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.
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?
Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!
More delicious dessert recipes
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Brownie Berry Dessert Pizza
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Cookie Dough Dip
- Earthquake Cake
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.
Janel says
Did you do this in a round cast iron?
Sara says
Yes but any round pan is fine!
Megan says
How long do you let this cool before serving? Do you serve it warm or room temperature?
Sara says
Cool for at least 10 minutes and you can serve it either way!
Brenda says
Yeah pears are back in season and I’ve just made this recipe again. So yummy!
gene says
Do you think it will lack something if I use 2% milk ?
Sara says
It should be fine I’ve used low fat milk with good results!
AVIVA says
Made this today and its it’s amazing, had to hold myself from knocking off half just me! Thanks for a great recipe.
Marion says
What is the weight to use instead of a cup. Or what size of cup would I use
Sara says
It’s a measuring cup which is typically around 8 ounces.
darlene says
Found this recipe today and made it on a whim, absolutely delicious. I read the other comments but didn’t do the cinnamon/nutmeg touch. I did do the powder sugar touch and that made it a 5/5 dish. Without the powder sugar, I think it was good but the powder sugar added another sweetness that made it taste better. Glad i found this recipe, I followed it and didn’t change any of my measurements/ingredients. Will make it again
Annie says
Really want to try this recipe as have lots of pears and it sounds delicious but don’t know how many ml or grams is equal to a cup ( in the uk we don’t really have recipes in cups) Please could you let me know the conversions so I am able to make it
Many thanks 😊
Sara says
Here’s a conversion site that might help you! https://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml
Sarah says
This was absolutely delicious! I served it with a dish of Greek yogurt sprinkled with vanilla extract, cinnamon & black pepper and called it breakfast. 😂 My 8 month old was extremely mad when her dish was empty! Will definitely be making this again
Suzanne says
This was so wonderful. My pears were of perfect ripeness/firmness. As another reviewer suggested, I upped the vanilla (I used bourbon- flavored vanilla, which added the tiniest bit of pizazz. I also added a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, which I thought were good additions. Everyone really enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing such an easy, tasty dessert.
Shirl says
Really good. Took one hour to bake. Will add the cinnamon and nutmeg next time.
Lisa says
When you serve this, do you scoop it out or can it be cut like a pie. Curious since there is no crust
Sara says
It firms up and can be cut into slices!
Jane Hartle says
I had no idea what to expect but had some pears that I needed to “ do something with “ since I purchased a basket of pears at the market and they were all ripe now. This recipe was so easy and delicious! I will definitely make this again and my imagination is running with other fruit possibilities! Also curious if it be made into a type savoury pie ?
Shelly says
This was such an easy recipe, and it was a great hit!! I also used a cast iron and 45 minutes was perfect. Also did not have milk so I substituted with 1/3 cream and 2/3 oat milk and it was still fantastic.
Janine Tait says
Can this be made ahead of time and popped in the fridge till ready to cook?
Sara says
That’s fine but the pears may brown a bit as they sit in the fridge!
Marilyn says
Can I use regular salted butter?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Mary A Patterson says
Just took it out of the oven ! It too over an hour to cook at 350 ! I cook it in a cast iron skillet so maybe that’s why it took so long . It is so way to make and everyone was a bit skeptical but it was eaten in one sitting! I will definitely make this again sooo easy and good 😋
Mlg says
Could you freeze this
Sara says
I haven’t tried it but I believe it would work!
Carrie Hodges says
Easy and very tasty. The added spices are a plus. Only comment i would like to add it to VERY THINLY slice your pears if they are firm.
Annette says
Just made it for the first time.smelled so good and I could not wait to try it. Well I was not disappointed as it really was delicious . This is a great way to use left over pears. I’m sure it will be delicious with some other fruits as well. I decided to add a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg and that really added to the flavor . Great and easy recipe
Will definitely make it again
Cynthia says
How much of the cinnamon and nutmeg did you use and did you add it to the liquid or sprinkled on top prior to baking?
Ada says
Can you use apples insted of pears.
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
Nadine says
I’m out of flour…may I substitute bisquick?
Sara says
I’m not sure if that would work since it contains other ingredients besides flour, I haven’t tested it that way!