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.
I recently made this wonderful recipe with a minor tweak due to missing ingredients. Instead of using butter, I substituted 1/4 cup of mashed banana, and instead of vanilla, I used almond extract. The result was excellent! The dish turned out light, easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious. I couldn’t be happier with how perfectly it came out.
Is it ok to use skim milk?
Yes that should work!
I made this for Christmas. The family loved it! Have you tried adding any holiday spices like cinnamon, all spice or cloves?
That should be fine to add spices, glad everyone enjoyed it!
Looking forward to trying this pear custard! Can it be made ahead of time, refrigerated a few days, and then reheated?
That should be fine but I do prefer it on the first or second day, as the pears will eventually release liquid over time.
Do you wait for your pears to ripen or use them when still hard from the mail order box they came in? I was looking for a creative way to use them and stumbled upon this recipe, looking forward to trying it! How thin should the pears be sliced?
They should not be completely hard, I wait till they are slightly soft, they should have some give when you press them. I wouldn’t use super soft pears as they might break down during the cooking process.
I’ve made the pear custard pie I discovered on your website several years ago and it’s always delicious winner and easy to make. I have just acquired a lovely ceramic deep dish pie plate that is 9.5″ size and 1.75 qt. volume. How much should I increase the measurements of the ingredients for this pear custard pie when using this new pie dish?
I would do 1.5 times the recipe!
Could sliced bananas be substituted for the pears? The pear version is delicious! So simple!
I would not do bananas as I think they’d get really mushy. You could use apples or peaches!
Would subbing almond milk be okay?
Yes that will work!
Do you need to refrigerate if you have leftovers?
Yes I refrigerate the leftovers!
Hi
I see the recipe infers that you bake this in a pie pan but it looks like you used a cast iron skillet. Is the skillet preferable? ( I love using my cast iron skillet by the way)
Either one will work, I’ve tested it both ways! The pie pan is less likely to stick, but if your skillet is well seasoned that won’t be an issue.
This is the perfect answer to “what’s for dessert?” when you don’t really have a plan, but have some pears in the fruit bowl! Its kind of like part crepe, part custard, part pie… the best part is how FAST it comes together.
can I use canned pears? they’ve been cooked.
Yes you can, just be aware that canned pears might be very soft in the finished dish!
Hi! Can you please provide the cup measurement of the 4 pears since they vary in size? I made the pear custard pie yesterday but i only used 3.5 pears and thought it was still too much since some appeared to have floated beyond the custard. Cups would help me make the custard pie accurately. I’d like to try again. Thank you.
The pears do rise to the surface in this recipe, that is normal! It should be about 3 1/2 cups of pears.
This pie was super easy and absolutely delicious! Even my picky husband liked it. The timing to make it was accurate, so thank you for that! I will absolutely make it again!
This is great, especially considering how little effort it takes to make. I was home alone with one pear, (what’s a third of a quarter-cup?), didn’t bother with the blender, and happily ate the whole thing myself, but I will make the full amount when we have friends to dinner next week.
Can this be frozen?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it as it may be watery when thawed from the pears!
I feel the same way about pears! I do not like them mostly because of the texture. But I know they are good for me so I have been looking for a recipe to cook them with. This turned out quite well! I didn’t follow the recipe perfectly – I was in a little rush because I had guests coming – but it good nonetheless. I look forward to making it again!
By far the most delicious pear recipe I’ve ever made. The taste is sweet and really shows off the pears. Will now be a family ‘go to’ especially in fresh pear season. Just sooo doggone good, and super fast and easy.
I absolutely love this delicious recipe!! I know the recipe by heart because I’ve made it many times. I have even substituted apples for the pears. It’s like having a pie (okay I love making) but without having to make a crust and eliminating a lot of carbs.
I give this five stars!!!
Loved the pear custard flan. My only problem was that it sticks to the bottom of my pie plate. Any suggestions?
What type of pie plate are you using and what kind of cooking spray?
I spray my pan! Have no problems with it sticking. I have also done this in my air fryer!
Delicious and EASY. I love blender shortcuts! The custard was very tasty made as listed. I served with caramel ice cream and everyone was quite happy. Perfect dessert for early fall.