Butterscotch Pie
intro
Velvety, caramel-kissed butterscotch custard in a flaky crust, topped with billowy whipped cream. This nostalgic, cozy pie delivers rich, warm sweet flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep baked pie crust
Set your fully cooled 9-inch pre-baked flaky pie crust on a wire rack at room temperature. If using homemade crust, confirm it is deep golden brown across the bottom with no raw dough patches, and cooled for at least 30 minutes before filling to prevent sogginess.
Mix custard slurry
In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together 3 large egg yolks, 24 grams (3 tablespoons) cornstarch, and 120ml (½ cup) of the measured whole milk until completely smooth, with no visible lumps of cornstarch. Set this slurry within arm’s reach of your stovetop for easy access during cooking.
Cook butterscotch base
In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 57 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, then stir in 200 grams (1 firmly packed cup) light brown sugar and 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) fine sea salt. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof silicone spatula, for 3 full minutes until the sugar is fully melted, bubbling gently, and smells of warm toasted caramel. Do not raise heat above medium-low to avoid burning the sugar and creating bitter flavor.
Temper and thicken custard
Slowly pour the remaining 360ml (1.5 cups) whole milk into the bubbling butterscotch base, stirring constantly, and bring to a gentle simmer (small bubbles breaking at pan edges, 82°C/180°F) over medium heat, about 4 minutes. Ladle 120ml (½ cup) of the hot butterscotch liquid into the reserved egg-cornstarch slurry while whisking nonstop to temper the eggs and prevent curdling, then pour the warmed slurry back into the saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 full minutes until the custard thickens to a pudding-like consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Strain custard into crust
Remove the thickened custard from heat, stir in 5ml (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract. Pour the hot custard through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the cooled baked pie crust to catch any lumps of cooked egg or cornstarch. Smooth the top of the custard into an even layer with a small offset spatula.
Chill pie to set
Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the warm custard (to block air exposure and prevent a tough skin from forming). Place the pie on a level refrigerator shelf to chill for a minimum of 4 hours, until the custard is fully firm with no loose jiggling in the center when nudged.
Top and serve pie
Just before serving, prepare the whipped cream: in a chilled mixing bowl, whip 240ml (1 cup) cold heavy whipping cream and 15 grams (2 tablespoons) powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until soft, billowy peaks form. Remove the plastic wrap from the pie, dollop the whipped cream evenly over the set custard, then slice into 8 even pieces to serve.
Tips
2.Never skip pressing plastic wrap directly onto the warm custard surface before chilling—exposed air will form a tough, rubbery skin on top of the filling.
3.For the cleanest slices, dip your sharp knife in hot water and wipe it dry between each cut when serving the chilled pie.
OMG this butterscotch pie was the star of our Sunday family dinner! I was worried the filling would be too tricky since I’m usually a boxed mix baker, but the steps were so easy to follow. My kids loved it, they literally fought over the last slice—SO good. I added a tiny extra pinch of flaky salt on top and it was *chef’s kiss*. Can’t wait to bring this to my next potluck!
Really solid butterscotch pie recipe! The flavor was perfect, rich and deeply caramelized without being burnt. My only note is that my filling took almost 10 minutes longer to thicken than the recipe said, so I was panicking for a minute that I messed it up. Tasted incredible once it set up in the fridge, though, worth the extra wait.
Game changer. I’ve been searching for a butterscotch pie recipe that tastes like the one my grandma used to make, and this is it. Not too cloyingly sweet, perfect buttery depth, the crust came out flaky as can be. I made it for my partner’s birthday and they said it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made. 10/10, no notes.
Tasted amazing when it was done! But uh, full transparency, I completely missed the note about 4 hours of chill time and tried to serve it after 45 minutes because we had guests over. Total runny mess, oops. We ended up eating it like butterscotch pudding with graham cracker crumbles on top and it still slapped, but next time I’ll definitely plan ahead.
Made this with a gluten-free graham cracker crust instead of the regular pastry crust for my celiac bestie, and it was INSANE. Nobody could tell it was GF! The filling is so silky and flavorful, it didn’t feel like a “compromise” dessert at all. Will be making this on repeat all fall.
Brought this to my office potluck last week and the entire pan was gone in 10 minutes. I will say, I wish the recipe noted how much the filling bubbles up when it’s cooking— I got a little splatter burn on my wrist when I wasn’t paying attention. Flavor is unbeatable though, just wear an oven mitt when you’re stirring the filling, folks.
I wanted to love this, but my filling turned out grainy? I followed the measurements exactly, stirred constantly like the recipe said, but it had that weird sugary gritty texture the whole time. Did I do something wrong? The flavor was great, just the texture was off.
Who says meal prep is just for savory meals? I made this pie on Sunday, sliced it up, and kept individual slices in the fridge for easy weeknight desserts. It held up perfectly for 5 whole days! The flavor even got better after the first day, all the butterscotch notes really melded together. 10/10 for make-ahead friendliness.
I’ve been baking butterscotch pie for over 40 years, and I have to say, this recipe is spot on. The ratio of brown sugar to butter to cream is perfect, no weird additives or fake flavoring needed. I taught my teen granddaughter to make it this weekend and she had zero trouble following the directions, even with the medium difficulty rating. We served it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and it was pure nostalgia.