Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie is an easy pie recipe that produces a rich, thick, sweet custard-like center when baked.
Easy, easy, easy. You only have to make a single crust and then you just mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and dump them in. You really won’t believe how simple this recipe is. The filling bakes into a nice soft custard and is delicious. It definitely has a lemon flavor to it, too. I love lemon! My family, however, aren’t so much fans, so sometimes when I make this pie, I leave out the lemon zest. It cuts down on the lemon flavor significantly, so you are left with a baked custard pie with only a hint of citrus.
After writing a huge post all about pie crust, I wanted to share a few classic, simple, perfect-for-every-holiday pie recipes to go with it. You need something delicious to fill your favorite pie crust and this post is just that – all things pie! This old fashioned buttermilk pie is a favorite in our house and I hope you love it. It’s fun to make because a lot of people haven’t tried it before. You can find this recipe plus SEVEN other pie recipes in one post if you are still looking around for something that looks perfect for your Thanksgiving table.
There’s something magical about pulling a pie made from scratch out of the oven. It seems to take you back to a time when life was simpler and homemade pie was standard fare in American kitchens. Today, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, taking time to make pie is almost therapeutic. It’s a slower process than opening a box of brownie mix, but there’s so much satisfaction in it. Butter, flour, and sugar are the building blocks of all things good, and making a homemade pie is a pretty great way to use them. Plan to take an afternoon to bake and you just might love how grounding the whole process is for you. And you’ll have a beautiful pie to enjoy after dinner or to share with friends, and that’s a pretty great reward, too.
Tips and Tricks for Making Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie
- There are lots of variation of this pie which include things like vanilla, lemon, or nutmeg. My version has lemon in it. To make a more traditional buttermilk pie you can omit the lemon juice all together and add a dash of nutmeg to the top of the pie.
- Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie is similar to this pie (and one of our very favorites) with none of the lemon flavor, if you want to check that recipe out. If you are looking for a full-on lemon pie, I love this North Carolina Lemon Pie recipe. Buttermilk pie is kind of a mix between the two and it is delicious!
- Buttermilk pie originated in England and has become a Southern staple in the United states. It’s similar to a Chess Pie but is made without cornmeal or vinegar.
- This pie is best served at room-temperature but can be served warm or cold depending on your preferences.
- Use a deep pie plate for this recipe so that your filling doesn’t bubble over while cooking.
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Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8-10 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie is an easy pie recipe that produces a rich, thick, sweet custard-like center when baked.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- pinch of salt
- Single pie crust
Instructions
- Prepare your pie crust and place it in the bottom of a deep 9-inch pie plate. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl add sugar and flour and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
- Add the butter, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and pinch of salt and whisk to combine.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the unbaked prepared pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes. The center will be set when the pie is done.
Notes
The lemon zest helps to add a bit of brightness to the pie. If you like lemony things, add the full tablespoon. If you are after a sweeter, more neutral custard pie reduce the lemon zest to 1 teaspoon or omit it all together.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: buttermilk pie recipe, easy buttermilk pie recipe, buttermilk pie, easy homemade pie, easy homemade pie recipe, buttermilk pie in the sky, easy homemade dessert recipe
Have you had buttermilk pie before? Do you like it with lemon or nutmeg? I love pies that only use one crust because I can make a double pie crust recipe and stretch it to two pies. I’ll normally make this and an pumpkin pie for my family and they go wild.
Happy pie making from my kitchen to yours!
This buttermilk pie might be old-fashioned but I’ve never tried making it, so it’s trendy for me! 🙂 Can I use lime juice instead of lemon juice, Melissa?
YES! That sounds so good.
Do you need to put lemon in it?
★★★
Nope, I wrote about that in the post. You certainly can leave it out!
You know what’s funny is my young women (14&15 yr olds) told me they looove butter milk pie. I had never made it ( or heard of it) until it was requested!