A few years ago, my husband and I spent the weekend with my parents. My step-mom, delighted at the idea of company, made us a pie. And it was a reaaaaaaally good pie. It was a pear pie, but instead of being kind of like an apple pie only pears, it also had a smooth, creamy, sweet, spiced filling. I have been asking for that pie recipe for many, many years now. It is met with, “Oh, as soon as I get home!” and “Let me see if I can find it!” and “Pear pie? What pear pie? I’ve never made a pear pie in my life!” Liars. They just don’t want me to have the recipe. So alas, using my memory as my inspiration, I tried to make my own creamy pear pie and I’m pretty sure I succeeded.
Both creamy and comforting, the pears in this recipe stay tender but keep their shape, giving the pie great texture alongside the rich custard. I’ll also tell you right now that pears are awesome and way under-utilized and under-appreciated in pie.
Ingredients Needed
- For the Crust
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- shortening – room temperature
- ice water
- Filling
- pears – firm, not too ripe, not too green peeled and sliced
- all-purpose flour
- sweetened condensed milk
- cream cheese
- milk
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
- ginger
- Topping
- butter
- sugar
- cinnamon
How to Make Creamy Pear Pie
- Cut shortening into flour and salt, add cold water gradually, and gently bring dough together. Chill until ready to use.
- Roll out bottom crust and place in pie dish.
- Peel pears with a vegetable peeler. Toss pears with flour and spread over crust. Blend cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, milk, vanilla, and spices until smooth. Pour over pears.
- Add top crust (lattice, or full, whatever you’d like), brush with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
- Start at a high heat for baking, then reduce oven temperature until crust is golden and filling is set but creamy. Baking times vary widely, so keep an eye on it.
- Cool to room temperature and serve warm or chilled, plain, or with ice cream or whipped cream.
Storage & Other Tips
- Any leftovers of this pie need to be kept in the refrigerator.
- I personally wouldn’t recommend freezing any leftovers.
- Baking times vary widely on this pie, so check often starting at the 25 minute mark on the second bake. Don’t open the door when you check on it; just turn on the light and check it out through the window. Opening the door while baking can result in a much longer baking time, not to mention often sub-par results. When you’re confident its close, then you can open the door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bosc or Anjou are ideal for baking because they soften during cooking without falling apart.
You’re aiming for a thickened, custardy texture, not solid like Jell-O. Ovens vary, so bake until the edges are golden and the center is mostly set but slightly wobbly.
This recipe doesn’t require blind baking, because the initial high-heat phase helps the crust set quickly.
Absolutely! Pie crusts often improve with resting time, and pre-made dough chills well in the fridge while you’re prepping filling and pears.
Both! This pie works at room temperature or cold, just chill completely for clean slices, or warm slightly for a softer custard. Serving with whipped cream or ice cream is a must!
Creamy Pear Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons shortening room temperature
- ½ cup ice water
Filling
- 1 ½ pound pears, firm, not too ripe, not too green peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 oz. cream cheese from a block, not from a tub
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ½ teaspoon ginger, ground
Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
Instructions
Crust
- Bring shortening to room temperature if not already. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add shortening in small cubes.
- Cut in shortening until you get pieces that are about pea-sized.
- Start sprinkling the ice water by about a tablespoon at a time over the flour/shortening mixture. Very, very gently, turn the dough with your fingers so it gets exposed to the water. You’re not mixing, just trying to moisten all of the flour/shortening mixture. Gradually, all of the flour mixture will be moistened. Gently pat the dough into a ball (it should come together easily but not be sticky).
- Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to use. When ready to use, handle as little as possible according to recipe directions.
Filling & Pie Assembly
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- Prepare the crust: Roll the bottom of the pie crust into the pie plate.
- Prepare the filling: Toss the sliced pears in the flour. Arrange them evenly over the pie crust in the pie plate. Set aside.
- In the jar of a blender, combine the sweetened condensed milk, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Pour evenly over the pear mixture. Use the remaining pie crust to form the top of the pie (we like to make a lattice top crust). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake: Bake at 450℉ for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350℉ and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the creamy mixture has thickened but not solidified. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
- Serve: This pie can be served warm or cold, preferably with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Questions & Reviews
You are my new best friend becuase you just used “owl post” like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Harry Potter is so much a part of my vocabulary now that I constantly use terms that don’t really work for us muggles. Ha! This pie looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
This pie looks soooooooo good!!!! I’ll have to try this!!!! Hahahaha I totally freeze my slice of pie after they’re baked! For some odd reason, I don’t like the soft texture of the filling so I freeze it and eat it that way.
Kate-I think you might need to consider disowning your stepmom. Does she not know you have an incredibly famous blog she should be supporting? The pie has me totally curious! It might have to make an appearance on the Thanksgiving table!
Hope you are having fun tromping around Disney World!
Sara- your event sounds awesome!!! I wish I could come 🙁
It must be something about pear pie. I had a friend in high school whose mom would always make us pear pie and later when I begged for the recipe I receieved the same responses. Thanks for coming through.
My hubbie loves pears. I think I need to surprise him with this!
Oh man, this looks awesome!
That sounds delicious, pears are not something I really think of when baking.
Absolutely lovely pie!
I am not sure how you do it…but you manage to make everything look amazingly awesome. I am not even a huge pear fan, and now I totally want to make this pie, too!
Oooh, yummy! Pears are my all-time favorite fruit, and I’ve never even heard of a pie made out of them. I guarantee that one will be happily crossing my taste buds in the very near future. 😀
I made this pie for Thanksgiving dinner with my family and it was a huge hit. I’m planning to make another one soon. In fact, I think I’ll be making pear pie for the rest of my life.
The lattice top was more difficult than you made it look, though. 😉 It took me a couple tries and even then I had to cheat by using small pieces and hiding the breaks where they go under each other. But in the end, it was still beautiful, and that’s what matters. 😀