Last updated on November 13th, 2025.
Pear Pecan Pie with Streusel is everything cozy and sweet in one bite. Juicy pears baked in a flaky crust, topped with a crunchy pecan cinnamon streusel. The pears turn soft and buttery, the pecans get toasty, and together they make the kind of pie that disappears fast and leaves your kitchen smelling like fall.
I created this recipe because I love baking with pears. They hold their texture beautifully and become even sweeter as they bake. The combination of pears and pecans is such a delicate mix of flavors and textures: soft and crunchy, buttery and warm. I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of deep-dish apple pie (though I’ll never say no to a good apple galette), and pears give that same lovely layered fruit effect, just a bit more elegant.
BTW, check out this Caramel Pear Pie for another pear pie option, slightly different.
Key Ingredients
The complete recipe if at the bottom of this post in the recipe card, here is a quick recap for the key ingredients and their importance in the recipe.
- Pie Crust. You can use this All-butter pie crust, or this Cream cheese pie crust (personal favorite). However, this is my stress free pie, so go ahead and use store bough pie crust.
- Pears. I baked this pie a few times with different type of pears, and the most flavorful pears are Bosc, and I highly recommend using them. Barlette are the least flavorful.
- Pecans. Finley ground and chopped, and since they will roast during baking, you can use raw or toasted.
- Cornstarch. As the pie bakes, the fruit releases its juices, which can turn the crust soggy. To prevent that, we add cornstarch. It absorbs the liquid, and as the temperature rises, it swells and traps even more moisture.
Make It
Below are step-by-step images of how I made the filling and assemble the pie. Including all my notes and tips for the perfect pie, you can implement for any of your pie baking recipes.
- Start with shaping the pie crust, then refrigerate it or freeze. Then make the streusel and last the filling.
- Mix the cornstarch with the sugar until you no longer can distinguished between the two. This step prevent the cornstarch from clumping when we mix it with the pears.
- Before filling the pie shell, brush the bottom with egg wash, and layer it with a thin layer of finely ground pecans. The two will act as a barrier between the liquids and the crust, and prevent soggy bottom.
- When topping with the streusel, make sure to leave some opening for the steam to be released from.
- Once the pie is assembled, freeze it while the oven preheats. Place a large baking sheet on the lower rack and bake the pie on top of it. Chilling the pie helps the crust hold its shape and prevents early shrinking, while the hot baking sheet ensures the bottom bakes evenly and turns perfectly golden.
- Pay attention to the pie and not the timer, the pie is ready when the crust is deep golden brown and some you notice some sizzling bubbles.
Yields and Store
This recipe make on 9-inch pie, and should be stored at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to one week. You can reheat the pie for 10 minutes in a 300°F preheated oven.
Pear Pecan Pie with Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe All-butter pie crust
Pear Filling
- 5 Medium (850g) Bosc Pears
- 1/2 Lemon Juiced
- 1/2 Cup (100g) Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (32g) Cornstarch
- 4 Tablespoos Unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Pecan Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/2 Stick (55g) Unsalted butter
- 3/4 Cup (90g) AP Flour
- 1 Cup (90 g) Chopped pecans
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 3 Tablespoons (35g) Light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (35g) Sugar
- 1 Large egg separated
Instructions
- Roll dough into 12"-14" circle (depending on the depth of your dish) and gently line rolled dough in the pie dish.
- Create your design to crust edges and place back in the refrigerator while you make the streusel and filling.
Pecan Cinnamon Streusel
- Measure the flour, pecans, spices, light brown sugar, sugar in a medium bowl and mix.
- Melt the butter then pour it into a bowl over the rest of the ingredients. Use a fork to blend the butter into the ingredients.
Pear filling
- Peel, core and slice the pears into 1/4" slices.
- Sprinkle lemon juice and toss for even distribution.
- Mix the sugar and cornstarch together, sprinkle mix on pears and toss to distribute.
Assembling and baking the pie
- Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator.
- Brush the bottom of the crust with an egg white, then sprinkle the ground pecans on top.
- Evenly line pear filling then dot with the cut butter and sprinkle with the streusel making sure to have some open spaces for the steam to evaporate from.
- Place the pie in the freezer while you preheat oven to 400F with a rack at the lowest shelf of the oven.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350F and bake for additional 45-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and/or you notice some bubbles coming out the streusel.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Start by shaping the pie crust, then refrigerate or freeze it to rest. Next, prepare the streusel, and finally, the filling.
- Store at room temperature for two days, or refrigerate for one week.
- You can reheat leftovers for 10 minutes in a 300°F preheated oven, or longer depending on the size.
- Once assembled, place the pie in the freezer while the oven preheats. Set a large baking sheet on the lower rack and bake the pie directly on top of it. The chill helps the crust hold its shape and prevents shrinking, while the hot baking sheet ensures even baking and a beautifully golden bottom.
- Keep an eye on the pie rather than the timer: it’s ready when the crust is a deep golden brown and you can see bubbling juices around the edges.
Hello and Thanks for the recipe! This was might first streusel and it was A LOT of work, like 6 hours… My wife thinks that I crumbled my streusel to fine, so next time I won’t process that so much. another suggestion is to somehow mix some of the streusel into the fruit just in the top center area.
LOVED THE PIE!
Thanks again,
PB
Thank you Pat, first Pies are a-lot of work, but it is totally worth it!
Adding this to my Thanksgiving menu. Thanks, as always, your recipes are so enticing!