East Texas Buttermilk Pie

Savor this creamy East Texas buttermilk pie recipe. This is a delicious vintage dessert that you can prepare and freeze easily.

Like many Southern dishes, buttermilk pie likely originated out of necessity and resourcefulness. In the days before widespread refrigeration, buttermilk was a common byproduct of churning butter. Instead of letting this valuable ingredient go to waste, resourceful cooks found ways to incorporate it into recipes.

Early versions of buttermilk pie were often referred to as “poor man’s pie” or “desperation pie.” This highlights its humble origins, using simple, readily available ingredients like buttermilk, eggs, sugar and flour (or cornmeal). It was a way to make a sweet treat even when other ingredients were scarce.

East Texas Buttermilk Pie

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Creamy buttermilk pie is a vintage recipe that can be frozen for later use.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Texas

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked
• 3 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutmeg, to taste (optional)
• Cinnamon, to taste (optional)

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Instructions

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt; add to butter.
2. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix and pour into pie shell; sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon, if desired.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Test with knife. It should come out clean when pie is done.

Notes

Photo credit: author2/7f1e01 ralph and jenny on VisualHunt CC BY