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Pear Custard Pie

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Pear Custard Pie Recipe | Pear Pie | Pear Custard Pie | Best Pear Pie | Best Custard Pie

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!

This pear custard might be the easiest dessert you could ever make but it looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

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.

Baby eating fruit

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!

This pear custard might be the easiest dessert you could ever make but it looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

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.

This pear custard might be the easiest dessert you could ever make but it looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

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?

This pear custard might be the easiest dessert you could ever make but it looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

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This pear custard might be the easiest dessert you could ever make but it looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
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4.84 from 31 votes

Pear Custard Pie

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.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pear custard pie, pear pie
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 slices
Calories 257kcal
Author Dinner at the Zoo

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.

Notes

Little Helpers: The kids can help you measure and dump all the ingredients into the blender.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 215mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 8.7% | Vitamin C: 6.2% | Calcium: 6% | Iron: 5.1%
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Comments


  1. I made this tonight while my spaghetti was cooking. I used up pears from a Christmas fruit basket. Microwaved the butter in the milk and let it cool a bit while I loaded room temperature eggs and all the other ingredients in my Vitamix. Gave it all a quick high speed mix and poured it in a well buttered iron skillet topped with freshly grated nutmeg on top. It puffed up and browned perfectly. The pears didn’t rise to the top, but who cares? Could not wait for it to totally cool before we dove in. It was amazingly good, and I am not a big pear lover. Next time I will taste the pears to check for sweetness, as it could have used a bit more sugar for my taste. Will definitely make it again, and will certainly try one with rhubarb!

    Reply


  2. This is such a simple but versatile recipe. I felt guilty bringing it to a party as my dessert, but it was a huge hit . Very adaptable in terms of fruit, and substituting gluten and dairy free ingredients. I used coconut milk and decreased the sugar. Also decreased the baking time to get a firmer fruit texture, which I prefer.

    Reply

    • I’ve never frozen this before, I think it would work ok but the pears might be a bit watery when you thaw it out. I would just bake it in a disposable metal pie pan, then tightly wrap it in foil or slide the pan into a gallon sized freezer bag.

      Reply

  4. Can’t wait to make this. Two questions. Can it be made a day ahead? And what temperature is it best served at.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes you can absolutely make it a day in advance! I’ve actually served this warm, room temp and chilled. I think it’s best warm or at room temperature.

      Reply


  5. I had some pears on hand and share the opinion that this is one fruit I do not like to eat alone. So I went looking for a new recipe and found this one. Outstanding! Didn’t bother to peel the pears (lots of nutrients in the skin) and added a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Two of us could have polished this off in one sitting! Highly recommend.

    Reply

  6. Haha, I flipped mine over onto a plate thinking that was why the pears are on top in your photo. Mine did not seem to float to the top. It is still beautiful and delicious! I took a photo, but don’t see how to add it. I used gluten free flour and baking Splenda and they worked fine as usual for most baking. Will make it again!

    Reply


  7. I made this yesterday and to my surprise the entire family (2 adults, 4 teens) all loved it! 20 minutes into the baking time I realized I had left out the melted butter! I was worried, but it still tasted amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  8. Would adding a dollop of cream cheese to the recipe completely wreck it? I’m wondering if that’ll combat the eggy flavor others mentioned. Beautiful recipe!

    Reply


  10. I made this for Halloween night at our local club. I’m hoping it’ll be a big hit. It’s baking in the oven now and smells terrific.

    Reply


  11. You’re beautiful photography caught my eye for this recipe. A friend gave me a giant bucket full of pears from her dad’s tree. We’re not sure what kind they are, but they are hard pears. I used more than four in this recipe, and made it in a square casserole, and it came out perfect. I used unsweetened almond milk, and I substituted one of the teaspoons of vanilla for almond extract. Almond extract added a very nice touch to it. All in all, I love this recipe, and I love your blog. I’ll be coming back for more recipes. Thank you!

    Reply

  13. Of our seven pear trees, only the seckel one predictably produces pears year after year, and this was a bumper crop year. Unfortunately our freezer is unpredictable, so hurried to make pies, tarts, quick breads to give to friends. This was delicious. As I only use recipes as ‘starting points’ due to dietary and pantry restrictions, this was excellent though made sure that certain ingredients and proportions were retained to maintain recipe integrity. The photo was ultimately what brought me to the site. What a gorgeous shot.

    Reply


  15. This is Clafouti and can be made with peaches, berries, plums or a combination — any soft fruit. I brown the butter in the iron skillet, then dump in the fruit, smooth it around and then pour in the batter. YUM.

    Reply

  16. I don’t understand what I did. I tried and followed all measurements and only added a crust but yet my pear pie tasted like egg pie. This was not good. I’m disappointed with a sad face.

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, it’s hard for me to troubleshoot what could have gone wrong without being there unfortunately.

      Reply


  18. I made this recipe exactly as printed and it was fabulous! I did a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar after it came out of the oven. Served it with whipped cream and it was divine. Will definitely make again. Thanks!

    Reply


  19. We had gotten a bag of pears and searched for a dessert recipe with pears. The pie was very delicate and delicious. I made carmel sauce to drizzle over the pie when served along with a dollop of whipped cream. Both my husband and I loved the pie and it made an excellent dessert .

    Reply


  20. Hi, I chanced upon this recipe and seeing how it was to make, I made it today. It tasted good. A bit eggy, but everyone liked it.
    However, personally, I thought it was a bit dense. Would adding a bit of baking powder or baking soda to the batter, help in making it a bit airy?
    I wanted to make this for some guests later this week and am wondering if I should tweak it a little.

    Reply

    • You could try that, other thing you could try would be separating the egg yolks and whites and whipping the whites and folding them into the batter to lighten things up. It is a custard which is typically fairly dense but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to experiment!

      Reply

  22. Made this tonight and was so delicious. Looked exactly the same as the picture. The custard tastes like a custard tart without the pears. I made this in the food processor as the bowl is wide and incorporating the flour was a lot easier than the blender. I also made sure the butter had cooled right down before adding to the egg and milk.
    My husband and didn’t wait for the pie to cool , just cut a slice and chowed down.Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe Sarah just Devine.

    Reply


  23. I made it today. I only had 3 organic pears, so I left the skin on. It smelled and looked so good that we tried it right out of the oven. We also decided that a little cinnamon sprinkled on top with the sugar made it better. Can’t wait to try it cold. Really delicious. I used a little less sugar and GF flour. It was perfect. I will experiment on making it dairy free next time. Great recipe!

    Reply


  24. I just made the pear custard pie tonight! It looked & smelled delicious and it was incredibly easy to make! Everyone enjoyed it and it wasn’t that sweet! Next time I will try sprinkling a little cinnamon before I bake it! I had pears that we harvested in the fall and they were in the freezer and this is definitely something I will make again! Thank you!

    Reply


  25. For those of you who ended up with a scrambled egg feel, it’s important to note that the mixture should be created right when it’s tine to pour it in. Meaning, get your pears done first. If you let the mixture sit, the sugar will pull the moisture from your eggs, leaving an undesirable texture. It’s just how their chemistry works.

    Made this today and can’t wait for it to cool enough to eat 🙂

    Reply


  26. Made this with some Harry & David pears gifted to us for Christmas – used mostly half&half instead of milk – o.m.g delicious!! and we had all the ingredients on had! thank you!!

    Reply


  28. This has become my “go to” for entertaining unexpected guests! This is fabulous! For those of you that experienced the scrambled egg problem, I think I know what’s going on ( and I speak from experience!). You must let the melted butter cool down (not so much that it solidifies) before you incorporate it into the eggs, otherwise it will cook the eggs. Try it again, you will be amazed!

    Reply

    • Almond flour would work, but the texture would be a little different since almond flour tends to be more coarse than regular flour. I bet the almond-pear combo would taste great!

      Reply


  30. Could I substitute honey for the sugar? I made it once as written, and it was super yummy! Now we are trying to avoid sugar.

    Reply


  33. I made this last night and it was absolutely scrumptious. I love how quick and easy it was to put together. I will be making it again- though for my tastes, I think I’m going to use half the amount of vanilla and less sugar. The two kind of overwhelmed the taste of the pears, and I really prefer things to be less sweet.

    Reply

  35. I tried to make it but it came out very wet. Can you tell me what have I done wrong? The bottom was all burned and wet while the top are brown and wet. The flavor is great but the whole thing just did not look presentable when I sliced them. :[

    Reply

    • I have never had that happen before, it usually bakes up into a firm and sliceable pie. What size pears did you use? My only thought is maybe your pears were extra large and produced more liquid when they cooked? Sorry this happened to you

      Reply

  38. Just made this for the second time…. It is truly beautiful and amazing to taste…going to try it with apples….
    So easy I had every idem in my pantry and pears off the tree….

    Reply


  39. This is very similar to the German Apfelpfannkuchen (apple pancakes) but made with pears instead of apples. I followed the recipe exactly except for using 1/6 cup of Truvia (half stevia and half sugar) instead of the granulated sugar to cut down on the calories and I used only three pears instead of four because I thought the pan would overflow with four. (I think I could try four next time because it could puff up above the height of the pan.). The taste and texture were wonderful, and it came out of the pan so cleanly! Wonderful dessert and a great way to use the pears from our two pear trees.

    Reply


  41. I made this recipe, it turned out amazing! I’m a big pear fan and I am going to be making this pear custard pie a lot in the future.

    Reply


  43. Hi I made 2 of your pear custard pies today . I think the recipe is great. I will make them again for my family. Thank you for sharing this recipe with me.

    Reply

  44. In the recipe you put the pears on the bottom, on the picture they look on top, did you add more pears on top? or you turn it upside down?

    Reply

    • The pears float to the top during the baking process, the photos show it made exactly as the recipe is written! 🙂

      Reply

  48. I had high hopes, but I found it sickeningly sweet. The pears were sweet enough and there were a lot if them, so perhaps cutting down the added sugar to one tablespoon would have helped. I will not be making it again.

    Reply

    • Seriously Cynthia, maybe next time just reduce the amount of sugar without having to mention that it was sickeningly sweet or that you won’t be making it again.

      Reply


  49. This had a wonderful flavor and texture. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, though. I will definitely make it again with less sugar ????

    Reply

  50. A half teaspoon of almond extract, a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and upping the sugar to 1/2 cup helped create a sweeter custard. Also, make sure your eggs and milk are room temperature and the butter has cooled or the texture will be entirely off. Good luck.

    Reply

  51. I blended the custard and had zero lumps but still tasted like scrambled eggs. Sliced the pears very thin and even after 50 mins they were pretty firm. Thinking the custard needs a bit more sweetness and the pears may need an extra bit of cooking before put into the pie. Not sure what to do about the scrambled eggs? Was a bit disappointed with is recipe.

    Reply

  52. I am preparing this right now and I just cannot get this batter smooth. Is there a secret to getting the batter smooth? I am afraid I will end up with scrambled eggs like someone else mentioned in the comment section.

    Reply

    • Hi Sue! Are you using a blender? You may have clumps of flour that didn’t blend in all the way. If that’s the case, you can turn the blender off, stick a spoon in to scrape any clumps of flour off the sides of the blender jar and blend again.

      Reply

    • My batter was lumpy too. I figured the lumps may have been the butter that re-solidified as my milk and eggs were still cold.

      Reply

    • The custard firms up enough that you can cut it into a slices and serve it like a pie, but it is not a traditional pie crust. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  54. I made this and it was good but it tasted really strongly of scrambled eggs did i do something wrong i followed the recipe exactly

    Reply

    • Hi Amanda, it’s a custard so there is some egg flavor but it definitely shouldn’t taste like scrambled eggs. Was the batter smooth when you poured it into the pan? The only thing I can think of is sometimes depending on the order of how you put the ingredients in the blender, the flour can clump up a bit if it’s not blended completely smooth and that may have given you a batter where everything wasn’t incorporated all the way. I hope that helps, thanks for writing in!

      Reply

  55. our pear tree has its first batch of ripening pears awaiting harvest. i have been searching for recipes and stumbled upon yours. im eager to make this! thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  56. Just pulled some out of the oven! My grandpa has two huge pear trees in his orchard, so we have no shortage of pears here! I decided to make this recipe in a muffin tin as to create little personal sized custards:) they smell amazing, and I’m hoping they taste just as good! Thank you for the wonderful idea!

    Reply

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