Easy Pear Sorbet | Pears going bad? Make this! 

This delicious pear sorbet is made with just 4 ingredients: overripe pears, a dash of maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of cinnamon. Even more, you don’t have to use an ice cream maker to make this smooth and creamy pear sorbet. If you love frozen desserts, you will love this healthy treat. It’s so wonderful, I’ve lately been letting a few pears over ripen just so I can enjoy this sorbet.

Wondering what to do with pears going bad? I get it. I buy a lot of my produce from Costco, and often go overboard and bring home more than my daughter and I can eat. Pears ripen so quickly, and I don’t like eating them when they’re overripe and mushy. Lately I’ve been on a mission to limit food waste, so when I saw those sorry pears begging for mercy in my fruit bowl I decided to get creative.

Whats to love?

Silky smooth texture

Nutritious low-sugar frozen dessert

Full of fiber

Made with raw fruit

Perfect way to cut down on food waste and use fruit that is going bad

No ice cream maker needed: The trick is to freeze the pears before blending in a food processor

Super easy to make

Only 4 ingredients

Food waste is a real issue

Did you know that Americans waste a whopping 80 million tons of food per year? This is heartbreaking for so many reasons: waste of resources, food insecure people who have been bypassed and will still go hungry despite waste, and environmental degradation. The majority of wasted food ends up in landfills where it takes a very long time to decompose, and contributes to methane gas emissions. We can all do better by composting food waste in the backyard, or dropping off food scraps at a composting center. But why not save yourself money and take in more nutrition by eating the food instead of wasting it? Sometimes it may feel overwhelming to figure out what to do with all of your overripe and wilted produce, but hopefully this delicious recipe will be the inspiration you need.

Why do pears ripen so quickly?

Pears will ripen depending on their environment. Bartlett, bosc and anjou pears are harvested when they are firm and crunchy like an apple. They ripen to a smooth soft texture. While crunchy pears are great for adding to salads, the perfect texture is slightly firm to the touch, yet easy to bite into. Almost like the texture of banana, avocado, and mango. As pears ripen and soften their taste gets sweeter.

How to SLOW DOWN the ripening process

• To slow the process of ripening in pears store them away from other fruits that emit ethylene, a gas that makes fruit ripen. Apples, pears, and bananas are the prime emitters, so don’t store these fruit together. That is unless you want them to ripen quicker.
• Store pears in the fridge as soon as they reach your desired ripeness. If you prefer your fruit room temperature, like I do, take a pear out to warm up 30 minutes before you want to enjoy it.
• To prevent pears from oxidizing, turning brown, once they are cut, drizzle some lemon juice over slices.

How to SPEED UP the ripening process

• Once you’ve tried this pear sorbet you may have a hard time waiting for your pears to ripen. You’ll also find that overripe pears work best in this recipe. To make pears ripen quicker place them near an apple or banana.
• You can also try storing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana.
• I find that fruit ripens best in my home when the temperature is around 70°. Too warm and the fruit ripens inconsistently, and too cold and it doesn’t ripen at all.

How to make easy pear sorbet

• Step one, forget about your beautiful pears and let them ripen too long. Expect to see brown spots, a soft delicate peel, and shriveling around the stem. The riper the sweeter. Just don’t let them start fermenting.
• Step two, core and chop the overripe pears. Freeze them until solid.
• Step three, transfer the frozen pears to a food processor. Add cinnamon and a tbsp of maple syrup. Blend until smooth and creamy.  *Flavor the pear sorbet however you’d like. Other great additions are vanilla bean, ginger, cardamom, and/or nutmeg.
• Step four, serve immediately or place the sorbet in the freezer to firm for an hour. Enjoy!

More ways to use pears that are going bad…

It can be daunting to figure out what to do with pears going bad. Especially because they don’t hold their shape like unripe pears and apples, which can be sliced for pies, snacks, and even salads. But there are so many options. None as easy and nutritious as my simple pear sorbet, but delicious none the less.

• You could make something like a pear sauce by stewing the cored pears in a pot for 15 minutes. Overripe pears are super sweet, so you don’t need to add anything else. Use an immersion blender to create a smoother sauce. Enjoy as you would applesauce.
• By reducing the pear sauce even more you could make a yummy pear butter that is delicious over pancakes, waffles, toast, and oatmeal. If you please, to enhance the flavors, sweeten the pear butter with a little brown sugar and spice with cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Use overripe pear in place of mashed banana in smoothies and vegan pancakes. Freeze them for a creamier texture in smoothies.
• Use them in baking as well. Mashed ripe pears can be added to muffins and quickbreads.

More No Waste & Food Scrap Recipes

Banana Peel Carnitas

Carrot Top Pesto

Veggie Broths

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Easy Pear Sorbet | No Ice Cream Maker Needed

Never waste overripe pears again. This delicious pear sorbet is made with just 4 simple vegan ingredients. You don't need to use an ice cream maker. The texture is creamy and silky!

Equipment

• food processor I recommend this one

Ingredients 

• ▢ 4 overripe pears, Bosc, anjou, or bartlett pears
• ▢ 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Core and chop the overripe pears and place in a freezer safe container. Freeze overnight, or at least 6 hours.
• Place the frozen pears in a food processor, and blend until it is the consistency of icy snow. Add the maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon and continue to blend until it is creamy and smooth.
• Transfer to a deep freezer dish and freeze for at least one hour before serving. You can enjoy the pear sorbet right out of the food processor, but the texture will be more like soft serve.

Notes

Feel free to add more spices to your pear sorbet. Some great options are fresh or powdered ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves.
If you don't have maple syrup, you can skip the sweetener, or replace it with another liquid sweetener, like agave, or sugar.

OTHER FRUIT SORBET: 

This method of making fruit sorbet works for many fruits. For the best texture use a creamy fruit like mango, banana (we call banana sorbet "nice cream"), and berries. 

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