Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie is a classic, traditional southern pie. It’s simple and made from regular ingredients, but it tastes so good. Buttermilk Pie is creamy, sweet heaven. It’s one of my very favorite pies.
What Is The Origin?
Buttermilk Pie is a southern dessert that has been passed down through the generations. Interestingly, it is thought to have originated in England.
What Does Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie Taste Like?
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie has a super smooth, custard-like filling that is really sweet. It has just a little tang from the buttermilk, but mostly it is very sweet. This pie is for people with a serious sweet tooth. The filling only takes about 5 minutes to make and consists of eggs, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, flour for thickening, and lemon juice, vanilla extract, and nutmeg for flavor.
What Is The Difference Between Buttermilk Pie and Chess Pie?
Buttermilk Pie is very similar to Chess Pie only a Chess Pie typically has cornmeal and a Buttermilk Pie does not. If you are looking for a Chess Pie Recipe, I love this Chocolate Chess Pie and this Lemon Chess Pie.
You can use a store bought pie crust or make your own. Watch the video below to learn how to make an easy homemade Flaky Pie Crust.
How To Tell When It Is Done
The center of the pie should jiggle just slightly when it is done. It will set up further in the refrigerator.
If the pie crust starts to get too brown before the pie is done baking, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
Why Is My Pie Runny?
If your pie is runny, you most likely didn’t bake it long enough, or it could be that you didn’t add the full 3 tablespoons of flour. The flour acts as a thickener. It’s also essential to chill the pie before slicing.
How To Serve
You can eat this pie warm, room temperature, or chilled. I think it tastes best straight from the refrigerator, especially when the weather is warm. Then it is cool and creamy and oh so delicious.
How To Store
It should be refrigerated. Wrap it well and it will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It will weep some. This is normal.
Can it be frozen? Yes, this pie can be frozen for up to 2 months.
More Buttermilk Pie Recipes
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.
- Whisk in remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Pour into prepared pie crust.
- Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
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Thank you! Love your buttermilk trick! Solved my problems too.
I decided to make it for my training class I was in for the last day and they ate it all….one lady wants me to make one for her birthday in April. I’m adding crushed pineapple and coconut in the next one…
It would be so good with crushed pineapple and coconut!
Look up “dang good pie” recipe—
I followed the recipe exactly like it is written. Turned out awesome!!! Everyone loved it.
Why does the recipe call for a 1/2 cup of melted butter but the video omits adding the butter?
I followed the recipe using low-fat buttermilk and the pie came out with a 4 inch round section of what looked like melted butter. I followed the recipe. Any thoughts?
Thank you
Sometimes it’s the difference in using butter vs margarine. I have always used butter. The one time I used margarine it came out like what your talking about.
Mine came out the same way! I cooled the butter but it wasn’t cold. I used a siring to remove the “pool” of butter. The pie looks beautiful otherwise.
I used butter not margarine and mine came out the same way, I also noticed in the video no butter was used so on my next try I’m only going to use 1/4 cup of butter otherwise the pie is good.
I’ve tried perfecting my mom’s chess pie and it’s never as good as hers but my buttermilk pie turns out great. Love this recipe
White Lily flour is actually different from other brands…. More tender. It is actually made fro. A winter wheat which renders a tender flour. It is better for cakes and biscuits. Other brands are better for breads and dough.
Some other recipes for this pie call for 3 tbsp of lemon juice and a tbsp of lemon zest. It’s no wonder in their reviews that people say it turned out to be a lemon pie instead of buttermilk. I’m gonna stick to the one tbsp of lemon juice to be on the safe side. Every year, our one local grocery store carries lots of fresh pies from Thanksgiving through Christmas. This year for the first time there were none due to Affiliated Foods not sending them to the stores. Huge disappointment for the locals. And the pies were advertised in their weekly sale flyer. We even drove to the next town and the Brookshire’s had no pies either AT CHRISTMAS TIME! Marketing sure is screwed up these days!
Can’t believe they had no pies! Hope your homemade one turns out to your liking! Merry Christmas!
I’ve now made three pies from your recipe and they are FANTASTIC! I’ll be needing to go to pie rehab soon! I use one tbsp of vanilla instead of one tsp. Artificial vanilla is what I had on hand and it’s great. This will be my forever recipe. Thanks and happy new year!
try getting some Mexican vanilla! I’ve been using it for more than 20 years and it makes everything better. I buy mine at the Farm patc in Bryan Texas. should be available on Amazon foe deluvery
Make sure there’s no lead in it!
I’ve had buttermilk pie and LOVE it, this recipe looks almost identical to others I’ve seen except for the lemon juice. I was wondering what the purpose of the lemon juice is?
It balances out the pie its the acid in the lemons it helps to insure your pie not flat tasting like its missing something kinda or brighten it up i put some kinda acid in everything i cook no matter what it may b and at a young age everybody has always been amazed
This is identical to what we in SC know as egg custard. Only difference is buttermilk instead of sweet /evaporated milk & no pie crust.
I have old receipes for
” Makes it own crust ”
Just butter Pyrex pie dish & pour mixture in & bake at 350° for 30 mins.
DELISH!!
If you make the egg custard pie would you also include a cup and a half of sugar and sweet evaporated milk
Old Fashion Buttermilk pie is the best!
I have one in the oven now….first time making it!
Hope it turns out wonderfully!
What about the butter? Do you need it or not?
I have made this and I half the butter and use less sugar.
My first time. It’ll become a go-to dessert during girls nites.
I like this recipe 🙂 I add coconut its yummy both ways
My Grandmother always added coconut, I like mine exactly like the recipe. One of my all time favorites from a young girl.
My people come from Georgia and Kentucky I grew up on things like country gravy biscuits and especially buttermilk pie. One of my daughter’s found this recipe we made it and it was very delicious.
Around my house, buttermilk pies were standard for all major holidays in one form or another. My dad’s favorite was pecan pie, so mother just added pecans and decorated the top with them. For Easter she sometimes made pineapple or chocolate by adding one of those items. I think that my very favorite was absolutely plain, served at room temperature. I’ll compare this to her recipe when I get home, but it looks nearly identical. Thanks! 🙂
What is the difference between sugar cream pie and buttermilk pie?
any time you see someone, naming a “brand” of product(in this case the flour) disregard the whole thing. they dont give a shit about the recipe, they are just hawking their own product
R what are you talking about? There are no brand names listed in the instructions or in the ingredient list.
Haha. Sounds like a wacko
The video on flakey pie crust (near the top) touts Lilywhite Flour
The chef is even wearing a Lilywhite logo
If you live in the South and have done much baking, You would know there is no flour that equals White Lily. I don’t work for the company and have nothing to gain for what I am saying. Just a country girl who cooks… Just like Mayonnaise … I only use JFG Mayo for any salads I make… It is just sharing our experience and a preference.
I used to think there was no difference until I started doing my own research and testing. Whitelily is my favorite ! It is by far lighter. It is from a different wheat than some of the others thus producing a tender product. It is better for making biscuits, cakes etc. However , other heavier flowers are better for breads in my opinion. I always buy whitelily as my go to flour.
I never heard of butter milk pie until I met a guy from the south, I whiched him make it, now I know how to make it, my mom loves it, I put pecans on mines its very good
Love pecans! It really is a wonderful pie isn’t it?
I never heard of butter mike pie until I met a guy from the south,he said his mom use to make it, and I whiched him make it,and now I know how, its very good,I made it for my mom and she loves it, I love to try new things
My Mom and her Mom use to make these. I love them. Going to try this one.
Hope you enjoy it Pauline!
This pie sounds delicious, Christin! I love the creamy filling it has and the fact that it’s similar to chess pie. What a perfect dessert!