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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
More Homemade Pies to Try
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Salted Honey Pie
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
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!
Ingredients
- Pie crust, refrigerated or homemade
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2/3 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (45g) cornstarch, sifted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pie crust in a deep dish 8 inch pie pan, or a 9 inch pie pan, and set it in the fridge. Do not pre-bake it. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the egg yolks to a large bowl. Set aside.
- To make the filling, heat the heavy cream, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan on medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil, stirring continuously. It should start to thicken.
- Once the mixture comes to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the cream mixture to the eggs and whisking, then adding a little more. Add the remaining cream mixture and stir until combined and smooth.
- Add the honey and vanilla extract to the custard and stir until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the chilled pie crust.
- Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes. It will bubble up and start to brown on top.
- Remove the pie from the oven. It will still be pretty jiggly. Set it on the counter to cool until it comes to room temperature. It will firm up as it sits.
- Refrigerate the pie until it’s cold and fully firm.
- Sprinkle the sea salt onto the pie and serve.
Notes
- Prep Time: If you plan on making a homemade pie crust, your total prep time will increase.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: The pie needs the fat in the heavy whipping cream to thicken properly, so do not substitute for milk or your filling won’t thicken up correctly.
- Storing leftovers: Leftover salted honey pie should be refrigerated well-covered or in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 449
- Sugar: 29.8 g
- Sodium: 466.8 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.5 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 141 mg
This is the second time in two weeks I’m making this pie. It is a very unique pie, simple to make, with few ingredients and a crowd pleaser. I even had a guest go for thirds who does not like a sweet and salty combination (crazy, right?!!) Thank you for including weighted measurements – makes the recipe even more simple and less dishes and cleanup!
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that!
Lindsay, I’ve already made this pie a couple times and absolutely love it. I’m trying to be gluten free. Would it work without the crust or do I need to get a gluten free crust? Any suggestions.
I’m so glad to hear you love it! I would think you would need a crust simply to keep the filling from sticking to the pie pan, but it’s not something I’ve ever tried before.
Perhaps you could divide the filling between little mason jars and bake them individually? You’d have to experiment with baking time a little bit, but then you can just eat it right out of the jar and maybe not have a crust issue. Just a thought.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell gluten free pie crust 😊
Question: I am making this for a cocktail party and am thinking of trying to make them smaller, like in mini pie shells or by cutting the pie crust in circles and putting them in cupcake tins. If I make them in much smaller sizes, do I change the baking time? Thanks!
Yes, you’d want to reduce the baking time. I have never tested it myself, so I’m not really sure how long.
Chuck… care to share your cooking time for the cupcake size pies?
Meant to rate this pie- Five BIG STARS all the wayyyyyy!!!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this pie twice now- absolute bliss!!! I wanted to make a version as tarts for my daughter’s year-end school party. What temperature and/or time would you recommend if I made minis? Thank you for this recipe, I’ve shared it many times with enthusiastic tasters!
I’m not entirely sure. I’ve never made it as minis. I might try around 15 minutes and then check them.
The pie was way too sweet for my liking. The brown sugar and honey did give an amazing caramel flavor but the two together with that ratio is just too sweet. It baked perfectly, however it only took about 35 min at 375. Also my batter became very thick as well.. which means actually less corn starch can be used. I will try this again using less sugar and honey and incorporate maybe chocolate or sweet potato to add a more healthy nutrient twist.
Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing pie! Made this for our local Honey show, using honey from my own hive and scooped first prize in the baked goods category. It really is a winner and has become a family favourite too. Thanks!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely love this pie, have made this many times now and always a winner. Just one question can you freeze once made? You never know when you might like to whip out of the freezer for that sudden occasion.
I’ve never tried freezing this pie. Part of me says it would be okay but the other part says that being a custard pie it wouldn’t thaw as well. You would have to try it.
I tried a Salt and Honey pie from a farmers market in Portland last year and have been searching high and low for a recipe. I was so sad I would never have it again until I came across your website. I just made it and it tastes exactly the same! I am so thrilled to be able to make it myself. Thank you!
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I made this pie. After 45 minutes the whole pie was still boiling like molten lava!! I wasn’t sure it would ever set. I continued to bake but gave up after 90 minutes! It did set and was tasty but a bit over baked! My son also made this pie. He took it out after 45 minutes. It was also still all liquid and boiling! It set up beautifully! I just think this pie is more than “jiggly” like a cheesecake or pumpkin pie may be. But it tastes great!
When it comes out of the oven it’s still quite jiggly, but it will firm up when it cools. So if it looks runny when you take it out of the oven, it might still be right.
I agree, it was definitely more than jiggly – LOL! Because of your notes, I crossed my fingers and took it out of the oven after 45 minutes even though the entire thing still looked like lava. It set up after cooling and time in the fridge. Whew! Thanks for mentioning this in your review!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was awesome. My husband said it was the best thing he ate which says a lot. What should I make for Christmas? What are some of your other favorite recipes? Now people are expecting a lot from me ????
Lol, I’m so glad it was a hit! I honestly have so many favorites, it’s hard to say. I’d love to give you a suggestion – is there a particular flavor or type of dessert you’d like?
Maybe just something with a Christmas vibe. I just want it to be awesome.
Well, these new cupcakes are super festive. This cheesecake is a popular one. And then I personally find this cake to be so much fun. I hope that helps!
Ok, I adore this pie. It’s perfection. But I did make one small addition and I need to share… I felt like I wanted just a bit more texture when I ate this pie the first time, despite the amazing taste. So the next time I made it, I sprinkled regular granulated sugar on top and brûléed it. It gave it just the most incredible crunch before the creamy filling. I’ve made it countless times since!
I’m so glad you love it – and the brûlée sounds delicious!
Your recipe won a pie contest at work for me! Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome Heather!
As a Beekeeper I’m always looking for honey recipes. I made your pie for a large group of friends who all agreed it was wonderful and have asked me to make it again. Thank you for spending time to make a perfect pie and sharing it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Hi there! I have made this twice now, following the recipe exactly. It just does not set. It stays runny. Do you think I am not letting it boil long enough? Also, do you think it would work if I added a bunch of chopped pecans to it, to make like a pecan pie consistency? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Even though mine did not set up properly, it was still delicious and I can tell it’s a keeper if I ever figure it out.
It’s hard to say without being there to see what you’re doing. It’s possible that it’s not sitting on the stove long enough. It should be fairly thick before you pour it in your pie dish. Also, when it comes out of the oven, it’s still quite jiggly. It’s firms up as it cools, so if it looks runny out of the oven, it might still be right. And you could add pecans, but when it’s the consistency that it’s supposed to be, it’s not like pecan pie. It’s much thicker and a different texture.
Thanks! I cooked it for over an hour, and it was still very runny, and it never did set even though I left it on the counter to cool and then I put it in the refrigerator overnight. Next time I will try cooking it a bit longer on the stove before I pour it in the pie shell.
Hello! I cannot wait to give this a try! Does the type of honey used matter since some honey is different than others? We have regular store-bought honey and honey in the raw. Which would you recommend?
I didn’t try different types of honey, but I used a regular store brand honey. I hope you enjoy it! It’s one of my favorite pies! 🙂
The salt on top of this pie is so beautiful. Do you know what kind/brand/type/whatever it is? I’m making this pie for my husbands birthday on Sunday and the only salt I have is regular old kosher salt, which is not nearly this pretty.
I got it at World Market quite a while ago. I would look for something like sea salt flakes.