There are few things as satisfying as the sugary flavor of a perfectly ripe pear.
But what if they’ve gone a bit past peak ripeness? You know — when brown spots appear and the flesh turns soft and a bit unappetizing.
Don’t toss those overly soft fruits! Here are 11 recipes and uses that are ideal when you’re wondering what to do with overripe pears.
1. Freeze for Smoothies
Do you enjoy making smoothies? If so, overripe fruit is ideal for freezing and blending later. Trim away any spoiled sections, chop the rest, place the pieces in a resealable bag and pop them in the freezer.
2. Pear Jam
This isn’t about the song “Jeremy.” If your pears are only slightly past prime, you can simmer them into a pear jam. This recipe requires quite a few pears — roughly three pounds — and the other main ingredients are just lemon juice and sugar.
Preserve the finished jam in Mason jars, spread it on toast, stir it into yogurt or desserts, or use it as a glaze for meats. There are countless ways to enjoy jam.
3. Pear Crumble
Pear crumble is not only scrumptious but very simple to prepare. Apart from pears, the other ingredients are probably things you already stock in your pantry. For this dish, softer pears actually enhance the texture and flavor.
4. Mash Into a Pancake Topping
Kitchn.com recommends mashing your browning pears to use as a topping for pancakes or fold into batter. Fruit is always a tasty addition to breakfast dishes.
You could also spoon mashed pear over ice cream for a delightful sundae.
5. Blend Them Into a Salad Dressing
Puree pears with olive oil, vinegar and seasonings for a slightly sweet dressing. Try this tasty pear vinaigrette. Tip: The sweetness complements salty garnishes nicely.
6. Bake Into Fruit Leather
This is essentially a homemade Fruit Roll-Up.
Slow-bake your fruit into pear and cinnamon fruit leather. It requires a long oven time (about two to four hours), but the result is worth the wait.
7. Pear Ice Pops
Who can resist ice pops? No baking necessary — these spiced ginger pear pops just need a blender and molds. Feel free to experiment by adding other fruits or flavors.
Enjoy fruit with wine? Make grown-up frozen treats by combining Riesling with overripe pears. These boozy popsicles are perfect for parties or a leisurely afternoon snack.
8. Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter
This vanilla spiced pear butter is excellent on toast, muffins, oatmeal and ice cream. The recipe calls for seven pounds of pears and yields about four pints, though you can halve or quarter the batch if you prefer.
If you tackle the full recipe, freeze extra jars to enjoy pear butter all year long.
9. Pear Muffins and Bread
If baking is your thing, use overripe pears for pear-cinnamon muffins — a fun activity to do with kids.
Just as overly soft bananas make wonderful banana bread, mushy pears work great in pear quick bread.
10. Pear Bourbon Cocktail
I’m not much of a baker, so pastries may be out of my league, but this cocktail? It seems too good not to try.
Use a past-its-prime pear — smash, strain and mix your way into this pear bourbon smash cocktail.
11. Pear Sauce
Swap applesauce for homemade pear sauce. All you need besides pears is sugar, water, lemon juice and optional cinnamon. Make a big batch and freeze portions for quick, healthy snacks.
Alexandra Ford is a former content editor at Savinly.
