Buttermilk Lemon Pie

There is nothing better than a good, old fashioned lemony pie, and nothing easier than this one-bowl buttermilk lemon pie recipe.

Chess and buttermilk pies are two of my husband’s favorite pies because he loves that tangy, sweet lemon custard flavor. To be honest, before I met him, I’m not sure I’d ever made one of either, but after fifteen birthday and holiday seasons together, where lemon buttermilk pie is the top request every year, that’s changed.

And I love how easy the pies are to make. You can literally just whisk everything together in one bowl, and bake it. That’s all there is to it!

Let’s talk about pie crust

For this recipe, you will need one unbaked pie crust.

We are, unfortunately, a family all too familiar with food allergies. So, it seems like we’re always using different types of crust to accommodate different needs.

So, if you are looking for a special dietary needs pie crust, I may just have you covered here.

• Traditional gluten free pie crust. This one is as close as you can get to traditional, flaky pie crust, but without the gluten. I love this recipe but rarely make it anymore because of additional grain allergies with our gluten-sensitive family member.
• Quick and easy gluten free pie crust. This is one I developed when I was frustrated with the time it took to roll out a delicate gluten-free pie crust. It isn’t very flaky, but it is still tender and easy to make.
• Coconut flour pie crust. This is a good one for those sensitive to grains. It is not flaky, but it is easy and holds pie filling well.
• Traditional gluten free pie crust. Hands down, my favorite. It is not for those with gluten allergies, but it is delicious, flaky, flavorful, and tender. This is surprisingly easy to make

If you prefer, you can use frozen or refrigerated store-bought pie crust. One thing I don’t recommend is graham crackers or other similar pie crusts. It needs to be rolled crust.

Ingredients for Buttermilk Lemon Pie

This is pretty simple and straightforward, with just eight ingredients, most of which are probably already in your pantry.

• 1 unbaked 9” pie crust
• Eggs
• Granulated sugar – you could also use raw sugar or turbinado
• Flour – this can be all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour, depending on your preference
• Buttermilk
• Butter, melted
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla
• Lemon extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional: Lemon zest. My family doesn’t care for the texture of zest in their pie, so we use lemon extract instead.

Tips and ingredient substitutes

There aren’t a lot of tips for making this pie – it’s as easy as mixing it. The main tip I could give you is to use an electric mixer to make it easier to break the eggs up well. The second tip is to whisk the flour in completely before adding the rest of the liquids.

For ingredient substitutes, again, there’s not a lot.

You can substitute less processed sugars for the granulated sugar or brown sugar for a darker, richer flavor.

Lime juice can be substituted for lemon – which makes your pie a lime buttermilk pie rather than lemon.

Flour helps make the texture of the pie filling creamy, and I wouldn’t recommend omitting it, but you can substitute rice flour to make it gluten free. You could also use cornmeal, which would put your pie into the chess pie category.

How to make Buttermilk Lemon Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl
   
3. Whisk in flour until completely incorporated.
4. Whisk in buttermilk, melted butter, lemon juice, and extracts
5. Pour into unbaked pie shell
   
6. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until brown on top and still jiggly but not liquid. The pie will settle and stop being jiggly as it cools
7. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack
   
8. For the best texture, let cool for several hours or overnight
9. Serve with fresh berries or as desired 

It’s as simple as that! We often make this pie for Christmas and, as I mentioned, my husband’s birthday. It’s such an easy addition to the dessert spread, and everybody loves the tangy lemon flavor and creamy texture. My kids like to add a little bit of sweet whipped cream to balance out the lemon, but I think it’s fine just the way it is.

Other pie recipes for you

• Apple Butter Pie
• Dutch Apple Pie
• Sweet Potato Pie
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Pie
• Amish Shoofly Pie

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