Slow cooker mulled wine poached pears is a 2-in-1 recipe! You won’t only make a delicious dessert but also popular winter drink. Plus, your kitchen will smell amazing!
Turn on the slow cooker on low. Add wine and sugar. Stir well to help the sugar dissolve.
Peel and core the pears. Remove any hard parts but you can leave the stems on if you like. Place the pears in your slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients: cinnamon, star anise, cloves, all-spice berries and ginger. Stir.
Cover with a lid and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until the pears are to your liking.
When ready, take out the pears and serve them warm (or cold if preferred) with ice cream or chocolate sauce.
Strain the spices and enjoy mulled wine right away or let it cool and store in a jug, covered until ready to serve (it will keep for up to 3-4 days when stored properly).
Notes
You will need about 2 bottles. Use any wine you like but I personally prefer the sweeter kind. Merlot is a good option if you are not sure which one - it is somewhere in the middle between dry and sweet.
You can use regular granulated white sugar instead of brown sugar.
Avoid using overripe pears that are very soft to touch. Fruits that are too hard to peel and core are a sign that they will more likely need way longer in a slow cooker. Some of the pears you can use: Bosc, Conference, Comice, Concorde…
Cooking time can vary depending on how ripe your fruit is, how cooked you like the pears to be as well as their variety. Extremely hard pears might take up to 4-5 hours!
The post above this recipe card has plenty of tips and information on the poaching process so please do read it if you are in doubt.
You can serve as many halves per person as you like but 1 or 2 should be plenty.
This recipe is easily customizable and you can change the quantities of the ingredients. Keep in mind that you don’t want to overdo it with spices. If you do, the pears could turn bitter.
Mulled wine will taste even better the following day. You can reheat it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop.