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.
This is my go-to dessert! So easy to make and so delicious. I plan to experiment with some different fruits. I use my handheld immersion blender so clean up is a breeze!
Hi..do you know if this can be frozen please?
Yes you can freeze it!
Great recipe, turned out wonderful, not too sweet and light . Will definitely make again. I did have to bake about ten minutes extra and I sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg very lightly over the top before baking.
Honestly, I was a bit skeptical of this because of how simple and easy it was to make. Mind you, I’m 18 and a beginner in the kitchen, you really can’t mess this one up haha! On top of that, I’m not a pear fan.. I don’t really eat them or reach for them at all. But I saw some pears just sitting in my fridge and I couldn’t let them go to waste… I made this recipe and it was the best thing I could’ve done!! My parents, little siblings, and I all fell in love with it and it was gone instantly!!! I just added a TBSP of brown sugar and cinnamon to the pear slices and oh my.. I have now become a pear lover LOL!!
Great.!!!c Made several times… Follow recipe exactly as written.. your wont have a problem.. when you monkey around, that’s when you gripe..
We have a glut of pears and was thrilled to find this recipe.
I’d initially planned to use a loose-bottom tin but it would NOT have worked as it is a very runny batter.
Would I make this again? Yes, but I would have to reduce the sugar content. It’s very, very sweet and we could hardly taste the pears.
Having said that it’s a great dessert and a great ‘ internet find’. ☺️ Will use it for other fruit too.
I’m glad I read the comments. I was going to use a tart pan with the removable bottom, but I won’t now. Haven’t made it yet so no rating. Thanks again!!
Hi, very tasty and loved it so much I made it again three days later but I wonder if I have the consistency or quantities right. I presumed these were US measures and converted them over. The custard is very firm, eggy and cake-like. I might try increasing or doubling the liquid to get a more jelly-like texture?
Yes it is US measures. This is more of a firm pie, you should be able to cut it and have it hold its shape.
When I read through your recipe, I thought it would be delicious as a Passover dessert, if not for the flour. So, I substituted potato starch, and voilà! It worked beautifully. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What is the purpose of the flour in the custard mix – thickening? Is there a low-carb/keto alternative to that ingredient?
Yes it is a thickening agent. I haven’t tested it with anything but all purpose flour so I can’t say for sure what a good substitute would be.
I checked with Google for a substituted for the flour as a thickening agent.. Corn starch will most likely be a good substitute. PLUS its gluten-free.
How do the pears end up on top if you put them in the pan first?
They float to the top!
Delicious and so easy! This is a clafoutis isn’t it?
It’s quite similar!
Baked at 360 since I’m at 8000 ft. Added the cinnamon and used Brien sugar. Was amazing.
I sliced and arrange the pears fanned, wish you could see a pic, it’s a show stopper!
The recipe says to put this in “a pan”, but it looks like you baked it in a cast iron skillet. I’m assuming it can be baked in a pie plate, but I’m not sure if that’s big enough.
Yes a pie plate is fine!
Since this recipe is called “Pear Custard PIE”…I would naturally assume a pie plate is in order.
We received a box of pears as a gift so I tried this recipe last night. It turned out delicious! I cooked it for about 10 minutes longer as the middle wasn’t set after 45 mins. This recipe was so easy and my husband, who isn’t a huge pear fan, loved it.
I received some pears for Christmas and I’m glad I found this recipe. It’s simple, easy, and delicious. I used brown sugar instead of granulated and added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I skipped dusting the top with powdered sugar though. It would be fantastic with vanilla ice cream. Very satisfying. I liked that I didn’t have to make a crust. This dish really highlights the pears.
Has anyone tried this recipe with strawberries as yet? Planning on giving it a shot tomorrow. 🙂
How did the strawberries go? I am keen to give that a try if it worked out.
I just made this using almond milk. I don’t know if my ovens temperature is correct but I cooked it longer and turned it up before I could get it to set. But let me tell you – I want to eat all of it NOW! Oh, I don’t put powder sugar on it either. So delicious.
Made this for the first time today. Doubled the liquid mixture. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you so very much for posting this recipe.
Did you use a different size pan and/or increase bake time? Thanks!
Looks great! Can I use almond milk instead of regular milk, or will it not set up?
I haven’t tried it that way but I believe others have and that it comes out fine!
I made two of these custards over the weekend. I really had a hard time judging when it was done. The edges seemed really golden and cake like but the center was wet. The first one was soupy in the middle when I cut it still warm so I added 5 minutes to the second one which seemed better, but I decided to refrigerate that one after it cooled to save it, but the top pears turned brown and it no longer looked appetizing once I’d done that. What is the ideal consistency and serving temperature/time for this after it cooks? Any tips appreciated since this was my first time attempting a custard.
It should be set in the middle when you take it out of the oven. It is best when served warm or at room temperature. Pears will naturally discolor, you can try to help prevent this by tossing them in a little lemon juice before you add them to the pan.
I judge doneness with an instant read thermometer: between 170-180 F is done.