My pear cobbler with canned pears recipe is easy and delicious! This old-fashioned southern dessert uses simple ingredients like syrupy fruit, self-rising flour, proving that convenient ingredients can still deliver big flavor. The addition of spices like cinnamon and ginger are warm and comforting, making it perfect for cold fall or winter nights. And since this batter-style cobbler has no crust, there’s no rolling or cutting—in addition, it makes a full 9×13 pan, so it would be great for beginner cooks who need to feed a crowd. If you want to learn how to make pear cobbler with canned pears, follow my step-by-step directions and watch the video below!
Pear Cobbler with Canned Pears
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 3 15 oz cans pears in heavy syrup (1 drained, 2 with the syrup) *I used Bartlett pears
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (60g)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Crust:
- 1 cup self-rising flour (150g)
- ***If using all-purpose flour, add 1.5 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar (210g)
- 1 cup milk (240g) *I used reconstituted evaporated milk, but you can use whatever you want
- 1 stick butter, unsalted (113g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (377C).
- Drain one of the can of pears and discard the syrup.
- Melt the butter and then pour it into the 9×13 baking dish, making sure to coat the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.
- Mix the self-rising flour, white sugar, milk, and the optional vanilla to create a batter. Note that it will be lumpy, similar to the consistency of pancake batter.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish, trying to do so as evenly as possible. Remember to NOT MIX the batter with/into the butter.
- Sprinkle about half of the spices into baking dish—although you can wait until after adding the sliced peaches, sprinkling some spices directly on top of the batter ensures more even distribution.
- Add the slices pears to the dish by using a fork or spoon to place them on top of the batter neatly and orderly while holding back most of the syrup. Don’t just “dump” the fruit into the dish as this will splash the batter.
- Drizzle the remaining syrup over the top, trying to pour it over the top as evenly as possible—even though it looks like you added too much liquid, don’t worry—most of it will get absorbed by the batter as it bakes and forms a crust.
- Add the brown sugar, rest of the spices, and lemon juice.
- Bake the cobbler at 350F, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes total).
- Let the cobbler cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. If serving with ice cream, do so while the cobbler is still warm.
Recipe Review
I was very pleased with how my pear cobbler with canned pears recipe turned out—in fact, it far exceeded my expectations. The flavor of the fruit was perfectly balanced with the cinnamon, ginger, and other spices, the bit of lemon juice adding brightness and the brown sugar improving depth in just the right amounts. The crust was delicious as well, the slight butteriness and hint of vanilla balancing out the fruit-forwardness.
The texture was nice as well, the crust turning crispy golden brown on top while remaining soft and cake-like on the inside. Although most of the syrup was absorbed into the crust, just enough stayed liquid to make the filling juicy and moist. Combined with the pear slices themselves, this dessert was just as much about the texture contrasts as it was the flavor combinations.
But what most surprised me was how much it tasted like apple—if you served this without telling anyone what it was, the vast majority of people would think it was apple. Honestly, the only thing that really gave away that this was a pear cobbler and not an apple cobbler was the slightly grittier texture—it wasn’t bad or anything, just characteristic of pears.
Although this old-fashioned pear cobbler with canned pears was fantastic on its own, I also really enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream. I usually prefer to eat my baked goods room temperature, but if you’re going to serve this with ice cream, I recommend serving it still warm, maybe 15, 20, or up to 30 minutes after baking. I’m not quite sure why, but I think that most batter-style cobblers taste better when served warm on the same day you make them.
Overall, this southern pear cobbler with canned pears and self-rising flour was an absolute success that far, far exceeded my expectations. If you’re looking for dessert with fall flavors, or especially if you’ve got a craving for apple cobbler but don’t feel like peeling apples—then this recipe is for you!
Pear Cobbler with Canned Pears FAQs
Bake the cobbler at 350F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Although 1 hour would probably be fine, an extra 15 minutes will help get the crust nice and golden brown.
This recipe makes 8 large servings, up to as many as 16 smaller portions.
Yes! Turn all-purpose flour into self-rising flour by starting 1 cup of all-purpose flour and then adding 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then mix thoroughly before using.
Although you can serve pear cobbler with canned pears plain, it’s absolutely delicious topped with vanilla ice cream, especially if the cobbler is still warm so that the ice cream melts slightly. Homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip would probably be good as well, so be sure to have some on hand when you make this dessert.
No! Although many southern-style cobbler recipes call for cooking the fruit on the stove top first, this pear cobbler is different—all you have to do is open the cans and get started!
Yes! You can use pears canned in juice—or even light syrup—instead of pears canned in heavy syrup. If you want to same level of sweetness as this original recipe, sprinkle the following amounts of plain white sugar on top of the sliced pears once they’re in the baking dish:
*In Juice: 1/2 cup (105g)
*In Light Syrup: 1/4 cup (55g)
The cans of pears I used said that they were Bartlett pears. Their soft texture and mellow flavor make them perfect for this recipe, so they’re likely better than Bosc or D’Anjou.
Yes! In fact, Margin Making Mom has a pear cobbler with fresh pears recipe that is very similar to this one.
Yes! Although I haven’t personally tried the recipe with Bisquick, I think it would probably work. I’d use 1 cup Bisquick instead of 1 cup of self-rising flour, then I’d add the 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, and optional 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make the batter.
Yes! Simply put the leftover cobbler into freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2-3 months. To thaw, take the container out of the freezer, remove the lid, and place it in refrigerator to thaw completely for a few hours.
Other Cobbler Recipes:
If you liked this dessert, be sure to take a look at related old-fashioned southern recipes:
Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches – This batter-style cobbler is a southern classic and comes together quickly and easily.
