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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
This pie is incredibly simple to make, uses just a few ingredients, and has a distinctive taste. Serve it with chilled with some whipped cream or ice cream for a cool treat in hot weather.
You can also make a Chocolate or Lemon version of this pie. If chess pie doesn’t seem right for you, check out this Impossible Pumpkin Pie instead. Don’t forget to learn How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust for whichever pie you choose to make.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is a very easy pie recipe, especially if you get your pie crust ready in advance.
- Total Time: Making this pie will take you approximately 1 hour.
- Variations: For easy variations on this delicious pie, try Lemon Chess Pie or Chocolate Chess Pie. You could try adding some shredded coconut and a drop of coconut extract, use coconut cream instead of heavy cream, or maybe some rum flavouring. Top your cooled pie with whipped cream or ice cream.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a large baking sheet, a 9-inch pie plate, a large bowl, and a mixing spoon or spatula. You may find a hand mixer handy as well.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Crust: This recipe requires a prebaked crust. You can use a storebought one, or make your own favourite crust recipe. Try this classic Betty Crocker Pie Crust or The Best Pie Crust Recipe.
Butter: For this recipe, salted butter will work best. If you haven’t got salted butter you can add a pinch of salt to the filling along with your unsalted butter.
Cornmeal: This pie uses cornmeal instead of flour or any other thickeners. It may sound a bit strange as an ingredient, but it gives a unique texture and it work beautifully.
How To Make Chess Pie
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Prebake your crust.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs. Then add the cornmeal, cream, and vinegar.
- Pour batter into prepared pie crust. Put pie on a baking sheet to catch spills.` Place in oven.
- Immediately turn heat down to 350°F and bake pie for 45-50 minutes.
- Cool pie completely before slicing.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Chess Pie
Cool It: While you can absolutely eat this pie while it’s still slightly warm, or at room temperature, it will slice better when it’s cold. Since it’s a custardy, egg filling, it needs to set and solidify otherwise slicing it can get messy.
Eggy: Like so many other filled pies, this pie will be liquidy until it’s fully cooked. Give the pan a gentle jiggle near the end of the baking time. If the pie sloshes around, it’s definitely not done. If it barely moves, it’s probably ready. It will still need to cool to set fully.
Toppings: This is a very basic pie that will pair well with a variety of flavours. Try making a Strawberry or Lemon Whipped Cream to dollop on each slice. Try serving it with vanilla ice cream, or something like pralines and cream, and a drizzle of Caramel Syrup.
Storage Instructions
You can store chess pie in the fridge for a few days, covered tightly with plastic wrap. It To save it for longer, put it in the freezer. It will defrost wonderfully even after a few months.
More Delicious Pie Recipes
Looking for some tasty and easy pie recipes?
Try these Campfire Cherry Hand Pies or a classic Blueberry Pie.
Check out this Cream Cheese Pineapple Pie for something a bit different, or make a batch of Grandma Marion’s Butter Tarts for a handheld option.
There you go. A simple and delicious pie with a surprising ingredient. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
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Chess Pie
Ingredients
- one recipe blind baked pie crust ,
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 °F.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla together. Mix in the eggs, then the cornmeal, whipping and vinegar until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350 °F. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browned and the pie is set.
- Let cool completely then cut and serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- prep time includes blind baking the pie crust
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Barb says
Chess pie came from southern people saying “Just pie..” but with the southern twang u get “Jess pie”
That is jess what I have been told😁
Mina says
The crust on a true Chess Pie should never break. When this happens the sugar has not been mixed in properly and has risen to the top making it crispy. This also means the poe will have more of an egg taste than the extreme sweet sugary and buttery taste it’s meant to have.
Miss knox says
I love this pie but avery time i make this it tasty eggish can u tell me why i would love to have this pie on my Thanksgiving table this year
Judy K. says
Same recipe except I use buttermilk instead of heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. May cut that down to 1 1/4 cup next time. It is a very sweet pie. It is delicious.
Judy K. says
Same recipe except I use buttermilk instead of heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups of sugar. May cut that down to 1 1/4 cup next time. It is a very sweet pie..
Sharen Buchan says
nor does it has a chequered chess board-
perhaps a quick read through before posting
nor does it have a checkered chess board…..
Karlynn Johnston says
“verb
past tense: chequered; past participle: chequered
divide into or mark with an arrangement of squares of different color or character.
“a great plain chequered with corn and green mosses””
It’s simply another spelling of the word. I’m Canadian so it’s fine to use British spelling sometimes.
Lucy says
Chess pie got its name from the South, as in
“It’s chess (just) pie.”
At least that is the lore here in Texas.
It’s so good! Gonna try your recipe.
Warren says
When a recipe calls for heavy cream to cut down on fat I use 1/2 and 1/2,most of the time it does not affect the end results.How would it work in this recipe?
Thank You
Robin A Holladay says
Our family had been making this for generations. We use brown sugar instead of white sugar. Deeper texture, richer flavor. More like a pecan pie minus the pecans. Absolutely mouth watering.
From VA to AZ and beyond we don’t alter our recipe. Give this one a try..
Jackie says
Hi Robin. I’d like to use brown sugar too. Do you use the same amount as the white?
Stan Jones says
If you were doing multiple smaller pies for freezing would you still do the 450/350 temperatures? I’m thinking 4″ or 5″ crusts. Thanks.