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Scrumptious buttermilk pie has a flaky pastry crust and creamy, custard-like filling that comes together in 5 minutes!
There is nothing more homey than a fresh-baked pie. For more old-fashioned pies, try Banana Cream Pie, Cherry Pie, and Sugar Cream Pie.
Buttermilk Pie Vs Chess Pie
This Southern Buttermilk Pie recipe is so easy to make! Aside from the buttermilk, it calls for ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
It has a flaky pie crust with a creamy custard filling that is both sweet and tangy. It’s one of the most deliciously classic southern desserts.
So, what’s the difference between buttermilk and chess pie? They look very similar, but buttermilk pie typically has zest and vanilla in the filling, while chess pie typically does not include those and has cornmeal in the filling.
It can be served room temperature, cold or even warmed up. It basically tastes yummy no matter how you serve it!
How to make Buttermilk Pie
This recipe takes a few steps, but it’s simple nonetheless.
FILLING. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till creamy. Add the flour, salt, and eggs and beat well. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla; blend well.
CRUST. Pour filling into a 9″ pastry crust (or homemade pie crust). Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet. The filling puffs up quite a bit, so the pan will catch any drips. A deep dish pie pan will help prevent any overflow, so that’s what I like to use.
BAKE. Bake at 350° for about 55 minutes or till all but the very center of the pie is set and the top is golden brown. We actually like ours browned a little more than this, so the second time I made it I moved my oven rack up. That’s a matter of personal preference though.
COOL. When it’s done to your liking, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack, for about 30 minutes, then cover and place the refrigerator. Chill for 2-3 hours, it will continue to set up as it cools.
SERVE. You can serve it cold at or at room temperature. I like it best served at room temperature or slightly warm.
Easiest way to serve pie
A 9 inch pie can be cut into 6 generous slices or 8 smaller slices.
- Score. Use a large serrated knife, one that is bigger than the pie plate, and score the top of the pie.
- To score a pie: place the serrated knife so that it is running across the center of the pie, as if you are going to cut it in half. Press down. The pie plate will keep the knife from going all the way through but you will cut the outer crust as well as make a “scoring mark” over the cream filling. Turn the pie and repeat to make 6 or 8 scoring slices
- Slice. Now you slice through the pie. Use a paring knife to cut all the way through the pie following the scoring marks. Wipe the blade clean after each cut.
- Serve. Use a pie server, one that has a bend, to easily lift each slice out of the pie plate.
Recipe tips
Fresh lemon juice v bottled. I’ve made this pie with both fresh lemon juice and refrigerated lemon juice in a bottle. I love lemons, so I love the fresh lemon flavor from the lemons. But of course it is still tasty with bottled lemon juice.
Pastry Crust. We used an unbaked pie crust for this recipe. Of course, you can use your favorite pie crust recipe or try out this Homemade Pie Crust. If for some reason the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, you can lightly wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the circumference of the pie. Cover only the crust and not the filling.
Buttermilk is a key ingredient for this recipe and I suggest buying a carton of the real thing to really capture the tangy flavor that it produces. If you’re in a pinch you can make a Buttermilk Substitute.
Topping. As with most pies, a dollop of whipped cream makes a delicious topping for this dessert. You can also add fresh berries, sprinkle on nutmeg or drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce.
Storing info
STORE any leftover pie covered tightly in the refrigerator. It’s best served the same day, but it will last for two or three days in the fridge if covered and stored properly. Reheat. If wanting a warm slice of pie, just reheat in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Or just enjoy cold.
FREEZE in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and serve as is.
Nothing beats a slice of old-fashioned Buttermilk Pie! We hope you love this sweet treat.
Recipe FAQ
I like to play it safe and only let pie sit at room temperature for a couple hours. After that, I keep it in the refrigerator. See the “Storing Info” section above for more details.
We used an unbaked 9″ pie crust, but you can absolutely use a Homemade Pie Crust.
If you notice the edges of your crust browning too much, you can cover the crust either with foil (only the circumference of the pie, not the center), or use a pie ring. This will keep it from burning while the filling finished cooking.
For more pie recipes, check out:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- German Chocolate Pie
- Pecan Pie
- Apple Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
Buttermilk Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) pastry crust
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till creamy.
- Add flour, salt, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla and blend well. (Mixture may appear curdled.)
- Pour filling into a 9-inch pie crust. We like to use a deep dish.
- Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet and place it in an oven that has been preheated to 350°F. Bake for 50-55 minutes or till lightly browned on top and mostly set.
- Place the pie on a cooling rack to cool. Serve at room temperature, and refrigerate any leftovers.
Video
Notes
- While we prefer fresh lemons, the pie still tastes great using bottled juice.
- If the edges of the pie crust are browning too quickly, you can lightly wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the circumference crust, but not over the filling.
- Buttermilk is a key ingredient for this recipe, and we prefer using the real thing, but in a pinch, you can make a Buttermilk Substitute.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh berries, sprinkle on nutmeg or cinnamon, or drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So good. I added organic nutmeg and organic cinnamon.
Oh thats sounds like an amazing addition of flavor. In case other readers what to try it, how much of each did you add?
Great recipe! Wonderful way to use up buttermilk.
For sure!! Glad you liked it! Thank you!
Great recipe! Very close to my BigMama, hers added more sugar, probably because she was like Christmas candy, unlimited. Biggest little secret of hers, get all ingredients room temperature. She would sit eggs and butter in windowsill and by the time we finished supper A delicious buttermilk pie. So proud to hear my kids ask for me to make. Food is love😍
Love that!! Food totally is love! Thanks for sharing that!
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I forgot to add the rating, this recipe is a keeper!
This recipe was fantastic! My family loved the pie and it was so easy to make. I made this for Christmas and it traveled well. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Can I still make it with using only 2 eggs instead of 3?
Made this for Thanksgiving and it’s sooo delicious! Will definitely make it again!
Good
Can’t wait to try this
Love this
This was the best recipe Ive tried for this buttermilk pie. Other recipes were taking 90 minutes to cook and they still were wet. I’m so happy I found this. Made a perfect buttermilk pie tonight. Thank you.
Could you make this with Splenda
Can the butter be melted or almost melted I dont own a beater/mixer and I was just gonna use a fork to mix
Has anyone used cornstarch in place of the flour?
Using Cornstarch will not hurt the pie we alway sometimes have to use alternative being bakers when we are out of one item or another.The purpose of the flour or cornstarch is only to hold it together for constituency to make firm..
I followed the directions but the mixture was very liquidy! Definitely did not look like the picture. Please help!
Never heard of buttermilk pie before yesterday but I had to give it a try! I thought it was a bit on the sweet side but my boyfriend loved everything about it! This is a great way to use up the excess buttermilk I usually have left over from making biscuits! As suggested in another comment, I added the lemon juice last and had very little curdling. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I will def make it again!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
can you use 1% buttermilk?
Made this last night, followed the directions exactly as instructed, didn’t change a single ingredient. WOW!!! I have been trying for years to make a buttermilk pie, have tried dozens of recipes, they never turn out!!! Always soupy or burnt. Nothing in between. This was so easy to follow and it turned out PERFECTLY!!! I’m so happy I want to cry!!! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!!!!! 🩷🙏🏻🩷
Does the unbaked pie crust get soggy?
Have seen some custard pies, where the crust is prebaked.
Could the crust be prebaked?
Really looking forward to making this.
No, I haven’t had any problems with the crust being soggy. But you could try prebaking it. I haven’t made the recipe that way, so I’m not sure if it would overcook or not, but you could definitely give it a try!
If you brush the crust in egg white, prebake for 7-8 mins, let cool 10 mins then fill & bake accordingly. The egg white seals the crust & the prebaking seals the crust you’re crust won’t get soggy & will be done just right. Hope this helps. Happy Baking
Can this be made in a 10” tart pan?
Fantastic, better than my grandmothers buttermilk pie, and THATS saying something!!!
Wish I could add a photo, it’s perfect!!!
Thanks for the feedback you left on you last comment. And I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the pie!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Well, I just whipped this up in a flash and put it in the oven! The batter is to die for!! If this pie taste half as good as the batter. It will be a 10 out of 10! I was a little concerned as my batter looked a little bit curdled, but after going back to read your instructions, you actually mentioned it may appear a little curdled, which made me feel so much better about this process! Thank you for adding that part!
Will report back and update if I can on how it turned out in the end. I’m hopeful it will be the best pie I’ve ever ever made!
Suggestion, when you are printing the recipe, there is no step in the directions to preheat your oven to ____ degrees. That should be a step 1 on a recipe followed by the other steps. I had to go back to my computer. Find the recipe and read all your notes indicating it is 350° for 55 minutes. I found the 55 minutes on my printed copy, but there was nothing noted on preheating your oven to 350°. 💜
Is pastry crust the same as pie crust? If not, where do you get a pastry crust, and are they in the freezer section?
Yes! It would be a pie crust. You can use your favorite from the freezer or fridge section. Or we have a homemade recipe here: https://lilluna.com/pie-crust/
Best buttermilk pie I’ve had. My MIL made it for me for my bday and used puff pastry in place of a pie crust. I cannot recommend this enough. It folded up and looked just like a crust but with the flavor and texture of this pie, it paired perfectly.
So simple and delicious! Loved it. Its texture an taste remains me of the beloved Greek pastry called Galaktoboureko minus the phyllo and honey. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I made the buttermilk pie but the filling separated after it baked. What did I do wrong. And it was way too sweet.
I have a question about the butter, is salted or unsalted?
I typically use unsalted butter when baking… that way I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Help! The first time I made this it was creamy and smooth like custard. Every other time I’ve made it, it has curdled and it’s just not the same. Any idea what the problem could be? I’ve followed your recipe exactly, each time. Thanks!
I had that issue as well the first time I made it, try adding the sugar, butter, eggs, flour, vanilla, then add the buttermilk and then the lemon juice on top, don’t add the lemon juice first or let it touch the mixture. I did it that way and it worked just fine.
Sara’s suggestion is great. The filling in our video has a slightly curdled texture too, but once baked it is smooth and delicious. Is that what yours looked like? Or was it more curdled?
Would it be a good idea to pre-bake the pie crust a bit before pouring filling into it to firm up the bottom of the pie?
You could, but this recipe doesn’t require any par-baking or blind baking. It will all bake together just fine!
Can I add coconut to this
I have never tried. But if you do, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out!
Looks like it’s a good pie
It really is!! I hope you give it a try!
Hi there! Quick question. Do the eggs and buttermilk need to be room temperature? I’m used to making cakes where that’s best practice. I don’t want to mess this up lol thanks in advance!
It should work either way, but room temperature eggs and milk will definitely give you the best result! Hope you enjoy the pie!
Has anyone tried adding lemon zest too? I love strong lemon flavor and would like to try adding zest, but don’t want to mess up the texture. Thank you!
I made a different recipe for buttermilk pie that had both lemon juice and zest( 1 tablespoon of each). The texture was correct but for me it was definitely too much lemon for a buttermilk pie. You should try it if you want a stronger lemon taste. As for me I will be trying this recipe next to hopefully not have such a strong lemon presence.
Yes, I did add zest of the whole small lemon. It tasted great!
Can I use a frozen pie crust?
Yep! Just take it out of your freezer right before you make your custard to bring it to room temperature.
I loved this. I did leave it in the over about 60 minutes to lightly brown on top. It was a hit for us.
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed the pie!
Our family loves this buttermilk pie recipe. Have made it many times, even doubled it and shared with my neighbors. Not too sweet which I love. Made some homemade whipped topping to go with it. Scrumptious. Thanks for the recipe
Very easy quick and delicious everyone loves me thank you
Is it a deep pie shell or regular one
Use a regular. Make sure you put it on a cookie sheet too. It is very thin when putting in the oven and you do not want a mess to clean up. It will look like it is ready to pop when you take it out. But it falls back down. This is normal for these types of pies.
The best and easiest buttermilk pie recipe.
Can you use self rising flour instead of all purpose
I would recommend all purpose!
I have tried many other recipes and there is always something off about the consistency of the pie or the way the top comes out. This was the perfect buttermilk pie! Thank you so much I look forward to other recipes to try!
I just made this wonderful easy pie. I did not have buttermilk so I used whole milk with a Tbs of lemon juice. It was perfect!
I will be making this again. Thanks so much for such an easy and delicious pie.
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed and to hear the buttermilk substitute worked well too.
Are we supposed to guess how much butermilk????
The recipe calls for 1 cup buttermilk. It is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can tell that you’re a kind person – just by the way you replied to the question above! 🥹The recipe was very clear and easy to read! 5 stars all the way 🙌
Thank you!!
Great recipe! I even substituted buttermilk for heavy cream and lemon juice. Turned out excellent!
The recipe calls for buttermilk so how did you substitute it for heavy cream? Do you mean you used heavy cream instead of buttermilk?
You use the lemon juice in combination with another milk or cream, which causes a chemical reaction that creates a substance similar to buttermilk in flavor and texture. You can also use vinegar.
Super easy recipe to follow. My pie came out just like the picture and tasted amazing! Thank you!
The best and easiest buttermilk pie filling I’ve ever made! I think I’ve made 5 pies now and shared with friends. This is a keeper and will be added to my cookbook.
This was delicious!! I did make my own crust and I reduced the sugar to just 1 cup–it was gone in no time. I’m now making my 2nd pie for a friend.
Not much flavor. Disappointed!
Did anyone try the milk subs? How did they work?
I used heavy cream and lemon juice. Turned out great!
Made this today. Brought back a lot of memories from my childhood.
Great
I make these yummy pies often and my family and friends luv them so much . I even cook d sad one raisins and add to some of them too too. Have a great day. Happy Holidays to you all. God Bless .
I made this and everyone said it’s the best pie they had ever tasted!! It was super easy to make too. Will definitely be making this one often for our family and friends.
Absolutely Delicious and easy to make.
Best best best buttermilk pie recipe ever. Thank you
Absolutely delicious and pretty ‼️
Do I need to pre bake the pie crust or thaw it?
Just thaw it. I had to read the pie crust instructions to figure that part out. For a “filled pie” which I took to mean a pudding/no bake pie, then precook the crust. For a baked pie, then you don’t precook the crust.
if the pie still giggles in the center, how much longer do I leave it?
I just left it for another 2 minutes bc I figured out the recipe says to take out until “just before it’s set”. So still a little jiggly. Hope this helps. And my pie turned out perfectly!
Thank for sharing this recipe! I made it no problem following your instructions.
It turned out delicious. So good. Thank you.
You’re welcome!! So glad you enjoyed the pie!
The absolute perfect buttermilk pie! I did add a lil
Lemon zest too and vanilla bean paste.. just a beautiful pie for our Easter! Everyone loved it! Thank you!!
Oh you’re welcome! So glad you enjoy the pie! Thanks for sharing what you did.
I have made it but don’t recall usin lemon juice. Infact i do not like anything lemon. Is it absolutly necessary to add it?
I haven’t made it without using the lemon juice, so I’m not sure how it would turn out without it. You could certainly give it a try and let us know if it’s still yummy!
This is exactly what I had as a kid in East Texas. Love this. It’s my go to recipe and everyone loves it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Not quite sure, just put the pie in the oven 💜🤷🤭
I hope it turned out okay! Let me know how it went. I would love to hear!
Perfect recipe. Thank you.
This was the worst recipe ever the pie never set. I have tried many recipes and only found one that work for me. And this definitely wasn’t it
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Make everything so simple with this recipe.Thank you.
Can you use the powder buttermilk? Or is fresh best? Thank you
We use fresh for the recipe, so I’d recommend that. I haven’t tried powder buttermilk in this one. But you could certainly give it a try and let us know how it turns out.
I add pecans taste is so close to pecan pie thanks
You’re welcome! That sounds like a delicious addition. Glad you enjoyed the pie!
Easy and fast to put together
Yes! We are all about easy and delicious! 🙂
Absolutely amazing pie. It’s like a Portuguese tart only so so much better. I made it deep too and just used my fave quiche pastry leaving out the salt and putting in a tablespoon of icing sugar – blind bake for 10 min. I did the vinegar version of the substitute and i halved the quantities which is enough for 4 serves- use the half egg in the pastry. I will be making this again for sure. thanks so much for sharing this, I heard it mentioned on a podcast I was listening to and just had to investigate. so glad I did.
So glad you liked the pie and it sounds like your adjustments turned out great as well. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this recipe for the second time today. First time was with home made pie crust, today i tried frozen pie crust. I followed the directions to the T but both pies came out wet and soggy. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong to cause this. No one else seems to be having this issue.
I’m sorry the crusts didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. There are a couple things you could try. Creating a thicker crust might help prevent sogginess. You also may want to try partially prebaking your crust for 4-5 minutes and then adding the filling. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious 😋 and easy to make.
Thank you
I wonder if there’s some instruction missing about the timing of cooling it to serve. The overall time is one hour, but the narrative above makes it sound like I need to refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.
Can I use froze pie crust? If so do I thaw it first?
Yes you can! Just make sure it is thawed first and you should be good to go!
I just tried a slice today, from my Coworker, and it was delicious. Going to bake maybe 2 for my family real soon
Glad you tried it! I hope your family likes it! Thank you!
I have a lot of buttermilk to use up and I was thinking of making 2 pies. Would I have to bake them longer on account of 2? Also can the 2nd one be frozen? Thanks ~
They may need a little more time, but not sure how much longer. Yes, you can freeze in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and serve as is.
I don’t know how anyone could NOT love this pie. I add an extra tablespoon of flour to mine, maybe because I’m at higher elevation. And it takes 55-60 minutes. Lost my recipe and I think this is what I had or pretty close!
Yes , I made this recipe about a month ago , and it turned out wonderful . Now I’m going to try it again , I just have to make my own pie crust .
Great!! Happy to hear that! Thank you!
You will love this great southern pie
Awe, thanks for saying that!
Made this today for my Christmas Eve desert and it is so delicious. Just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to balance it out. Great recipe. Used another recipe for the crust.
Happy you tried it! Thank you!
Delicious pie and easy recipe to follow!!!
The pie texture was fine and it looked lovely but it just wasn’t quite sweet enough.
Thank you for trying this recipe 🙂
My husband has said so many times his fav pie is Buttermilk. I never tried it or seen it. We had had a rough year so yesterday I decided to do something nice for him. So I made your Buttermilk pie. I knew I could trust your recipe. OMG!!! Is so so so delicious and I dont think I ever made a simpler pie! Thank you!!!
You are so welcome! I hope the rest of the year gets easier for you 🙂 Thank you so much!
Best buttermilk pie recipe for high altitude baking .I’m from south been here in colorado 20 years and had pretty much given up on buttermilk pie they were all soggy and looked nothing like pie.im happy to say it’s the perfect looking and tasting pie ever thanks
So glad to hear that! Thank you so much 🙂
KARA, THIS RECIPE WAS SO DELICIOUS! I WAS GOOGLING FOR A BUTTERMILK PIE, AND THIS CAUGHT MY EYE. IT DIDN’T SEPARATE AT ALL; THE FINISHED PIE WAS AN EVEN CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT, WHICH IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. MY ONLY CRITIQUE IS THAT IT TOOK A LOT LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES TO PUT TOGETHER (AND I WAS WORKING FAST, BECAUSE I HAD TO MEET FRIENDS AT THE MOVIE THEATER!) EVEN IF YOU DON’T INCLUDE TIME TO MAKE THE PIE CRUST, IT TAKES 5 MINUTES TO COLLECT INGREDIENTS AND TOOLS, SQUEEZE THE LEMON, ETC. ANOTHER 10-15 MINUTES FOR MEASURING, BLENDING, AND SCRAPING OUT THE BOWL. JUST BEIN’ REALISTIC(;
Thank you so much for sharing that 🙂 Glad you liked it!!
First pie I ever baked and it turned out perfectly!!! My husband was thrilled since this is his favorite pie!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the pie!
if you use a frozen 9 inch pie crust, do you thaw it before baking?
Yes, I would 🙂 Enjoy!!
Awesome! my Family enjoyed the pies!
I am so happy they did!! Thank you so much for letting me know that!
didnt know if i was going to like buttermilk pie but it turned out to be better than i thought. It had a yummy custard filling that was very good! Would make this again.
This looks Yummy and is on the menu for this week. can’t wait to try it
I love when i find a pie base that can work with a variety of toppings like fresh berries, nuts, ice cream or syrups. What a great recipe to find.
Talk about ultimate comfort food! YUM!
Yummmm what a great recipe!
Definitely going on the list to make!
That pie looks so deliciously creamy!
GOing to make this for Mother’s Day! YUM!
One of my favorite flavors of pie! Love to squeeze lemon on a slice.
I love how simple, yet so tasty this looks! I love anything that’s a buttermilk flavor.