Pear Pie In a Jar is a fun twist on traditional pie. These cute mini pear pies in glass jars make great gifts or desserts for the holidays!

Assortment of Pear Pies In A Jar on a wooden surface.

 🍐 Fall in love with this pie in a jar recipe

There is something so satisfying about a self-contained single-serving dessert! Even if you end up eating two or three of them (ahem…guilty as charged) it still feels socially acceptable because of their adorable size.

These mini salted caramel pear pies are no exception. In addition to being cute, they’re easy AND delicious! Don’t be fooled by their small size, because they are still big on flavor, with a buttery flaky crust and a warm caramel-pear filling. Bake them right in mini glass jars and finish them off with a cute ribbon for the ultimate edible gift.

Here’s how easy it is:
Find some cute mini mason jars (or pick up these glass ones that I used), line them with crust, fill with fruit filling, and watch the tops puff up to perfection while baking. Once cooled, decorate for someone you love, set them out at the end of your Thanksgiving meal, or dive in all by yourself! You can dress these little babies up with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or thick salted caramel sauce.

For more mini dessert inspiration, check out our Red Velvet Cake In A Jar, Mini Pecan Pies, Easter No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes, and Mini Oreo Icebox Cakes.

Assortment of Pear Pies In A Jar on a wooden surface.

Table of Contents

🧾 What You’ll Need for Mason Jar Pies

Ingredients

Gather your ingredients to make these mini pear pies! Here are a few tips to keep in mind. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

  • Pears: Look for firm pears that have just a little give when you squeeze them. If they are too soft, they will become mushy when you bake them. Bartlett, Anjou, and Bosc pears are all good choices.
  • Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used to thicken the pie filling. Mix it with cold water to avoid lumps, then stir it into the hot filling and let it cook and thicken down.
  • Brown sugar: Depending on the sweetness of your pears and caramel sauce, you might want to skip the brown sugar in the filling. If your pears are not very sweet, go ahead and include it.
  • Salted caramel sauce:Homemade or store-bought caramel sauce both work. If going the store-bought route, look for a thick, spoonable sauce in jars, not the thin kind that comes in squeeze bottles. My personal favorite is Trader Joe’s Caramel Sauce.
  • Pie crust: to keep these as simple as possible, I’m recommending using a high-quality frozen pie crust here. (A second shout-out to Trader Joe’s is in order, because I love their frozen crust!) You can absolutely make your own if you’d like, here is my favorite pie crust recipe.
Close-up of pear pie baked in a small glass jar, with fresh pears in the background.

Equipment

  • Mini jars: This recipe is written for 4-ounce glass jars, similar to these. You can use 6- or even 8-ounce jars, but your yield and baking time will need to be adjusted.
  • Round cutter set: A large round cutter makes it easy to get the perfect size pie crust tops.
  • Heart cookie cutters: Necessary? No. Adorable? Heck yes! Use a mini heart cutter to cut a little heart from the center of each pie crust topper to really gild the lily.
  • Pastry brush: No baker should be without a pastry brush. Here, we use one to brush beaten egg on top of the pie crusts so they brown while baking.

📋 How to Make Mini Pear Pies

Here’s a quick overview of how to assemble these mini pies! Grab printable instructions in the recipe card down below.

2 photo process picture of lining jars with crust and filling with pears for Pear Pies in a Jar.
  • Roll the pie crust out into a very thin layer. (This is important: a thicker crust won’t crisp properly and will be soggy!)
  • Line mini glass jars with that thin crust.
  • Fill with cooled pear pie filling.
2 photo process picture of making the top for Pear Pies in a Jar.
  • Use a large round cutter to cut out circles of dough 2 inches wider than the top of the jars. Cut a heart shape (or other shape) from the center of each circle.
  • Brush a bit of beaten egg on the dough that’s at the top of the jar, and press the circle of dough on top, sealing them together. Crimp the edges, then brush the top with more beaten egg and sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
Baked pear pies in mini glass jars on a wooden cutting board.
  • Bake until the tops are puffed, golden brown, and the filling is visibly bubbling.
  • Let the pies cool until they’re warm but not hot before serving. 

💭 Variations

  • Try other fruit fillings: apple, raspberry, triple berry, cherry, and blueberry are all delicious options!
  • Make ’em cute: Use your creativity to embellish the jars with ribbons, little pendants or gift tags to match any special occasion or holiday.
  • Customize: the cut out shape on top.
  • Spice it up: sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar instead of just sugar.
  • Serve: with ice cream, whipped cream, Cinnamon Syrup, or your favorite dessert sauce.
Top view of the crust of the Pear Pie in a Jar.

💡 Tips and FAQs  

If you have extra pie filling after assembling the pies, don’t throw it away! (And don’t eat it all plain…) Save it to top up the baked pies later. The filling will shrink down after baking, leaving a hole between the crust and filling, and you can spoon a little more filling in the top if you’d like.

What Kind of Pie Crust Should I Use?

For store-bought crust options, my favorite is Trader Joe’s all-butter crust. Any crust you have will do, and if you’d like to make your own, here is my favorite pie crust recipe.

Can I use This Recipe With Other Types Of Pie Filling?

If you are trying this with other fruit fillings, keep in mind that the baking time is too short to thoroughly cook harder fruits like apples and pears. For these and similar fillings, I recommend pre-cooking the fruit (like in this recipe!) for best results.

Make ahead and Freezer Instructions.

You can make these in advance and freeze them once they’re fully assembled. Let them defrost a bit before popping them in the oven, so the sudden temperature shift doesn’t damage the glass. Otherwise, this is a great make-ahead dessert.

Close up of a Pear Pie in a Jar with a fork lifting out a bite.
Overhead shot of a baked strawberry rhubarb pie with a lattice crust top.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This strawberry rhubarb pie is a summertime classic! A flaky, buttery crust is filled with the perfect combination of sweet, juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb.
View Recipe
Close up of a slice of Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie with a fork holding a bite to show layers.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

This deep dish Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie has a chocolate cookie crust, a thin layer of chocolate ganache, and a thick SILKY layer of peanut butter mousse embellished by whipped cream, chocolate ganache and peanut butter cups!
View Recipe

Don’t miss the step-by-step tutorial showing how to make Pear Pies in Jarscheck out the web story here!

Leave a Review!

If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!

Assortment of Pear Pies on a wooden surface.

Pear Pie In A Jar

5 from 6 votes
Pear Pie In A Jar is a fun twist on traditional pie. These cute mini pear pies in glass jars make great gifts or desserts for the holidays!
Prep1 hour
Cook1 hour
Total2 hours
Yields8 mini pies

Ingredients

Instructions 

To make the filling:

  • Peel the pears, core them, and chop them into ½-inch cubes.
  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the pears.
  • Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, until there are no lumps of starch, then add the corn starch mixture, caramel sauce, and brown sugar to the pears.
  • Simmer everything for about 20 minutes, until the pears soften, take on a light caramel color, and the liquid reduces to a thick syrup.
  • Cool the filling completely before assembling the pies. The pear mixture can be spread out on a baking sheet and placed in the refrigerator to speed the chilling process, if desired.

To make the pies:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  • Follow the pie crust instructions for defrosting and unrolling the crusts.
  • My jars were tall and narrow, and I found it easiest to roll one crust very thin, and cut it into wide vertical strips. Cut a strip into rectangles, and press one rectangle all the way around the inside of the jar, pressing the crust even thinner as you place it in the jar. Cut out a circle of dough and press it into the bottom of the jar, sealing it to the edges of the sides so that the entire inside of the jar is covered with crust. Repeat until all of the jars have an inner crust layer.
  • Fill the jars with the cooled pie filling. I used about 4 oz of filling for each pie. If you have extra left over, reserve it for later.
  • Unroll the second crust and use a large round cutter to cut out circles of dough about 2 inches wider than the top of the jars. Cut a heart shape (or other shape) from the center of each circle.
  • Brush a bit of beaten egg on the dough that’s at the top of the jar, and press the circle of dough on top, sealing them together. Crimp the edges, then brush the top with more beaten egg and sprinkle granulated sugar on top.
  • Place the pie jars on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Bake the pies for about 40-45 minutes, until the tops are puffed, golden brown, and the filling is visibly bubbling. If the top crusts seem to be getting too brown, cover them loosely with tented foil.
  • Let the pies cool until they’re warm but not hot before serving. If you have extra pear filling, you can use it to “top up” the pies, since the filling will shrink down after baking, leaving a hole between the crust and filling.
  • Serve the pies with ice cream or whipped cream, and caramel sauce.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 8.5mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.8mg
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.

Meet Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth — a trained pastry chef, cookbook author, video instructor, and your new Baking BFF! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to be a sugar hero. ❤️

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19 Comments

  1. I’ve never seen pie made in a jar like this before! The heart cutout from the top crust is an adorable idea. Can’t wait to try these out!