What screams autumn and festive to you more than these delicious poached pears, that are so easy and made in a slow cooker.

That perfect autumn smell; cinnamon mixed with star anise and a hint of cardamom. It never fails to deliver an instant cozy feeling and an image of family and friends by the fire place. Not that I actually have a fire place but you get the picture.

poached pears from the slowcooker

Poached pears from the slow cooker

My slowcooker is my biggest friend on busy days. I just drop everything in it and go about my business while the machine does the hard work. Now these poached pears can easily – and quickly – be made in a regular pot so why use the slow cooker you might wonder. I’ll tell you why.

Due to the slower cooking method the smell and flavor has all the time to infuse into the pears making the spices so much more pronounced.

Instantpot vs slowcooker

To be honest I made this in the instantpot but on the slowcooker setting. So you can make this in an instantpot or in the slowcooker as well. Either way will work.

I also added in some port wine for extra flavor, but that is an optional extra. If you don’t want to add alcohol you can leave it out. I also didn’t add any additional sweetener as I used slightly sweetened cranberry juice. That was sweet enough for my taste but feel free to add a bit of sugar of honey if you prefer to have your pears sweeter.

You can serve the pears as they are or you can add some custard or vanilla ice to it. Or use the pears for another recipe as I tend to do!

poached pears from the slowcooker
poached pears from the slowcooker

Slowcooker poached pears

5 from 1 vote
GangDessert
KeukenDutch
Delicious and fragrant are these poached pears made in the slowcooker
Save recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Save Print Pin
Decorative clock showing preparation time
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 3 hours
Total time 3 hours 15 minutes

Equipment

  • Slowcooker

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo poaching pears cleaned
  • 3 sticks cinnamon
  • 3 pcs star anise
  • 1 mandarin peel
  • 5 pcs cardamom bruised
  • 1 liter cranberry juice sweetened
  • 150 ml port wine optional

  • After peeling the poaching pears place them in the slowcooker with the pointed tips up. Add the cranberry juice, the port wine (if using), the spices and the madarin peel.
  • Turn the slowcooker on at low and leave for about 3-4 hours.
  • You can check if the pears are done by pricking them with a fork. If it goes in smoothly the pears are done.
  • Turn of the slowcooker and leave the pears in the liquid so the flavors can be even more pronounced. That is optional. You can use them right away if you want.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @insimoneskitchen_ or tag #insimoneskitchen!

Sharing is caring!

About the Author

Simone van den Berg

Food blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Likes to create healthy and easy recipes for daily use, but also loves the occasional sweet dish. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist

More by Simone »
Slowcooker Autumn Christmas Dessert recipes Holidays

published on Nov 6, 2022

1 comment Leave a Comment »