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A slice of custard pie on a white plate with a metal fork on the left and 2 blackberries and mint leaves on the right, all sitting on a denim blue and white napkin with a glass of milk and eggs in the background.

Old Fashioned Custard Pie

BY: Michele
PUBLISHED: Aug 14, 2022
UPDATED: Aug 22, 2022
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If you love homemade pies, you’ll love this creamy, old fashioned custard pie.

It is a great recipe like one my husband’s Grandma used to make, which was the best custard pie recipe ever, and it makes a delicious dessert that the whole family will love.

A slice of custard pie on a white plate with a metal fork on the left and 2 blackberries and mint leaves on the right, all sitting on a denim blue and white napkin with a glass of milk and eggs in the background.

This custard pie recipe is more like a vanilla custard pie recipe, except that it includes both vanilla and almond extracts for extra flavor.

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What Is A Custard Pie

This custard pie has a creamy egg custard filling, made with milk, eggs, and sugar, in a traditional flaky pie crust and is similar to a buttermilk pie, or a Chess Pie Recipe but without the cornmeal.

A round custard pie in a pie crust and the filling sprinkled with cinnamon.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Taste. This egg custard pie tastes sweet, flavorful, and scrumptious.
  • Texture. You’ll love the custard cream filling. It is silky smooth and creamy.
  • Budget-Friendly. Like other classic custard pie recipes, it uses ingredients you likely have in your refrigerator and pantry, and it is cheaper to make than many desserts.
  • Easy. This is an easy recipe for custard pie. Only a few simple steps and a few ingredients are required to make this custard recipe, and the oven does most of the work.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Tried and True Recipe. This is an old-fashioned custard pie recipe that has been made for decades. It is a tried and true recipe that my family and relatives have tested for many years.
  • Step by Step Photos. In addition to the step-by-step instructions, I have included photos for each process step to make the recipe as easy to follow as possible.
A slice of custard pie being held on a spatula above the rest of the pie in a glass pie dish.

What You’ll Need To Make Custard pie

Equipment

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Ingredients

Below I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions in case you don’t have a specific ingredient on hand. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

An overhead view of ingredients for custard pie on a white marble background with blue labels and white text. Ingredients include milk, nutmeg, almond extract, vanilla, pie crust, heavy cream, eggs, and salt.
  • Prepared pie crust – You can use a store-bought pie crust or your favorite unbaked pie crust. However, I recommend making the pie crust from scratch for the best results. Use your favorite pie crust recipe.
  • Eggs
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Heavy Cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half and half, or all whole milk, but then it may not be as creamy.
  • Whole Milk
  • Vanilla
  • Almond extract – If you don’t have almond extract, you can use all vanilla extract.
  • Sea Salt
  • Nutmeg – If you prefer, you could use ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

How To Make Custard Pie

Prebake The Pie Shell

A 2-photo collage showing an unbaked crimped pie crust in the photo on the left and in the photo on the right, the same pie crust after it has been pre-baked.
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Place the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Add pie weights and bake for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the center of the crust appears dry and lightly browned.
  4. Let the crust cool on the counter for 15 minutes.

How To Make Custard For Pie

A 2-photo collage with the photo on the left showing a glass bowl on a white marble background with milk, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl, and in the photo on the right, it shows all the ingredients mixed together into a smooth custard filling.
  1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream, milk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt.
  2. Whisk until smooth. 

Assemble The Custard Pie

  1. Pour the custard mixture into the pie crust but don’t add too much because it will go over the sides of the pie crust. Depending on your pie plate’s depth, you may not use all of the custard filling, but that’s okay.
  2. Sprinkle nutmeg on top of the pie, very carefully place the pie in the oven, and tent it with foil. 
A 2-photo collage with the photo on the right showing the unbaked pie filling inside a pre-baked pie shell. In the photo on the right it shows the same pie with nutmeg sprinkled over the top.

Bake The Custard Pie

  1. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. The pie is ready when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. It will appear moist but no filling should be stuck to it. The pie will be jiggly. 
  2. Let the pie cool completely on the countertop, then place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
A 2-photo collage with the photo on the left showing an unbaked custard pie and the photo on the right showing a custard pie on a cooling rack after it has been baked.
  1. Slice and serve.
1 slice of custard pie on a white plate with a couple of blackberries and mint leaves, with a blue and white striped napkin with a partial view of a second white plate with a slice of pie and berries and mint.

Pro Tips

  • Perfect Pie Crust. One tip to get a beautiful flaky, golden brown buttery pie crust, and not a soggy crust, is to use a metal pan. Based on research done by King Arthur Baking Company, pies baked in metal crusts are browned better than ones in a stoneware or glass pan. Secondly, bake the pie on the middle rack in the center of the oven for the perfect cooking temperature and perfectly baked pie crust. Thirdly, don’t skip the step to prebake the pie shell because this ensures that the pie crust will cook completely. Lastly, bake the pie on a baking sheet.
  • Prevent Edges From Burning. To prevent the edges of the pie crust from getting too brown or burning, cover the edges with foil when pre-baking.
  • Is It Done? To tell if the pie is done, the custard filling will be jiggly, but should not be soupy, or have waves. After removing the pie from the oven, let the pie cool before serving as the pie will firm up while cooling.
  • Almond Extract. If you don’t care for almond extract, double the vanilla extract.
  • Nutmeg. If you don’t like nutmeg, you can use cinnamon or pumpkin pit spice.
A slice of custard pie on a plate with a bite taken out of the pie and the bite of pie sitting on the metal fork on a white plate. On the other side of the pie slice are 2 blackberries with mint leaves, and the plate is sitting on a denim blue and white napkin. In the background is a glass of water, a bowl of eggs, a partial view of a white plate with blackberries .

Variations

Below are some ideas for more custard pie recipes.

  • Buttermilk Pie. Use buttermilk instead of regular milk in the recipe to turn it into a buttermilk pie.
  • Chess Pie. Add cornmeal to the recipe to turn it into Chess Pie. You can check out my favorite Chess Pie Recipe.
  • Coconut Custard Pie. Include sweet flaked coconut for a rich coconut-flavored Coconut Custard Pie.

What To Serve With Custard Pie

Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. However, you could serve it with a caramel sauce, praline sauce, or vanilla glaze.

Overhead view of a whole pie in a glass pie plate with about 3 slices of pie removed and one slice of pie in the plate, with the plate sitting on a blue and white napkin on top of a white tile background.

FAQs

Can I Freeze Custard Pie?

Technically, yes you can freeze custard pie in an airtight container. However, I don’t recommend freezing custard pie as it does not freeze well because the eggs and cream can separate and change the pie’s texture.

How Do I Store Leftover Custard Pie?

Store the creamy custard pie in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days.

More Pie Recipes

Overhead view of 2 small plates, each with a slice of custard pie, with a fork on the left and 2 blackberries and mint leaves on the right sitting on a blue and white napkin on top of a white tile background. In the upper right quadrant of the photo is a glass of milk, a glass bowl of eggs, and the glass pie plate with the remainder of the custard pie.

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Recipe

A slice of custard pie on a white plate with a metal fork on the left and 2 blackberries and mint leaves on the right, all sitting on a denim blue and white napkin with a glass of milk and eggs in the background.
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Custard Pie Recipe

This creamy custard pie is just like the old-fashioned custard pie likely made by your grandma, with eggs, sugar, and cream. It tastes sweet and creamy yet is easy to make.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Custard pie, old fashioned custard pie
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cool: 4 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 295kcal
Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Add pie weights and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the center of the crust appears dry and lightly browned. Let the crust cool on the counter for 15 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth.
  • Add the heavy cream, milk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
  • Add the filling but do not add too much that it will go over the crust of the pie. Depending on the depth of your pie plate, you may not use all the filling, but that’s okay.
  • Sprinkle the top of the pie with the nutmeg, place it in the oven, and tent it with foil.
  • Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. The pie is ready when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, it will appear moist but no filling should be stuck to it. The pie will be jiggly.
  • Let it cool completely on the countertop, then place it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or, best overnight. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

  • Perfect Pie Crust. One tip to get a beautiful flaky, golden brown buttery pie crust, and not a soggy crust, is to use a metal pan. Based on research done by King Arthur Baking Company, pies baked in metal crusts are browned better than ones in a stoneware or glass pan. Secondly, bake the pie on the middle rack in the center of the oven for the perfect cooking temperature and perfectly baked pie crust. Thirdly, don’t skip the step to prebake the pie shell because this ensures that the pie crust will cook completely. Lastly, bake the pie on a baking sheet.
  • Prevent Edges From Burning. To prevent the edges of the pie crust from getting too brown or burning, cover the edges with foil when pre-baking.
  • Is It Done? To tell if the pie is done, the custard filling will be jiggly, but should not be soupy, or have waves. After removing the pie from the oven, let the pie cool before serving as the pie will firm up while cooling.
  • Almond Extract. If you don’t care for almond extract, double the vanilla extract.
  • Nutmeg. If you don’t like nutmeg, you can use cinnamon or pumpkin pit spice.
  • Storing. Store the creamy custard pie in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1mg

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