Pot for Boiling Jars: this needs to be very deep so that you can cover the jars with at least 1-2 inches of water. I use my giant pressure canner for the hot water bath, but a deep stock pot also works. If you’re in the market, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best water bath canners.
- Food processor: to finely chop the apples and pears before cooking.
Directions
I originally discovered this apple pear jam in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. I’ve tweaked the original recipe slightly — giving it more oomph with some warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. All of the best flavors of the season! The spices are still very subtle, so if you prefer a stronger ginger flavor (or other more prominent spices like cardamom), you’ll definitely need to increase the seasoning to taste. Add vanilla beans for a flavorful variation.
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview:
- Sterilize the jars and lids before canning in order to kill any bacteria, fungi, or yeasts. There are a variety of ways to sterilize the jars (here’s a helpful article with different options). I typically use the dishwasher, and make sure that the jars and lids stay hot in the machine until I’m ready to fill them.
- Peel, core, and quarter the pears and apples. No need to chop them, since the food processor will do the hard work!
- Pulse fruit in a food processor until the apples and pears are chopped into very small pieces.
- Combine the chopped fruit mixture with the lemon juice, spices, pectin, and butter.
- Boil, add the sugar, and then boil again for exactly 1 minute.
- Remove pot from the heat and skim off the foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth, then screw on the lids.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Cool completely, then check seals.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade pear jam is delicious spread on toast, dolloped on biscuits, flaky biscuits, cornbread, or sour cream muffins, spooned over pancakes or waffles, stirred into yogurt or oatmeal, or drizzled over ice cream.
The jam also makes a great gift to share with friends, neighbors, and family at the holidays. I love to pull a jar out of the pantry, tie a nice ribbon around the lid, and gift it to someone in December. I don’t have to fuss with baking or shopping during the busy season, and it’s nice to enjoy a taste of autumn during the cold, gray months.
Storage Tips
Once the jam has had a chance to cool, check the seals. The lids should be down in the center or stay down when pressed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks. Properly sealed and processed jars of pear jam should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place (such as a pantry). The homemade jam will last for up to 1 year. Once opened, store the jam in the fridge.
Fantastic! This is the first jam we’ve tried making and it turned out so much better than the small effort that went into making it. We doubled it and got 8 pints. 7 made it to the pantry, the kids intercepted 1! Thank you so much!
– SchottFam
More Homemade Preserves to Try
Christmas Jam
13 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Cherry Jam
13 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Blueberry Jam without Pectin
12 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Spiced Apple Pear Jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups peeled, cored, and quartered pears (any variety will work)
- 1 cup peeled, cored, and quartered apples (any variety will work)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1.75 ounce package dry fruit pectin or ½ cup Dutch jel pectin
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 ½ cups sugar
- 6-7 half-pint canning jars and lids, sterilized
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse pears and apples until fruit is chopped into very small pieces. Transfer the fruit to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, pectin and butter.
- Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add sugar and stir to mix well. Return to a rolling boil, then boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim off foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean with a damp cloth; add lids.
- Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel and cool completely. Check for seals and refrigerate any jam that did not seal properly.
Notes
- Leave ¼-inch of headspace in each jar. Leaving the proper amount of headspace in a jar is important to ensure a vacuum seal. If there’s too little headspace, the jam may expand and bubble out when air is being forced out from under the lid during processing.
- The jam will not set immediately, so allow the jars to rest without interruption at room temperature until cool (or overnight).
- Overcooked Pectin: It’s important to boil the jam with the sugar for exactly 1 minute. If you overcook the pectin, it may break down and fail to gel.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in October, 2020. It was updated in September, 2024.
There are so many adds that keep us from seeing the recipes. Even when I’m writing you I had an add cover this area. It says (Fargo). Also the adds move around for some reason…extremely hard to read the recipe for the advertisement . Sooty because I love this website.
Thanks for that feedback, Linda! I’ll send a note to my ad company — that’s not okay! Hopefully they can get it sorted out.
Can I use brown sugar in place of granulated sugar?
Hi, Harry! I’m very reluctant to tweak the sugar in jam recipes because it can completely throw off the ratio with the pectin and prevent the jam from setting. Brown sugar isn’t typically used in jam making because it has a much stronger flavor than the granulated sugar and can overpower the taste of the fruit. That said, maybe you would love the flavor with brown sugar — in which case, feel free to experiment. I just can’t guarantee that the finished product will have the same consistency. Hope that all makes sense! 🙂
Can I use frozen vacuumed sealed apples/pears?
Hi, Caroline! I’m not sure. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen fruit. I think it would probably work, but I can’t say for certain.
Just made a double batch today. Very yummy but a little too sweet for our taste. I’m very new to canning and learning as I go. Can I make this with a reduced amount of sugar? What is the ratio needed to help things set?
Hi, Genny! I have not tested this recipe with reduced amounts of sugar, so it will just require some trial and error on your part. I wouldn’t reduce it by too much initially, since you run the risk of the jam not setting when you change the ratios. You can gradually try reducing it with different test batches until you get it to the point that you enjoy the flavor and it also sets. Sorry I can’t offer any specific alternatives.
Made a double batch today of your spiced Pear Apple jam since our neighbors gave us a flat of pears and apples. I increased (close to double) the spice amounts but kept everything else the same. Turned out sweet and delicious! Looking forward to winter months opening up some of this jam! Thanks for posting.
Awesome! Thanks, Katie!
How ripe should the pears be?
Hi! I prefer firm to very firm pears (just ripe enough to eat, or even slightly under-ripe). Hope you enjoy!
Just got done making a double recipe. I boiled it extra long and added the pectin for the last miniate. It has just the right amount of spice to me. Thanks for a good recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that, Michael! Thank you!
May I reverse the fruit amounts? I have alot more apples than pears.
Hi, Kimberly! I haven’t tested it that way, but I think it would probably work. The flavor will obviously be a little bit different, and the texture might be thicker or different since pears naturally have more pectin than apples.
Fantastic! This is the first jam we’ve tried making and it turned out so much better than the small effort that went into making it. We doubled it and got 8 pints. 7 made it to the pantry, the kids intercepted 1! Thank you so much!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you! 🙂
Is it ok to cut this recipe in half to make a small batch?
Yes, I think that should work fine!
can this be made like freezer jam?
Hi, Cindy! I don’t know — I’ve never tried. I think you could probably put it in jars and freeze them if you don’t want to process the jars in a hot water bath.
What can I do if it doesn’t thicken?
Hi, Kimberly! Have you given it a chance to cool? The jam won’t be very thick while it’s still warm, but it will thicken and set as it cools in the jars. Otherwise, I would use it as a sauce over ice cream, pancakes, waffles, etc. 🙂
Mine didn’t thicken either and looks more apple sauce. Also so sweet it almost hurts to eat it?
Thank you very much for the feedback
Just made a double batch today. Very yummy but a little too sweet for our taste. I’m very new to canning and learning as I go. Can I make this with a reduced amount of sugar? What is the ratio needed to help things set?
This question may have been asked.
As I pressure can and have never hot bathed anything how tight do you screw the ring on for the bath method?
Pressure canner is a good finger tight.
Have lots of pears and apples NOT sprayed at all.
Oh, how about the peels as once again NOT sprayed at all.
They say the peel has the most nutrients!!
It is now late August, 2022.
Hi, Jeff! It’s my understanding that the rings should be finger tight for a hot water bath as well.
I’ve always peeled my fruit for this recipe, so I’m not sure how the texture would be if you leave them on. Do so at your own risk. 🙂
Hi Kimberly!
Do you know if this recipe would work with asian pears instead of regular pears?
Hi, Wilson! I’m honestly not sure. I know that Asian pears have a slightly different flavor, so that will be a bit different, but I’m not sure if the texture of the jam will be the same or not. I’ve never tried it.
Sorry about that, I meant Blair, not Kimberly.
I made the jam as stated in your recipe. Smells like one was making an apple pie after the sugar and spices were added. Taste tested by hubby & he gave it 5 STARS. Set perfectly. Looking forward to making another batch. I would not change anything. This recipe has been added to my collection of favorite jams to make. Thanks for an easy recipe.
Date made October 10, 2022
Oh, good! I’m so happy to hear that it was a success, Karen. Thanks for your kind note!
What an awesome jam.. thank u for the recipe..this will definitely be making again
Thank you, Shelly!
Hi Blair,
How long will this jam keep if processed please?
Hi Samantha! When stored in a cool, dry place, it will last for up to 1 year.
My husband commented that this recipe has the right balance of spice, sweet, and tart. I’ll be making another batch. I have a few more pears!
We’re so glad it was a hit! Thank you, Karen.
I am intrigued by this recipe and the twist by adding the spices connected so well with me. This is going as a treat to all of my friends and for every Christmas infact.
Thank you The Seasoned Mom – Blair for adding such delicious notes to our lives.
God Bless You!
Thank you! I hope that you love it!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! It is very delicious!!!
Thank you for trying it out, Pamela! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Your Spiced Apple Pear Jam is a keeper, it’s so great! I’ve made it multiple times over the years! Thanks for the idea!
Thank you, Judy! We’re so glad you enjoy it.