Egg Custard Pie
on Jul 15, 2020, Updated Apr 28, 2021
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Egg custard pie is a light-tasting, sweet treat. This 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.
Table of Contents
Homemade 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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⏲️ Egg Custard Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cups Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg white, beaten for an egg wash
- 1 Pie shell, pre-made
- 2 1/2 cups Milk, scalded
- 1/2 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was YUMMY!! Hubby wanted for Thanksgiving & it was Great. I wasn’t sure about scalding the milk, but decided not to cut corners. Doubled the recipe & made 2 pies, I was not expecting such a good flavor from such a simple recipe. Will definitely make again.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the comments and happy Thanksgiving!
This right here is by far the best custard I have ever made .. it’s perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.. unless I lose it I’ll will never use another lol
Glad you love this pie, Shirley! Thanks so much for the great comments.
Why scald the milk? I’ve been making custard pie for 30 years and I’ve done that.
Steven, This is optional, as stated in the recipe. Thank for the question and I hope you love the pie!
So I was thrilled to try this recipe and I am not sure what I did wrong. The pie set, but was watery inside and the crust was non-existent. I used the cooking stone idea to prevent this from happening.. but it still did. Maybe the scalded milk thing? I just used room temp. Help?
Lisa, I can’t say for sure what went wrong but I do know that watery custard can happen. Here is a resource for you to take a look at; I hope this helps!
Just made these pies and they are cooling as I write this. So far they look and smell wonderful. I used Half and Half and scalded it in the microwave for 3 minutes. It was a perfect 170 degrees. Then I let the milk cool down to below 100. To bind the custard together I sifted 2 teaspoons of flour into the mix. I think that did the trick. They seemed to have set up nicely.
Just came across your site when looking for a custard pie recipe. Loved this and will make again and again. Reminds me of my late mothers custard pie. Perfect as written!! All foodie people are missing out if they are not following this site.
I have not tried this recipe yet, but will as it is my best friend’s favorite pie. I wanted to say that my hint for preventing “soggy bottoms” (Thank you, Mary Berry) is to preheat the oven with a pizza stone or a 12 x 12 piece of ceramic tile on a lower shelf. I just bought a piece of tile at the hardware store. Place the pie pan on it for baking. I hope someone tries this to prove I am not nuts.
the tile idea sounds great . definitely will try.
Can I add a little Birds custard powder?
Hi Barbara, I’m not sure what that is; but let me know how it turns out.
I just made two of the Egg Custard Pie, hmhmhmhmhmhmh delicious. We have one pie left for tomorrow (I hope).
Best custard pie I have come across in years. Reminds me of my Dad’s homemade custard pie. Not overly sweet at all. Perfect balance of ingredients. Will definitely be making this again.
Please could you let me know what the metric equivalents are for this Custard pie.thank you.
Hi Veronica, at the end of the ingredients list there is a tab that you can click for metric conversion. Thanks!
Another recipe called for flour but it doesn’t sound right! I want to make it gor my husband for the first time and your recipe sound really good!
Carol, You’ll love this egg custard recipe!