Egg custard pie is a light-tasting, sweet treat. This is is an ideal summer dessert because it isn't too heavy while still adding a nice finish to any meal. Or as a little afternoon delight. At just 244 calories per slice, this easy dessert recipe isn't going to put you over the top!
Make this easy egg custard pie in about an hour.
Home pie recipes have always been cIose to my heart. I first fell in love with custard pies when my sister-in-law Carol (aka "The Pie Queen") started making her raspberry custard pie.
Today's recipe is a base for all of those wonderful berries desserts that Carol makes. The beauty of this egg pie is that it stands firmly (no pun intended), by itself. It just may be the best thing I've tasted since sliced bread!
🥧 What is it?
Remember hearing that simple is best? This dessert proves that point. This is a simple old-fashioned, no-frills dessert recipe.
You can serve it by itself, or top it with
- Vanilla ice cream
- Homemade whipped cream
- Sliced peaches
- Fresh berries
- Nutmeg
It's perfect for company or for a major holiday meal, like Thanksgiving dinner. The bottom line: This easy homemade pie tastes great any day of the year.
🥘 What's in it?
The shortlist of ingredients is part of what makes this recipe so appealing.
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Egg white
- Pie crust
🥣 How to make it
Start by gathering your ingredients. To save some time, you can always use a store-bought crust. If you want to learn how to make a pie crust, we are more than happy to show you the way!
Pro Baking Tip - Always use eggs at room temperature when baking. This will help your recipe to bake evenly. Here is a great trick for how to bring eggs to room temperature quickly.
- Combine eggs, sugar, salt, and, vanilla into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the scalded milk to the rest of the ingredients, after it has cooled.
- Be sure the milk is cooled before adding it, so you don't end up with scrambled eggs!
- Scalding the milk is optional, see FAQ below.
- Whisk it all together.
- Use a pastry brush and coat the inside of the pie crust with the egg white.
- Pour the filling into the crust.
- Use a fine-mesh strainer to top the pie filling with the ground nutmeg.
If you're new at making homemade pies, this is a great recipe to get you started!
Once you have everything put together, you'll bake it for 40-50 minutes at 400°F, until it is set.
💭 Common questions
How do you know when an egg custard pie is done?
This is done baking when the edges are firm but the center gently jiggles when you gently shake the pan. Don't over-bake!
Do egg custard pies need to be refrigerated?
Any recipe that contains eggs or dairy should be refrigerated as soon as it is cooled to room temperature.
- Seal it with kitchen wrap
- Refrigerate it for up to two days
Can I use evaporated milk?
For a smooth and creamy texture, you can substitute regular milk for any of the following.
- Evaporated milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Half and half
- Cream
Pro Cooking Tip: It is not necessary to scald any of these before adding it to the eggs. Warming them, to at least room temperature or above, will enhance the baking process!
Why is scalded milk used in some recipes?
Back in the days before pasteurization, milk was scalded to help eliminate any nasty bacteria that may have been in the milk. Even though today's milk is pasteurized, scalding milk before baking with it can add some nice touches to your recipe.
- Milk is a great way to infuse flavor and can help incorporate things like vanilla beans, cinnamon, mint leaves, and many other common baking ingredients.
- Scaling milk first will help butter melt and yeast to rise in some recipes like homemade bread.
Do I have to par-bake the crust before filling?
You don't have to par-bake the crust for this egg custard pie. Brushing the pie shell before baking will help to keep it from getting soggy.
Other homemade pie recipes
If you like this dessert recipe, you'll love our Old-Fashioned Butter Tarts as well!
I grew eating this type of dessert, and I'm afraid my waistline shows it. Still, I wouldn't change a thing. My Mennonite Mom could whip up this egg custard pie like it was nobody's business all the while juggling an armful of other tasks.
A good homemade pie always takes me back to those magical days of growing up on the farm and knowing first-hand the meaning of real food.
I hope you'll give this easy dessert recipe a try, and be sure and let us know how you like it! Leaving a comment below is one way we know that you're reading our recipes. It's almost as good as seeing the smile on your face after tasting this pie. Thanks for reading Platter Talk, it means the world to us!
Other easy desserts
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📖 Recipe
⏲️ Egg Custard Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs beaten
- ¾ cups Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg white beaten for an egg wash
- 1 Pie shell pre-made
- 2 ½ cups Milk scalded
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° F. Combine the egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk in with the other ingredients and whisk to combine. If using scalded milk, be sure it has cooled before adding.
- Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the pie shell with the egg wash. pour the filling into the prepared shell and sprinkle the nutmeg on top, using a fine-mesh strainer
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the edges of the pie are firm and the center jiggles a bit Allow to cool on a cooling rack and then refrigerate before serving.
Renee C
I love this recipe. Splenda works well for sugar since I am diabetic!
Kim
Hi, this might be a dumb question but oh well here goes......
do you bake the pie crust first or bake it all at once?
Dan from Platter Talk
Hi Kim. Not a dumb question at all. You can blind-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes, but it should not be necessary. Please note that if you buy a frozen crust from the store, you will want to ensure it is thawed out and at room temperature before adding the custard filling and baking it. Good luck!
Deena Ferguson
I must have done something wrong. I admit my husband cut the pie after the pie had only been out of the oven for about ten minutes, but there was a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pan when ha was cut. I didn’t see a cooling time, would the liquid been absorbed if we had waited to cut it? I cooked it the whole 50 minutes and I don’t think it was undercooked. Any suggestions on why this might have happened? I really wanted to love this recipe because we have fresh eggs. Hopefully I’ll get an answer ti what happened.
Dan from Platter Talk
Hi Deena. I'm bummed out that you had this experience with our recipe. I'm not sure what happened, as quite a few variables are involved. If you haven't already, please look at the many comments other readers have left. There are many helpful suggestions; please let me know if you figured this out and what you did to make it less liquid.
Kelly Hurlburt
I don’t care for pie crust. Do you think you could substitute a graham cracker crust in this recipe?
Dan from Platter Talk
Hi Kelly, yes, you could do that, and it would be delicious!
Katie Tahirovic
Excellent and so classic! This got rave reviews at thanksgiving.
Dan from Platter Talk
Thanks for the feedback Katie; sounds like you had a wonderful meal if it ended with this!
Albert
Great recipe easy to make taste delicious. So easy to make.
Dan from Platter Talk
Albert, Thanks for the great feedback, and so happy you enjoyed this popular dessert! Please share the recipe link with your friends and family on social media!
Nicole ONeil
Going to make this for my husband who can't have starches or sugar with my pecan crust:
• food processor ground pecans
• pan melt a stick of butter, tablespoon molasses, 1/2 cup of splenda baking blend.
• mix in pecans to the melted mix and then press in the pie dish and prepare like graham cracker crust. Family loves it.