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This easy homemade pear pie filling recipe combines ripe pears with brown sugar, warm spices, and a touch of fresh lemon juice. It’s perfect for making pies, crumbles, ice cream sundaes, or adding to yogurt or oatmeal for a cozy fall breakfast.
Frequently forgotten in my kitchen, pears deserve a chance to shine in the spotlight! Soft, sweet, and buttery when they’re ripe, with a slightly floral aroma and creamy vanilla flavor featuring notes of caramel. Yesss. Pear deserves to be celebrated. What better way to do this than with pie?
Why This Recipe Works
- Cornstarch as the thickener. I prefer cornstarch instead of flour as a pie thickener for a few reasons: 1) cornstarch results in a glossy, translucent filling instead of an opaque filling; 2) cornstarch has about twice as much thickening power as flour so you can use less; and 3) with cornstarch you get a more neutral flavor instead of a “floury” flavor that has to be cooked out.
- Brown sugar as the sweetener, plus a blend of warm spices. Brown sugar, with its caramel-y notes of molasses, is a lovely pairing with pears. And instead of just using cinnamon, we use a blend of cozy warm spices for deep flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice. Pears are considered a low-acid fruit, so here we need a little bit of lemon juice for two reasons: 1) its tart flavor helps create a balanced profile, and 2) its acidity helps the filling set.
- The “secret” trick is in the timing: let the pie filling cool! There are two reasons to let the filling cool before making pie. The first is so that the filling is fully thickened. (We’re not making pie soup, friends. I’ve been there and done that, lol!) And the second reason has nothing to do with the filling, but everything to do with the crust. If you add the hot filling to a cold pastry crust, you’ll melt the butter and end up with a soggy bottom to your pastry, and/or a gummy/rubbery crust. We’re going for the perfect pie crust that’s crisp, flaky, and golden!
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Pears – We need 8 cups of sliced pears, which is about 3 pounds of fresh, ripe pears. Peel them, core them, and slice them into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Light brown sugar – Instead of using regular granulated white sugar, brown sugar adds rich notes of molasses.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves – This warm spice blend accentuates the flavor of pears without overpowering it.
- Salt – Salt is a natural flavor enhancer that intensifies the flavor of the pears.
- Cornstarch – We mix cornstarch with cold water to form a slurry to thicken the pie filling.
- Fresh lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice adds tart, bright flavor to balance the sweetness, and also helps the pie filling set.
- Unsalted butter – Just a little bit of butter adds rich flavor and creates a velvety mouthfeel.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions: How to Make Pear Pie Filling From Scratch
- Prep. Wash the pears, then peel them, core them, and slice them into 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick slices.
- Cook. Add the pear slices and brown sugar to a large pot over medium heat, and toss to coat. Cover the pot and cook until the pears start to soften and the volume reduces by approximately half, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the spices. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and cornstarch slurry. Cook until thickened, gently stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Finishing touches. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
- Cool. Cover and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. (TIP: Make sure to cover the pot so the filling doesn’t thicken too much as the liquid evaporates during the cooling process.) After 2 hours you can make the pie, or store the filling in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storage
Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips For the Best Homemade Pear Pie Filling
- Slice your pears as evenly as possible, so they cook evenly. We’re going for 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices.
- If possible, use a variety of different types of pear. Each lends its own flavor and texture and comes together to create a lovely, unique pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oooh, great question! There are so many things that enhance the flavor of pear. To start, a touch of salt intensifies its flavor. A little bit of fresh lemon juice for tartness to balance the sweetness. Brown sugar to intensify pears’ natural caramel flavor notes. Warm spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg pull out the nuances. And even though we don’t add vanilla to this pie filling, it’s a lovely complement to the natural musky, vanilla-esque flavor of pear.
When I developed this recipe, I used ripe Bartlett pears.
NB: I’ve tested this recipe multiple times after developing it, and my favorite way to make it is with a variety of pears. They add subtly different flavor nuances and different textures, and come together for a truly great pie filling. I recommend about 1/3 ripe Bosc pears (which are dense, crisp, and not quite as sweet as other varieties), 1/3 ripe Bartlett pears (which are buttery-smooth and intensely pear-flavored with notes of honey, but can turn mushy if they’re extremely ripe or cooked too long), and 1/3 ripe Concorde pears (which are firm and sweet with notes of vanilla) or 1/3 Anjou if you can’t find Concorde.
When making pie filling, pears should be ripe and soft, but not mushy. We want the fruit ripe enough so it’s sweet, but not so ripe that it doesn’t hold its texture when cooking.
More Homemade Pie Filling Recipes
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Pear Pie Filling Recipe
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Ingredients
- 8 cups sliced pears (3 pounds of fresh, ripe pears; peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices; see Notes for what kind of pears)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 4 tablespoons cold water to form a slurry)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature)
Instructions
- Prep. Wash the pears, then peel them, core them, and slice them into 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick slices.
- Cook. Add the pear slices and brown sugar to a large pot over medium heat, and toss to coat. Cover the pot and cook until the pears start to soften and the volume reduces by approximately half, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the spices. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and cornstarch slurry. Cook until thickened, gently stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Finishing touches. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
- Cool. Cover and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. (TIP: Make sure to cover the pot so the filling doesn't thicken too much as the liquid evaporates during the cooling process.) After 2 hours you can make the pie, or store the filling in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Recipe Yield: This recipe makes enough filling for 1 standard 9-inch round pie.
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated based on 8 servings.
- Pears: I’ve tested this recipe multiple times after developing it, and my favorite way to make it is with a variety of pears. They add subtly different flavor nuances and different textures, and come together for a truly great pie filling. I recommend about 1/3 ripe Bosc pears (which are dense, crisp, and not quite as sweet as other varieties), 1/3 ripe Bartlett pears (which are buttery-smooth and intensely pear-flavored with notes of honey, but can turn mushy if they’re extremely ripe or cooked too long), and 1/3 ripe Concorde pears (which are firm and sweet with notes of vanilla) or 1/3 Anjou if you can’t find Concorde.
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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