Citric Acid Free Ginger Pear & Apple Compote
Warm, fragrant, and naturally sweet, this fruit compote is the kind of simple recipe that makes your whole kitchen smell incredible. Pears and apples simmer down with fresh ginger, honey, and a touch of Ceylon cinnamon until they're tender and coated in a light, glossy syrup — no added acids, no preservatives, just real ingredients doing all the work. For anyone navigating a citric acid sensitivity, fruit-based recipes can be surprisingly tricky since so many store-bought sauces and condiments sneak in citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer. This one sidesteps all of that entirely, relying on the natural sweetness of ripe pears and apples with honey to balance the warmth of the ginger. The optional knob of butter stirred in at the end adds a subtle richness that takes it from simple to genuinely special. You can leave it chunky for texture or press it down into a saucier consistency depending on how you plan to use it — spooned over oatmeal, served alongside roasted meat, or eaten straight from the pot with a spoon. It keeps well in the fridge and tastes even better the next day once the ginger has had time to mellow into the fruit.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 medium pears (about 1 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 2 medium apples (about 1 lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the pear chunks, apple chunks, grated ginger, honey, water, Ceylon cinnamon, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to coat the fruit evenly.
- 2
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender and beginning to break down at the edges, about 15–18 minutes. The liquid should reduce to a light syrup that coats the fruit.
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