How to Freeze Pears Without Sugar

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Things You'll Need

  • Kitchen towel

  • Peeler

  • Fruit slicer or knife

  • Ascorbic acid

  • Shallow tray

  • Freezer containers or zip-top bags

Do not soak pears in water.
Image Credit: ThanakonHD/iStock/Getty Images

While frozen pears are traditionally packed with sugar syrup, you can also freeze fresh pears using a dry pack method. The dry pack method does not require any sweetener, but because these pears brown faster than those prepared with sugar, you need to take special precautions to ensure a quality fruit. Choose firm pears that are uniformly ripened for freezing.

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Step 1

Rinse the pears under running water and pat them dry with a clean towel.

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Step 2

Peel the pears and remove any visible brown spots. Slice each into 12 pieces, then remove the core, seeds and stems. A fruit slicer can make this faster.

Step 3

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons of cold water. Sprinkle the mixture over the pears.

Step 4

Place the pear slices on a shallow tray and put them in the freezer. Allow them to fully freeze for a couple hours. Once frozen, immediately remove and place them in a freezer container or zip-top storage bags and return them to the freezer.

Tip

Pears have a tendency to darken quickly when frozen and lose flavor when thawed. Prevent this by using citric or ascorbic acid. Pears that will be cooked before use can also be steamed. Unsweetened pears can also be packed in water or natural juice. Use the frozen pears within eight months.

Warning

Pears frozen using the dry pack method take longer to thaw than those frozen with sugar syrups and may be softer.

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