Egg Custard Pie

4.98 from 183 votes

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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!

Overhead view of an egg cusgtard pie with a couple of slickes missing.

Make this easy egg custard pie in about an hour.

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.

A slice of homemade pie with fresh berries

You can serve it by itself or top it with

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.

Milk and other ingredients for making a egg custard pie
  • 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.

Mixing ingredients for homemade pie and adding to a crust
  1. Combine eggs, sugar, salt, and, vanilla into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the scalded milk to the rest of the ingredients, after it has cooled.
    1. Be sure the milk is cooled before adding it, so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs!
    2. Scalding the milk is optional, see FAQ below.
  3. Whisk it all together.
  4. Use a pastry brush and coat the inside of the pie crust with the egg white.
  5. Pour the filling into the crust.
  6. Use a fine-mesh strainer to top the pie filling with the ground nutmeg.

A freshly baked homemade pie

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

A slice of pie on a spatula

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.

A tablefork digging into a piece of pie.

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

4.98 from 183 votes
Old-fashioned homemade pie from Platter Talk that you can make in about one hour.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield: 8

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

Wondering how to scald milk? Our good friend and Wisconsin native from Culinary Hill can show you the way!

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 222mg, Potassium: 150mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 213IU, Calcium: 99mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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109 Comments

  1. Egg custard pie is my favorite ever since I was a little girl and my grandmother used to make this pie I just thought about why I thought it would be more eggs than just three when making this come to think about it all eggs she was using she was making more than one pie haha just thought about that well feel like pie today on my way to the store

  2. 5 stars
    This is the first egg custard pie recipe that has turned out for me. I. too, added the leftover egg from the wash. THANK YOU!

    1. Thanks, Dede!!! Glad you loved this recipe. Please pass it on to your friends/family; any link sharing on social media is greatly appreciated!

    1. Hi Angela! So happy this pie turned out well for you; be sure and pass the link along to your friends on social media!

  3. 5 stars
    This looks absolutely delicious. My husband loves egg custard tarts from our favourite store, so I’m definitely going to give this a try! Pinning 🙂

  4. My dad’s favorite pie! The only thing different I did was add that leftover yolk to the pie mixture, and it turned out great! Less waste that way especially with the price of eggs.

    1. 4 stars
      I’ve just made this using a shop bought pastry shell, I’ve got loads of egg mixture left over and no pastry shell so poured into a pie dish and hope it comes out ok.

      Is it meant to have thickened, what’s the reason for the same amount left over.

  5. Is it necessary to use a pie crust for this recipe or can I pour the egg mixture in the pie dish without the crust?

  6. I used one cup almond milk, one cup coconut milk. I also added a pinch of cinnamon, and tried it with vanilla paste. I also had leftover, so I made two small custard dishes full. Added one additional egg, it came out amazing!

  7. I haven’t eaten it yet but it is firm and looks good. I didn’t see your comments, after suggestions until it was in the oven but hopefully it is fine. I made my own pastry so was able to make small custard tarts with the left over liquid. I didn’t Blanche the milk, just cold.

  8. I have some tips and changes to this recipe that I believe make it better…

    •put crust in 350° oven for 5-7 mins after brushing on egg white.

    •add rest of egg white and yolk to custard mixture.

    •I brushed the egg white on the edge of crust also & baked pie at 375°. it was done in a little over 30 mins & the crust was not over baked.
    • use 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 3/4. use 2 cups of milk instead of 2 1/2.

    •even using a deep dish crust & decreasing the milk there was too much filling to fit, so I put the rest in a tiny custard dish and baked that alongside the pie..(got it out much earlier tho)

    • don’t bother measuring nutmeg.. just sprinkle to your liking
    I’ve tried this recipe a few diff times, changing up things each time and I feel like it comes out best with the changes I mentioned.