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.
If I’m not making this in a cast iron pan, should I use glass pyrex or metal cake pan?
Either is fine I did it with a metal cake pan just a few days ago!
This is very tasty and so quick to put together! Since I’m dairy free I used oat milk instead. It did not override the flavor of the pears at all. I did not sprinkle with sugar but next time I will as I think it does need that snap of sweetness. Will be making this again!
Should the pie be placed in the refrigerator before serving? Should it be served hot? Cold? Room temperature?
You can serve warm or at room temperature, I typically let it sit for about 15-20 minutes so it can set up and cut nice slices.
I made this last night for company. It was delicious! Will most definitely make it again. It couldn’t be easier – using the blender instead od the mixer? How could you not love that?!? Made for very easy clean up. Can’t wait to try it with blueberries or strawberries! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe 🙂
I actually put this into a pie crust last time (because my husband wanted me to!) I thought it wouldn’t work. It worked just as well that way too. I think I’m going to try adding a little ginger extract next time. So delicious!
This looks lovely. Do you think it would be okay not to peel the pears?
Yes that should work!
Can I use 1% milk?
Yes that’s fine!
Did you pre-heat the cast iron skillet in the oven?
I do not pre-heat the skillet!
So I’m really wanting to try it but my one question is the picture looks like the pears were place on top of the custard and then baked. Not put in the pan with the custard poured over them. Am I just looking at it wrong or did you really put the pears in first and pour the custard over them and then bake. I just want to get it right.
The pears go in first and they float to the top as they bake!
Such an easy recipe. My house smelled fantastic too! I could definitely see myself making this once a week during fall months.
I don’t have a blender. Can I use a mixer
Yes that should be fine!
Can this be made in an 8 inch pan? The only 9 inch pan I have is a springform pan. Thanks so much!
Yes it might just take a bit longer to cook!
Can you make this with apples or berries?
I’ve made it with pears and it was a hit.
Yes either should work!
Can you use canned pears? I would use the halves then slice them as shown. If so, this would make a great emergency pantry dessert if you don’t have fresh pears on hand.
I think it would work although I haven’t tested it myself!
Can I use oat flour or almond flour for this recipe to make it gluten free?
I don’t think that would be a good choice here as the custard may come out gritty!
I used all purpose gluten free flour, texture was fine, wasn’t gritty. Don’t know about straight almond flour though.
Use Coconut flour. Much smoother!
Is the pie turned over out of the pan to serve it? The photo shows the pears, but the recipe calls for the pears to be added first, which seems like they would be at the bottom of the pan. Am I mistaken? Do they rise to the top while baking?
They float to the top while baking!
Excellent served w a little vanilla ice cream. Ty
My family really enjoyed this dessert. I ate some when it was warm, and then I ate it cold. I think we liked it better cold. It reminds me of flan with pears. I used almond milk and Lakanto sweetener. I’ll be making this often! In fact, I’m going to buy some more pears today!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe before, but I make this so often that I felt the need! This is my families very favorite dessert! And my kids are 3 and 7, so that’s saying a lot when their other favorite desserts are Superman ice cream and birthday cake. It is so easy and turn out perfect every time. Thank you for this amazing recipe! We also love the leftovers cold (and I may eat it for breakfast the next morning too, don’t tell my kids haha)
Can you make with almond milk?
I think it should be fine but I haven’t tried it myself!
I made it with almond milk and used Lakanto sweetener. It turned out great!