Custard Pie Recipe
Creamy egg custard pie in a flaky all-butter crust. Silky smooth and full of flavor.
Servings: 8 slices
Ingredients
- 1 (1) Flaky Pie Crust, Fully baked, 9-inch, deep dish.
- 4 (4) Large Eggs
- 1 (1) Large Egg Yolk, (you can use the leftover egg white to seal the pie crust for extra protection from sogginess)
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) Heavy Cream, (Double cream in the UK)
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) Whole Milk
- 150 g (¾ cup) Granulated Sugar, (Caster sugar in the UK)
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) Vanilla Bean Paste, or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) Salt
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) Nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 160°C (140° fan).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt. Whisk gently just until combined - don't try to incorporate any air into the mixture.
- Add the heavy cream and milk to a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is scalding (you can see steam rising from it and tiny bubbles on the surface). Don't let it boil.
- Slowly pour the hot milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. This warms the eggs gradually to prevent them from scrambling.If you are not confident pouring and whisking at the same time, you can just pour in a little at a time, whisking in between.
- Add the vanilla and mix it in.
- Pour the custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large jug or bowl with a spout to remove any lumps of coagulated egg. Then tap the jug firmly on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Carefully pour the custard filling into the baked crust.The filling is very liquid, so it's easiest to do this on a pulled-out oven rack, or right beside the oven to avoid carrying the filled pie across the kitchen.Sprinkle the top of the pie generously with nutmeg, then close the oven and bake.
- Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes. Baking time can vary massively, so it's better to judge by how the pie looks, rather than the timer. After 40 minutes, tap the pie dish gently and watch how the filling moves. When custard pie is properly baked, the outer 1-2 inches of pie will be set and firm, but the middle will still jiggle. If it is sloshing around like it's fully liquid, it needs longer. It will still look slightly underdone when you take it out, but trust the process!
- Remove the custard pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours - preferably overnight.
Before you begin: Your pie crust should be fully baked. If making a homemade pie crust, fully blind-bake it until golden brown all over. Brush a thin layer of egg white over it in the last few minutes to seal the crust and make a barrier so it stays crisp when the filling goes in.
Notes
I recommend making homemade pie dough from scratch, but if you don't want to make it from scratch, you can buy a store-bought pie crust. It should be 9 inches and deep-dish.
Most custard pie recipes will pour the custard filling straight into an unbaked pie crust. I recommend blind-baking the pie crust first to ensure you have a nice crisp crust that doesn't go soggy. This recipe bakes the custard low and slow for a super silky texture, so baking the crust in advance makes sure you get all that gorgeous, crispy colour.
I have a whole guide on how to blind bake a pie crust if you'd like more guidance on this. Eggs - Use large eggs in the US or medium eggs in the UK (our eggs are bigger).
Most custard pie recipes will pour the custard filling straight into an unbaked pie crust. I recommend blind-baking the pie crust first to ensure you have a nice crisp crust that doesn't go soggy. This recipe bakes the custard low and slow for a super silky texture, so baking the crust in advance makes sure you get all that gorgeous, crispy colour.
I have a whole guide on how to blind bake a pie crust if you'd like more guidance on this. Eggs - Use large eggs in the US or medium eggs in the UK (our eggs are bigger).