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
My plan is to make this for Thanksgiving, but I’m wondering how far in advance I can make it? It’s Monday night, and I just made the dough, and rolled out half of it into my pie dish. Should I freeze it at this point, or can I keep it in the fridge over night and make the filling tomorrow (2 days before Thanksgiving)?
I made this pie tonight, and my creamy filling was a really weird texture. It curdled around the pears. That is the best way that I can describe it. I loved the flavor, but not the texture. I also made a sour cream peach pie tonight and the filling for that one came out great. It didn’t curdle. I follow the recipe exactly. Any ideas on why my cream filling was so weird?
Yep…my filling was weird too. It was more curdle-y than creamy. Actually, it wasn’t creamy at all. 🙁 I’m not sure what went wrong, but it was the first time an OBB recipe has ever not been the most delicious thing I’ve ever tried.
I had a similar problem. The filling was grainy and runny and not creamy. I’m wondering if I didn’t cook it long enough. The pie looks beautiful, but I wish it tasted as good as it looked.
When I told my family I was making a pear pie they gave me some funny looks. However, they quickly changes their minds when they tried it. This recipe is wonderful and a great way to use up an abundance of pears 🙂
This was an excellent alternative to apple pie. I just wasn’t feeling the regular old staple pie vibe this year, and this was a wonderful new addition to the repertoire. LOVED IT!
Does anyone know about how much longer it needs to bake at the 350 temp?
Nevermind! Found my answer in the blog post…..wasn’t in the printed recipe though so maybe someone should fix that? 🙂
Every year my family has upwards of 10 varieties of pie at our Thanksgiving dinner. We tried this one out this year and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for another winner. 🙂
Kate! I must tell you that you have made a pie-believer out of my husband, who has told me for years that he doesn’t like any pies. He was converted after I convinced him to just try two bites of this pie! Now that we have conquered his soup, pumpkin, and pie aversions, I am off to tackle the fruit/meat combo he is still wary of.
p.s. I made this for a big Thanksgiving dinner without any qualms of bringing something I had never tried before-your recipes always work. Thanks!
Totally bringing this for Thanksgiving! Can I make it a day ahead?? Bake it and then keep it in the fridge?
I have a pear cobbler that my family loves, so they’d probably love this pie! I just never thought about doing it like that!
Thanks!
Oh thank you so much for this post! I have a bag of pears left from canning and was racking my brain on what to do with them when I sat down to catch up on blog posts 🙂 Its destiny, I’ve got to make it! lol