Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Pie Recipe

This old-fashioned Brown Sugar Pie recipe is easy to prepare and is a great dessert for a crowd. With just 4 ingredients and a whisk, you’ll make 2 rich, buttery pies that are perfect for holiday potlucks or your Thanksgiving meal! And you’ll need two pies because the flavor is outrageously delicious.

This Brown Sugar Pie Recipe is a Must-Try

The best way to describe a southern Brown Sugar Pie is to say it tastes a bit like pecan pie, but without the pecans. Boom. We all know that the filling is the best part.

I have a wicked sweet tooth and a soft spot for those old-fashioned desserts that use only a few ingredients but create sweet magic. This recipe is just that.

Like a chess pie or buttermilk pie, this recipe turns a few simple things into a crave-worthy dessert!

This recipe was born out of trying to make do with what little supplies people had. Sometimes referred to as “desperation pie,” this is a recipe that shouldn’t be ignored. BECAUSE IT’S DELICIOUS!

This sugar pie recipe makes two pies which makes this a great dessert for a crowd. I’ll be adding this to our Thanksgiving menu from now on because although I’m not technically allowed to change our traditions, people tend to give me a little leeway when I introduce a dessert as tasty as this one.

Related: Brown Sugar Bacon Butter for Thanksgiving Rolls

This recipe is almost fool-proof! While there is a bit of decision-making that needs to be done around if the sweet pie is cooked enough, it’s great for beginning bakers.

With a lightly caramelized top and a custard-like texture, this Brown Sugar Pie has moved into my top 5 favorite desserts ever invented. Do you know why I’m so sure of that? Because I pretty much ate one of these whole pies by myself… And I’d do it again.

This isn’t a pretty dessert. Bless her heart. To look at the pies, it’s a little underwhelming. But you can simply dress them up with some whipped cream.

But seriously, this is the perfect basic pie to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other gathering!

There are a few variations on how to make this recipe. I like to make things that don’t need a ton of ingredients and require only a few minutes of prep time (like Dump Cakes and Cake Mix Desserts) so my recipe is very simple.

Ingredients Needed

There are no specialty ingredients needed for this pie recipe.

I used salted butter, but you could use unsalted if you prefer.

I used light brown sugar. I think you could probably substitute dark brown sugar but it may have a bit of a stronger flavor.

A lot of other sugar pie recipes call for all-purpose flour and milk or heavy cream. But this one doesn’t. It keeps things super simple! The only dry ingredient in this pie is the brown sugar.

You can use a homemade pie crust. If you’re crazy. Or you can buy pre-made crusts to keep things super easy. With this type of pie, you can use the crusts from frozen and pop them right into the oven. No pie weights needed.

Do not get a deep dish crust unless you are only making one pie and will use all the batter in that one crust.

How to make Brown Sugar Pie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 1

To a large bowl, add the eggs and whisk them together.

Step 2

Add the brown sugar and mix together completely.

Step 3

Add the melted butter and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Do not over-mix!

Step 4

Add the filling to the pie crusts

Place two unbaked pie shells on a cookie sheet. As evenly as possible, split the brown sugar mixture between the pie crusts.

Step 5

Bake for about 50 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

The center of the pie should be baked through. It shouldn’t move very much when jiggled.

Continue to cook until you feel the pie is set. If you see the crust starting to get too dark, you can cover them with aluminum foil so that they won’t cook too much while the center is getting set up.

This simple pie will be set up a little bit more while cooling once out of the oven. You can also place it in the refrigerator to set up a bit more.

How to Serve This Pie

I like to serve this pie at room temperature or slightly chilled. I think the brown sugar flavor develops and is a little more pronounced once cooled.

Top Brown Sugar Pie with whipped cream and a small sprinkle of brown sugar. It would also be delicious with a dusting of powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream.

Tips and Tricks

• Because there is butter in this recipe, it doesn’t store well. For best results, make a serve this pie the same day.
• This recipe works best with two 9″ pie crusts. You can make just one deep dish pie or several mini pies if you prefer. You will need to adjust the baking time accordingly since the filling may be thicker or thinner depending on the crust you use.
• Do not skip the cookie sheet. You do not want to be cleaning up spilled burnt brown sugar off your oven…
• If you are questioning whether the pie is cooked through enough, go ahead and it cook it for a little bit longer. If you take it out and find that it falls even more because it wasn’t quite ready, there is no saving the pie by trying to cook it longer. It’s better to overcook it a little rather than undercook it!

Frequently Asked Questions

You guys. This is my new favorite easy pie recipe. A flaky crust filled with a buttery, sweet center that reminds me of caramel is something you’ll just need to try for yourself!

Do you love old-fashioned desserts? Have you made Brown Sugar Pie?

More easy pie recipes

• If you like pie AND cake, you’ll want to see how easy it is to bake a pie inside a cake!
• See you later oven! This Frozen Peanut Butter Pie is creamy and delicious.
• Happy hour and dessert mash-up in this tasty Fireball Pumpkin Pie recipe.
• Tangy and sweet, you’ll love this easy Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie.
• If you love bananas, you need to make this Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Pie recipe.

My other go-to favorite recipes (that are crazy easy) are Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake, Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Dessert, Wine Cake and Microwave Bread Pudding.

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