Custard Pie

Custard Pie - the most silky, creamy, baked custard inside a flaky crust, topped with ground nutmeg. 

I spent three days researching the science of custard while developing this recipe. Since there are so many old recipes for classic custard pie out there, I wanted to create a recipe that fully explains why you might choose one method or another, with detailed technical tips for success. 

After all my research and a lot of testing, I give you the ultimate custard pie recipe - broken down into easy steps to ensure your pie is absolutely flawless. 

Luckily, my husband is a custard fiend (he proposed to me after I made my Custard Cake!), so he happily devoured all of the test pies! 

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Custard Pie Recipe
• Ingredients for Custard Pie
• Homemade Pie Crust
• How to Make Custard Pie
• How to tell when Custard Pie is Baked
• Troubleshooting Egg Custard Pie
• Easy Custard Pie Variations
• How To Serve Custard Pie
• Storing Custard Pie
• FAQs
• More Custard Desserts
• Recipe

Recommended Equipment

• Deep Dish Pie Plate - 9-inches
• Rolling Pin
• Pie Weights - Ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice
• Pastry Brush
• Large Bowl

Homemade Pie Crust

To make this like an old-fashioned custard pie, I used my easy recipe for flaky pie crust, which can be made in the food processor. If you don't want to make your own pie crust, you can use a store-bought crust instead.

Check out my homemade pie dough recipe for detailed instructions on how to make a flaky pie crust and avoid soggy bottoms. 

How to Make Custard Pie

Though this is a simple pie, there are a few little things that can take this from a good custard pie to an exceptional one. I recommend following each of these steps for the best results. 

How to tell when Custard Pie is Baked

As with any custard-style pie, it is important to know the signs of when the pie is baked. There are so many factors that contribute to the baking time, so it's best to learn the visual cues to know when to take it out, rather than relying on recipe times.

Custard pies are like Goldilocks, you have to get the baking time juuuust right. If you over-bake it the pie will come out rubbery and the custard may curdle. If you under-bake it then it won't set up properly and you won't be able to cut a slice out of it. 

The challenge here is that custard continues to bake as the pie cools, so if you wait until it is fully baked to take it out of the oven, you will end up with an over-baked pie.

The trick is to take it out when it is just the right level of baked so that when it has cooled it will be perfectly baked with a beautiful silky texture.

Troubleshooting Egg Custard Pie

Custard has curdled: If the custard isn't silky smooth and instead feels rubbery or like scrambled eggs, it has been overbaked. Make sure you temper the eggs gradually and see the section above on how to tell when custard pies are done baking. 

Filling didn't set: If you slice into the pie and your filling isn't set, it was either underbaked or it wasn't allowed enough time to cool before slicing. 

Filling tastes eggy: Obviously, custard contains eggs, so there will be an element of an eggy taste in it. But if your pie tastes very eggy, in an unpleasant way, it is probably overbaked and the eggs have scrambled. Tempering the eggs with scalded milk helps to prevent this.

Custard is cracked: If the top of the pie cracks while it cools, then it was either baked for too long or the oven was too hot. Try checking your oven temperature to make sure it is heating accurately. 

The pastry is soggy: If the pastry is soggy, then either it wasn't blind-baked for long enough, or there was a hole in the pastry, and some of the liquid custard filling seeped into it. Make sure to seal any holes in the pastry with egg wash to keep it dry. 

Edges are browning: If the edges of your pie crust are browning too much before the pie is ready, you can put a pie shield on top, or just gently wrap the edges in aluminum foil.

Why Scald the Milk?

There are a lot of recipes that tell you to skip this step, let me tell you why you shouldn't.

Originally, old-fashioned custard pie recipes would scald the milk to kill off bacteria and make it safe to consume. These days, our milk is pasteurized so the danger is removed, which is why modern recipes sometimes say you don't have to do it.

From a safety perspective, that is true, but there are multiple other benefits of scalding the milk that will make your custard pie so much better:

• Texture - Using the hot milk to temper the eggs (gradually bringing them up in temperature) stops them from being shocked by the hot oven and prevents curdling (scrambled eggs).
  
  Also, heat denatures the whey protein in the milk which thickens the custard. Both of these things help to create a super silky, smooth texture in the finished pie. 

• Flavor - This recipe infuses the vanilla into the custard as it warms, which draws out and deepens the vanilla flavor in the custard. 

• Appearance - Because the custard has already started to warm up and thicken before it goes into the oven, it needs less time and a lower temperature to bake, which means that the top of the pie will be smoother and lighter, and the pastry won't brown too much before the custard is baked. 

This is why good recipes for pastry cream and creme brulee all use this method.

If you really don't want to do it, you can skip scalding the milk, but for the best custard pie, I highly recommend taking the extra time for this simple step. 

How To Serve Custard Pie

Custard pie needs to be chilled, but for the best results, take it out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before serving - this allows the custard to warm up just enough to release more flavor and be soft and silky on the tongue.

Old-fashioned custard pie is absolutely delicious on its own, but for a little something extra, try serving it with a swirl of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

FAQs

If you have a question about this custard pie recipe that isn't answered here, please write it in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Recipe