← Back to Recipes

Gongfu-Brewed Oolong & Pear Butter

By • Updated September 2026
Jump to Recipe ↓

This slow-cooker pear butter is a revelation: silky, aromatic and steeped in the floral, honey-like notes of Taiwanese high-mountain oolong. Rather than adding tea leaves directly, we brew the oolong gongfu-style—short, concentrated steeps—then reduce those infusions down with the fruit. The result is a spreadable preserve that tastes like autumn in a jar, with none of the bitterness you'd get from long-stewing tea in contact with fruit acids.

A good slow cooker is essential here: it holds a gentle, even heat for hours, coaxing out pectin and concentrating flavour without scorching. You'll steep your oolong three or four times in a small gaiwan or teapot, then pour those precious liquors straight into the crock with chopped pears, a little sugar and a hint of vanilla. Six to eight hours later, you'll have a butter so smooth it melts into warm scones, and complex enough to pair with sharp cheese on toast.

Gongfu-Brewed Oolong & Pear Butter
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time420 mins
ServingsApprox. 3 × 250 ml jars
DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg ripe Conference or Comice pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 8 g high-mountain oolong tea (Alishan or Lishan; see tip)
  • 400 ml boiling water (for gongfu steeps)
  • 150 g golden caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 35
Fat: 0g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 0g

Instructions

1
Gongfu-brew the oolong: Warm a 100–150 ml gaiwan or small teapot with boiling water, then discard. Add the oolong leaves and pour in about 100 ml boiling water. Steep for 30–45 seconds, then decant into a measuring jug. Repeat three more times, increasing each steep by 15 seconds. You should collect roughly 300–350 ml of concentrated, fragrant tea liquor. This gongfu method extracts layers of flavour without astringency.
2
Combine in the slow cooker: Tip the chopped pears into the slow-cooker crock. Pour over the gongfu-brewed tea, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon (if using) and salt. Stir gently to coat the fruit.
3
Cook low and slow: Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours, stirring once or twice if you're around. The pears will collapse into a thick, jammy purée and the liquid will reduce by about two-thirds. The slow, even heat prevents caramelisation or scorching, letting the oolong's floral notes meld with the fruit.
4
Blitz smooth: Use a stick blender (or transfer to a jug blender) and purée until velvety. For an ultra-smooth butter, pass through a fine-mesh sieve, though most will prefer the rustic texture as-is.
5
Pot and store: Ladle the hot butter into warm, sterilised jars, leaving 5 mm headspace. Seal immediately. Once cool, store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or process in a water bath for longer shelf life. Spread on scones, sourdough toast, or dollop onto porridge for a luxurious breakfast.

🫖 Equipment You'll Need

A slow cooker (2.5–3.5 litre) is the secret to silky, scorch-free fruit butter. Its low, steady heat draws out natural pectin and gently reduces liquid over hours, coaxing deep caramelisation without the constant stirring—or burnt-pan disasters—of stovetop methods. For tea-infused preserves like this one, that gentle environment also protects delicate oolong aromatics from volatilising too quickly.

See our slow cooker picks →

Expert Tip: Which Oolong?

Choose a lightly oxidised, high-mountain oolong (20–30% oxidation) such as Alishan or Lishan for floral, honey-and-orchid notes. Avoid heavily roasted dark oolongs, which can taste bitter when reduced with fruit acids.

Continue Your Journey

Affiliate disclosure: TeaTrade is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn commission by linking to Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a small commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability shown on Amazon are current at the time of click.

Comments