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 used 6-8 Ramekins instead, would you know about how long to bake?
I’ve never tried making this in ramekins, my guess would be 20-25 minutes.
Looks yummy but not sure about storing it. Do leftovers get refrigerated? It’s just my hubby and I that will be eating it so I’m sure there will be leftovers.
Yes you should refrigerate leftovers!
How long do I bake it if I’m using a cast iron skillet?
The bake time should be the same!
Can you make it with apples instead of pears??
That should be fine!
Does it matter how ripe the pears are? My husband typically buys rock hard pears and I’m concerned they would still be rock hard even after cooking.
They should be slightly soft, but not mushy! It’s best to wait a few day to left them soften.
Correction on my post – The round 8 inch cake pan took the full 45 mins at least for my oven. Thanks.
Bought some organic pears at grocery and stored in the fridge. Found this recipe! Made the pie tonight. Pears still firm and sweet. I initially thought the recipe called for one layer of pears but then added another layer. I made mine in an 8 inch cake pan sprayed and a small loaf tin. My idea of a thin slice pear is 1/4 inch but I think 1/2 thickness is best. Again I’m hung up on the layers or lack of. Pulled the loaf pan out at 40 mins and it was so light and puffy. Pretty color. Tasted great. Loaf pan needed the 45 mins, since I wanted a nice color on top. I tried the loaf plain and the pear and vanilla is nice. It’s sweet but I’ve never met a custard type pie that wasn’t! Pears add to it. I put a light sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on top for the larger pie. Honestly preferred the plain. To make it fancy you could put a little whipped cream on top. Simple is always best. Follow the recipe the first time, then put your spin after. IMO
Looks delicious, can you freeze it
I wouldn’t freeze it, I think the pears would get watery when thawed!
I had to switch out rhubarb for pears (mine were too soft) and it turned out amazing. Thank you for the great recipe
This was Unbelievably good! Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and everyone always loves it. A healthy dessert, and a great way to use up our extra eggs. Great with gluten free flours. Great with just stevia or small amounts of coconut sugar. I love to do half almond extract and half vanilla extract. So good with whipped coconut cream topping or a little yogurt. Thank you so much!
I also have a few ripe bananas! Would adding the bananas work?
I would not add bananas, I think they’d get too soft in the oven.
Could I do this in a springform pan?
I used a springform pan (sides buttered with parchment paper on bottom). Worked great.
Do you serve this warm or cold????
I typically do warm or room temperature.
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but have a question. You say to put the pears in first and cover with custard. Do those pears rise to the top? Your pic shows the pears on the top in the cast iron skillet. Or is it meant to put pears on the bottom and then invert the pan?
Yes the pears rise to the top as they cook!
This was delicious! I actually used my canned pears from my own pear tree and it tasted amazing!
I had everything needed to make this including 4 luscious red d’anjou pears. This Super Bowl halftime dessert was just perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Very easy to make and it tastes awesome !! Definitely be making again 😀