How To Freeze Fresh Pears
By Buster Bucks
Ahhh, fresh pears!
All These Yummy Pears!
It's so easy to preserve pears in your freezer. I love a delicious pear, and when they start coming into season, they're everywhere. We have friends with trees and they give us boxes full of them.
It's a fast and easy process.
How To Know When They're Ripe
When my neighbor gives me a box of Bartlett pears, some will be green, while others will be perfectly ripe.
"Perfectly ripe" pears have a slight yellow'ish color, and the skin can be barely pressed with a finger. Don't let them get too ripe. If you're unsure, take a bite.
Since they ripen unevenly, putting them into the freezer is the easiest way to handle them.
Prepare Your Pears
Using a potato peeler, peel the pears, then slice them in half. I use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds, then my paring knife to remove the "stem" that extends into the pear. You'll see it when you slice into the pear.
Fill a large pot with water and squeeze a lemon into it.
As you slice the pears, drop them into the lemon water. The acid of the lemon will keep them fresh and white until you're ready for the next step.
If I'm working with a few gallons of pears, I'll peel, core and slice all of them into my lemon water before moving on to the next step. If I have several boxes full, then once I have my pot half full of pears I move on to the next step.
You'll see that freezing pears is incredibly easy.
The Next Steps
You'll want to add one tablespoon of Fruit-Fresh to every four cups of pears. Then add 2/3 cup of sugar to each four cups of pears.
Here's how I do it: I use a measuring cup to remove the pears from the lemon water, and strain them through a colander. After I have four cups of (drained) pears I put them into a bowl and add the FruitFresh and the sugar.
By the way, if you don't have Fruit-Fresh (available at grocery stores, it's just ascorbic acid) you can squeeze half of a lemon onto them. The lemon (or Fruit-Fresh) preserves their color. The sugar, by the way, helps to preserve them.
Directions continue after the ebay information below.
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And Into The Freezer
I use quart freezer bags. Make sure you write the date on the bag. I also write where the pears came from. Once they're frozen you won't be able to tell one pear from another.
I put 2 cups into each quart bag, press out the air, then lay them flat on the counter.
Once I have 4 or 5 bags then I stack them carefully in the freezer. Once they're frozen you can move the bags to another part of the freezer. You'll be glad you took this step of freezing them flat. They'll stack much easier later.
Final Thoughts
And that's all there is to it.
Pretty easy, huh?
The pears will keep for up to a year in your freezer.
Use them just like fresh pears -- for cobblers, pies or tarts. I usually take out two bags and put them in my refrigerator to thaw, then later I'll make my dough for the pies, pour the thawed pears into it, and pop it into the oven. It's so easy -- and we get to enjoy the fresh taste of pears year-round.
Make sure your pears are completely thawed before putting them into your pies or cobblers. If they're still half frozen, it'll make your crust soggy. This is the voice of experience...
Want my Pear Bread recipe? Click the link below. Want to make an incredible cobbler with your pears. Click my recipe below -- the only change you make is substitute pears for apples.
Hope this information helps you to preserve your pears for year-round eating.
Other Recipes
- World's Best Peach Cobbler Recipe
I've been baking peach cobblers for years, and I've learned a few things to do -- and what NOT to do. The fact is -- there's quite a big difference between a merely "good" peach cobbler and a truly great... - World's Best Pear Bread
This pear bread recipe is quick, easy and absolutely delicious. Because it uses apple sauce, it has half the calories of standard quick breads -- this is a recipe you'll keep and use for years. 1/2 cup oil ...
Comments
Hi Doreen,
"Fruit fresh" and "pectin" are different things.
Pectin helps fruit to jell.
"Fruit fresh" is ascorbic acid, and helps fruit maintain it's fresh color by preventing the browning process.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write!
Best regards,
Buster
Might sound like a 'northern question' :)
Is fruit fresh the same as fruit pectin? I use SureJell for my berry jams and wasn't sure if it was what you meant. Thanks in advance!
glad to hear how to freeze pears as i was given lots and i do not like to waste any food so shall not b now. t u
Thanks so much for this! My husband tonight bought me the wonderful gift of 37 pears from a garden where he is working, and I was looking for a quick and easy way to store them - looks like I found it!
Thank you for taking the trouble to post this - I am a novice at doing stuff with fruit as its my first ever garden with fruit trees, and I really love pears :)
Hi Carol,
No, the skins need to be peeled from the pears before freezing. If you leave the skins on, the skins become chewy and unpleasant -- kind of a "gritty" sensation in the mouth.
I know it's a headache to peel the pears, but it's necessary for freezing them.
Thanks for taking the time to write -- and good luck with your pears.
Best regards,
Buster
I wondered if you could leave the skins on the pears when you freeze them?
Hi Dee,
I'm envious that you have so many pears! I think you'll choose to freeze pears from now on. Though I have a recipe for canning pears, I always freeze mine. It's easier, faster, and they're just as good.
:-)
Best regards,
Buster
Wow, Thank you so much Buster for the helpful info. Who would of known that you could freeze a pear. I canned pears for 5 hrs yesterday and only yielded 6 quts. Wish I would have thought of my question yesterday!! So now I can freeze the remaining 60 lbs I have. Thanks again and have a great day!! :)
Hi Theresa,
Glad you'll be able to put up all those pears. Thanks for taking the time to write to me.
Best regards,
Buster
I have found this site very useful,being of the older generation I was a bit dubious, but my tree full of pears now will not go to waste , many thanks
Hi Janeen,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write!
Best regards,
Buster
Thanks so much, Buster! This helps a lot! Great site you have here!
Hi Janeen,
Yes, sometimes I freeze fruits (while they're perfectly ripe) when I know I don't have time to make jams or preserves. Later, when I have time, I defrost the fruits and... off I go.
:-)
I usually decrease the sugar by about a half cup. If you're making a small batch of preserves, you could reduce it by only 1/4 cup.
Good luck!
Buster
I use the southern "sand" pear for homemade preserves. I want to freeze some to make preserves later. Any suggestions on how to estimate how much sugar to use at the time of preserve-making since some is used in the freezing process? Thanks!
Hi Jacqueline and Sandra,
Jacqueline: I've never eaten a Concorde pear, but I've heard they're really delicious. You're lucky your tree produces so many fruit!
Sandra: Yes, this recipe is really easy. Don't you love the look of the bags of frozen pears in the freezer?
:-)
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Best regards,
Buster
WOW Thank you! My mom gave me a huge box of pears from her tree and I groaned! Now I can't wait for her trees to bear next year! This was/is a terrific recipe and EASY. Thank you thank you!
Many thanks for your pear preserving tips, I have a 'concord' pear tree in my garden in Norfolk, U.K. and it produces freely! So it's pear wine, freezing and perhaps bottling. Last year I cooked them with spices before freezing, but lemon juice is a good addition: brown pears are not too enticing.
Hi Joan,
Yes, you can easily freeze cooked, diced pears. The way you've prepared them is great!
My mom uses peaches she's put up in the freezer, apples, and pears for making fried pies.
I love 'em!
Good luck, and thanks for taking the time to write.
Best regards,
Buster
Buster,
I am sorry that I didn't read my commment before posting. I want to freeze diced pears that have already been cooked. I peeled them and added Fruit Fresh to them and sugar and splenda and cinnimon. I would like to put some in freezer bags and freeze. Wuold this be a safe way to use them. I love to make fried pear pies. Thanks Joan from Ga
Hello Joan,
Glad the recipe was helpful.
Yes, you can defrost the pears and make pear butter. When fruits are coming into season, I don't have time to make all of the jams/jellies I would like, so freezing is a great way to capture all of that goodness, while still making jam (or pear butter!) "later down the road."
Thanks so much for writing to me.
Best regards,
Buster
Buster Bucks
Thank you for the frozen pear receipe. Can you make pear butter from the frozen pears? Frezzing the pears was so easy. Thank you again,
Joan From GA
Hello Faye,
We have friends who live on the next hill with pear trees that produce so many fruits the limbs droop to the point of breaking. They put supports under the limbs. How wonderful to have so many pears!
Your pear dumpling idea sounds a lot like a cobbler my grandmother used to make with blackberries -- she'd drop her dumplings directly into boiling blackberries, then the whole thing was poured into a baking dish... more strips of dough were arranged on top and it was baked. Thanks for reminding me of it.
Best regards,
Buster
thanks so much..our tree has so many pears it is breaking the limbs..i usually try and preserve them but i wanted to try and freeze some..i make pear dumplings with mine..you just use pears instead of chicken..thanks again
Hi Debbie,
Yes, they do!
You'll enjoy cooking with pears -- they're wonderful in cobblers, pies, warmed and put on top of pancakes, or baked into sweet bread, and so on.
Thanks for writing --
Buster
Will the pears taste just as good using them right out of the freezer (after thawing, of course). I've not cooked with pears, although I may have to try that. Thank you!
Thanks for the great info. Would love to have your pear/apple cobbler recipe, only saw the peach recipe here.
Can't wait to make the pear bread as well!
Janis
Hi Michelle,
Water? No.
However (and perhaps this is what you meant) the prepared pears will extrude some juice because of the sugar.
When I scoop out my two cups of pears, I always include a little bit of that juice in the bag.
Make sure you squeeze the air out of the freezer bags before you seal them.
Good luck!
Buster
Do i put water in the freezer bags with my pears?
Hi Allan,
Yes, this process works for all types of pears. You're lucky to have so many pears this year!
Thanks for taking the time to write -- good luck.
Buster
My pear trees are just loaded with pears and they are now ripe. This year I want to preserve more than just what we can eat (and give away)so your tips will come in very handy. Thanks!
BTW: mine are not Bartlets - they're a hard pear for cooking; Seckel or Bosc maybe. I assume the same process will work on mine.
Thanks Buster!! I have 2 pear trees that produced so well this year that even my neighbors are sick of pears!! I'm glad I found your page!!
Hi Sandy,
Yes, there's syrup left in the bowl. You're smart to use it for lemonade, what a great idea.
So glad your pears turned out nicely for you. Thanks so much for writing!
All the best,
Buster
Great instuctions, worked wonderful. After I spooned the pears into the freezer bags I had syrup left over in the bowl. I used it with my prepackaged lemonade mix so nothing went to waste!
Hi Sandy,
I've now included the links. I have another article here and THAT one had the links! Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Best regards,
Buster
Thanks for the freezing recipe. The rest of the mentioned recipes, bread, cobbler seem to be missing. Any suggestions?
I appreciate your dedication to educating us.
Hi Sandy,
In "The Next Steps" that cup is full of pears that you've removed from the water. I've now revised that sentence to make it clearer.
As our best teachers used to say: "there are no stupid questions."
:-)
Good luck to you, and thanks for writing.
Buster
I'm new at this and a little confused about "The Next Step". This may sound like a stupid question, but what do you do with the cup of liquid that you remove?
Hi Tanya,
Every year I put some fruit in the freezer, make some into jams and jellies, and some I put into jars.
If I had more freezer space, I think I'd freeze more, but... we work with what we have, right?
Thanks for your encouragement, Tanya.
Buster
Thank You for your article! It is obvious that there are a lot of people with the same interests and desire to preserve their fruit and haven't grown up in a family that has done that and passed down the great tradition. Thank You for your ease in instruction and thoughtful advice. I had no idea you could freeze pears. I have pears and am deciding which way to go. Maybe both ways. Keep on sharing your talents and gifts from God!
To see if your pear is ready for harvest.... lift up the pear at a 90 degree angle to the stem... if it falls into your hands its ready.... if not... leave it on the tree. (fallen fruit all around the tree means... hurry up)
Store the freshly picked pears in your frig for 24 hours, then set on counter for 6 days. Gently pressing around the stem end should show a slight 'yield' in the fruit.... READY TO EAT. (or can or freeze).
Hi Rachel,
It varies, but you should begin having ripe pears within 3 - 6 days. The pears will ripen here and there, so wait until you have enough ripe ones to use the recipe above.
Thanks for writing -- and good luck!
Buster
hi there!! I think I have Bosc pears... they are all pretty hard (just started picking them today)... any guess as to how long they need to ripen? (on average?)
Thanks :D
Hi JJ,
Press them gently with your finger. If the skin gently gives, then the pears are ripe.
I've never frozen pears without sugar, so the following is my best guess:
Yes, you can freeze pears without sugar. However, since sugar acts as a preservative, you will probably want to use your frozen pears within 3 or 4 months. I'm not sure they would last as long without the sugar.
Good luck, and thanks for writing --
Buster
How do I know if my pears are ripe enough to freeze? And, also, I am diabetic so I wondered if not using any sugar at all will make a difference in the freezing? Thanks.
Hi Linda,
Pears are hard because they're not ripe. It is important that you freeze *ripe* pears, otherwise you're going to open a bag from the freezer and discover... hard unripe pears.
Once they're ripe, and you slice them, they will exude juice (the sugar will also cause them to produce juice) and so you will have a syrup around your pears, not dry sugar.
I hope this helps!
Good luck --
Buster
I also am new to freezing pears. Our pears are hard, but we were told that our pears are supposed to be hard ...so my question to you regarding your recipe is- after putting the fruit fresh or lemon juice on them and measuring out the sugar - is there no liquid involved here? It sounds to me like there will be dry sugar in the bag, or what should I expect?
Thanks for the encouragement, Scamp, and good luck with those pears!
All the best,
Buster
Thanks so much for the quick and easy recipe for freezing pears. I have tons and this is after giving all my neighbours bags of pears. I am not a very good cook so a recipe like this is WONDERFUL FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME. Keep up the good work.
Hi Ladyface,
I'm envious of those old pear trees!
Good luck putting them in the freezer -- you'll love having fresh pears to eat all year long.
All the best,
Buster
This is wonderful! I just bought a house that has two massive (have to be at least 30 years old) pear trees COVERED in fruit. I've never had fruit trees before, and really don't want them to go to waste (I ripened one and tried it - soooo good).
Thanks so much for your info. I'm really not prepared to do canning - I'm not even fully unpacked.
Hi Kimi,
You are SO right! You're preserving, and serving, fresh wholesome food that actually costs less than what you get at the grocery store.
What's not to like?
:-)
Thanks so much for taking the time to write.
All the best,
Buster
Hi, I am so thankful for sites like yours. I am just starting to can and preserve items and have found so many useful sites like yours. I have found in these hard times that preserving and freezing fresh items when they are cheaper and in season, for later, saves my family alot of money. Thank you for sharing your tips and ideas. The Green Family
Thanks for the pear bread recipe and the info on how to freeze pears. Have a pear tree and it's loaded with pears this year. Already picked some and will freeze as many as I can this year using your advice.
Thanks, very good information.
Hi Josie,
Yes, I have lots of pears, too... and freezing helps me use/preserve all that extra bounty.
:-)
Thanks so much for writing --
Buster
Hi there, I live in France and have always struggled to use up the glut of pears we get each year. After bottling, pickling, chutney, jam etc there always seem to be tonnes left over. Everyone around here also has pears so I can't even give them away so this advice about how to freeze them is superb - Hooray, no more wasted pears. Thank you.
Also, frozen pears are a great ingredient for homemade sorbet or fruit shakes. High natural sugar content makes them ideal for a post-workout shake supplement.
Hi Rotgirl,
Good luck with your pears! It really is wonderful to have fresh-tasting pears the entire year.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write --
Buster
After getting substantial damage from Hurricane Rita, our pear tree FINALLY produced abundantly this year.
We're trying this today.
I can't wait to be able to have pear cobbler all year round!
Thanks for posting these easy to understand directions!
Oh man! That sounds great! Only thing you failed to do, was give us the recipe for your pear pie! I'mma fan!
l just picked some very drey pears from the tres with no juice in them, however l boiled them and made a suryp they were yummy although very sweet. Does anybody know of a nice pear juice l could have
Maree
Hey there,
Freezing doesn't affect the texture -- you can thaw them and use them in any dessert you want. As to eating them out of the bag... it depends on your taste. Why not give it a try?
:-)
Buster
WHAT DOES FREEZING DO TO THE TEXTURE OF THE PEAR? CAN WE JUST THAW OUT A BAG AND EAT THEM-OR ARE THEY JUST MUSH?
Hi Diana,
I don't have any expertise in this area.
A friend of mine dragged a water hose to his tree and sprayed the water (the "shower" type, rather than a long blast of water) and that caused many of them to fly away, and of course the ones who were hit with water weren't able to fly.
I have no idea whether this would work for you or not. Obviously, bug spray is a no-no!
Thanks for writing --
Buster
I have pears to pick but Waspers are on them. How do I kill the Waspers? I am afraid i will get stinged.
Hi Bert,
Do you know how the apple peel becomes tough if you leave it on the counter? That's what happens to it in the freezer. Obviously, try whatever you'd like, but...
:-)
Hi Susie,
Glad you found the pear info -- good luck!
Buster
I live in Cambridge, UK and have been searching for ways to preserve the glut of pears I have this year, stumbled across your site,wonderful keep on with the good work
OMG, I have another idea/question. My wife got an apple peeler-corer from a kitchen party group, "PC." Could I freeze the whole coily-orb just the way it comes off of the spinner? I could cut it up when I'm ready to use it. I'll even consider giving it a lemon juice and/or ascorbic acid bath. Let me know.
Hi, Buster.
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'll find out in January. I suspect they'' all turn brown, but that didn't bother me, theoretically. As you said, the skin may be a problem. If I have to I can use all I have previously frozen as a sort of apple pulp for apple bread, or cake. I can put in the Mouli. At least I'll have a tasty, nutritious quick bread. I have more "seconds" so, I can also try freezing them in the tried-and-true way. Incidentally, we also have a quince tree. I have been cutting up little pieces and just freezing them (in foodsaver vac-bags). I cut off all the skins. I guess I thought I could just cook the quince chunks when I am ready to use them. I hope it works. It appears I have a lot to learn. Thanks, Bert
Hi Bert,
Why don't you write to me in about 4 months or so and let me know how they're doing? Will they turn brown? Become mushy in an odd non-appley way? I'm not sure...
As to the skins -- they tend to get chewy if they're left on the apples then frozen. Four Seasons aside, even Moosewooders tend to shy from chewy, stringy skins.
:)
Hope to hear from you!
Buster
Hi,
a friend from work who's very farmy told me to just cut up apples and freeze them - using no sugar or lemon of any kind. So, I cut up a bunch of cheap "seconds" apples and put them into foodsaver bags and froze them. I don't expect them to be beautiful. I'll just use them for crisps, mushy pies, cobblers and breads. Are they going to be acceptable the way I did them? Oh, I also kept most of the skins on, unless they needed trimming. I thought the skin was an important nutrient and fiber source. Anything I plan to make will be much more Moosewood than Four Seasons. Thanks for any advice.
Hi Rochelle,
I'm glad to hear your tree produced a bumper crop this year!
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Buster
Just in time-- my kitchen table is filled with ripening pears. Our pear tree decided it was a good year to produce. Thanks for the tips.
Hi JoAnn,
Yes, they can be used in breads. Make sure you let them fully defrost before adding them to your batter. I usually put them into a large pan, (still in their freezer bag) and cover them with hot water. After about 20 minutes pour this water off, add more hot water, and wait another 10 minutes or so. You'll be able to feel when they're defrosted.
Then use them!
By the way, if you let them defrost and then let -- oh, say, 8 hours pass -- you may find that your fruit has discolored a little bit. It doesn't hurt the quality of the fruit, but in baked goods I want the fruit to look appetizing. This is why I defrost in hot water, over a short'ish amount of time.
Thanks for writing --
Buster
Hi JoAnn,
Yes, they can be used in breads. Make sure you let them fully defrost before adding them to your batter. I usually put them into a large pan, (still in their freezer bag) and cover them with hot water. After about 20 minutes pour this water off, add more hot water, and wait another 10 minutes or so. You'll be able to feel when they're defrosted.
Then use them!
By the way, if you let them defrost and then let -- oh, say, 8 hours pass -- you may find that your fruit has discolored a little bit. It doesn't hurt the quality of the fruit, but in baked goods I want the fruit to look appetizing. This is why I defrost in hot water, over a short'ish amount of time.
Thanks for writing --
Buster
Hi
thanks for recipe which I was searching web for and looks good but what are cups? Do they relate to weights or volumes?
Can frozen pears be used in making breads--like apples and such?
Hi Kath,
I'm not a fan of pickling pears either.
;-)
Thanks for taking the time to write. Good luck!
Buster
i am so glad i found you, all the other sights i have looked at all want to pickle pears, i want sweet pears and the way you do then looks so easy so i can now preserve my pears and eat then as they should be eaten all year round , thank you so much
Hello May,
"Without the internet"...? I can't even think about it.
;-)
Thanks so much for taking the time to write -- I hope those pears turn out beautifully for you.
You can use the frozen pears as you would fresh pears -- in cobblers and pies, etc. Check back here, if you like. I'm planning to write a couple of my pear recipes into these hubs soon.
Warmest regards,
Buster
Where would I be without the internet? I have just picked the last crop of rhubarb, apples & raspberries from my garden in the UK this morning and have frozen them for winter dinner parties. Then my sister gave me a huge bag of pears from her garden this afternoon and I wasn't sure if I could freeze them or not. Thank you for your freezing tips now I just need to find some interesting recipes for pears!
Hi Suzie,
Use the pears the same way you would fresh pears: to make double-crust pie; for making cobblers and crisps; for making pear sauce (same idea as apple sauce); for freeform tarts like the French make; as a side dish to serve with pork chops (all you do is cook the pears with a half cup of water till they're soft -- they're a great side dish with pork.)
Hope this helps --
Buster
Interesting hub. What other uses do frozen pears have?
Hi Vee,
The instructions are correct. When freezing pears, there is no boiling. That's why putting them into your freezer is so fast and easy.
;-)
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Buster
This sounds easy, but you left out how long to boil the pears. That would be nice to know because this is my first time to do any thing like this. Thank you. Vee
Hi Amanda,
I'm so glad you took the time to let me know. Enjoy those pears!
Buster
Thanks so much for this. It worked really well for me!
Hey there,
Thanks for the encouraging words -- good luck with your pears!
Buster
sweet! awesome tips and intructions. i'll have to try that now before the local summer fruits end. Thanks!! :D
Hi Cheryl,
Excellent! You'll love how easy this process is, and how delicious the pears are.
Thanks for writing --
Buster
Thank you so much! I have a tree loaded with round pears and had no idea what to do with them.
pamaro 7 weeks ago
thanks for taking the time and posting now my pears won't go to waste.
God Bless.