Salted Honey Pie

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Perfectly salty and sweet, this Salted Honey Pie features a creamy custard-based filling in a classic butter pie crust. It’s full of caramel-y flavor, thanks to the honey and some melted brown sugar and is by far my favorite pie of all time!

Why You’ll Love This Honey Pie Recipe

I remember the time I discovered salted honey pie like it was yesterday. When I saw a salted honey pie at the farmers market in Portland, I felt like it was calling to me. The first bite was pure bliss! I had never been so into a pie in my life. It tasted like creamy salted caramel in a perfect pastry crust. And that description doesn’t even do it justice! Of course, I had to figure out how to recreate it at home so you could try it too. Here’s a few reasons you’ll love it.

• Salty and sweet. This honey pie tastes like caramel without being overly sweet. With the flaky sea salt sprinkled on top, it’s complete and utter perfection.
• Creamy custard filling. The best part of this pie, hands down, is the rich and creamy custard filling. It’s so good!
• Easy to make. You might be surprised by how simple this pie is to make. If you’ve never made custard before, don’t worry – I walk you through the whole process step-by-step.
• Great for any occasion. Honey pie might not be a traditional holiday pie but there’s no reason it can’t find its way onto your holiday dessert table. I love to whip it up in the spring and fall too.

What You’ll Need

This delicious pie recipe is made with just a handful of simple ingredients. Scroll down down to the recipe card below for measurements.

• Pie Crust: You can certainly go for a classic store-bought pie crust, but I prefer using this buttery homemade version.
• Egg Yolks: Lightly beaten. The eggs thicken the filling and add richness. Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
• Heavy Whipping Cream: This is an essential ingredient for any custard-based pie. The pie needs the fat in the heavy whipping cream, so do not substitute for milk or your filling won’t thicken up properly.
• Light Brown Sugar: For that amazing caramel flavor.
• Cornstarch: Sifted, to help thicken the filling.
• Salt: Regular table salt is used in the pie itself while sea salt goes on top for a good-looking garnish and extra bit of saltiness. If you aren’t into the salt, you can also just leave it off.
• Honey: See notes below.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the flavor of the pie.

Which Kind of Honey is Best for Honey Pie?

The best kind of honey comes from your friendly neighborhood beekeeper or your local farmer’s market, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some good options at the grocery store. I often grab wildflower honey or even “raw honey.” Raw honey is the purest form of honey, which not only tastes better but also retains all of the vitamins and minerals that make it such a lovely natural sweetener.

How to Make Salted Honey Pie

This is one of those desserts that I wish I could give you samples of through the computer screen just to prove how awesome it is. Luckily, you can easily whip it up on your own! You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.

• Prep. Prepare the pie crust in a deep dish pie pan. Refrigerate. Do not pre-bake it. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the egg yolks to a bowl and set aside.
• Make the filling. Heat the heavy cream, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt over medium heat, gently stirring constantly. Once it starts to thicken and comes to a boil, remove it from the heat.

• Add remaining ingredients. Add a little bit of the cream mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly to combine, then add a bit more. Add the remaining cream mixture and stir to combine. Add in the honey and vanilla.

• Bake. Pour the mixture into the chilled pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until it starts to bubble up and brown on top.

• Cool. Let the pie sit on the counter until it comes to room temperature then refrigerate until cold and fully firm.
• Enjoy. Sprinkle the pie with sea salt. Enjoy.

Tips for Success

This is definitely one of the world’s simplest pie recipes, but there are still a few things to watch out for.

• Combine the cream ingredients before heating. Before you heat the heavy cream, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt, be sure to combine the ingredients thoroughly. If cornstarch is exposed to heat before it’s dissolved into liquid, it will clump up. It’s helpful to sift your cornstarch into the other ingredients.
• Temper the eggs. You should never dump hot ingredients directly into beaten eggs. This causes them to scramble. Instead, temper the eggs by whisking in a little bit of the hot cream at a time.
• Cool slowly. I recommend letting this pie cool to room temperature and then refrigerating it until firm. It will continue to cook and solidify as it cools so this process helps ensure the perfect creamy smooth custard filling.
• Don’t over bake. The center of the honey pie will still be pretty jiggly when you remove it from the oven. That’s okay – it will continue to cook and set as it cools. The most important part is that it begins to bubble and brown.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve each slice of this pie with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of honey on top. You could even serve it with some salted caramel sauce. However, there’s something to be said about keeping it simple and sticking with just the sea salt. The choice is yours!

How to Store Leftover Pie

• Refrigerator: Leftover salted honey pie should be refrigerated well-covered or in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-4 days. If you’d like to enjoy it at room temperature, remove it from the fridge about 30-45 minutes before you plan to serve it. I personally like it cold.
• Freezing: You can freeze this pie whole or in slices. Wrap it well and then thaw it in the fridge before serving. It may be a touch more dense, but still great.

Watch How To Make It

Read Transcript

More Homemade Pies to Try

• Apple Crumb Cheesecake Pie
• Caramel Pecan Pie
• Almond Joy Pie
• Classic Pumpkin Pie

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