Buttermilk Pie Recipe:
Buttermilk pie is a nostalgic, creamy custard pie that is most popular in the American South today. Although the name might not sound appetizing, this pie is sweet, smooth, and surprisingly delicious. An old-fashioned dessert that was popular during the Great Depression, buttermilk pie remains a classic staple that tastes great all year round. It is especially good in the summer when served with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Table of Contents
What is Buttermilk Pie?
Buttermilk pie is a classic American custard pie made with just a few simple ingredients: buttermilk, eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. Many recipes also include vanilla, a touch of nutmeg, and a little lemon juice for extra brightness. The result is a sweet, creamy custard with a slight tang that balances the richness. Despite the name, it does not taste strongly of buttermilk at all, which is often a pleasant surprise for anyone trying it for the first time.
Buttermilk pie is most popular in the South, especially in states like Texas and Georgia, and it often appears on Thanksgiving tables in Texas. It is also an important part of Black American culinary heritage and broader Southern cooking traditions. As a classic “desperation pie,” it belongs to the same family of simple, pantry-based pies as transparent pie and chess pie.
History of Buttermilk Pie:
Researching the history of buttermilk pie can be surprisingly difficult, since many accounts contradict each other or rely on assumptions rather than sources. The only clear point is that buttermilk pie became a well-known dessert in the United States sometime in the 1800s. It also belongs to a long-standing family of desserts known as “desperation pies” or “make-do pies,” which were created using ingredients that were inexpensive and often already on hand.
Did Buttermilk Pie Originate in England?
Some sources claim that buttermilk pie originated in England and appeared in America as the British arrived in the colonies. While this idea sounds possible, especially since many early American recipes trace back to British cooking, I have not found any evidence that confirms it.
The websites repeating this claim do not provide a source, and I have not been able to locate any British cookbooks or publications from before 1850 that mention buttermilk pie, buttermilk pudding, or any similar sour milk pie or pudding. Early British recipes for American pies often evolved from desserts labeled as puddings, such as Marlborough pie evolving from Marlborough pudding, but no puddings that use buttermilk as the primary dairy base appear either.
There are, however, many examples of fresh milk puddings, custards, and related dishes throughout world history, including in pre-1850 British cooking. It is certainly possible that early American cooks adapted those recipes to suit the ingredients they had access to, which often included buttermilk.
While it’s possible that a buttermilk pie or pudding dessert existed in the British food scene prior to the rise in popularity of buttermilk pie in America, I can neither prove nor disprove the claim.
Did Buttermilk Pie Originate During the Great Depression?
Another popular claim is that buttermilk pie was created during the Great Depression in the United States, a period that lasted from 1929 to 1939. This claim can be solidly debunked as a myth. The first published recipes I can find for buttermilk pie are from the 1880s – 50 years before the start of the Great Depression.
Although make-do or desperation pies became especially common during the Great Depression, the practice of baking pies with simple pantry staples is much older. Buttermilk pie, vinegar pie, water pie, and transparent pie all belong to this category, and each can be traced back to the 1800s rather than the 1930s.
What are Desperation or Make-Do Pies?
While the terms “make-do pie” and “desperation pie” probably originated around the Great Depression, the idea behind them is much older. These pies were created from simple pantry staples that households would have on hand even when money was tight or harvests were poor. The goal was to make a satisfying dessert without relying on expensive or seasonal ingredients. Buttermilk pie fits perfectly into this category because it requires no fresh fruit or specialty items, and it uses buttermilk, a fermented byproduct of churning butter, in place of fresh milk or cream.
Is Buttermilk Pie from the South?
Although buttermilk pie is most popular in the South today, its exact place of origin is difficult to determine. The earliest published recipe I have found appears in Mrs. Owen’s Cook Book and Useful Household Hints, which was published in 1884 in Chicago, Illinois. However, The author notes in the foreword that her recipes were gathered from cooks across the country and the buttermilk pie recipe isn’t attributed to any particular region.
Beginning in 1884, buttermilk pie starts to show up in cookbooks from many different parts of the country. It appears in The New Dixie Cook-Book, published in Atlanta in 1889, and in The Buckeye Cook Book, published in Dayton, Ohio in 1887. Based on available publications from 1884 to around 1920, the recipe seems to appear most frequently in cookbooks printed in the Chicago area, although it was clearly known and used in several other parts of the United States as well.
Conclusion:
Although the exact origins of buttermilk pie are unclear, the pie has been part of American baking since at least the late 1800s. Over time it became especially popular in the South, where it remains a familiar and well-loved custard pie. Today it is enjoyed for its simplicity, nostalgia, and place within the larger tradition of make-do or desperation pies.
What is Buttermilk?
In short, buttermilk is a fermented dairy product. Traditionally, it referred to the thin, tangy liquid left behind after churning butter from cream. Modern store-bought buttermilk is usually cultured milk, which means it is fermented with added bacterial cultures rather than produced as a byproduct of butter making. Most commercial buttermilk is low fat or fat free, extremely sour, and usually thicker than traditional buttermilk.
What Kind of Buttermilk to Use for Buttermilk Pie:
The two types of buttermilk, traditional and cultured, are similar but not identical. Traditional buttermilk, which is a byproduct from churning butter, is nearly fat-free and becomes sour through naturally occurring lactic acid in the milk. Cultured buttermilk is thicker and develops its sourness through added bacterial cultures. Early buttermilk pie recipes would have used traditional buttermilk, but cultured buttermilk creates a richer and more flavorful custard for modern baking. If you can find whole fat buttermilk, it will give your pie the creamiest texture and best overall flavor.
Substitutes for Buttermilk:
If you do not have buttermilk available, you can make an easy substitute at home using cows’ milk and a small amount of acid. This is essentially homemade sour milk. Simply combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with 1 cup of milk, then let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before using it in your recipe.
Step-by-Step Buttermilk Pie Recipe:
Crust:
Like most custard pies, you’ll want a dark-baked pie crust for this pie. Buttermilk pie is almost always baked in a flaky pie crust.
Buttermilk Pie Filling:
Ingredients
- 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, melted (113g)
- 1⅜ Cup Granulated Sugar (275g)
- 3 Eggs
- 1¼ Cup Buttermilk (296mL)
- 1½t Vanilla Extract
- 3T All-Purpose Flour (24g)
- 2t Lemon Juice (10mL)
- ¼t Salt
- ⅛t Ground Nutmeg
- 2T heavy whipping cream (optional)
1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
2.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, melted butter, nutmeg, and salt. This helps blend the flour and spices evenly and prevents any clumps from forming later.
3.
Whisk in the three eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar until the mixture is smooth.
4.
Slowly pour in the buttermilk while whisking continuously.
5.
(Optional) Brush the edges of your prepared pie crust with heavy whipping cream for a beautiful golden finish on your crust.
6.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
7.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges of the custard are set and the center still has a gentle jiggle. The slight jiggle is the key to a smooth custard. The filling will finish baking as it cools.
Buttermilk Pie Variations:
This is a recipe for a classic vanilla buttermilk pie, but there are also a few different flavor variations you should definitely try. Each one adds a slightly different twist while keeping the same smooth, custardy base.
- Lemon Buttermilk Pie: Also sometimes called buttermilk lemon pie, this version adds lemon juice and fresh lemon zest for a brighter, citrus flavor.
- Chocolate Buttermilk Pie: Adding some cocoa powder to the filling gives buttermilk pie a chocolate twist with the same creamy texture.
- Coconut Buttermilk Pie: Also called buttermilk coconut pie, this version uses shredded sweetened coconut to add extra flavor and a bit of texture to the custard.
Other Desperation Pies:
Desperation pies are simple, resourceful desserts made with basic pantry staples that people could rely on even during difficult times when money was limited or harvests were poor. These pies use ingredients that were almost always available.
- Transparent Pie: Originally from Kentucky, transparent pie is a straightforward sugary custard pie. It is not truly transparent, but the finished filling has a slightly translucent look.
- Water Pie: This pie uses water as the base of the custard, which was useful when milk or cream was unavailable.
- Vinegar Pie: Much like buttermilk pie, vinegar pie sounds unusual but tastes sweet and creamy. The vinegar simply adds a little tartness that balances the custard.
- Mock Apple Pie: A substitute for apple pie made when apples weren’t available. Crackers are used instead and mimic the texture of the apples once baked.
- Mock Pecan Pie: Often called oatmeal pie, this dessert uses oats or crushed crackers instead of pecans, which can be expensive.
How to Store Buttermilk Pie:
Because the filling contains dairy, buttermilk pie should always be refrigerated after baking. Once the pie has fully cooled, store it in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze the pie. Wrap the pie tightly in plastic and put it in a freezer bag to protect it from freezer burn. It can be frozen for up to one month. When you are ready to serve it, transfer the pie to the refrigerator the night before and let it thaw slowly for the best texture.
We’d love to see your desperation pie creations! If you give this recipe or another desperation pie recipe a try, tag @doggone_baking on social media so we can share in the fall baking fun.
Buttermilk Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 Dark, Blind-Baked Pie Shell
- 2 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
Buttermilk Pie Filling
- 1¼ cups Buttermilk (296mL)
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted (113g)
- 1⅜ cups Granulated Sugar (275g)
- 3 Eggs
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour (24g)
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, melted butter, nutmeg, and salt.
- Whisk in the three eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar until the mixture is smooth.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk while whisking continuously.
- (Optional) Brush the edges of your prepared pie crust with heavy whipping cream.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges of the custard are set and the center still has a gentle jiggle.
- Let the pie cool on the countertop for about 1 hour until it reaches room temperature. Once cooled, transfer it to the refrigerator for another 2 to 3 hours so the custard can chill and set completely before serving.
One Comment
This is so good! I’m so glad I made it for Thanksgiving this year. My first time making this kind of pie!