Slow cooker quince paste recipe (dulce de membrillo)

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What is quince paste?

Quince paste, also known as “dulce de membrillo” in Spanish, is a sweet, thick jelly-like preserve made from quince fruit and sugar. Quince paste is often served as a dessert or accompaniment to cheese. It pairs particularly well with sharp or aged cheeses like Manchego or with soft cheeses such as camembert or blue cheese, creating a delicious contrast of flavors. It can also be spread on bread or crackers, used as a filling in pastries, or enjoyed as a sweet treat on its own. We love to serve it on a cheese platter to share with friends. This simple slow cooker recipe makes it much easier than the traditional stove top method. 

What are quinces?

Quinces are an interesting fruit similar in appearance to pears, but with a more intense fragrance and flavor. In Australia, quince season is typically in autumn, which spans from March to May in the southern hemisphere. Quince trees are deciduous fruit trees that thrive in regions with distinct seasons and periods of cold temperatures. Quinces are known to be quite an ‘old fashioned’ fruit, and some younger people have never even heard of them!

Where to source quinces

I always remember my Granny making a huge batch of quince paste for our family to share, and of course Granny had a productive little quince tree in her garden. I sourced my quinces from a friend – we made a deal that I would pick some quinces and return half of them in the form of quince paste! For those that don’t have this kind of arrangement available, you may have to think outside the box.

Some supermarkets might sell quinces if you look at the right time of year, but you may have more luck at a local farmers market or grocer. Keep an eye out for them in the autumn months.

You can always ask around your community or even have a look on Facebook marketplace and see if any local gardeners are looking to sell some of theirs (you might be surprised!)

Why make quince paste in a slow cooker?

Making quince paste in a slow cooker can be convenient and offer a more hands-off method of making quince paste, which traditionally requires quite a bit of hands-on time in the form of constant stirring.

Making quince paste in the slow cooker offers these advantages:

Even Cooking: Slow cookers provide gentle and consistent heat, which helps to ensure that the quince puree cooks evenly without scorching or burning. This can be particularly beneficial for a recipe like quince paste, which requires long cooking times to achieve the desired thick and jam-like consistency.

Convenience: Using a slow cooker allows you to set it and forget it (to a degree), freeing you up to attend to other tasks while the quince puree cooks slowly over several hours. You still need to stir the quince paste every 30 minutes or so, but you don’t need to be standing over the stove! This can be especially helpful when making large batches or when you have a busy schedule.

Preservation of Flavor: Slow cooking allows the flavors of the quinces to develop and intensify over time, resulting in a rich and flavorful quince paste. The low and slow cooking process helps to preserve the natural sweetness and aroma of the fruit, creating a delicious end product.

Overall, making quince paste in a slow cooker can be a convenient and reliable method that yields excellent results with minimal effort.

Can you make quince paste without a slow cooker?

You can definitely make quince paste without a slow cooker!

You follow exactly the same recipe method when cooking your quince paste on the stove. However, you need to be prepared to set aside the time to stir your quince paste every 5-10 minutes over a very very low heat until it reaches the desired thickness – this can take a few hours.

What equipment do you need to make quince paste?

• Slow cooker (or large pot)
• Knife and chopping board
• Colander or sieve for draining quinces
• Wooden spoon

What ingredients do you need to make quince paste?

• Quinces
• Raw sugar
• Water
• Lemon
• Optional: vanilla pod

How to make quince paste

Prepare quinces

Wash the quinces thoroughly and use hands or a soft scrubber to remove the ‘fuzz’ – you’ll know what I mean when you do this. Cut off the ‘cheeks’ of the quinces to remove the core. Be careful as the quinces are very hard and may be difficult to cut. There’s no need to peel your quinces, in fact, the skin contains a lot of pectin, which helps the quince paste to set. Weigh the quince pieces.

Cook quinces

Place the quince pieces into a large pot and add just enough water to cover the fruit. Place pot on medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until the quinces are soft.

Drain quinces

Once the quince chunks are soft, drain them well, return them to the large pot and and allow them to cool slightly.

Using a stick blender or food processor, blend the soft chunks of quince until smooth. You want them to be as smooth and consistent in texture as possible. If needed, you can add a little bit of the cooking water to help with the blending process. Don’t worry, the colour will change drastically as you cook the puree.

Cook quince puree

Add the quince puree to your slow cooker or large pot and add the sugar along with the lemon juice and lemon peel. Stir well to combine, the sugar should start to dissolve. Add vanilla bean if using.

This recipe calls for a 3:4 ratio of sugar to quince. You can adjust the recipe to suit the amount of quince you have. To calculate this, multiply the weight of the quinces by 0.75, this will give you the weight of sugar required. For example: 1kg quince x 0.75 = 0.75kg (750g) sugar.

Place the slow cooker or large pot on the lowest setting and bring to a gentle simmer.

If using a slow cooker, you will need to stir every 30 minutes to 1 hour. If cooking on the stove, you will need to stir every 5-10 minutes to ensure the quince paste doesn’t stick or burn.

Cook, low and slow for 2-3 hours, depending on the amount of quince paste you are making. If making a very large batch, you will need to cook for longer.

Cook until it becomes very, very thick, deep red in colour, and starts to pull away from the sides of the pot. Be careful when stirring, as the bubbling quince paste may splatter and burn.

Shape and cool

Line a baking dish or tray with parchment paper. Carefully pour or spoon the quince paste into the tray and smooth it out evenly with a spatula. Ideally, you want your quince paste to be about 2cm thick. Remove lemon peel and vanilla bean if using.

Place the baking dish/tray in the oven or dehydrator at 40-50 degrees celcius for 4-6 hours to dry out the quince paste. Flip the quince paste out of the tray onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (upside down) and gently remove the parchment paper, then return the quince paste to the oven or dehydrator for a further 2-4 hours.

Once firm, cool the quince paste to room temperature and slice into the desired sizes for storage. I like to cut mine into large pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap ready to pull out of the fridge and use or give to friends and family. You can also store quince paste as large pieces in an airtight container ready to slice off pieces as required, however it may dry out. This is the reason I like to use cling wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 18 months.