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.
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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!
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!
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 (affiliate link). 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
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.
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.
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
- Homemade Blackberry Pie
- Best Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe
- Easy Coconut Cream Pie
- Best Key Lime Pie Recipe
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.
Dutch Pear Pie
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 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter cut into pieces
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of salt
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1 cup caramel sauce for topping (optional but delicious)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare pie crust and roll it out on a floured surface until it is slightly larger than your pie plate (affiliate link). 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.1 [unbaked pie crust]
- Peel and slice the pears into 1/2-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.5 cups peeled and sliced pears, 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
- 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.½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, Dash of salt, 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 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.1 cup caramel sauce
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
This post was originally published in October, 2016. The photos and content were updated in December, 2021.
Oh my! Pear and nutmeg sound amazing together in this pie.
Beautiful pie! That topping and crust look incredible. Love all your tips on how else to use pears.
Perfect Fall food recipe. Beautiful pictures and I love streusel with apples and pears!!! Thanks.
Oh yum! I love Dutch apple pies, so this pear version is undoubtedly amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
This is the exact fall dessert I love to enjoy. Loving the streusel.
This pie was delicious and I will totally be making it again!
What a beautiful pie! It’s a huge struggle for me to bake with anything BESIDES apple or pumpkin in the fall, but you make pear look pretty darn good! I’ll have to add it to the mix!
That is looks so delicious
It works really well for me
Would it be possible to use canned pears (sliced and canned in pear juice) instead of fresh?
I don’t think canned pears would work well in this pie. They would break down too much into a mush while baking.
I forgot to come back and look for a reply after my original post! Thanks for responding. I thought I should let you know that I decided to risk it and use canned pears because I needed to save some time. I used both sliced pears canned in pear juice and sliced pears canned in extra lite syrup. I reduced the sugar a little since I assumed the canned pears would be sweeter. I followed all the other instructions exactly. It turned out perfect! The pears were not mushy at all. I used Walmart’s Great Value brand.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I have made over 20 pies using it. Everyone loves it!
Thank you so much for letting me know that canned pears worked so well for you, Rachel! I really appreciate that and I’m amazed that you have made this recipe so many times, which is the biggest compliment anyone can give me!
Hi what is the size pie pan you used fir this pie?
I use a 9-inch pie pan.
Each time I make this recipe, I wonder why it lists caramel sauce in the filling ingredients. 🙂
I can’t believe I have never noticed that and no one has ever mentioned it! Lol. It’s just for topping the pie at the end and it’s optional, but really delicious. Although you could definitely toss the pears with the caramel sauce and bake it into the pie!
Can this be made AHEAD of thanksgiving day?
Absolutely!
Wow! Can’t believe it turned out so well. Pair pie, who knew? The instructions were simple and easy to follow. The taste was great; not too sweet but just right. I enjoyed this more than the classic apple pie. Well done!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much, AJ!
Despite having trouble with the pie crust the pie turned out real well. Enjoyed by all.
Did I miss what to do with the butter in the filling?
Oh thank you for seeing this! I fixed it. You need to dot the filling with the butter after pouring it into the pie crust.
I made this for my husband and he loved it! I added a touch of vanilla extract and a little more cinnamon and it came out great. I would recommend not going over on the wet items as the pears can make the crust soggy if not careful. The topping was great and timing was perfect at 55 minutes.
Yum! I wish I could have a slice right now! I’m glad you liked it!
How much of each ingredient for pie crust?
Hi! Here is a link to the pie crust I like to use! https://houseofnasheats.com/perfect-pie-crust/
Do I cut the crust recipe in half since the link is for a double crust or do I just keep the same recipe
You can cut it in half if you would like. Honestly though, if I am just using one crust I will still do the double crust recipe and freeze the other half of the pie crust dough. It freezes so well and it is so nice having a crust made and ready to go for next time! Just wrap the dough and freeze it in a disc shape. When you are ready to use it, thaw it out on the counter and it’s ready to go and be rolled out.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to trying out the recipe.
Thank you for letting me know. Making another one for Thanksgiving
Hi! I was just wondering, could you make up the pie filling ahead of time and freeze it? I have a bunch of pears but not enough time to actually make the pies themselves.
How do you think this would work using gingersnaps in the crumb topping? Not sure if it would be too much with the nutmeg? Maybe change the nutmeg to ginger? Saw another recipe with the gingersnap crumb topping which sounded so good, but yours has so many more reviews!
That sounds delicious actually! I might have to try it myself! I think they would be fine with the nutmeg but ginger would be another good flavor for the filling – I do a pear ginger cake that is also delicious.
So delicious and refreshing.
Everybody at my family gathering loved it, even without the caramel!
This pie recipe is delicious! My whole family enjoyed it and I will definitely be making it again!
Oh the Dutch pear pie is so good. Did you make it for Pi day? I’m glad your family enjoyed it!
Hi this recipe sounds and looks good. Can I use preserved pears?
Hi! So originally I thought that using preserved pears might not work well and be too mushy but a reader left a comment that she did use canned pears and it worked! Here is a portion of her response and how she made the pie… “I thought I should let you know that I decided to risk it and use canned pears because I needed to save some time. I used both sliced pears canned in pear juice and sliced pears canned in extra lite syrup. I reduced the sugar a little since I assumed the canned pears would be sweeter. I followed all the other instructions exactly. It turned out perfect! The pears were not mushy at all. I used Walmart’s Great Value brand.”
So I guess go for it! It worked for her!
This is a great pie. Unusual and a keeper
I had some pears that were pretty unremarkable and turned them into an edible work of art 🥧
So happy to hear this!
I used your recipe last night but used a regular top crust since I’m not a fan of crumbly tops. I worried that it called for a lot of nutmeg. Turns out it wasn’t too much. It’s a nice pie!
Didn’t have granulated sugar or nutmeg so I used brown sugar in place and cinnamon instead of nutmeg and it still turned out delicious! Also used a pilsbury pie crust and didn’t disappoint!
The basics of this pie are wonderful and I will definitely make it again, with the following modification: 3/4 tsp cinnamon and an 1/8 tsp nutmeg. As written the nutmeg was overpowering for me, but if you enjoy it then you will love this as written!
Best pie ever! What a surprise. I was guarded as I’m lukewarm on pears. What an impressive surprise. I entered it in a contest recently and it won a first place ribbon.
Wow! Congrats on winning the contest! You must have made an amazing pie!
Such a delicious pie! We all loved it so much we added it to the Thanksgiving menu 😋 Thanks!
Your recipe needs clarifications. The instructions for the strusel says to mix all ingredients together and mix until crumbly, then spread on top of the pie. It should state to mix all ingredients EXCEPT the caramel and then drizzle the caramel over the strusel.
Can I use frozen pear slices or let them thaw first?
Probably? I haven’t ever used frozen pears! If you do, please let me know how it goes!
Made this today and was very yummy, I did use my homemade canned pear pie and it was not as firm as yours but did work. I made home made ice cream to top with the homemade caramel sauce. It was a BIG hit. This summer I will try again when my pears are ripe.
Wow! Way to go! Homemade ice cream and homemade caramel sauce, impressive! Yes ripe pears are best but canned can work when you are in a pinch.