This Custard Pie Recipe is like a less sweet version of a traditional chess pie! If you’ve been putting off making this classic dessert due to its extreme sweetness, here’s your chance to enjoy a version that’s much less sugary.
This simple custard pie recipe came about after I made my S’mores pie and my chocolate chip cookie pie. The custard filling I used in both these pies is sooo good, it deserves its own recipe!
I originally called this recipe a chess pie tart because it’s basically a chess pie baked in a tart pan. But, it’s not exactly a chess pie since it only has half the amount of sugar typically called for in most recipes. So keeping things simple, I decided to rename it “custard pie” because, well, that’s what it is!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfectly balanced sweetness – I have always steered clear of most chess pies, but this one converted me. So, if you’re like me and have been on the hunt for a less sugary recipe for a custard tart, this is the one!
- Simple ingredients, wonderful flavor – this dessert comes together with pantry staples like flour, eggs, and sugar, but it tastes like it took hours of effort. It’s definitely impressive enough for guests (especially with some whipped cream and berries to the side), but also easy enough to whip up quickly without much notice.
- A great base for additional flavors – add extra flavor by serving this with fruit compotes and sauces like my strawberry compote and blueberry compote.
Helpful tools
My recipe for custard pie calls for a shallow pie dish or tart pan, plus some pie weights for par-baking the crust.
You can buy ceramic pie weights at the store, but my personal favorite option is dry beans. I keep 2 lbs of them in a large jar just for this specific purpose. You can reuse them pretty much indefinitely. Other than that, you’ll need standard baking equipment.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- All-purpose flour – I like all-purpose flour for my pie crust, though you could use pastry flour instead if you’d like it to have a more tender taste and feel. You’ll also need just a little bit for the custard filling.
- Granulated sugar – adds sweetness to the crust and helps it brown when baked. Again, you’ll also use it in the filling. Brown sugar is another option for the filling for extra depth of flavor.
- Salt – key to baking, I use kosher salt for the crust and filling. It balances out the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Butter – unsalted butter is best for my custard pie recipe. Make sure it’s very cold for the crust — I usually cube it and keep it in the refrigerator right up until I need it. Conversely, it should be softened for the custard filling.
- Eggs – the thickening and binding agent for the custard. To make it less thick but richer, you can use 3 whole eggs and 2 yolks instead of the 4 whole eggs indicated on the recipe card.
- Heavy cream – helps create the rich and smooth texture of the filling. Half-and-half is the best substitute for a lighter custard.
- Pure vanilla extract – adds warmth and depth of flavor to the custard.
- Freshly whipped cream – for serving. Optional, but highly recommended!
How to make my custard pie recipe
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Prepare the crust
Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine, then transfer to a food processor. Add the cold cubed butter to the mixture and pulse several times until the butter is about pea-sized. Then, drizzle with cold water and pulse again. Turn the dough out on your counter, shape into a disk, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Tip: You don’t need to use a food processor to make the pie dough. You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or make it by hand. Check out my pie crust tutorial for more tips and tricks.
When the dough is ready, take it out of the fridge and roll it into a circle, press into your tart pan, trim the excess, cover, and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
Tip: If you don’t have room in your freezer, you can keep it refrigerated. The point is to keep the dough cold before baking so when it hits the hot oven, the water in the butter will vaporize creating steam and in turn a flaky crust.
Par-bake the crust
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the crust from the freezer. Use a fork to poke holes into the bottom and the sides. Line with parchment paper and add the pie weights. Par-bake for 20 minutes, remove the weights, and bake for 5 minutes more. When it’s ready, remove the crust from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Prepare the filling
Beat the softened butter with the sugar and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, cream, and vanilla together. Incorporate the egg mixture into the butter mixer, then beat in the flour.
Tip: As you add the egg mixture to the butter mixture, don’t forget to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as you go. You need to make sure all of the butter gets fully incorporated for the best taste and texture.
Assemble and bake
Carefully pour the custard into the par-baked crust and cover the edges with foil. Bake at reduced temperature, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the filling is set but still slightly jiggly in the center. Let the custard pie cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
More baker’s tips
- Par-baking the crust prevents it from becoming soggy – It’s a key step in my recipe for custard pie! Don’t skip it — in fact, this is key to any good custard pie recipe.
- Use a large piece of parchment paper – It needs to be large enough to hold the weights or beans and also slightly cover the edge of the crust. This way, the edge of the crust doesn’t get burned when par-baking.
- Keep the crust from burning – Don’t skip covering the edge of the crust with foil when you bake the assembled custard tart! You can remove it to allow the edges to brown some more toward the end of the baking time if necessary.
- Use a baking sheet – I always place my pie dish or tart pan on a large baking sheet to allow easy transfer in and out of the oven.
- Don’t worry if your pie sink – The custard will inflate in the oven while it is baking due to steam releasing from the filling. It’s normal for it to deflate while cooling as well, just a heads up.
Storage
Ensure leftovers have cooled completely before placing them in an airtight container to prevent any condensation from forming. Leftover custard pie will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
You can enjoy a slice chilled directly from the fridge, or you can heat it up gently in a low-temperature oven (300 degrees F is warm enough) for 5-10 minutes to refresh the texture.
I haven’t had the need to freeze this pie but since the filling for this custard pie is very thick, I think it is less likely to split when frozen and thawed, though there may still be a chance it does. Make sure to wrap individual slices well in plastic and foil when freezing. Frozen pie should last up to 3 months.
FAQs
Custard pie is typically baked with an egg-based filling that sets firm in the oven, like my custard tart. Whereas cream pie is often made with a pre-cooked filling that’s then poured into a pre-baked crust and chilled in the fridge to set.
If your crust begins to shrink when you par-bake it, you likely overworked the dough — or didn’t chill it enough. Make sure it’s thoroughly chilled before you roll it into a circle, and don’t skip that second round in the freezer once it’s in your tart pan.
The key to preventing cracks from forming in a recipe for a custard tart is to not overbake it. It should jiggle slightly in the center when you remove it from the oven. Letting it cool gradually on a wire rack can also be helpful.
More creamy pies
- Purple Sweet Potato Pie
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie
- Biscoff Pie (no bake)
- No Bake Banana Cream Pie
- French Silk Pie
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📖 Recipe card
Custard Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 8" Tart Pan
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (169 g)
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (23 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounce unsalted butter (cold and cubed, 113 g)
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- Extra flour for rolling
For the filling:
- 4 ounce unsalted butter (room temperature, 113 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (190 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (room temperature, 60 g)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: Add 1 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon of granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Transfer to a food processor fitted with the dough blade.
- Cube the 4 ounce of cold unsalted butter and add to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until butter is about pea and lima bean size.
- Drizzle up to 3 tablespoon of cold water over the dough mixture, and pulse until the dough starts to pull together. Be mindful not to overmix, you still want chunks of butter in the dough to create a flaky crust.
- Turn the dough out on the counter or cutting board and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for an hour to allow the dough to hydrate.
- When the dough is ready, take it out of the fridge and roll into a circle about 2” larger than your tart pan or pie pan. Keep your surface floured to keep the dough from sticking as necessary.
- Carefully place the dough over the pan, lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the tart pan, but don't stretch it. Let the excess dough hang over the side. Press the rolling pin along the edge of the pan to take off the excess dough. If using a pie pan, you can trim and flute the edge or crimp it.
- Cover the prepared dough with plastic wrap and freeze for 10 – 15 minutes. If you don't have room in the freezer, keep it refrigerated. We want the dough to be cold so when it hits the oven, the water in the butter will vaporize leaving the crust flaky.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Take the frozen crust out of the freezer and poke holes with a fork on the bottom and side. Line the frozen crust with parchment paper, large enough to cover the crust and edge completely. Add pie weights or dry bean on top of the parchment paper, enough to fill to the top.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven, and remove pie weights or bean just by lifting the parchment paper out of the crust. Bake for another 5 minutes without the pie weights.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Don't turn the oven off, just reduce the oven temperature to 350°F in the mean time.
- Prepare the filling: Beat 4 ounce of softened unsalted butter with 1 cup of granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt until completely combined.
- Whisk together 4 large eggs, ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream, and 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Stop and scrape the side a few times to make sure all the butter is completely incorporated.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of flour into the custard mixture until combined.
- Pour the prepared custard into the par-baked crust. Cover the edge of the crust with foil. And bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the filling is set but still jiggly in the middle.
- Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the edge of the crust further if necessary.
- Remove tart from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream and berries.
Notes
- You can use a tart pan or a shallow pie pan for this recipe. But don’t use a deep dish pie pan as the filling is not enough to fill it.
- Make sure refrigerated ingredients for the custard filling come to room temperature before you make the filling so they can incorporate easily.
- The filling will deflate as it cools, this is normal.
Nutrition
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hi have you ever made with buttermilk instead of cream ?
Hi Caren, I have not but I’d imagine you can make the substitution without any issue. I think the buttermilk will add a little tanginess and it will be slightly less rich.
Ah! I feel like you made this just for me. I’ve always loved chess pie, but after I reduced my sugar intake a couple of years ago, it’s way too sweet for me now. I can’t wait to try this lower sugar version!
Awe Stephanie, I hope you’ll like it! 🙂
I’ve never had a chess pie, but it looks delightful and a great alternative to traditional apple and pumpkin pie during the holidays!
Yes they would make a great alternative, or you can just have both! I always have a few pies on my table during the holidays 😉
It’s been years since I had a Chess pie. My mother used to make them and yes, they were really sweet, but quite good. Thanks for taking some of the guilt away. 🙂
Awe if it’s been that long, you must try this. I just hope it’s good enough to stand next to your mom’s pie. 🙂
I love that you used half of the sugar. I always find chess pie too sweet!
That looks heavenly! Beautiful and not too sweet. Perfection.
ooo, this looks like a delicate and tasty little treat!
Yum, I love the sound of this. Isn’t it amazing how often you can simply reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe and still have an incredible result? I mean, I have a major sweet tooth, so I don’t have any problem adding sugar when the time is right, but if you can have something delicious that’s a little bit healthier, why wouldn’t you!? 🙂
This looks like a stunning dessert!
This cheese pie tart looks so delicious, really gorgeous dessert to serve on a any occasion.
It looks so delicious…it’s taste just jumps off the computer screen.