Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote
Sweet, juicy pears are cooked and caramelized with real maple syrup and fall spices for a delicious and simple pear compote recipe. Such a quick pear recipe that can be served as a snack, with breakfast, or for dessert – try serving spiced pear compote over ice cream or with yogurt and granola.
This recipe for pear compote was originally published October 15, 2010. It has been updated from the archives with new photos and additional information.
Easy Pear Compote Recipe
Things I’m obsessing over this fall? Cardamom and pears. Sweet juicy pears.
If you’re looking for something to make with delicious fall pears, look no further! Spiced Pear Compote embraces all the delicious flavors of fall.
What is Pear Compote?
This recipe is the perfect place to start if fruit compote is unfamiliar to you. It might sound and look fancy, but it is very simple to prepare and a very versatile recipe.
Compote is a chunky fruit sauce made from cooking fruit and sugar together – that’s it!
In this pear compote recipe, juicy, sweet pears are caramelized in a mixture of real maple syrup and fall spices. I’m getting hungry just writing about it!
It can be served over ice cream, with granola and yogurt, and in many other ways – I guarantee you’ll love making this fall pear recipe.
Tools Needed for this Recipe
You’ll need a few simple kitchen tools to prepare this a batch of this pear compote. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before getting started:
- Vegetable Peeler — The pears need to be peeled before you cut them into cubes.
- Cutting Board and Knife — Use a cutting board that hasn’t come into contact with garlic or onion to prevent any lingering smells from transferring to the pears.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring the individual ingredients.
- Sauté Pan — Use a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast iron pan, when cooking the pear compote.
- Wooden Spoon — For stirring the compote as it cooks.
Ingredients for Spiced Pear Compote
This quick pear dessert is made with a handful of basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple pear compote:
- Fresh Pears
- Unsalted Butter
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground cardamom
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Pecan Halves
- Greek Yogurt or Ice Cream, for serving (optional)
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions for this pear compote recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Spiced Pear Compote
The best thing is that this fruit compote recipe is that it is super fast. And look how pretty it is! Impressive recipe, delicious taste, no time…sounds like a winner to me!
Here’s a quick overview of how the spiced pears are made:
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the pears, spices, and syrup. Sauté until fragrant and warm.
- Stir in pecans.
- Serve warm over yogurt or on top of vanilla ice cream.
The above is simply a quick summary of this simple pear compote recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making Simple Pear Compote
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the pear skins before cutting pears into cubes.
- A melon baller works great to remove the core from the pears.
- You’ll want to use ripe pears that are still firm to make this recipe. If the pears are too soft, they’ll fall apart as they’re being sautéed.
- A melon baller works great to remove the core from the pears.
- If you prefer a smoother compote, you can puree the stewed pears using an immersion blender and use chopped pecans instead of pecan halves.
Recipe Substitutions to Try
If you choose to make substitutions in this recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple substitutions that can sometimes lead to unsatisfactory results.
- Use a different sweetener: If you don’t have pure maple syrup on hand, brown sugar, honey or agave may also be substituted. Just note the flavor will be slightly different.
- Try a different fruit: A few readers have asked if they can make spiced apples using this recipe. You likely can, but you might need to cook them slightly longer until you get to your desired tenderness since apples will be harder than pears.
- Add different spices: I love the cinnamon and cardamom in this recipe, but you’re welcome to play around with the spices and experiment with your favorites. Chai spice blend or gingerbread spice blend have flavors that would pair well with the other ingredients in this recipe.
Pear Compote FAQs
Got questions about how to make this simple pear compote? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?
Yes, you can substitute the butter with a vegan butter spread or you can use coconut oil when making this easy recipe.
What are the Best Pears for this Recipe?
The only variety of pears I don’t recommend using when making these pears with spiced syrup are Asian Pears. Other than that, usually any pear that you find in your grocery store will work.
The following varieties would all work fine as long as they’re ripe, but firm pears:
- Anjou Pears – Green or Red
- Bartlett Pears – Green or Red
- Bosc Pears
For more info about fall fresh fruits, check out my fall produce guide.
Ways to Use Spiced Pear Compote
Here are a few ways you might like to use this recipe for spiced pears:
- For an elegant dessert, try serving these spiced pears over vanilla panna cotta.
- Add a scoop of spiced pears over greek yogurt with granola.
- Serve these spiced pears on top of plain oatmeal.
- Enjoy them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Make a pear fool (a fall version of this strawberries and cream recipe) by layering the spied pears with whipped cream in a parfait dish.
- Serve over over waffles or pancakes for a Saturday morning brunch idea.
How to Store Leftover Spiced Pear Compote
This recipe for spiced pears is best enjoyed immediately, but you can save the leftovers for later. Here’s how:
Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and used within about 3-5 days. Make sure you transfer any leftover syrup with the spiced pears. Reheat leftovers gently in a saucepan or in the microwave.
I haven’t tested freezing this pear recipe, so I can’t speak to the success of that. Let me know if you decide to give it a try.
Try this Delicious Spiced Pear Compote Recipe!
Next time you’re looking for new recipe ideas to make with pears, give these spiced pears a try!
Did you think it was the perfect way to enjoy sweet pears? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this fall pear recipe.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this recipe for Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote with Pecans!
More Easy Pear Dessert Recipes:
This Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter makes an excellent homemade gift during the holidays!
This recipe for Pear Sauce is flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s essentially applesauce, but it’s made with pears – a great way to enjoy pears during the fall.
Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Crostini are the perfect solution for simple entertaining during the holiday season. They look far more special than a plate of fruit and cheese, but they’re really a cinch to prepare.
This Cinnamon Pear Galette is essentially a free-form, rustic fruit pie. This pear dessert is a great recipe for fall entertaining!
If you’ve had bad experiences with dry, dense scones, don’t worry! These Glazed Pear Almond Scones have a nice crumb and are kept incredibly moist by the diced pears.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote
Ingredients
For the Pear Compote
- 2 large ripe but firm pears
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Ideas For Serving
- Greek Yogurt and Granola or Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 handful pecan halves, about ½ cup
- Optional: extra maple syrup for drizzling
Instructions
Preparing the Pears
- Peel the pears, then cut them in half and remove the core - a melon baller works great for this!.
- Cut the pears into approximately ¾ inch cubes. Set aside.
Making the Pear Compote
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the chopped pears, cinnamon, cardamom, and maple syrup to the pan.
- Sauté the pear mixture for 3 minutes, until fragrant and warm.
- Then, stir in pecans. Best served warm!
Serving the Spiced Pear Compote
- For breakfast, we like this recipe served warm layered parfait style over granola and Greek yogurt (vanilla honey Greek yogurt is delicious!)
- For a simple dessert, pear compote can be served on top of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
More Ways to Use Spiced Pear Compote
Here are a few ways you might like to use this recipe for spiced pears:
- For an elegant dessert, try serving these spiced pears over vanilla panna cotta.
- Serve these spiced pears on top of plain oatmeal.
- Make a pear fool (a fall version of this strawberries and cream recipe) by layering the pear compote with whipped cream in a parfait dish. You'll want to let the pears cool to room temp first.
- Serve over over waffles or pancakes for a Saturday morning brunch idea.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 23gProtein: 0g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out the How to Make Maple and Cardamom Spiced Pear Compote Story.
Syreeta says
Could you use this recipe for a baked French Toast casserole
Katie Kick says
I haven’t tried that but I think it would be amazing!
Tanya Walker says
I came across this tonight with my sweet tooth. I am devouring it now! It is as good as it looks! I used apples. YUMMOLICIOUS!!!!!! CHOMP CHOMP!!
MArsha says
Can I substitute honey for maple syrup?
Katie says
yes
Charles says
Would I be able to use apples instead of pears? If so, would I need to change any of the recipe?
Katie says
Apples can substitute just fine. You might need to cook slightly longer until you get to your desired tenderness since apples will be harder than pears.
Candace says
This looks amazing!
chocolate freckles says
Ufffff this recipe looks awesome… perfect for a sunday brunch!
Barbara @Modern Comfort Food says
I’m with you on cardamom love. I have three different versions of the spice in my kitchen and simply can’t live without it. Heck, though, I’m also totally with you on pears, maple, and Greek yogurt. This is such an appealing recipe in all ways. Thanks you for sharing it.
Brittany says
Katie,
What a gorgeous recipe! I can’t wait to re-create this in my own kitchen. Pears and cardamom are indeed a pear-fect pairing. Thanks for sharing the pear love!
– Brittany (and friends at USA Pears)
http://www.usapears.org
Monica says
Yumm, those pears look delicous! And take heart, there is hope for Logan! When I was little I ate almost no fruits, vegetables or anything that looked strange. Now, i’m in college and love most of the things I thought I hated and will try pretty much everything! My mom almost fainted when I emailed her and told her I loved octopus!