Few things are as delicious as a homemade fresh custard pear pie. In this recipe, fresh (or canned pears) are prepared in a homemade custard filling and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before baking.
I had never heard of a custard pear pie until my sister-n-law made one. While this pear pie combines almonds and raspberries, the recipe I’m sharing with you today is a more simple recipe when it comes to pears. This pie can be made with fresh pears, or with good quality canned pears which is what I’m using today – since it’s winter.
Key Ingredients for Custard Pear Pie
Fresh or Canned Pears: For this recipe I used Bartlett pears from a reputable company that specializes in canned fruit to make sure they were high quality. The quality of your pears will directly impact the flavor and texture of this pie.
Evaporated Milk: This type of milk has a more caramelized flavor because 60% of the water from traditional milk has been removed. Don’t skip this ingredient. Also, make sure to only use one cup, as the canned evaporated milk comes in a larger quantity.
Unbaked Pie Crust: The best pies are made with homemade pie crusts. There is no substitute! If you’re intimidated by homemade pie, don’t be.
How to Make Pear Pie
This recipe is seriously easy to make. Unlike cherry pie which requires cooking the pie filling, this recipe is more like blueberry pie where you simply add and mix!
- Make your unbaked pie shell.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. Mix in evaporated milk and lemon juice until smooth. Add pears and mix until well incorporated.
- Add pie filling to unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake at 400˚ F for 45 to 50 minutes.
Recipe Notes
How to avoid burned edges around your pie. I highly recommend investing in a good pie shield like this one. I add it about halfway through the baking process. This helps to keep the outer crust from burning while the rest of the pie bakes.
Spread the pears in the filling. When you first pour the pie filling into your pie shell you will want to spread the pie filling around so the pears are evenly distributed. Do this carefully as overflowing the filling will lead to it burning around the edges.
Check your pie during baking. Keep an eye on your pie as each oven is unique. I typically set my timer to 10 minutes before end bake time and check it. You’ll know your pie is done when the bottom of the crust is a nice golden brown.
Let the pie cool before serving. Pies do best when they have plenty of time to cool. For this custard pear pie I recommend waiting at least two hours before slicing.
Refrigerate leftovers after slicing. After slicing into the pie and the pie is completely cool from the oven, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Homemade Pie Recipes
- Fresh Strawberry Pie – an unbaked pie – that is delicious!
- Chocolate Pecan Pie – for all the chocolate lovers out there.
- Fresh Peach Pie Recipe – one of my all time favorites!
Custard Pear Pie
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Pie
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Few things are as delicious as a homemade fresh custard pear pie. In this recipe, fresh (or canned pears) are prepared in a homemade custard filling and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before baking.
Ingredients
- 9” unbaked pie crust
- ¼ Cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ Cup sugar
- 1 Cup evaporated milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 pints (16 oz) fresh or canned pears, drained
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚ F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and ¾ cup sugar. Add evaporated milk and lemon juice. Whisk together until creamy. Gently fold in pears.
- Pour pear filling into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
- Bake at 400˚ for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours before serving.
Notes
How to avoid burned edges around your pie. I highly recommend investing in a good pie shield like this one. I add it about halfway through the baking process. This helps to keep the outer crust from burning while the rest of the pie bakes.
Spread the pears in the filling. When you first pour the pie filling into your pie shell you will want to spread the pie filling around so the pears are evenly distributed. Do this carefully as overflowing the filling will lead to it burning around the edges.
Check your pie during baking. Keep an eye on your pie as each oven is unique. I typically set my timer to 10 minutes before end bake time and check it. You’ll know your pie is done when the bottom of the crust is a nice golden brown.
Let the pie cool before serving. Pies do best when they have plenty of time to cool. For this custard pear pie I recommend waiting at least two hours before slicing.
Refrigerate leftovers after slicing. After slicing into the pie and the pie is completely cool from the oven, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 317
- Sugar: 34.5
- Sodium: 153.8
- Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 59.1
- Protein: 3.8
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: custard pear pie, pear pie
Good morning! Just a quick question. I wanted to make this pear custard pie but, after reading the ingredients, I saw that egg(s) we’re not mentioned. You don’t need eggs to make a custard set? I honestly don’t know. I do want to make this recipe but wanted to know for sure first. It sounds delicious!! Thanx!☺️
Excuse my typos, my phone has a mind of its own sometimes!
Hi! This recipe is an old-fashioned recipe passed down through the generations and for some reason does not have eggs. It is what it is – but the pie does set!
I took the pie out at 45 minutes, inserted a knife in the middle and saw that it was watery. I put it back in for 10 minutes. Any suggestions? Will it dry up when cooling?
Hi! All pies are not set when you take them out of the oven. It takes at least 3 hours for them to cool and be ready to slice. Inserting a knife works for a cake, but not for pies. Hope it cools and works out for you!