Pear Pie Filling Recipe

This pear pie filling is a spiced stovetop filling made from 6 cups of sliced fresh pears simmered in a brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg syrup thickened with cornstarch. It takes about 35 minutes and makes enough for one 9 inch pie.

Cook the syrup until it turns glossy before the pears go in. Then the slices only need 8 to 10 minutes, so they come out tender but still in slices, coated in a sauce that sets as it cools.

One Batch for One 9 Inch Pie

• Pears: 6 cups peeled, cored and sliced, about 6 medium pears
• Thickener: 3 tablespoons cornstarch in 1 cup water
• Sweetness and spice: ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt
• Stirred in at the end: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon butter
• Time: 15 minutes prep, about 20 minutes on the stove
• Keeps: 4 days in the fridge, about 3 months in the freezer

Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc: Pears That Stay in Slices

Pick pears that are ripe enough to smell sweet at the stem but still firm when you press them. Bosc and Anjou hold their shape best in a cooked filling. Bartlett has the most perfume, but use it while it is still firm and a little green; a fully ripe, yellow Bartlett falls apart in the syrup.

Very soft pears are the main reason a pear filling turns to sauce. They release a lot of juice and collapse before the centers are cooked. If your pears are very sweet, you can use a little less granulated sugar.

Cooking the Spiced Brown Sugar Syrup

Peel, core and slice the pears into even pieces, about ½ inch thick, so they all cook at the same speed. A little browning on the cut edges will not show once they are in the brown sugar sauce.

In a medium saucepan, mix both sugars, the cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, then whisk in the water until smooth. Mixing the cornstarch with the sugar first keeps it from clumping.

Cook over medium heat, stirring the whole time, for 5 to 7 minutes. It starts out cloudy and thin. Keep going until it bubbles, turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Cornstarch only reaches full thickness near a boil, so a syrup that never bubbled will thin out later in the oven.

Simmering the Pears Until Just Tender

Fold the pears into the hot syrup, turn the heat down a little and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing sticks. They are done when a knife slides into a slice with a little resistance in the center and the edges look slightly translucent.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, vanilla and butter. Pull it a minute early rather than late. The pears keep softening as the filling cools, and again in the oven if it goes into a pie.

Let it cool completely before using it. The sauce looks loose while hot and sets as it cools, so do not add more cornstarch at this point.

Pear Filling or Apple Pie Filling?

The method is the same as my homemade apple pie filling: thicken the syrup first, then cook the fruit in it. Pears are juicier and softer than apples, so they need less time on the stove, 8 to 10 minutes against 10 to 15 for apples, and less spice. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon is enough here; more would cover the pear flavor.

Choose pear filling when you want something softer and more floral. Choose apple when you want firm slices with a tart bite. You can also mix the two fillings in one pie.

Turning the Filling Into a Pear Pie

Roll out a double crust, like my pie crust recipe, and line a 9 inch pie dish. Spoon in the cooled filling, add the top crust, crimp and cut a few vents. Bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles through the vents; 40 to 50 minutes at around 375°F to 400°F is typical, but follow the bake time of your crust recipe. Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before slicing so the sauce sets.

Warm filling in raw pastry melts the butter in the crust and gives you a soggy bottom. That is why the cooling step matters.

Pear Filling for Cake Layers, Turnovers and Crisps

For a layer cake, cut the pears into small dice instead of slices so the layers sit flat. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of each layer and spoon the cold filling inside it. It goes well with a pear cake or a plain vanilla sponge.

For turnovers and hand pies, chop the slices smaller so the pastry seals; the folding works the same as in these apple turnovers with puff pastry. It also makes a quick base for a crisp, or a pear cream cheese crisp. Leftovers are good warm over ice cream, pancakes or yogurt.

Fridge, Freezer and the Canning Question

Store the cooled filling in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, pack it into freezer bags, press out the air and freeze for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir; a little liquid may separate, and a minute on the stove brings it back together.

This is a fridge and freezer filling, not one for the pantry shelf. Cornstarch is not recommended for home canning, so if you want jars to store at room temperature, use a tested canning recipe made with ClearJel.

Pear Pie Filling Questions

Can I use canned pears?

Yes. Drain them well, measure 6 cups and fold them into the thickened syrup for only 2 to 3 minutes, since they are already soft. Pears canned in syrup are sweeter, so reduce the granulated sugar.

Why is my pear filling watery?

Usually the syrup did not bubble long enough, or the pears were very ripe. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water, add it to the filling and bring it back to a bubble for a minute.

Why did my pears turn mushy?

They were too ripe or simmered too long. Use firm Bosc or Anjou and take them off the heat while the centers still have a little resistance.

More pear recipes for the season: pear tart, spiced pear walnut dump cake and pear butter.