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.
Fantastic with sweet crumb crust, too.
Can I use the unbeaten yolk added to the other 3 eggs and beat it all, and use all of it? If not, why not?
Hi Paul, I’ve never tried this. I’m sure you can add the leftover egg yolk to the other eggs but your custard will likely be a bit firmer.
Why do you suggest scalded milk???
Scalded milk is part of the original recipe before pasteurization was en vogue. I include the step because that’s how my mom made it. Unless you’re using raw, unpasteurized milk, this step can be omitted. Thanks for asking.
Why do you brush the pie shell with egg white?
Brushing the crust with an egg was will give it a nice shine for when it comes out of the oven.
We like it warm as well as cold, so it is served warm and if any left overs, cold.
I cook mine on 350*, for 50 minutes
FINALLY!! My husband’s mother and aunts always made egg custard pies in huge cast iron skillets and he always loved it. I tried to learn from MIL years ago, but I think she was trying to hide the “family” recipe from me 😉. This is it and he loved it! Turned out perfect.
The pie tasted good but I feel like 400 degrees is too hot. In doing some looking around, if custard is cooked to hot it will curdle..Although it didn’t taste sour, it was bumpy like cottage cheese throughout.
Had some dark areas on the top. The edges of the crust are dark. I took it out before the 40-minute mark. Wasn’t expecting the dark/burnt areas on the top of the pie.
I doubled the recipe and made two pies yesterday. I used a pre-made frozen crust. The flavor was spot-on — what a delight! The structure, however, was so watery, the crust under the custard was completely soggy. (Yes, I used the egg wash.) When I checked on the pies at 35 minutes, the outside crusts were already very brown. I let it stay in for just 5 more minutes, so I guess it wasn’t done enough? Tell me, if I had covered the crusts with foil at the beginning and left it in the oven for the full 50 minutes, would the crust under the custard have not been soggy? Sorry I made two. I will try this again because the taste was perfect!
Candy, Thanks for the great feedback. I’m not sure why your custard was watery but you may want to review the other comments as a couple of other folks have reported results similar to yours. As far as the brown crust at 35 minutes, you may want to cover the edges with foil as you suggested. Also, your oven may run hot. Checking with a thermometer should help determine that possibility.
I learned a great trick years ago for preventing your crust from getting soggy. Whisk your egg white until it’s foamy. Then you want to use only the foam to cost the inside of your pie crust. Then put the crust in the refrigerator until the foam dries. Then fill your pie crust with the filling and bake. I’ve never had another soggy crust since I started using this truck! Hope this helps.
Candy,
Invest in a pie crust shield. They are awesome! I’ve had the same one for about 15 years now. I purchased it at a kitchen supply store. I never bake a pie without using it. With the shield your crust will brown beautifully without over browning or burning. It is so convenient & beats trying to cover your crusts with aluminum foil. Mine is aluminum. I purchased one made of silicone several years ago, so I would be able to bake two pies at one time. I did not like the one made of silicone, it was worthless. I threw it away. I cannot wait to try this recipe. My husband loves Egg Custard.
Really delicious! Tastes like Mom used to make 💕