Buttermilk pie is a classic Southern dessert recipe. Made with simple ingredients, like buttermilk, eggs, sugar, butter, and a few other pantry ingredients to create this custard pie with a homemade crust in less than an hour!
What is Buttermilk Pie?
This delicious Buttermilk Pie is one of those great depression pies. It’s made with simple ingredients that were cheap and generally always in the house. This pie has a creamy, tangy filling paired with a perfectly flaky crust.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our homemade buttermilk pie, you need the following ingredients:
- Buttermilk is essential to get the delicious, tangy flavor, and is where the buttermilk pie recipe gets its name.
- Eggs and sugar are also necessary to get the custard to set up properly when making this pie recipe.
- Flour and cold butter are needed if you want to enjoy our simple, yet delicious, homemade flaky pie crust.
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Food Processor
- Spatula
- Plastic Wrap
- Mixer (Hand)
- Mixing Bowl (Large)
- Rolling Pin
- Pie Plate (9 inches)
How to Make Buttermilk Pie
- Add flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to begin making the pie crust.
- Next, add the cubed cold butter and process until coarse crumbs form. Transfer the mixture into a medium-sized bowl and drizzle the water over the dough.
- Use a rubber spatula to press the dough together rather than your hands. Then shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for the dough to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling by beating butter and sugar in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy.
- When the butter mixture is fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time. Beating well after each addition until the egg yolk is completely combined.
- Gently fold in the flour and salt. Be careful not to eliminate the air created when adding the eggs, the stir until smooth.
- Once the flour is incorporated, add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, stirring everything, but do not overmix. Set the filling aside and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- After the pie crust dough has cooled, roll the pie crust dough on a slightly floured surface about an inch larger than the pie plate. I used a 9-inch pie plate.
- Carefully fold half of the rolled dough over the rolling pin and gently transfer it into the pie dish.
- Gently press the pie crust around the edges of the pie plate so it fits nicely in the bottom and the sides. Trim the excess dough and shape the edges. You can just pinch them to get that nice rim or pick any other shape edge you’d like.
- After getting the pie crust fitted to the pan, pour the prepared buttermilk filling into the prepared pie crust.
- Slowly, transfer the pie pan to the oven and bake the buttermilk pie for 50-55 minutes.
Recipe Variations
Add a bit of lemon zest to either the filling or pie dough for added tangy flavor. To amp up the Fall holiday flavors, you can also add a little pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg for more flavor. Buttermilk pie tastes amazing on its own, but like other custard-based pies, whipped cream is always a plus!
Tips for Perfecting This Classic Southern Pie
- There is no need to pre-bake the pie shell for this pie with pie weights.
- You can add a pinch of nutmeg to your filling to give it a more traditional flavor.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to milk and create your own.
- Do not use your hands when making the pie crust. The heat from your hands will melt the butter that is essential to creating the flaky layers. Melted butter will not create the best texture for the pie crust.
Storage Instructions
Cover the pie with aluminum foil or the top of the pie dish and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. Store in the fridge so it is safe to eat because of the high egg content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The sour flavor found in buttermilk is the best way to get a sweet and tangy flavor.
If your pie crust is browning too fast, cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to help prevent it from burning.
Yes! Skip the step of making your own pie crust, get a store-bought pie crust and use that instead.
You can use regular milk. For the best results, you will want to use buttermilk to get the flavor associated with this pie.
Enjoy More Delicious Pie Recipes
Pies and tarts are perfect for any occasion. Check out our comprehensive list of pie and tart recipes!
- Banana Cream Pie
- Creamy Key Lime Pie
- Creamy Lemon Pie
- No Bake Coconut Cream Pie
- Pecan Pie
- Peppermint Crunch Ice Cream Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
Buttermilk Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted cold butter, chopped
- 3-4 Tablespoon ice-cold water
For the filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoon flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional:
- Whipped cream, to serve with
Equipment
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust:
- Make the pie crust; add flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times.
- Add cubed cold butter and process until coarse crumbs form. Transfer the mixture into a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle water over the dough.
- Use a rubber spatula to press the dough together. shape the dough into a disc and wrap with a plastic foil.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes up to 1 hour.
Make the filling:
- Prepare the filling: beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Fold in the flour and salt. Stir until smooth.
- Add buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Do not overmix. Set the filling aside and preheat your oven to 350°F.
Assemble:
- Shape the pie crust; roll the pie crust dough on a slightly floured surface about an inch larger than the pie plate. I used a 9-inch pie plate.
- Place the rolled dough over the rolling pin and gently transfer it into the pie plate.
- Gently press the pie crust around the edges of the pie plate so it fits nicely in the bottom and the sides. Trim the excess dough and shape the edges. You can just pinch them to get that nice rim.
- Pour the prepared buttermilk filling into the prepared pie crust.
Baking time:
- Bake the buttermilk pie for 50-55 minutes.
Serve:
- Cool the pie completely on a cooling rack before slicing and serving.
- Serve with some whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Hesitant to try this one but it was SO YUMMY!