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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
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 Mixing Bowl Medium-sized for custard filling
  • 1 Whisk For achieving a smooth, creamy custard
  • 1 Pie Weights or Dried Beans Essential for blind baking the pie crust

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

Achieving the perfect texture for this buttermilk pie hinges on proper blind baking and careful attention to the custard's doneness. Ensure your pie crust is fully blind-baked and cooled to prevent a soggy bottom. When preparing the custard, use room temperature butter and eggs for a smoother, homogenous mixture. The 'slight wiggle' test is crucial: the center should still have a gentle jiggle, indicating it's just set without being overbaked, which can lead to cracks or a rubbery texture. Don't rush the chilling process; it's vital for the pie to set completely and for the flavors to meld beautifully.