This homemade Butterscotch Pie recipe will melt in your mouth with its sweet and creamy pudding-like filling. The sweetened meringue topping is so soft and satisfying, you’ll feel like you’re taking a bite of a fluffy cloud of sweetness!
Butterscotch Meringue Pie
If you’re a fan of old-fashioned butterscotch pie, you’re going to love this slightly-upgraded version. It has the same undeniably-satisfying sweet taste, but with a beautiful meringue topping to take it up a notch.
All you need are a few simple ingredients, mix them up and bake. This is a great make-ahead dessert for holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It stores well if you plan to take it to a gathering the next day!
Why You’ll Love this Butterscotch Pie Recipe:
- Simple: This creamy pie is super easy to make. Consider it a hassle-free dessert!
- Classic Flavor: This old-fashioned Butterscotch Pie is a homemade classic that everyone will love! It’s simple, sweet, and will melt in your mouth!
How to Make Butterscotch Pie
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- To start, combine the milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a large saucepan and stir until it darkens.
- Reduce the heat and whisk in the egg yolks to thicken. After, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
- Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pre-baked pie shell. Then cover in plastic wrap and let it cool while you make the meringue.
- For the meringue, add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high until stiff peaks form. Slowly stream in the sugar and whip.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pie. Spread the meringue over the pie and bake until the top is golden brown.
Butterscotch is a type of caramel made with brown sugar. Traditional caramel is made with granulated white sugar.
This recipe uses a pre-made pie crust. You can use a graham cracker crust or Biscoff cookie crust!
If your pie is runny, it may be because the filling wasn’t cooked for long enough, there wasn’t enough cornstarch added to thicken the filling, or the pie didn’t have enough time to set in the refrigerator before cutting and serving. Make sure to cook the pie to a thick pudding consistency and add the full amount of cornstarch called for in the recipe. Do not try to cut the pie until it has been fully chilled!
A common problem with this pie is water pooling between the meringue and filling. This is why we want to keep the butterscotch filling hot when assembling the pie. The hot filling will essentially cook the meringue from the bottom when layered together, preventing the meringue from “weeping” and getting watery.
Yes, this recipe needs to be refrigerated. Do not leave butterscotch pie out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
If you’d like to add a fun topping to finish off the pie, try adding roasted cashews, caramel sauce, or whatever you think sounds tasty!
Make Ahead Instructions
This butterscotch pie needs to chill for at least 1 hour before serving, so I recommend making it the night before or the morning of the day you plan to serve it in order to give it adequate time to set up. Store the pie uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover butterscotch pie covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve cold.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze butterscotch pie (without the meringue topping) uncovered on a baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Then, wrap the pie in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil to store for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before topping and serving.
Substitutions
- Feel free to use a premade graham cracker crust, or make a crust from Biscoff cookies, golden Oreos, or gingersnaps!
- I really recommend using whole milk in the filling. You may be able to use 2%, but the filling may not set up as firm.
- For a richer flavor, you can use dark brown sugar instead of light.
Tips for the Best Butterscotch Pie
- Read through the pudding instructions thoroughly before beginning!
- Be sure to reduce the heat to low before adding the egg yolks to avoid scrambling them.
- If your filling seems lumpy after adding the eggs, you can press the filling through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any cooked egg.
- Do not chill the pie before adding the meringue. The warm pie helps the meringue to set faster and prevents weeping.
- Chill the pie for at least 1 hour before serving!
I hope you love this delicious homemade butterscotch pie! Make sure to save room for dessert because you don’t want to miss out on a slice of this pie dish!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Butterscotch Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust 213 grams, prebaked (store-bought or homemade)
- 2½ cups whole milk 568 grams
- 1 cup brown sugar 213 grams
- ⅓ cup cornstarch 37 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 egg yolks 42 grams, beaten
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 42 grams (⅜ stick)
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 6 grams
For the Meringue
- 3 egg whites 105 grams
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 3 grams
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture darkens and starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes.2½ cups whole milk, 1 cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk in the egg yolks, and continue to cook and stir until the filling is thickened.3 egg yolks
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pour the filling into the prebaked pie crust.1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust
- Press a piece of plastic to the surface of the pudding and allow the pie to cool slightly while you make the meringue.
For the Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high until stiff peaks form.3 egg whites, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Slowly stream in the sugar and whip until the meringue is shiny.¼ cup granulated sugar
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pie. Spread the meringue over the pie and bake for 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Allow the pie to cool and set up for at least one hour.
Notes
- Feel free to use a premade graham cracker crust, or make a crust from Biscoff cookies, golden Oreos, or gingersnaps!
- I really recommend using whole milk in the filling. You may be able to use 2%, but the filling may not set up as firm.
- For a richer flavor, you can use dark brown sugar instead of light.
- Read through the pudding instructions thoroughly before beginning!
- Be sure to reduce the heat to low before adding the egg yolks to avoid scrambling them.
- If your filling seems lumpy after adding the eggs, you can press the filling through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any cooked egg.
- Do not chill the pie before adding the meringue. The warm pie helps the meringue to set faster and prevents weeping.
- Chill the pie for at least 1 hour before serving!
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