This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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
Print
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
Looking forward to making this! Would this be okay with dark brown sugar instead of light? Thanks!
I haven’t tried dark brown sugar. It would certainly give a deeper flavor. It would probably be fine.
could you make this pie ahead of time and freeze it
I haven’t ever tried freezing it. I feel like it should be OK, I just can’t say for sure.
Hi there! Have you ever attempted making this recipe with dairy free heavy cream? And or what are your thoughts on trying it using dairy free heavy cream and whether or not it will turn out?
I have not tried it. It could affect the texture and consistency of the pie depending on what the fat content in the non dairy cream is like. But it’s definitely worth a try.
I have made this pie before and it’s a favorite in my family, but for some reason the last few times I have made it, it has turned out lumpy, not smooth at all. I’m following the directions to a T! What am I doing wrong? Am I letting it boil too long before tempering with the eggs? I mix the cornstarch in after the brown sugar and heavy cream – should have it in the pan first and then pour in cream? Idk what I changed to make it so badly. Thanks for your help.
Hmm, it’s hard to say sometimes when I can’t see it. Could the lumps be from the cornstarch not dissolving properly? You could dry dissolving the cornstarch in the cream before adding the brown sugar. Or if you’re letting the cream mixture cook for too long without stirring it, it could be creating lumps. Does any of that sound like it might be creating the lumps you’re seeing? Letting it boil a touch too long probably wouldn’t create lumps.
This pie is delicious!!! I made this for a spring dinner party over the weekend and everyone raved about it. Very easy to make! I learned the recipe is flexible too. I only had 1.5 c of heavy cream on hand and had to substitute the remaining 1 c with a half&half/water mixture – the custard still turned out perfectly set & had an amazing creamy texture. I will absolutely be making this again.
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit!
LOVE the flavour – and so did my family – but it boiled over in the oven. I used a 9” glass pie plate. Should I reduce the recipe by 25% next time?
You could try using a deeper 9 inch pie plate or you could reduce it. Glad you enjoyed it overall!
This pie changed my life. It is beyond delicious – it is f’ing addictive! Thank you for creating and sharing this outstanding recipe! Question: what do you recommend one substitute for eggs due to an egg allergy?
So glad to hear that! Unfortunately I haven’t used egg substitutes, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
Just made this pie. Mine came out way darker with dark spots. It is definitely way more brown than your photos. Do you usually tent with foil when making this pie? I was afraid it would stick to the top and ruin it, so I didn’t cover it. Hopefully it will still taste great!👍🏻
I don’t usually tent it but there can be quite a bit of difference between ovens. Some ovens definitely brown things more than others.
This pie is nothing less than amazing! It’s our family favorite!
So glad to hear that!
This is my ABSOLUTE favorite pie in the world! I make it for every occasion. I’ve experimented using a homemade graham cracker crust with a little bit of oats mixed in. I also added a little bit of cinnamon to recipe. Delicious!
My favorite too – just made it last night. 🙂 So glad you love it too!
I love this! I topped with honey and a little extra sea salt, and whipped cream. This one if going in my favorite recipe box 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it!
just like you said miss Lindsay ,it’s really delicious..andi plan to make it regularly..thank you miss Lindsay..
So glad to hear that!
hasn’t come out of the oven yet but I promise the smell is amazing!
I hope you enjoy it! It is still my favorite pie!
it’s actually baking in the oven right now,and oh my the smell is devine..the pie crust shrunk a little though,but it looks fine now…thank you for your recipes miss Lindsay..
I had never heard of this pie until last night. It was actually a basket ingredient on Chopped. So I googled it and came across your recipe. I made it today and it was the first time I have ever baked anything from scratch on my own. Let me just say WOW! I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for a baking challenge, it was very nice. Here’s a picture if you’re interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/52weeksofbaking/comments/po49wv/week_37_sweet_salty_salted_honey_pie/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf