Honey Pie Recipe

This honey pie is a chilled custard pie: a stovetop filling of whole milk, a little heavy cream, eggs, cornstarch, and ½ cup of honey, poured into a fully baked 9 inch crust and finished with a thin honey glaze. It makes 8 slices and takes about 50 minutes of hands-on work, plus at least 4 hours in the fridge.

The one thing to get right is the custard. Let it bubble for a full minute after it thickens, and it sets smooth and sliceable instead of turning soft overnight.

Honey Pie in Numbers

• Pan: one 9 inch pie dish, crust blind baked at 375°F
• Yield: 8 slices
• Honey: ½ cup in the custard, 3 tablespoons in the glaze
• Thickener: ⅓ cup cornstarch for 2 cups of milk and cream
• Hands-on time: about 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking
• Chill: at least 4 hours, overnight is better
• Keeps: 2 days in the fridge, loosely covered

Stovetop Honey Custard Pie vs Baked Salted Honey Pie

Two different pies go by the name honey pie. The one you may know from bakeries is a baked salted honey pie. Its filling of honey, butter, eggs, and cream bakes in the crust like a chess pie, and it comes out dense and caramel-sweet with flaky salt on top.

This recipe is the other kind. The filling is cooked on the stove and thickened with cornstarch, so it never goes back into the oven. You get a lighter, cool, creamy slice that tastes clearly of the honey you chose, with a glossy glaze instead of a browned top. Bake this one if you like cream pies and want to make it ahead. If you would rather have a baked custard with a sugary, set top, my buttermilk pie is closer to that style.

Which Honey Belongs in the Custard

Use a honey you like on a spoon, because you will taste it. I have made this pie with clover, orange blossom, and wildflower honey. Clover tasted flat once it was cooked into the milk. Orange blossom gave a soft citrus note that suits a light custard. Wildflower was the most balanced and held its flavor after cooking without drowning the vanilla.

Dark, strong honeys like buckwheat will take over the whole pie, so save those for something else. Raw or creamed honey works too; it melts into the warm milk as the custard cooks.

Blind Baking the Crust All the Way

The filling is never baked, so the crust has to be fully baked before it goes in. Roll the chilled dough to fit a 9 inch dish, crimp the edge, and prick the base with a fork. Line it with parchment, fill it with pie weights or dried beans, and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Lift out the weights and bake 5 to 7 minutes more.

Look at the bottom, not the edge. It should look dry and lightly golden. A pale, shiny base will turn gummy under a wet custard. I use the dough from my homemade pie crust recipe: cold butter, quick hands, and no overmixing.

Cooking the Honey Custard Until It Bubbles

Whisk the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan until the paste is completely smooth. Lumps at this stage stay lumps. Then slowly whisk in the milk, cream, and honey.

Cook over medium heat, stirring the whole time and sweeping the corners with a heatproof spatula. Honey custard catches on the bottom quickly. For the first few minutes nothing seems to happen. Then it thickens all at once, usually 6 to 8 minutes in.

When you see the first big bubbles, keep whisking for one more full minute. Cornstarch only sets fully close to a boil. Egg yolks also carry an enzyme that breaks starch down, and if the custard is not boiled it can look thick tonight and be soupy tomorrow. Done custard is glossy, thick as pudding, and holds a trail from the whisk.

Off the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla, then pour the warm custard into the baked crust and smooth the top. Leave it on the counter for 15 minutes, then chill it for at least 4 hours. Overnight gives a cleaner slice. If you like this kind of silky filling, my French silk pie is its richer chocolate cousin.

Pouring the Thin Honey Glaze

The glaze is 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons water, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch if you want it a little thicker. Warm it over low heat, stirring, only until it thickens slightly. Let it cool for a few minutes before it goes on. Hot glaze melts the top of a cold custard.

Pour it over the chilled pie and tilt the dish, or swirl it lightly with the back of a spoon. Without the cornstarch, the glaze stays thinner and soaks in a little, which is fine if you only want shine.

When the Honey Custard Misbehaves

• Lumpy custard: pour it through a fine sieve straight into the crust. Whisking harder will not dissolve cooked lumps.
• Scorched bottom: pour the custard into a clean bowl without scraping the pan. The burnt layer tastes bitter through the whole pie.
• Soft or weeping the next day: the custard did not bubble long enough. It will not firm up in the crust, so serve it in bowls as honey pudding and give it the full minute next time.
• Soggy base: the crust went in underbaked. Bake until the bottom is dry and golden, not just the rim.
• Dull, sticky top: the pie sat more than 2 days, or the whipped cream went on hours early.

Whole Milk or Half-and-Half?

I have made this with both. Whole milk keeps the custard light and gives a clean slice. Half-and-half tastes richer, but in my notes it set softer and did not slice as neatly, especially when served the same day. For guests or make-ahead baking, stay with whole milk. Keep the ¼ cup heavy cream as it is; it gives the custard its silky feel.

Make-Ahead Timing for a Holiday Table

The recipe card counts 2 hours of resting time, but the steps need more. The dough chills at least 1 hour, the crust bakes about 22 minutes, the custard cooks 6 to 8 minutes, and the filled pie chills at least 4 hours. Start it the day before and the pie is ready whenever dinner is.

For Thanksgiving I have made it a day ahead, and it sliced cleanly. Glaze it that day or the next morning. Serve it straight from the fridge, because at room temperature the custard goes soft. Add whipped cream and a pinch of flaky sea salt just before serving; cream spooned on early seeps into the glaze.

Leftovers keep in the fridge, loosely covered, for 2 days. After that the glaze dulls and the crust softens.

Honey Pie Questions

Can you freeze honey pie?

Freezing is not a good idea. Cornstarch custard weeps and turns spongy when it thaws, so make it up to a day ahead instead.

Can I use a store-bought crust?

Yes. Use a 9 inch crust, not a shallow one, and blind bake it fully as above before adding the custard.

Does honey pie need to be refrigerated?

Yes. It is an egg and milk custard, so keep it in the fridge and do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

More Custard Pies to Bake Next

If this one is a hit, try a simple custard pie, an egg custard pie, or a banana cream pie for another creamy slice. Got honey left in the jar? Bake a tray of salted honey cinnamon cookies.

Pin this honey pie to your pie or holiday board so it is there when you plan your baking. If you try it, tell me in the comments which honey you used.