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Buttermilk pie is the dessert that visitors to a Southern table were nervous about and then wrote home about. The name suggests something sour. The pie is nothing of the kind: it is a sweet vanilla custard with a faint tang, poured into an unbaked crust and baked until the top sets into a thin golden skin that freckles and cracks. Children who were never told the name called it the vanilla pie, and they were not wrong.
It comes from the same cupboard as chess pie and sugar pie, the era when a cook had eggs, butter, sugar and buttermilk and needed dessert for six. There is one bowl and one whisk. The only skill involved is knowing when to take it out of the oven, and the answer is when the edges are set and the center still wobbles like gelatin when you nudge the pan. It finishes setting as it cools.
Why this buttermilk pie works
- Flour is whisked into the sugar first. Three tablespoons of flour, blended with the sugar before the eggs go in, thicken the custard without a single lump.
- Melted butter, cooled. Butter gives the filling its richness and helps the top brown. Let it cool a minute so it does not scramble the eggs.
- A squeeze of lemon. It sharpens the tang of the buttermilk and keeps the pie from tasting flat and sweet.
- The wobble test. Pulling the pie while the center still jiggles is what keeps the custard silky. Bake it until firm and it turns grainy.
Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch pie, 8 slices. US cups with grams in brackets.
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 113g), melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup buttermilk (240ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly grated nutmeg, for the top
Use full-fat buttermilk if you can find it. Low-fat works but the custard is a little less rich. Do not use a buttermilk substitute made with milk and vinegar here; the texture is not the same.
How to make buttermilk pie
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edge and put it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour and salt together until no lumps of flour remain.
- Add the eggs and whisk until smooth and pale, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the melted butter, then the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon juice. The filling will be thin and pourable. That is correct.
- Set the pie plate on a baking sheet and pour in the filling. Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are puffed and set, the top is golden with darker freckles, and the center still wobbles slightly when you nudge the pan. If the top browns too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over it for the last 15 minutes.
- Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours. The filling sets as it cools. Serve at room temperature or, better, after 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Tips that make the difference
- The crack in the top is part of the pie. Do not try to bake it out; that is how you get a rubbery custard.
- Baking on a sheet pan catches drips and makes the pie easier to move without sloshing.
- For a crisper bottom, brush the raw crust with a little beaten egg white and bake it empty for 10 minutes before filling.
- A pie fresh from the oven will not slice cleanly. Give it the full cooling time.
Variations
- Chocolate buttermilk pie. Whisk 3 tablespoons of cocoa into the sugar and flour.
- Lemon. Add the zest of 1 lemon and increase the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon.
- Coconut. Fold 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut into the filling before pouring.
- Brown sugar. Replace 1/2 cup of the white sugar with packed brown sugar for a faint caramel note.
Storage and make-ahead
Cover the cooled pie loosely and refrigerate. It keeps for 4 days and is at its best on day two, cold, when the custard is fully set and the tang has come forward.
Buttermilk pie freezes better than most custard pies. Freeze the whole cooled pie uncovered until firm, then wrap in plastic and foil, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
Does buttermilk pie taste sour?
No. It tastes like a sweet vanilla custard with a gentle tang at the finish, closer to a cheesecake than to anything sour. Most people who have never heard of it cannot guess what is in it.
What is the difference between buttermilk pie and chess pie?
They are cousins. Chess pie uses cornmeal and sometimes vinegar for its thickening and tang, and has a slightly grainy, dense texture. Buttermilk pie uses flour and buttermilk and is smoother and lighter.
Why is my buttermilk pie runny?
Either it was under-baked or it was cut warm. The center should wobble when it comes out but the edges must be fully set, and the pie needs at least 2 hours to firm up. If it is still loose after chilling, it needed 10 more minutes in the oven.
Can I use a graham cracker crust?
Yes, and it is very good. Use a pre-baked 9-inch graham crust and reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes, watching the edges of the crust so they do not over-brown.
Tell them the real name after they have had a slice. It is a better conversation that way.
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie (The Southern Custard Pie)
Old-fashioned Southern buttermilk pie: a sweet, tangy custard filling that sets with a thin golden skin and a crack when you cut it. Six ingredients, one bowl, a store-bought crust if you like, and the wobble test that tells you when it is done.
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 113g), melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly grated nutmeg, for the top
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edge and put it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour and salt together until no lumps of flour remain.
- Add the eggs and whisk until smooth and pale, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the melted butter, then the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon juice. The filling will be thin and pourable. That is correct.
- Set the pie plate on a baking sheet and pour in the filling. Grate a little nutmeg over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are puffed and set, the top is golden with darker freckles, and the center still wobbles slightly when you nudge the pan. If the top browns too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over it for the last 15 minutes.
- Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours. The filling sets as it cools. Serve at room temperature or, better, after 3 hours in the refrigerator.
