A popular Southern dessert, chess pie is irresistibly sweet and rich with a deliciously gooey center and a brûlée-like surface. It’s one of the easiest pies to make from scratch. Chess pie is one of my favorite old-fashioned pies as I always have the ingredients on hand, so it saves me a trip to the store.
If you’re a fan of pie, then you’ll love this recipe. There are rarely any leftovers to pack up whenever I bring this out, even if it’s after a small dinner. And if you do have leftovers, they’ll reheat wonderfully in the oven. If you’d like to make another classic pie, you should try my favorite Apple Pie Recipe or Chocolate Pie.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Pie crust — I use my homemade pie crust as I always have some in my freezer. It’s buttery, flakey, and comes together quickly. Alternatively, you can use store-bought pie crust but be sure to thaw your pie crust in the fridge before you use it.
Cornmeal — not only does cornmeal give the filling that pretty yellow color, but it also helps thicken the filling as well. When baked, the cornmeal will also rise to the top to form a crust which helps set it apart from other types of pie. Traditionally, you use stoneground yellow cornmeal, but you can swap for white cornmeal if you don’t have yellow. However, keep in mind that white cornmeal does not taste as strongly of cornmeal.
Butter — be sure to purchase unsalted butter to make the pie filling. There is no salt added to the pie, so if you accidentally use salted butter, you can’t simply skip the salt to “fix” the mistake.
How to Make Chess Pie
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough into a 13-inch circle.
2. Transfer to a standard 9-inch pie dish, tuck the edges under and crimp as desired. Freeze for 30 minutes.
3. Line the frozen crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, then bake for 15 minutes
4. In a large bowl, add the eggs and beat until well blended. Add the sugar, butter, milk, cornmeal, flour, vinegar, and vanilla.
5. Whisk until combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the baked crust and bake for 45 minutes. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- This pie recipe calls for melted butter. Be sure to do so in advance as you want the butter to cool for a bit before mixing it with the pie filling ingredients. Piping hot melted butter will cook the whisked eggs, and no one wants scrambled eggs in their pie!
- You have to allow the pie to cool completely before slicing, or the filling will fall apart since it’s still firming up as it cools.
- If the pie crust edges brown too fast before the custard filling is cooked through, cover the edges with aluminum foil to protect the crust from burning.
- Baking the crust before adding the filling will keep the crust from getting soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the origin of the name?
If you’re wondering why it’s called a chess pie, there are a few different origin stories about how it got its name. One theory is that in 19th-century Alabama, a woman named Jes made a variation of a sugar pie using pantry staples, and when asked for the name, a woman said, “it’s Jes’ pie.” Another theory is that hundreds of years ago in England, this pie was made and could be kept unrefrigerated in a pie chest thanks to its high sugar content and thus named chess pie. And finally, a third theory supposed that chess pie got its name from using chestnut meal before the popularization of cornmeal. (Source)
What is the difference between this pie and custard pie?
While both pies have a custard filling, the main difference is that chess pie has cornmeal in the filling. There is also acidity added (from the cider vinegar) to balance out the sweetness of the chess pie.
Is this pie and buttermilk pie the same?
The two pies look similar, but buttermilk pie uses flour instead of cornmeal to thicken the filling. There is also buttermilk added to give the pie a sweet but tangy flavor. Check out my Buttermilk Pie recipe if you’d like to make it yourself to taste the difference!
How do I freeze this pie?
Allow chess pie to cool completely, then wrap the pie up with a couple of layers of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the pie overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven until warmed through when ready to enjoy. You can also freeze the pie in individual slices.
What are some variations of this pie?
Here are some chess pie variations that you can try:
- Replace the vinegar with the juice and zest of 1 lemon for a Lemon Chess Pie.
- Try adding spices like a few grates of nutmeg for a twist, or add 1 cup toasted shredded coconut to the filling.
- Add ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the filling before baking to make a Chocolate Chess Pie.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Chess Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chess Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie dish
- pie weights
Ingredients
- 1 pie dough
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g/ 1 stick)
- ¼ cup whole milk (80mL)
- 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to a standard 9-inch pie dish, tuck the edges under and crimp as desired.
- Freeze for 30 minutes.
- While freezing the crust, preheat the oven to 425F. Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
- Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Carefully remove the paper and pie weights. Let cool while making the filling.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs and beat until well blended. Add the sugar, butter, milk, cornmeal, flour, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Pour into the blind-baked crust.
- Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through, or until the filling is puffed, golden brown, and doesn’t wobble when the pan is gently shaken. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.
Notes
- This pie recipe calls for melted butter. Be sure to do so in advance as you want to allow the butter to cool for a bit before mixing it with the filling ingredients. Piping hot melted butter will cook the whisked eggs, and no one wants scrambled eggs in their pie!
- You have to allow the pie to cool completely before slicing, or the filling will fall apart as it’s still firming up as it cools.
- If the pie crust edges brown too fast before the custard filling is ready, cover the edges with aluminum foil to protect the crust from burning.
- Baking the crust before adding the filling will keep the crust from getting soggy.
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