Pears Turning Brown and Mushy? Before Tossing Them, Try These 11 Recipes (2024)

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Few things compare to the deliciously sweet taste of a perfectly ripe pear.

But what happens when they’re past that point of ripeness? You know — when they start to form brown spots and become mushy and unappealing.

Don’t throw away those mushy pieces of fruit! Here are 11 recipes that are perfect if you’re wondering what to do with overripe pears.

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1. Freeze for Smoothies

Do you love to make smoothies? Yes? OK, good, because overripe fruit is perfect for freezing and using in smoothies. Cut off any parts of the pear that have gone bad, cut up the rest, place it in a resealable bag and put it in the freezer.

2. Pear Jam

This has nothing to do with the song “Jeremy.” If your pears are just slightly overripe, you can cook them into a pear jam. You need a lot of pears for this recipe — about three pounds — but the only other two ingredients are lemon juice and sugar.

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3. Pear Crumble

Pear crumble is not only delicious, it’s also easy to make. Besides pears, the rest of the ingredients are staples you probably already have in your pantry or fridge. For this recipe, the mushier the pears, the better.

4. Mash Into a Pancake Topping

Kitchn.com suggests mashing your browning pears and using them as a pancake topping or folding them into your batter. Fruit is always a delicious complement to breakfast foods.

You could also use the mashed pear on top of ice cream. Sundaes, anyone?

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5. Blend Them Into a Salad Dressing

Blend them with some olive oil, vinegar and seasoning for a salad dressing that’s a little on the sweet side. Perhaps try out this delicious pear vinaigrette. Hint: The sweetness pairs well with salty toppings.

6. Bake Into Fruit Leather

This is pretty much a homemade Fruit Roll-Up.

Slow-bake your fruit into pear and cinnamon fruit leather. Although it does take a while in the oven (two to four hours), it’s worth it.

7. Pear Ice Pops

Who doesn’t love ice pops? There’s no baking required for this recipe — these spiced ginger pear frozen pops only require a blender and some ice pop molds. You could also get creative and add in whatever fruits or flavors you want.

Do you like fruit and wine? Make some adult frozen pops with Riesling and overripe pears. These boozy popsicles sound amazing for a party or even just an afternoon treat.

8. Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter

This vanilla spiced pear butter goes perfectly on toast, muffins, oatmeal and ice cream. This recipe uses seven pounds of pears and yields four pints of butter, but you could halve or quarter the recipe.

9. Pear Muffins and Bread

If you love to bake, use your overripe pears for pear and cinnamon muffins — this one’s fun to make with kids.

Much like mushy brown bananas make for delicious banana bread, mushy pears are great for pear bread.

10. Pear Bourbon co*cktail

I’m not one for baking, so I’m not sure I could conquer pear muffins and bread, but this co*cktail? It looks too delicious to not give it a try.

Using the past-its-prime pear, smash and strain your way to this pear bourbon smash co*cktail.

11. Pear Sauce

Instead of applesauce, try some homemade pear sauce. All you need besides pears is sugar, water, lemon juice and (optional) cinnamon spice. You could make a large batch and freeze some to use as easy healthy snacks.

Don’t throw away other perfectly good produce. Here's what to do with mushy bananas, brown avocados, overripe peaches, slimy spinach and often-neglected parts of fruits and veggies.

Jacquelyn Pica is a former SEO specialist at The Penny Hoarder.

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Pears Turning Brown and Mushy? Before Tossing Them, Try These 11 Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are brown pears safe to eat? ›

Speed of browning can vary depending on the variety of apple or pear, and can also be impacted by the age of the fruit. Fruit that has browned is perfectly safe to eat but it doesn't look pleasing (just ask kids what they think of brown apple slices in their lunch boxes!).

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Why do pears turn brown inside? ›

Trapped inside the tissue of fruits are molecules known as enzymes. These enzymes help fruit ripen and turn brown. When fruit is cut or starts to break down, the enzyme is released from the tissue of the fruit and exposed to air which causes the fruit to rapidly change color. This is known as enzymatic browning.

What is the brown rot in pears? ›

Brown rot is a fungal disease of apples, pears, plums, cherries and some other fruit and ornamental trees, causing a brown, spreading rot in fruit. It is caused by the same fungi that cause blossom wilt of the flowers and fruit spurs.