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Pear Pie

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Apple pie is delicious but have you ever tasted Pear Pie? It’s like apple pie, only better. Dripping with cinnamon and sugar and wrapped in a buttery, flaky crust, this pear pie is all you are ever going to look for in a pie. I promise!

 

Main image for pear pie recipe of a slice of pie on a plate

 

This pear pie recipe is seriously wonderful! I love how you don’t have to cook the fruit first since pears are already so soft. 

You may think I’m crazy for suggesting Pear Pie.  If you’ve never had it, I can see why.  But I kid you not when I say I prefer Pear Pie over Apple Pie.  It’s easy, delicious and your guests will be surprised with this new addition to your collection.

 

sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and lime zest added to a bowl

 

Ingredients in Pear Pie

  • Pie Crust: I recommend this Butter Pie Crust. You cannot go wrong with it. You’ll need a double pie crust, one for the bottom and one for the top.
  • Sugar: Use plain white sugar. Though you could experiment with different ratios of brown sugar and white, I personally haven’t tried it so recommend sticking with white sugar.
  • Flour: Again, maybe I’m just a plain jane kind of girl (or the flavor is just that good), I recommend using all-purpose flour. Other substitutes have not been tried or tested by me, but the white flour you’ll love.
  • Salt: I never recommend leaving salt out as it brings to life your other flavors. Luckily salt is a pantry food that most of us almost always have on hand.
  • Cinnamon: Cinnamon with pears? I think that’s a thing right? I know it’s definitely a thing around my house.
  • Lemon Zest: Also pears and lemons. Pretty sure that’s a thing too. All I know is in this recipe you’ll love the combo of them all.
  • Pears: You’ll want your pears peeled and cut into chunks. Bartlett or Anjou pears are my personal favorites for baking but you can feel free to use really any pear you want. 
  • Butter: This is absolutely not somewhere where you want to try substituting shortening. Or any other oil based fats actually. Use real butter for best results.
  • Lemon Juice: This keeps the pears from turning brown while baking!

Pro Tips: 

  • Zest First. If you are using a real lemon, it’s much harder to zest the lemon after you juice it. Trust me. Zest first. Juice second. And when it comes to baking, don’t use bottled juice, use real.
  • Buy extra pears! A few of them quickly disappear from my bowl while I’m cutting. I think my kids may have a “distract the mother” system worked out. I swear if I so much as blink all my pears will be gone.

 

cinnamon mixture poured over pealed and sliced pears

 

How to Make Pear Pie

  • Mix: Mix the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest, and then the pears together. This is my time for also getting the oven ready, getting the pan ready, etc. Also for cutting extra pears to make up for the ones that randomly disappeared! My kids don’t look guilty at all…
  • Layer: First line the bottom of your pan with crust. Follow that with the pear pie filling, a dot of butter and lemon juice. Finally top with the top pie crust. My kids favorite here is cutting the slits in the top of the pie crust. I think it makes them feel like professional bakers.
  • Bake: You’ll be doing something a little strange with the temp here so pay attention. Your first 10 minutes are at a different temperature than the rest of the baking time. This allows your fruit to be cooked and your crust to come out golden and crispy.

Pro Tip: Pear Pie can also be eaten on the run! If you want to take these along for a fun picnic or trip try my Mini Pear Pies. Same delicious flavor, but portable!

 

cinnamon mixture stirred into sliced pears

 

How to Peel and Slice Pears

If you’re buying pears to eat out of hand don’t worry about how ripe they are. If they are very ripe, all the better for eating in the car on the way home.

Though I wouldn’t hand the over ripe pears to the hungry mob in your back seat. They’ll get that sticky juice all over their car seats and it’s a pain to clean.

If you are cooking the pears in a recipe that requires you to peel first, such as easy pear pie, try to choose ones that offer a little given when gently pressed. The peels should come right off as you peel them. 

I suggest using a butter knife instead of a potato peeler to peel your pears. Pears have such a thin skin, it doesn’t actually take much work to get it off.

Next slice in half lengthwise. You can use a small melon baller to core out the center or just use your knife to cut it out.

Finally cut the pears into chunks. You want them to be about a bite size piece. Any larger than that and you’ll bite out the entire middle of your pie. Sad day. There is no reason to try and make them pretty though so just chunk them up and call it a day.

 

lemon juice spread over top of pears

 

Can you Freeze Pear Pie

You can freeze the baked pear pie for up to 3 months. Bake the pie as directed and then allow the pie to thoroughly cool. Cover tightly in a freezer friendly container. I prefer first wrapping in freezer plastic wrap before placing in the container. 

When you’re ready to eat, thaw the pear pie overnight in the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

Personally I’d recommend making the filling, and freezing just the filling, then letting it thaw and make  your pie that way.  Just add in an extra teaspoon of cornstarch to your mixture to absorb the extra water from freezing.

You can also freeze just the pear pie filling for up to three months and then when you’re ready for the pie, combine it with the crust and bake as directed.

Your pear pie will also last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days after being baked.

Pro Tip: If you know you’ll be baking and then freezing, this is the perfect opportunity to try the Pear Hand Pies. Then you can take out however much you want at a time and keep the rest in the freezer until you’re ready for them.

 

pie fresh out of the oven and ready to be sliced

 

If you have a sweet tooth, we recommend you try these Simple Desserts too!

 

A slice of pear pie on a plate ready to be eaten - zoomed out image

 

This Pear Pie will not disappoint!  Perfect all year round, it’s an easy, unique and oh so tasty fruit pie you’ll absolutely love!

 

Yield: 1 whole pie

Pear Pie

slice of pear pie on a plate, showing juice pears in cinnamon sauce ready to be eaten - zoomed in image.

Apple pie is delicious but have you ever tasted Pear Pie? It’s like apple pie, only better. Dripping with cinnamon and sugar and wrapped in a buttery, flaky crust, this pear pie is all you are ever going to look for in a pie. I promise!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Inactive Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450*F
  2. Spray a deep dish pie pan with nonstick spray.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest. Mix well.
  4. Toss pealed and chopped pears into sugar mixture until well coated.
  5. Line a deep dish pie plate with single crust.
  6. Place pear mixture into pie crust.
  7. Dot with butter & lemon juice.
  8. Top with second pie crust and seal edges.
  9. Cut slits on the top
  10. Bake for 10 minutes.
  11. Reduce oven temperature to 350*F and bake for an additional 35 - 40 minutes or until crust is golden.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 336mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 23gProtein: 3g
Originally Posted: January 30, 2015

Photos & Text Updated: March 1, 2021

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Tresa

Sunday 20th of November 2022

My son did not peel the pears before cutting them into slices and freezing them, so we’ll see how this turns out for Thanksgiving!

Janelle

Wednesday 23rd of November 2022

Ohh I hope you'll come back and report back on how the peels turned out. Frozen pears will retain a lot of liquid, so your pie may be more watery. Add extra flour to compensate for that extra water or you may have soup. Good luck! It's one of my favorite pies!

Kate

Monday 22nd of November 2021

I'm totally making this for T-Day. Substitute Chinese five spice for cinnamon. You'll wonder where it's been all your life.

Janelle

Monday 22nd of November 2021

Sounds delicious!! Great idea!

IRIS TORREIRA

Wednesday 28th of October 2020

I make this pie yesterday and it was perfect . The sweetness my husband love it.

Janelle

Wednesday 16th of December 2020

Thank you so much Iris for your kind comment! It's one of my favorites and oh so simple to make!

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