Southern Buttermilk Pie

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Southern Buttermilk Pie is a creamy and dreamy Southern dessert that is so easy to make! With a rich creamy classic custard-like filling, this traditional pie recipe comes together quickly and easily using nothing but basic pantry ingredients.

Pies are one of my all time favorite desserts. And as such, I love whipping up Banana Cream Pie ,as well as my no bake Peanut Butter Pie. My newest love is this dreamy Southern Buttermilk Pie, which tastes similar to Crème Brûlée, but it is nowhere near as technical or difficult to make.

I love that all I need to do is mix, pour, and bake. I don’t have to worry about the consistency and getting it to set right like a custard. The velvety rich texture and smooth buttery filling, magically sets just right in the flaky pie crust as it bakes in the oven.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Crowd pleaser: Get ready to make this nostalgic pie on repeat. I make it for parties, potlucks, and as an everyday dessert. Just like these Buttermilk Waffles.
• Budget friendly – Yeap, no expensive or out of the ordinary ingredients needed for this classic Southern pie recipe. Only pantry staple ingredients allowed. #easybakingwins.
• Fool proof – I love that I can make this custard-like treat without the fuss of heating milk and tempering fickle eggs. You do have to be patient though, hard I know, to allow it to cool to lovely pie perfection.
• Historic treat – Whilst Buttermilk Pie is very super popular in the South, where buttermilk is readily available and popular in recipes, UK settlers actually introduced this treat to the USA. And would you know it, it became even more popular when fruit was out of season, yet buttermilk was still freely available. They got it right.

Ingredient Notes

You just need some everyday ingredients you can easily get from a grocery store. Follow my tips on each ingredient for the best results.

• Unbaked 9-inch pie crust – I am all about making life easier when it comes to this dessert. So grab your favorite, flakiest, unbaked pie crust from your grocery store or one you made earlier and start with that.
• Eggs + granulated sugar + all purpose flour + salt + unsalted butter – The delicious filling is made by simply mixing together these ingredients. Make sure the butter is melted and cooled before using.
• Buttermilk – Well this is the star of the show and adds hints of tanginess to the pie. I recommend using real buttermilk and avoid using the vinegar or lemon juice and milk substitution as it doesn’t work well in this recipe. Freeze leftover buttermilk for later.
• Bourbon –  Whilst not a usual ingredient, Bourbon adds a little lift to the pie. You can totally use whiskey instead or skip this to make it family friendly.
• Extra flavorings – This dessert gets it extra flavorings from a combination of lemon zest, vanilla extract, freshly squeezed lemon juice and freshly grated nutmeg.
• Whipped cream – the perfect, yet optional topping.

How To Make Southern Buttermilk Pie 

Use the process shots below as a visual guide to help you make this. Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180 C and prepare and roll out your pie crust.  
2. Transfer pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, trim the edges, fold over the pan edge and crimp the edges around the pie dish with your fingers or a fork and refrigerate while you make the filling. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until frothy. Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and pour filling into cold prepared pie crust. 
4. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until almost set. Make sure to shield the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes in the oven.
5. Remove from the oven when done and let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving, giving the filling plenty of time to finish setting. 
6. Optional: top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and serve. 

Bintu’s Tips and Variations

I really love switching things up in the kitchen. Here are some tips for easier cooking, and variations for you to try if you want something a little different

• It’s extremely important to chill the pie crust before baking. Chilling helps keeps the crust flaky and crispy. I even recommend chilling the pie dish before adding the crust, and then chilling again after it has been rolled into the dish.
• Wait until the eggs and sugar are whisked together well before adding in the buttermilk so the eggs don’t curdle.
• Put the pie dish on a cookie sheet before baking to catch any overflow or pie crust pieces. Less mess that way.
• Do NOT forget to add the aluminum foil around the edges of the pie crust once it’s cooked 15 minutes in the oven. This will help keep the edges from burning before the filling is cook through.
• Cool pie on top of a cooling rack: The rack lets hot air to escape from the bottom, and avoid you ending up with a soggy pie.
• Let it cool properly. I know, I know, you are probably in a rush to eat this (I normally am). But pretty, pretty please let it cool completely, which helps it set, before cutting into it. You really do not want to cut into a warm *runny* pie. Ideally, let it cool for about 4 hours, but if you need it quicker than let it cool for at least 2 hours. If you start cutting into it and it is not ready, then please stop and let it cool further.

Storage

This is an ideal meal prep dessert recipe because it can be easily stored in the fridge or freezer until you need it. It really us a versatile dessert as it can be served warm, chilled, and even at room temperature. 

• Prep Ahead – Make ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
• Freeze –  This pie can be kept in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you decide to, I recommend wrapping the pie in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and then storing it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheat – Reheat in a warm oven at about 325F / 160C until warmed through.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

For a complete Southern style meal, serve this along with this easy Smothered Chicken as well as these fun sides like Instant Pot Collard Greens and this creamy Southern Grape Salad, or a delicious Southern Squash Casserole all washed down with some ice cold Instant Pot Iced Tea.

I also served it simply with whipped cream, some colorful berries and a dusting or powdered sugar

More Dessert Recipes

Like this recipe? Then you will really enjoy these below.

• Buttermilk Waffles.
• Lemon Bars.
• Banana cream Pie.
• Southern Banana Pudding Cake.
• Instant Pot Arroz Con Leche.

Thank you for reading my Bourbon Buttermilk Pie recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Bourbon Buttermilk Pie

This sweet Pie is a creamy and easy to make Southern sweet treat.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: american, western, baking, southern

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup (160g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
• ▢ 3/4 cup (180mL) buttermilk
• ▢ 3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ whipped cream optional, for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F / 176C.
• Prepare and roll out your pie crust.
• Transfer pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, trim the edges, fold over the pan edge and crimp the edges around the pie dish with your fingers or a fork and refrigerate while you make the filling.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until frothy. Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
• Pour filling into cold prepared pie crust.
• Bake in the oven for 35-45 mins or until almost set. Make sure to shield the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil after the first 15 mins in the oven.
• Remove from the oven when done and let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving, giving the filling plenty of time to finish setting.
• Optional: top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream before serving.

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Notes

• Feel free to omit the bourbon or whiskey if you don’t drink or are making this as a family-friendly treat. 
• Put the pie dish on a cookie sheet before baking to catch any overflow or pie crust pieces. 
• Do not forget to add the aluminum foil around the edges of the pie crust once it’s cooked 15 mins in the oven. 
• It’s extremely important to make sure to chill the pie crust before you bake it. Chilling it helps keeps the crust flaky and crispy.
• I recommend using real buttermilk in this recipe and avoid using the vinegar or lemon juice and milk substitution as it doesn’t work well in this recipe. 
• Wait until the eggs and sugar are whisked well together before adding in the buttermilk so the eggs don’t curdle.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg