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    Grits and Pinecones » Recipes » Desserts

    Easy Pear Pie Recipe

    August 4, 2019 by Sharon Rigsby, Updated September 20, 2022 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest pin showing a whole pear pie and a piece on a white plate.

    This easy homemade Pear Pie recipe combines the sweet and tender flavors of baked pears infused with cinnamon and nutmeg with a flakey buttery crust. It’s how dessert dreams are made! 

    A piece of pear pie topped with whipped cream on a white plate.

    A sweet friend recently dropped off a bag of fresh pears from their farm. And my mouth started watering just thinking about the pie I was going to make. When life hands you a bag of pears, well, you have to make a pear pie! I think it’s a rule of nature! 

    You’ve never tasted a pear pie? How can that be? We need to remedy that right now. With a purchased crust, there is nothing easier to make. Peel and slice some fresh pears. Mix them with a little sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and lemon juice and pour them into a prepared crust. Bake and voilà, pear pie!

    A close cousin to apple pie, pear pie takes the best of summer’s fresh pears and turns them into a luscious dessert that will have you coming back for more.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, and you have a dessert that your company will rave about!

    What kind of pears to use? 

    The best pears are the old-fashioned, hard sand pears you probably remember from your youth or backyard pear tree. Barlett pears which are firm and not too ripe, also work well. You want a pear that doesn’t give when it is squeezed softly. If your pears are soft, they will be mushy after baking. The softer pears will also give off too much juice, which will cause your crust to be soggy. 

    A basket of pears on a kitchen counter.

    How to make it: 

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

    Place one crust in an ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Smooth out when your fingers so that it covers the bottom and sides of the dish. 

    An unbaked pie crust in a pie plate ready for filling.

    Add the pears, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and nutmeg to a large bowl. Gently stir all ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed.

    Pear slices in a glass bowl topped with sugar, flour and cinnamon.

    Pour into the prepared crust. Spread the filling out evenly.

    An unbaked pie crust full of pear pie filling ready to bake.

    Top with the second crust. Gently fold the excess top crust over and under the sides of the bottom crust and press edges together to seal. You should have an even double roll of crust around the top. 

    To flute the crust, use one finger to push the inner edge out while pinching the outer edge in with the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Repeat around the entire edge.  Alternatively, you can take a fork and press the tines around the edge of the crust to seal it.

    An unbaked pear pie with a top crust ready for the oven.

    Cut several slits in the top crust.

    Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place strips of aluminum foil around the crust edges to keep it from browning too fast. Bake for another 20-25 minutes.

    A pie with strips of aluminum foil covering the outside crusts to prevent over browning.

    Cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before serving. 

    A pear pie out of the oven with a stack of white plates and forks in the background.

    Sharon’s Expert Tips:

    • If you need help fluting the crust,  check out this short instructional video.  
    • This recipe is best when made with hard or firm, slightly underripe pears. 
    • Do not make the filling ahead of time. The pears will turn brown and will give off too much juice, which will result in a soggy crust. 
    • You can use a frozen unbaked deep-dish shell if you do not want a top crust. If you do, you can top the pears with a streusel mixture consisting of ⅓ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and three tablespoons cold butter. Mix the streusel ingredients with a fork and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pears — bake as directed. 
    • Instead of using aluminum foil to keep your crust from burning, crust shields can be purchased, which you can reuse. 

    This recipe calls for a 9-inch pie plate, and all I had was a dish that measured 9.5 inches at the top. Because of this, my bottom crust wasn’t large enough to extend past the edge of the dish. Consequently, I didn’t have enough overlap to produce a pretty fluted edge. Of course, it still tasted the same, but the crust edges weren’t as pretty as they could have been.

    More dessert recipes with fruit:

    If you like easy dessert recipes with fresh fruit or berries, you might also be interested in these popular recipes on my blog:

    • Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie
    • The Best Kumquat Pie
    • Southern Style Easy Fresh Peach Pie
    • Classic Southern Style Blackberry Pie
    • Southern Peach Cobbler
    • Classic Southern Strawberry Shortcake, and
    • Strawberry Trifle with Angel Food Cake
    • Old-fashioned Blackberry Pie

    Need more dessert ideas? Check out all of my dessert recipes here. 

    ★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

    Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

    A piece of pear pie topped with whipped cream on a white plate.

    Pear Pie Recipe

    Sharon Rigsby
    Imagine a delicious homemade pear pie, laced with a flakey buttery crust and a juicy, cinnamon and nutmeg infused fresh pear pie filling.  It is the stuff dessert dreams are made of.  
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Time to Cool 2 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 246 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 cups thinly sliced pears peeled, about 6-7 medium-size pears
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 pkg refrigerated pie crusts You need two crusts

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Place one crust in an ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Smooth out when your fingers so that it covers the bottom and sides of the dish.
    • Add the pears, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and nutmeg to a large bowl. Gently stir all ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed. Pour into the prepared pie crust. Spread the filling out evenly.
    • Top with the second crust. Gently fold the excess top crust over and under the sides of the bottom crust and press edges together to seal. You should have an even double roll of pie crust around the top.
    • To flute, the pie crust, use one finger to push the inner edge out while pinching the outer edge in with the thumb and index finger of the other hand. Repeat around the entire edge of the pie. Alternatively, you can take a fork and press the tines around the entire edge of the pie to seal the crust.
    • Cut several slits in the top crust.
    • Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place strips of aluminum foil around the pie crust edge to keep it from browning too fast. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before serving.

    Notes

    Sharon's Expert Tips:
    • This recipe is best when made with hard or firm slightly underripe pears.
    • Do not make the pie filling ahead of time. The pears will turn brown and will give off too much juice, which will result in a soggy crust.
    • You can use a frozen unbaked deep-dish pie shell if you do not want a top crust. If you do, you can top the pears with a streusel mixture consisting of ⅓ cup flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons cold butter. Mix the streusel ingredients with a fork and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pears — bake as directed.
    • If you need help fluting the pie crust,  check out this short instructional video.  
    • Instead of using aluminum foil to keep your crust from burning, pie crust shields can be purchased, which you can reuse. 
    • This recipe calls for a 9-inch pie plate and all I had was a dish that measured 9.5 inches at the top. Because of this, my bottom crust wasn't large enough to extend past the edge of the dish. Consequently, I didn't have enough overlap to produce a pretty fluted edge. Of course, the pie still tasted the same, but the crust edges weren't as pretty as they could have been. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 161mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 4gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today! Mention @gritspinecones or tag #gritspinecones!

     

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    1. Mimi

      January 24, 2022 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      Hi Sharon…Your pear pie recipe worked out well for me using 7 Bartlett pears and two homemade pie crust I took from freezer supply.
      I added a handful of golden raisins which my hubby liked and commented on. I also had a new baking spice, Mahaleb or Mahlep, I received as a Christmas gift that I added along with the cinnamon called for. The Pear Pie turned out great!
      I appreciate “Sharon’s extra TIPS.”
      Thank you

      Reply
    2. Sharon Nelson

      December 26, 2020 at 12:20 am

      5 stars
      HI Sharon.
      We loves the pie. It looked beautiful, the pears were still firm (I added 1/3 cup of fresh cranberries. When I cut it, it was very watery; delicious but watery.
      How can I fix it next time? More flour?
      Thank you
      Sharon

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        December 26, 2020 at 6:53 pm

        Hi Sharon, this recipe was developed using hard sand pears which give off very little juice. My guess is your pears may have been juicier and this is what contributed to the watery filling. I do think that adding an additional tablespoon of flour should take care of the issue. I like your idea of adding the cranberries, I’ll bet they added a nice tartness.
        All the best,
        Sharon

        Reply
      • Kat

        November 25, 2021 at 8:01 am

        5 stars
        I used a bit of corn starch in with my flour to keep it from being too juicy. I mixed half paers and half apples. I cut them thin and left the skins on since i think that’s where a lot of the nutrients and fiber are. I also used a crumb topping I got off an apple crumb recipe. I haven’t tasted it but it’s baking now and I hope I can wait until our thanksgiving dinner to try it out because it sure smells delish! Thank you, Sharon!

        Reply
    3. Cassie Busta

      November 27, 2020 at 7:24 am

      This is for a pear pie, correct? I see in the directions it mentions apples. My husband requested a pear pie for his birthday… his grandmother used to make it for him as a child. I’m excited to try this! Thank you,
      Cassie

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        November 27, 2020 at 7:50 am

        Hi Cassie,
        Yes, it is a pear pie recipe. I’m not sure how “apples” snuck in there, but I’m glad you mentioned it so I can get it corrected. I hope you enjoy it!
        All the best,
        Sharon

        Reply
    4. Julie

      December 30, 2019 at 9:03 pm

      5 stars
      I loved this pie and so did my husband. The pears were amazing. Such a nice break from the apple pie we have all been making for decades!

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        December 31, 2019 at 5:16 pm

        Hi Julie,
        I’m so happy you enjoyed the pie and thanks too for letting me know!
        Happy New Year!
        Sharon

        Reply

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    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, recipe developer, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have well over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and there is nothing I like better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

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