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Chef John's Buttermilk Pie

Not only is this buttermilk pie easy to make and beautiful to look at, it's also bursting with the kind of bright, tangy flavor that no other custard-style pie can touch. This is sort of like a vanilla custard, meets lemon meringue pie, meets very light cheesecake. Except better.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 3453.9 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch Pie Dish
  • 2 Mixing Bowls one large, one medium
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 Parchment Paper and Pie Weights (or dried beans for blind baking)

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 prepared dough for 1 9-inch single crust pie
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Roll out pie dough large enough to fit pie dish with just a bit of overhang. Transfer dough to pie dish and gently fit into dish. Trim excess dough hanging over the edge. Fold about 1/2 inch of the edge of the dough to the inside edge of the pie crust to reinforce it. Crimp the edge. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork about 10 times. Place a sheet of parchment paper gently into the crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans so pie crust doesn't bubble up with you bake it.
  • Bake crust in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven; lift weights from pan with edges of parchment paper. Allow crust to cool completely.
  • Place butter in mixing bowl; add sugar. Stir together until completely combined using a spatula, 4 or 5 minutes. Add flour and salt. Mix together until combined. Stir in 3 eggs; mix until slightly blended. Then using a whisk, whisk together until mixture is fairly smooth and creamy.
  • Pour in vanilla extract. Add nutmeg, zest of lemon, lemon juice, and buttermilk. Whisk until thoroughly mixed, 2 or 3 minutes. Pour into the pie shell.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and just set, 45 to 55 minutes. Pie should have a slight wiggle, but not a soupy jiggle. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

Notes

The success of this pie hinges on proper blind baking; ensure your pie crust is fully cooled before adding the filling to prevent a soggy bottom. Achieve a perfectly smooth custard by creaming the butter and sugar thoroughly, then whisking the eggs until creamy before incorporating liquids. Avoid over-whisking once the buttermilk is added to prevent excessive air incorporation, which can lead to a less dense, uniform custard. Freshly grated nutmeg and lemon zest are non-negotiable for a vibrant, authentic flavor. The pie is done when it has a 'slight wiggle' in the center, indicating a set custard without being overbaked and rubbery. Chill completely for the best texture and flavor development.