In this pear custard pie, fresh pears are combined with a rich and creamy 5 minute custard, then baked to perfection for a simple yet elegant dessert.
This crustless pie is my absolute favorite way to enjoy pears, I make it almost every week during the fall months!
I am not a huge fan of pears. I like them fine when they’re cooked but I don’t eat them raw, I think it’s the somewhat grainy texture that bothers me. A long time ago before we had kids a relative sent us a big box of those fancy mail order pears. My husband did his best to try and eat them before they turned to mush but it was just too many pears for him to finish. I made this pear custard pie to use them up and I have been making it ever since. It’s definitely my favorite way to eat pears.
We go through a ton of produce in this house. My kids are total fruit monsters and between the three of them they can polish off a whole pound of grapes or strawberries in one sitting when they’re in the mood. My mom often brings us bags of apples, oranges and pears to help keep our household well stocked in the fruit department. When I have extra fruit on hand, I make blackberry salad or this pear custard pie.
Some weeks we don’t get through all the fruit and that’s when I make pear custard pie. The beauty of this recipe is that it only uses pantry staples that you probably always have lying around. Which means that if you’ve got pears, you can whip this up whenever you feel like it. I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks!
How do you make pear custard pie?
The batter for this custard is made in the blender. After you peel and cut the pears, toss them in the dish and pour the custard over the top. That’s all there is to it, 40 minutes later you’ve got an amazing dessert.
You can sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top if you want to dress it up for a special occasion. I’ve also put some cinnamon sugar on top which is great too. It probably comes as no surprise that the kids love this recipe. I’ve made it dozens of times over the years and it always gets rave reviews. It’s simple, but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, don’t you think?
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Pear Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 4 firm pears of any variety cored, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter melted
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for garnish
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch round pan with cooking spray.
- Arrange the pear slices in the pan.
- Put the butter, eggs, milk, salt, granulated sugar, flour and vanilla into a blender; process until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the pears. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is golden and firm to the touch. Dust the top with powdered sugar before serving.
My husband had brought home pears that were rather hard and flavorless – I tried this recipe to see if baking would help. I sliced the pears thinly and it turned out great! I sprinkled the top with cardamom sugar. I ate leftovers for breakfast, microwaved just a bit to take the chill off. Terrific – I will make this again.
Delicious pear custard pie. 3rd time making it in a month. Husband loves it too. Super easy.
I made this recipe today, but the custard will not set. Over 50 minutes in the oven, and it’s like water through most of it. I followed the recipe except my pairs were slightly soft. Could this be too much water from the pears?
Sorry your pie did not set. The custard has always set properly for me. Maybe you had some very watery pears.
Loved this pear dessert. I would think you could substitute other fruits in season.
Should I serve this warm or cold?
It can be served warm, cold or at room temp. I prefer room temp within an hour or two after it’s made.
Is there any advantage to baking this pear pie in a cast iron skillet?
It gets a slightly crispier outer “crust” but that’s it, I’ve made it in many different types of pans and it always comes out great!
I’ve made this recipe my own, (substituting milk for heavy cream, adding fresh orange juice and orange zest, and making the pear thin and forkable), many times, but always baked it in a pie pan. Can I use the same temperature and time if I make individual mini pies by baking in a muffin pan? Thank you!
I have made this for dessert following the cabbage soup recipe you have, the soup is delicious. The dessert is in the oven as we speak. I did accommodation of pears and apple, and I added cream cheese to the blender of the eggs, butter, flour, and sugar I’ll let you know how it taste. It smell amazing I used pears they were firm, looking forward to taking a bite
Question – the directions say to arrange the pears on the bottom of the pan but the picture shows that the pears are on top. Do they rise above when it cooks??
Yes they float!
Should leftover pear custard pie be refrigerated?
Yes I would refrigerate it!
Very quick and simple, slightly too eggy for my taste
You can reduce to 2 large eggs and increase the milk to 1 cup for those who want to reduce the eggy taste but still enjoy the custard texture
You can always substitute a couple of ounces of Greek yogurt per egg as well. I always do two eggs and some Greek yogurt. I also do half milk and half Greek yogurt. Turns out great!
This was excellent and SO EASY!! I was going to make a traditional pear tart and saw this. I’m so glad I chose this! Already added to my favorites! Thank you for posting.
I found this recipe a few years ago and it has been well-loved and shared with many. So delicious and easy to make. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that has now become a go-to!