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.
Could I substitute almond flour?
I think it could work but I haven’t tested it this way myself!
Someone mentioned using canned fruit. What’s your opinion?
I think it would be fine, but I do feel like the flavor is better with fresh pears!
Hi, Sara,
I have not tried this recipe yet, but it looks delicious. We are in Canada, and Canadian Bartletts come into season about now. I am definitely going to try it! Thank you for the lovely recipe!
I’ve made this a few times. I use tinned pears and its so delicious and easy to make. My family love it.
I haven’t made this yet, but I’m thinking of doing it this weekend, since I’m in the UK – sorry if it’s an obvious question – is 350 F° or Celsius?
I’m guessing Farenheit but better be safe!
It’s Fahrenheit!
This recipe was delicious and easy to follow. Would it be possible to use apple in place of pears?
Yes apple will work!
So easy, and so elegant!
I don’t have a blender. Should I use my KitchenAid mixer or a food processor to mix the custard?
A food processor should work!
Is it possible to whisk it manually and not use a blender if I don’t have one?
Yes that should be ok!
I made it with Barlett pears and again with Bosc pears. The latter had much more pear flavor. Easiest recipe I’ve ever used.
Amazing!! And so easy. Does it need to be refrigerated once cooked??
It can stay at room temp for about 8 hours then I’d refrigerate after that!
CAN I USE GLUTEN FREE FLOUR?
I believe others have used gluten free flour with success!
I have made this recipe as written, dairy free, gluten free (Namaste flour) and sugar free! It is very adaptable! I will note: different sugar substitutes may give the custard a slightly darker color. But the flavor has always been fabulous. One of my favorite quick, easy, delicious desserts.
I made this recipe (as written) today for the first time and served it warm. I used a regular 9 inch round cake pan. My husband really like it. He said it would make a nice light dessert! I can see myself making this often. It is so pretty too.
Omg this is such an great recipe! I’ve made it twice now with an immersion blender and first I made with a combo of apple and pear and I just tried this with banana as that was all I had on hand and needed to use up milk. It is excellent! The banana and sugars caramelized on top! Thank you for this simply delicious recipe!! It comes together quickly and will become a staple for us!
Can you freeze this pie? I like to make ahead as much as possible before entertaining.
I think it should be fine!
Loved it…easy to make, easy to bake; it looked good, even without the icing sugar. Not too sweet and although our pears were pretty hard, they softened and were perfect.
I did add some orange zest, just to experiment, but also because I wanted the container I had it in! It really did take the taste to a high level…that’s the only thing: I wonder if the taste needed a bit of zing to it…the vanilla sure does help.
Thank you for this recipe…it’s going to be a keeper.
I see that you used a cast iron pan to bake it in, so I have one as well as regular cake pans.
Which do you prefer?
Honestly it really doesn’t matter, the crust might be slightly crispier in the cast iron but that’s the only difference.
Do you serve this warm or cold?
Warm or room temp!
Delicious! So easy to make. I’d like to try it with peaches. I did add a sprinkle of nutmeg
Have you tried this cake with apples?
It should work fine with apples!