Custard Fruit Pie

With a golden crust, creamy vanilla filling, and the sweetness of fresh fruit, this Custard Fruit Pie will win over your family and friends. It is delightful when made with ripe pears or peaches, sweet cherries, or any variety of berries.

This custard pie recipe has been a favorite of mine for years. My friend Kristen first introduced me to it about 10 years ago, made with extra vanilla and perfectly ripe pears. I immediately asked for a second slice and the recipe. I've spent a lot of time tweaking this fruit custard recipe ever since.

The creamy custard filling paired with a variety of seasonal fruits is perfect for just about any holiday or time of year. I've made it with everything from peaches and cherries to blueberries and blackberries. It's also a great dessert for kids since you can use whichever fruit they like best.

Baking for Thanksgiving? Try this over-the-top amazing Thanksgiving Piecaken Recipe. It has layers of pecan pie, pumpkin pie, spice cake, cinnamon buttercream, and apple pie filling.

Ingredients

• Unbaked Pie Crust - I normally buy the store-brand variety where the dough comes rolled up in the refrigerated section when I want to save time. If you enjoy making homemade pie pastry, you are more than welcome to, but the store-bought crusts are a fine option.
• Fruit - I have a whole section discussing the types of fruit you can use. But in brief, you can use frozen berries or soft, ripe, peeled fruit such as pears.
• Flour - All-purpose flour works well in this recipe.
• Salted Butter - I prefer to use salted butter to balance the sweetness of the pie. If you have unsalted butter, you can just add a pinch of salt.
• Sugar - I use regular white sugar in this recipe, but other granulated sugars should be fine too.
• Large Eggs - Eggs are the binder and help the custard set. I don't think this recipe would work without eggs.
• Vanilla Bean Paste - I love how this tastes in the custard, but you can use vanilla extract if you don't have vanilla bean paste.

See quantities in the recipe card.

How to Make Custard Fruit Pie

It only takes a few minutes to prep this delicious dessert. The complete recipe is below the photos, but here are the steps along with instructional images.

Step One: Prepare the pie crust.

Step Two: Put the fruit of your choice into the unbaked pie crust.

Step Three: Beat the custard ingredients until smooth and creamy in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. A stand mixer works for this, too. If you don't have either of those, you can just stir or whisk to make the custard, but your butter needs to be softened or there will be large lumps in the batter.

Step Four: Pour the vanilla custard mixture over the fruit and spread it out. It will be thick.

Step Five: Bake the pie in the oven until the top and edges of the pie are golden brown and the center of the pie only jiggles slightly. The custard will continue to set as it cools. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Variations

• Fruit - In the next section, I talk about all the choices. This is the easiest way to vary a custard pie.
• Almond Extract - If you love the flavor of almonds, try adding almond extract.
• Lemon - For a lemon custard pie, cut the amount of vanilla in half and add 2 teaspoons of lemon extract or lemon zest.
• Chocolate Raspberry - Dark chocolate chips plus raspberries are an irresistible combo in this dessert.
• Tart - Bake this in a tart pan with a removable bottom instead of a pie plate. You may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of the pan.
• Raw Fruit - Another option is to just bake the custard in the pie crust without adding fruit. After it bakes and cools, decorate the top like a fruit tart with raw fruit such as sliced kiwi, apricots, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, or other fresh berries. If you make this variation, I also like to warm a little jam and brush it on top of the raw fruit to add a shine.
• Streusel Topping - Add your favorite crumb topping before baking the pie for another dimension of texture and flavor.
• Crust - Try this all-butter 3 Ingredient Pie Crust for a homemade option.

Try this Pineapple Custard Pie for a tropical variation on my custard pie.

Equipment

You don't need much to make this homemade custard pie. Just grab a pie plate, a large mixing bowl, and an electric mixer. A stand mixer works well, too, or you can mix the filling by hand with a whisk if your butter is soft enough.

Common Questions

What type of fruit can I use in a fruit custard pie?

• Pears - Use very ripe pears that have been peeled, cored, and sliced into quarters or halves. You want 4-5 pears so they cover the bottom of the crust.
• Berries - Fresh or unthawed frozen berries will work. Again, you want enough to cover the bottom of the crust.
• Peaches - Frozen peaches tend to work best in this recipe. Fresh peaches should be very ripe and peeled. If using frozen peaches, they need to be thawed first or they might release too much liquid and the crust won't set.
• Cherries - Pitted cherries are another great choice. You can use fresh cherries or frozen cherries. You can halve them if you prefer.
• Apples - To use apples, I recommend par-cooking them first. I will just lightly sauté them in a little butter. Otherwise, they don't always soften enough as the pie bakes.

How do I store leftovers?

Wrap any leftover fruit pie in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We like it both at room temperature and chilled. My husband has been known to eat it standing in front of the open fridge door right from the pie plate with a fork.

📖 Recipe

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Originally Published February 3, 2023. Revised and Republished October 9, 2026.