Name: Spiced Cranberry-Pear Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces fresh cranberries; 2 pears (peeled and chopped); 1 cup water; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

This Spiced Cranberry Pear Sauce is deliciously sweet and tart, with hints of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. It comes together in under 15 minutes and makes a fantastic addition to any holiday table!

When it comes to cranberry sauce, you’re either team canned or team fresh. And I, for one, am team fresh. Now don’t get me wrong… I grew up on the canned stuff and I would never turn my nose up at it. But there’s just something about fresh that always hits the spot.

My favorite thing about it? The fact that it’s the one sweet part of an otherwise savory holiday meal. And this recipe is made even sweeter with the addition of fresh pears. It’s a simple addition, but I like it so much better than regular old cranberry sauce. Between the tart cranberries, the sweet pears and the subtle blend of spices, it’s everything you want in a cranberry sauce. And just might change your mind about canned vs. fresh!

Table of Contents

Best of all, it’s super easy to make, with just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes. So you can focus on allll the other parts of your delicious holiday meal!

what you’ll need for this recipe

Cranberries – This recipe uses one 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. Feel free to substitute frozen cranberries if you need to.

Pears – I added 2 fresh pears, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces. I used D’Anjou pears, which are firmer than Bartlett, but you can use either variety in this recipe.

Water – For the liquid, I used 1 cup of water, which I combined with the brown sugar. Feel free to substitute apple juice, cranberry juice or white grape juice instead.

Brown sugar – I sweetened this sauce with 1/2 cup of lightly packed brown sugar. You can also use granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup, or any of your favorite sweeteners.

Pumpkin pie spice – Finally, for a touch of spice, I added 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

how to make cranberry pear sauce

Boil the water and brown sugar. In a large saucepan, combine the water and brown sugar. Bring to a boil.

Add the cranberries, pears and spices. Add the cranberries, pears, and spices. Return to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberry skins pop and mixture has thickened (about 10 minutes).

Cool. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe Variations

Use canned pears in place of fresh pears (stir them in at the end)
Substitute canned peaches or mandarin oranges
Substitute fresh, chopped apples for the pears
Use granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup instead of brown sugar
Add pomegranate seeds for extra flavor and texture
Use any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice in place of pumpkin pie spice

more delicious holiday recipes

Round out your holiday meal with these delicious recipes… perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!