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–+ servings
Four lined up canning jars of fresh pears.
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5 from 1 vote

Canned Pears Recipe

Ready to enjoy sweet, juicy pears all year long? Our easy canning tutorial will teach you how to can pears at home — perfect for both beginners and seasoned canners!
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Canning
Cuisine: American
Keyword: canned pears, canning pears
Servings: 42 servings
Calories: 196kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Ingredients

  • 18 pounds Bartlett pears (appx 30-36 medium-sized pears)
  • 1 gallon water (to keep pears from browning)
  • 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid powder (this is different from citric acid, see notes above)
  • 8 cups water
  • 4 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

  • First, prepare and sanitize your jars (this recipe should yield 4-5 quart jars). If you are unsure how to do this, check out our Water Bath Canning Guide or read notes above.
    Quart size canning jars in warm soapy water.
  • In a large bowl, prepare an ascorbic acid solution to prevent browning of the pears. Mix 1 gallon water to 1 level teaspoon of ascorbic acid powder (this is different from citric acid). You may need to double or triple the solution to fit all the pears. Alternatively, you can mix 1/2 gallon of water with 3 tablespoons of fresh fruit preserver that uses ascorbic acid as main ingredient.
    Pouring fresh fruit preserver from a measuring spoon into a large bowl of water. Pears on the side.
  • Wash and peel pears. Cut lengthwise in halves. Remove core by using a melon baller or spoon. Place in water ascorbic acid solution while working to keep the pears from browning.
    Cutting board with peeled fresh pear cut in half and melon baller used to remove the core.
  • Prepare syrup by combining 8 cups water and 4 cups sugar together in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Drain fruit and add to the syrup. Bring to a boil and boil for 4-5 minutes.
    Large pot with sugar syrup and prepared pears.
  • Fill jars with hot fruit and syrup leaving 1/2" headspace at the top of the jars. I like to use a slotted spoon and pack in the jar first and then spoon the syrup over the top. Do this one jar at a time and work quickly.
    Spooning prepared pear into canning jar.
  • Adjust lids and process. For water bath processing (recommended method), process quart jars for the following times and elevations: 0-1,000 feet = 25 min, 1,001-3,000 feet = 30 min, 3,001-6,000 feet = 35 min, 6,000+ feet = 40 min.
    If packing pints, process for 5 minutes less than the times/elevation suggested for quart jars.
    Twisting lid onto canned pears.

Notes

Please note that prep time and cooking time are an average. It depends on how easy your pears are to peel, elevation, etc.
If this is your first time canning or need more guidance and tips for water bath canning, please see our Water Bath Canning Guide. This will help you all along the way from preparing your jars to storing the final product and everything in between. 
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg