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, 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 or cornbread, 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
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.