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?
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.
I have an aunt who is gluten free, but I hate the texture change that comes with almond flour. Could I use tapioca starch instead of the flour? Still 1:1?
I’ve actually never cooked with tapioca starch so I’m not sure if it would work or not!
I’m excited to make this recipe for a wine and food pairing event we’re invited to. We will pair it with a very dry or even a brut champagne. My question is: if I put the pears on the bottom and then pour the custard over it, do the pears float to the top, or do I flip the pie when putting it on a serving plate to serve so that the pears show? Jan
The pears float to the top!
Love this recipe, going to take it to a family lunch. Can i make it the day before or is it best eaten on the same day?
You can definitely make it the day before!
Can you use canned pears?
You could try it, but I think they’d be very soft after being baked.
This was off the hook good for this custard loving fool! I had no idea it was so easy to make, I may just be making ramekins off plain Mini custard pies for eternity
Can I make this recipe with apples?
Yes that’s fine!
Made this and while it was delicious I feel like the bottom would’ve been better if the bottom had more of “crunch” bottom. So basically I feel like mine turned out soggy on the bottom and i don’t know what could’ve caused it maybe the pears being to ripe?
It’s a crustless custard pie, so in this case there wouldn’t be any crunch. You could try baking it a little longer to firm up the bottom. Or else add a pie crust or graham cracker crust to the bottom!
Delish!!!
I made this and it was absolutely delicious…it was a total hit!!! Curious…Has anyone omitted or at least reduced the amount of butter in the recipe? I was thinking of trying that but thought I’d check first:)
I’ve never tried it that way!
Do you eat it warm or cold?
Warm or room temperature!
I made it tonight and it was delicious!! Do you store it in the fridge or is it fine do leave it on the counter?
I always refrigerate it!
We have a pear tree in the backyard and the harvest this year was insane. My father absolutely loves ‘eggy’ desserts, considering this was one of the first recipes that popped up, I figured I’d give it a try. I absolutely love cooking and may or may not have a hoarding problem myself when it comes to cookbooks.. lol. First time I tried this it was delicious. I used salted butter because that’s what I always have at home, so I omitted the salt. Everything else I kept the same. The second batch I made (in the same night because it was destroyed) I added cinnamon in when I blended the mix which totally added a pop it needed. I also doubled the custard for the second one we made. Absolutely a favorite in the house. Thanks!
I made this, it was amazing and so easy ! Thanks for this recipe, it made a lovely change from apple crumble – similar, but just different enough!
Absolutely delish – am going to make if for my mother 0- she is 90 and will adore it – so easy – I added more pears as I had tons and possibly over cooked it a little but that is no issue – it tasted divine and I am going to make it so many times I am bound to perfect it – although it is pretty well perfect as it is – Thanks so much for sharing
Has anyone frozen this dessert?
Does it freeze ok
I haven’t tried freezing it, I think it would be fine although the pears might get softer upon being frozen!
Ah thanks for reply. I will give it a go this week and let you know.
Made this with some pears from my aunts pear tree and it was enjoyed by all. My mom said “lick the plate good” and she is a tough critic. 🙂 it really is delicious and super easy to make. Thank you!!
This was really delicious. It reminded me of an extra thick crepe or German pancake/ Dutch baby with a custardy layer. My kids loved it. We added powdered ginger and cinnamon. I’m going to make it again tomorrow!
My pears were still very firm after baking, but still tasty and this recipe couldn’t have been easier! I added a tiny pinch of cinnamon, but I think it might also be delicious with almond extract. I’ll definitely make it again and tinker with different pears or other fruits!
Thanks for the heads up! I had very firm pears from our tree and since yours were still firm I sautéed the slices for 5 minutes first. Did the trick- still held their shape and not mushy.
Can I use the same recipe for the filling but with a tart crust base?
Yes that’s fine!
This was delicious!! I had to hold off not eating it all at once… but I certainly could! Will be making this many times over, I’m sure if it =). Thank you for sharing!
Sara, is it ok to use somewhat over-ripe pears for this recipe?
You can but the texture of the finished dish will be different as the pears will continue to soften as they bake!
I also found my bake time much longer with softer pears. Too an extra 30 minutes. I used a glass baking dish, maybe that was also a contributing factor?
You know, I did some homework and found that baking too long causes custard to weep. I should have taken it out after 45 minutes.