Old-Fashioned Egg Custard Pie (Easy Custard Pie Recipe)

5 from 6 votes

Old-Fashioned Egg Custard Pie (Easy Custard Pie Recipe)

This is the Old-Fashioned Egg Custard Pie (Easy Custard Pie Recipe) because it has the most amazing custard filling along with a buttery crust! Plus, you only need 9 ingredients to make this recipe.

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Chill Time2

Total Time3 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Sabine Venier

Ingredients

Crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon granulated white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, cold
4-6 tablespoon cold water

Filling

4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup granulated white sugar
2 cups milk, room temperature
½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Crust

Make it with a food processor: Place flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse 4-5 times. Pea-sized butter flakes should still be visible. Add one tablespoon water after another and pulse 1-2 times after every tablespoon. Stop adding water when the dough starts to clump.
If you don't have a food processor, then make it with a pastry cutter or two forks instead: In this case mix together flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then add butter and cut it into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal with pea-sized butter flakes. Then add water little by little until the texture starts to clump.
Transfer dough to a plastic wrap and form a 1 - 1.5 inch thick disc without kneading. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough disc into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Press into the bottom and the sides of the pan and trim off any excess crust. Freeze for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line chilled crust with parchment paper and push it lightly against the bottom and the sides of your crust. Make sure that the parchment paper covers the edges of your crust completely to prevent it from heavy browning. Then heavy it down with baking beans (or beans or rice). Also, make sure that your baking beans push against the sides as well to prevent them from sinking down to the bottom. Transfer to the preheated oven and place a piece of parchment paper underneath the baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and the baking beans and let cool as you prepare the filling.

Filling

Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, heavy cream, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg until sugar is completely dissolved about 3-5 minutes. You can either use a whisk or an electric mixer. Pour into pie crust.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the top is set with a slight wobble in the center. Cover after 20 minutes with parchment paper loosely to prevent it from heavy browning if needed.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge overnight. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

Cooking Time and Temperature

Blind bake the crust at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, then bake the filled pie for another 40-45 minutes. The top should be set with a slight wobble in the center. Cover loosely with parchment after 20 minutes if the top is browning too much.

Taste & Texture

This pie has a smooth, soft custard filling with vanilla and a little nutmeg. The filling is lightly sweet rather than sugary, and the buttery crust gives each slice some contrast.

Storage, Freezing & Reheating

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Room temperature: Don’t leave the pie out for more than 2 hours at a time.
Freezer: Freezing isn’t recommended because the custard can separate and become watery after thawing.
Reheating: This pie is best served chilled, so there’s no need to reheat it.

Serving Recommendations

I like this pie served cold once it has had time to set overnight. It doesn’t really need much with it, but a little whipped cream or some fresh berries are good if I want to dress it up.

A light sprinkle of nutmeg on top also works well because it brings out the nutmeg already in the filling without changing the pie too much.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Nutmeg: Keep the ⅛ teaspoon in the filling, or add a very light extra sprinkle on top before serving.
Crust: You can make the crust with a food processor, pastry cutter, or two forks.
Pie weights: Baking beans, dried beans, or rice can all be used for blind baking.
Vanilla: The recipe uses 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. I wouldn’t reduce it because vanilla is one of the main flavors in the custard.
Cream: Keep the heavy cream in the filling if you want the same richness and texture as the original recipe.

Proper Storage Tips

Let the pie cool completely before covering and refrigerating it.
Store it in an airtight container so the crust doesn’t pick up moisture and become soggy.
Keep it refrigerated except when serving.
Don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you’re taking it somewhere and it will be out for a while, keep it chilled over ice.
Avoid freezing it because the filling doesn’t hold up well after thawing.

Pro Tips

Keep the butter cold while making the crust.
Stop adding water as soon as the dough starts to clump.
Don’t knead the dough when shaping it into a disc.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling.
Roll it to about 12 inches so it fits a 9-inch pie dish properly.
Freeze the shaped crust for 15 minutes before blind baking.
Push the pie weights against the sides, not only across the bottom.
Whisk the custard for 3-5 minutes so the sugar fully dissolves.
Look for a slight wobble in the middle rather than a completely firm center.
Cool the pie fully before refrigerating it.
Leave it in the refrigerator overnight before cutting into it.

Nutrition