Dutch Pear Pie

This Dutch Pear Pie is a warm, wonderful pie filled with Fall's other sweet, juicy and often overlooked fruit. It's delicately spiced with grated nutmeg and topped with a buttery-sweet streusel crumb topping.

If you love pie, you've come to the right place! We have dozens of pie recipes to choose from, including favorites like Razzleberry Pie, Sour Cream Apple Pie, and Blueberry Custard Pie!

Everybody knows that when it comes to Fall food, there are a couple of heavy hitting flavors that will always be synonymous with the season - namely apple and pumpkin. I mean, I've already posted a couple of our favorites on here like Salted Caramel Apple Pie and Starbucks Copycat Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones.

But there are loads of other fruits and vegetables that really shine during this time of year but can be overlooked for their more renowned seasonal counterparts. And those seasonal fruits are perfect for making PIES!

When are pears in season?

Bartlett pears, which can be either green or red, start their season in late summer and continue through the fall, while Bosc and Comice pears are available starting in fall and through winter. Anjou (or d'Anjou) pears also come in both red and green varieties and they are considered more of a winter pear.

But even they start their season in mid-fall, so you will start noticing lots of pear options filling up the produce section in your favorite grocery store or local farmer's markets (if you are lucky enough to have one year round like we do).

Ways to Use Pears

Besides eating pears out of hand or baking them into a pie, you might want to consider one of these ideas!

• Slice them up and add them to your grilled cheese sandwich for a sweet & savory elevated combo
• Poach or grill them and serve with ice cream
• Add them to a salad
• Serve them with brie or even better - baked brie, which is one of my all-time favorite treats (recipe coming soon!)

Ingredient Notes

• Spices: My pear pie recipe is spiced mainly with nutmeg, and just a hint of cinnamon. I tend to spice my pies on the lighter side because I want the fruit flavor to shine through. Nutmeg is a wonderful, warm surprise because we aren't as used to that fruit and spice combination as we are to apples and cinnamon. If you aren't a fan of nutmeg you could just replace it with all cinnamon in this recipe.
• Flour: This is the primary thickening agent so that the pie is set up and sliceable when fully cooled, but still juicy.
• Pears: The shining stars of pear pie have to be the pears! Look for bosc or bartletts, preferably, that are on the firm side.

How to Make This Recipe

Start by rolling out your bottom crust and using it to line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate . Set this in the fridge while you work on the filling.

To make the filling, toss peeled and sliced pears in a large bowl with sugar, flour, a little lemon juice and lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Transfer the filling to the cold pie crust and dot with pieces of butter on top.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then add the melted butter and mix with a fork until evenly moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over the top of the filling. You can crimp the edges of your crust for a decorative finish or make a braided crust design if you are feeling fancy.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown on top. You may need to shield the edge crust on the top of the pie with foil or using a silicon pie shield if it looks like it is browning too quickly.

Let the pie cool completely before slicing and serving. It needs to cool all the way to set up or it won't slice cleanly. You can always reward the pie in the oven for 10 minutes or microwave individual slices before serving if you like your pie warm.

Pear pie is especially delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce on top!

Recipe FAQ's

Which pears are best for baking?

When it comes to baking, Bosc and Anjou pears are probably your best bets, while Bartletts and Comice pears are best for eating out of hand as they don't hold their shape as well when baked. That isn't to say that Bartlett or Comice pears can't be used in baking - in fact, like with my apple pies, I like to mix varieties of pears for a more complex flavor and texture.

While Bosc or Anjou pear slices will hold their shape in the pie, the Bartletts or Comices will break down more and almost melt into a wonderful pear-sauce that surrounds the firmer slices of one of the firmer varieties.

How far ahead can you make pear pie?

This pie can be made 2-3 days in advance and still taste fresh and delicious. It's fine to sit out on the counter overnight, but I recommend refrigerating it to preserve it even longer.

Can you freeze pear pie?

You can freeze an unbaked pear pie for up to 3 months and bake directly from frozen. You will probably need to add an extra 20-30 minutes to your bake time. I recommend sticking the unbaked pie in the freezer for 1 hour to set the crust, then wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, then again in foil to protect it.

You can also freeze a baked pear pie for up to 3 months. Treat it the same as an unbaked pie by letting it cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and foil for protection. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then for an hour or so on the counter. I would definitely recommend warming the pie in the oven for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Homemade pie crust is so much better than store-bought! Making homemade pie is easier than you think, especially with my recipe for the perfect pie crust. I even have a video tutorial for how I make it on my YouTube channel that you might want to check out. But this pear pie is even easier because you don't have to worry about a top crust and instead just sprinkle a crumble topping on instead!
• Use cold ingredients. Keeping your pie crust cold until you are ready to bake will give the flakiest results in your pie crust.
• Buy extra pears. Trust me - it seems like mine disappear when they are in the house because my family loves them so I like to have a few extra on hand just in case.

More Pie Recipes

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.

Print Pin

Dutch Pear Pie

4.92

from

56

votes

Amy Nash

Prep Time

20

minutes

mins

Cook Time

1

hour

hr

Cooling Time

4

hours

hrs

Total Time

5

hours

hrs

20

minutes

mins

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

American

Servings

12

people

This Dutch Pear Pie is a warm, wonderful pie filled with Fall's other sweet, juicy and often overlooked fruit. It's delicately spiced with grated nutmeg and topped with a buttery-sweet streusel crumb topping.

Equipment

• 9-inch Pie Plate

Ingredients

  

• ▢

  1

  [unbaked pie crust]

  (recipe makes a double crust)

Filling

• ▢

  5

  cups

  peeled and sliced pears,

  about 6 medium pears, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices

• ▢

  ½

  cup

  granulated sugar

• ▢

  4

  Tablespoons

  all-purpose flour

• ▢

  ¾

  teaspoon

  ground nutmeg

• ▢

  ¼

  teaspoon

  ground cinnamon

• ▢

  ½

  teaspoon

  salt

• ▢

  1

  teaspoon

  lemon zest

• ▢

  1

  Tablespoon

  lemon juice

• ▢

  1

  Tablespoon

  salted butter,

  cut into pieces

Streusel Topping

• ▢

  ½

  cup

  all-purpose flour

• ▢

  ¼

  cup

  brown sugar

• ▢

  ¼

  cup

  granulated sugar

• ▢

  ¼

  teaspoon

  ground cinnamon

• ▢

  Dash of salt

• ▢

  4

  Tablespoons

  salted butter

  melted

• ▢

  1

  cup

  caramel sauce

  for topping (optional but delicious)

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare pie crust and roll it out on a floured surface until it is slightly larger than your pie plate . Carefully transfer the crust to the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck the edges under and finish them with a decorative crimp, unless you want to add a braided crust around the edges or use another finishing style. Set aside in the fridge while you work on the filling.

• Peel and slice the pears into ½-inch slices or chunks. Add them to a large bowl, along with the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Gently toss to combine. Arrange the pear pie filling in the prepared pie crust and dot with pieces of butter on top.

• In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the streusel topping and stir to combine, squeezing together into small clumps with your hands if needed. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the pear filling, going all the way to the edges of the pie.

• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the crust and topping are golden brown. You may need to cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil if they look like they are browning too quickly.

• Cool completely for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. We like to drizzle the slices with homemade caramel sauce before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• Types of pears: I used a combination of 4 Bosc & 2 Bartlett pears.  But you could also bake with Anjou pears or Comice pears.  I just wouldn't recommend making a pear pie using only Bartlett & Comice pears though as they tend to break down more and would result in a mushier filling overall than if you pair them (get it?) with Boscs or Anjous.
• Storage: This pie can be stored overnight on the counter, but I like to refrigerate it to keep it fresher longer. It's good for about 3-4 days in the fridge.
• Freezing an unbaked pie: You can freeze an unbaked pear pie for up to 3 months and bake directly from frozen. You will probably need to add an extra 20-30 minutes to your bake time. I recommend sticking the unbaked pie in the freezer for 1 hour to set the crust, then wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, then again in foil to protect it.
• Freezing a baked pie: You can also freeze a baked pear pie for up to 3 months. Treat it the same as an unbaked pie by letting it cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and foil for protection. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then for an hour or so on the counter. I would definitely recommend warming the pie in the oven for 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

Nutrition

Calories:

287

kcal

|

Carbohydrates:

53

g

|

Protein:

2

g

|

Fat:

9

g

|

Saturated Fat:

4

g

|

Polyunsaturated Fat:

1

g

|

Monounsaturated Fat:

3

g

|

Trans Fat:

1

g

|

Cholesterol:

13

mg

|

Sodium:

264

mg

|

Potassium:

126

mg

|

Fiber:

3

g

|

Sugar:

24

g

|

Vitamin A:

180

IU

|

Vitamin C:

4

mg

|

Calcium:

27

mg

|

Iron:

1

mg

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This post was originally published in October, 2016. The photos and content were updated in December, 2021.