Our chess pie is a Southern classic, that’s crazy easy to make and impossible to stop eating. It has a velvety rich custard that literally melts in your mouth. The texture is gooey, the flavor is buttery, and its charm is its ease of preparation!
Made with easy-to-find ingredients you likely have in your fridge and pantry, I use a pre-made, store-bought crust just to keep things simple.
This pie is fabulous when served for Sunday supper, church coffees, and even weeknight dinners. It also works great for all the holidays!
I hope you’ll try more of our amazing pies. I’d start with old-fashioned butterscotch pie, chocolate cream pie, sweet potato pie, and banana cream pie. All of these pies are really delicious! I promise!
WHAT IS CHESS PIE
Chess pie is a simple, homey pie that is traditionally served in the American South. It’s made primarily with sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs. A little cornmeal and all-purpose flour thicken up the easy-to-make custard. It’s gooey, sweet, and has a lovely golden top.
WHAT DOES CHESS PIE TASTE LIKE?
Chess pie tastes like a rich, buttery custard, encased in a flaky pie crust.
IS CHESS PIE THE SAME AS CUSTARD PIE?
Not exactly. A traditional custard-style pie is made with eggs, sugar, and milk. The mixture is cooked together and thickens because of the eggs. A chess pie is thickened with cornmeal and a bit of all-purpose flour. They both have a custard texture, they just get there in a different way.
CHESS PIE INGREDIENTS
- Unbaked Pie Shell: I use a refrigerated store-bought pie crust then blind bake it before adding the custard.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar, a.k.a. table sugar. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness. What’s a Southern pie without sweetness?
- Cornmeal: The cornmeal works with the all-purpose flour to thicken the custard. Both ingredients are traditional in this pie. In fact, in order for this to be an authentic Southern chess pie, it has to have cornmeal in it!
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour. Flour is used to thicken the custard.
- Salt: Salt actually enhances the other flavors in the pie.
- Milk: Only use whole milk for this pie. The richness and flavor depend on it.
- Vinegar: This balances out the sweetness from the sugar.
- Vanilla: For this pie, please use real vanilla extract, not imitation. Because of the simplicity of this pie, the quality of each ingredient is really important.
- Eggs: The eggs must be at room temperature before using. I use large eggs.
- Powdered Sugar: Optional as a topping.
TIPS
- Pie Plate Size: I like to bake this in an 8-inch standard pie plate. A 9-inch will work but the pie will be thinner.
- Pie Plate Material: I like to use a metal pie plate when I blind-bake. I refrigerate the pie crust and pie plate for 1 hour, then pop it directly in the hot oven. Metal doesn’t react to these extreme temperature changes. You run the risk of glass or ceramic cracking,
- Timing: Remember, when blind baking, I find that chilling it 1 hour before blind baking helps it not to shrink down on the sides. Also, the pie needs to rest before cutting.
- Blind Bake: Don’t skip Blind baking. Just follow the directions below. It’s easy.
- My 2 tips are: use pie weights, dried beans, or a combo of both, and the second is to use a metal pie plate!
- Reduce Oven Temperature: Don’t forget to reduce oven temperature after you’ve finished blind baking the pie crust. The oven starts out set at 425 degrees for the crust. Then it’s reduced down to 350 degrees to cook the custard.
- Pie Shield: Prepare a pie shield before you bake the pie. When you need it, you need it immediately!
- How To Tell When It’s Done: The pie is done baking when the edges are set, so is the center, and the top is golden brown. Remember it continues to set as it cools. Be sure not to over-bake the pie!
- Let It Rest: The pie needs to set at room temperature for a few hours before cutting and serving.
STORING + FREEZING + REHEATING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Will This Keep Unrefrigerated? This will keep on the counter, at room temperature for a couple of days. Be sure to wrap it well with plastic wrap.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Refrigerating for longer storage. It will keep for up to 4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, this pie freezes well. I like to cut it into individual slices and store it in resealable plastic bags.
- How To Reheat Slices: Place a slice on a small plate and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. If it’s not hot enough, continue to heat, using 30-second intervals, until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Make-Ahead: This pie is perfect for making ahead of time. Cook the pie, cool it completely, then cover and store it on the counter or in the fridge overnight.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
HOW TO MAKE CHESS PIE
- Blind bake the pie crust.
- Melt the butter until it browns and becomes a light amber color and has a nutty fragrance.
- Crack the eggs.
- In a bowl, add sugar, cornmeal, flour, and salt.
- Add the beaten eggs to the flour ingredients.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Add the cooled butter, milk, vinegar, and vanilla to the sugar-flour mixture.
- Whisk.
- Pour into the pie shell. Bake and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
MORE PIES PROMISED TO PLEASE!
- Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk
- Pecan Pie
- Million Dollar Pie
- Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Mississippi Mud Pie
- Possum Pie
- Lemon Icebox Pie
- Sour Cream Apple Pie
- Apple Pie With Streusel Topping
- Oreo Pie
- Pistachio Pie
- Buttermilk Pie
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Chess Pie
Our chess pie is easy to make and impossible to stop eating. Always a Southern favorite. This pie is sure to please everyone who tastes it!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature + lightly beaten
- powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange the oven rack to the lower third of the oven cavity. Place baking sheet on rack. Preheat oven to 425ºF (218ºC).
- Roll pie crust out, on a very lightly floured surface, into a 12-inch circle. Fit pie crust in an 8-inch standard pie plate. Fold edges under, and decoratively crimp or pinch the edges. Chill until crust is firm, at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, in a stainless steel skillet, not a non-stick or dark-colored bottom skillet, melt butter (1/2 cup), stirring often, until the butter browns and becomes a light amber color and has a nutty fragrance. Do not let the color of the butter go beyond light amber brown in color, it's very easy for it to burn so don't take your eyes off of it while cooking. Remove the skillet from heat and pour into a small bowl, using a rubber spatula to get every golden drop!!
- Line the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Fill to the top with dried beans or pie weights. Bake at 425°F (218ºC), on the arranged oven shelf for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove weights and foil; bake for 2 more minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire baking rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF (177ºC).
- In a mixing bowl, add sugar (2 cups), cornmeal (2 tablespoons), flour (1 tablespoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon); Whisk until combined.
- Add beaten eggs (4) and whisk until well combined.
- To the sugar/flour mixture, add cooled browned butter, milk (1/4 cup), vinegar (1 tablespoon), and vanilla (1 teaspoon) to the sugar mixture and blend. Pour into cooled par-baked pie shell.
- Place pie into a wire rack and cool preheated oven and bake until edges and center are set, about 45-55 minutes.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Pie Plate Size: I like to bake this in an 8-inch standard pie plate. A 9-inch will work but the pie will be thinner.
- Pie Plate Material: I like to use a metal pie plate when I blind-bake. I refrigerate the pie crust and pie plate for 1 hour, then pop it directly in the hot oven. Metal doesn’t react to these extreme temperature changes. You run the risk of glass or ceramic cracking,
- Timing: Remember, when blind baking, I find that chilling it 1 hour before blind baking helps it not to shrink down on the sides. Also, the pie needs to rest before cutting.
- Blind Bake: Don’t skip Blind baking. Just follow the directions below. It’s easy.
- My 2 tips are: use pie weights, dried beans, or a combo of both, and the second is to use a metal pie plate!
- Reduce Oven Temperature: Don’t forget to reduce oven temperature after you’ve finished blind baking the pie crust. The oven starts out set at 425ºF (218ºC) for the crust. Then it’s reduced down to 350ºF (177ºC) to cook the custard.
- Pie Shield: Prepare a pie shield before you bake the pie. When you need it, you need it immediately!
- How To Tell When It’s Done: The pie is done baking when the edges are set, so is the center, and the top is golden brown. Remember it continues to set as it cools. Be sure not to over-bake the pie!
- Let It Rest: The pie needs to set at room temperature for a few hours before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 81mg | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 502IU | Calcium: 32mg
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