Do you have a pear tree rich in fruit? You must be wondering what to do with all that fresh delicious fruit! In fact, you must be wondering, can you freeze pears?
Pears can be frozen for around 12 months. You can freeze pears either on their own or in a sweetened syrup depending on how you plan on using them.Â
Can You Refreeze Pears? No
Do Pears Freeze Well? Yes
How To Freeze Pears
There is no way to avoid the preparation work when it comes to freezing pears but it is well worth it as it will save you time and hassle when it comes to using the pears at a later date.
How to Freeze Pears
If you don’t want to freeze your pears in syrup and prefer to keep them fairly natural then follow this method.
1) Prepare Pears
You need to choose firm, ripe pears and then peel core and cut them into halves or quarters.
2) Soak
Prepare a bowl of lemon juice mixed with water. About three tablespoons of lemon juice should work. This is to stop the pears from going brown and spoiling. Soak the pears in the solution for about three minutes.
3) Drain and Dry
Drain the pears and allow them to dry. You may need to dab the pears dry using a piece of kitchen paper to absorb the excess moisture.
4) Flash Freeze
Layout the pair halves or quarters onto the sheet taking care to ensure they are not touching. You don’t want them to get stuck together. Place this tray into the freezer, trying to keep it flat.
5) Bag Up
Once the pear pieces have frozen solid, take them back out of the freezer and transfer them into a freezer bag.
6) Freeze
Label the bag with the date and name of the contents and put it back into the freezer.
This is the basic way to freeze pear pieces. But this isn’t the only way to go about freezing them.
How to Freeze Pears In Syrup
If you want to preserve the pears for longer and are likely to serve them up as part of a dessert, then freezing pears in sugar syrup is a great solution:
- Prepare
Choose ripe but firm pears. Peel, core and cut the pears into halves or slices. - Soak
You will need to treat the pears with an acidic solution to stop them from browning. You can use lemon juice for this. Put three tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl of water and soak the prepared pears in the solution for about three minutes. - Drain
Drain the fruit and allow it to dry. - Make Syrup
Prepare a syrup by dissolving sugar into water. The amount of sugar will change how light or heavy the syrup is. This is down to your personal preference. - Prepare Containers
Prepare some freezer-safe containers by labelling them with the contents and the date. - Mix
Two cups of pears should be mixed with about half a cup of syrup. You can add a little extra syrup if you prefer. Make sure you leave some space at the top of the container for the syrup to expand as it freezes. - Freeze
Pop the containers into the freezer and freeze.
How to Freeze Poached Pears
If you prefer to poach your pears before freezing them then the good news is you can successfully freeze poached pears too! Just poach them as you normally would and then follow the steps above for freezing pears in syrup to then freeze them.
3 Tips for Freezing Pears
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing pears to have the best results:
Leave Room for Expansion
If you are freezing pears in any form of liquid then it’s a good idea to leave room for expansion. Liquids will expand when frozen so leave a small gap at the top of any container.
Extend the Life With Syrup
Pears frozen on their own will last for around 3 months. If you add sugar syrup (which is a preservative) they will last 4 times longer.
Mix With Other Fruit
You can mix pears with other, similar fruit such as apples to create a mixed bag of fruit that can be used in crumbles or smoothies.
How Long Can You Freeze Pears?
How long you can keep pears frozen will depend on how you froze them. Uncooked pears frozen in syrup can last for up to twelve months in the freezer, making it the perfect method for freezing a lot of pears!
Poached pears or pears frozen without a syrup don’t have quite such a long freezer life. You should be looking to use these pears within about three months of freezing.
You Can Freeze Pears for Around 12 Months
How Do You Defrost Pears?
For many recipes and uses, you may not want to defrost your pears at all! If you have chosen to freeze pears without a syrup for popping into smoothies, juices and pureeing then you don’t need to defrost them at all.
Just pop them into your blender and blend – just delicious!
If you do need to defrost the pears then the best method is to allow them to defrost slowly in the fridge. Just pop them into a bowl and allow them to defrost for a few hours.
Can You Refreeze Pears?
You shouldn’t refreeze pears. As with any fruit, there is a danger of them becoming spoiled or mushy and this increases in likelihood the more times you freeze them. Doing this could make them inedible or even make you sick.
Do Pears Freeze Well?
As long as you have prepared and frozen your pears well then they should be perfectly delicious after freezing.
However, they will not be quite the same as they were fresh. They won’t have that firm, crisp texture as you bite into one. This makes them much more suited to cooking than eating once they have been frozen.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing pears or pears in general, then these may help:
Can You Freeze Pear Crumble?
Can You Freeze Pears for Smoothies?
Freezing your pears in syrup will cancel out those benefits. When it comes to using them, just toss them into the blender from the freezer – there’s no need to thaw them.
Can You Freeze Pears With Skin On?
Got a Question? Find the Answer Below:
I had plans on making pear preserves and pear relish with my pears and I have not had the spare time I counted on to do this. What I am wanting to know is if I freeze my pears will they work to thaw at a later time to make relish and preserves?