My Grandmother’s Strawberry Custard Pie is the easiest pie to make and it’s perfect for Spring. I made this pie for our Palm Sunday Easter Lunch at church. It’s finally spring and even though strawberries aren’t technically in season just yet, our store had some gorgeous strawberries that I couldn’t resist. I love this pie, it reminds me of family time on our farm with my grandparents. Every spring, they would go to Patterson Farms and buy strawberries by the ton. She would freeze lots of them and make strawberry jelly. But, she’d also make this pie. It’s the simplest pie in the world to make and it’s rustic because you just can’t mess it up and it’s even better the next day after being in the fridge and eaten cold. I could eat it for breakfast and I have! What really surprised me at church, was several people came and asked me what type of pie it was and when I told them, they got so excited! Each one told me they thought that was what it was and each had a story of how their grandmother used to make one and they hadn’t had one in years. It always amazes me how food can stir up so many memories. For me, it was like having my grandmother with me again and I’m so glad that it brought joyful memories for them, too. Here’s my step by step and then below is the recipe.
Slice strawberries into thin slices about 1/8″ if you want to be really technical, otherwise, just slice them. It doesn’t have to perfect!
Pre-bake your pie crust, also called blind baking. Prick holes in the crust with a fork so it doesn’t get puffy. Some people do the pie beans, but we are dirt farmers, so we just poke it and it works just fine.
Stir some sugar in with your sliced strawberries. This will bring out even more sweetness. I used about 1/8 cup of sugar. Use less sugar if they are already very sweet, use more if they are tart. Stir the sugar in and give them a taste. Let it sit while the crust pre-bakes and you make the custard.
Eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. What a perfect combination! Stir with a hand whisk, but don’t be rough. You just need it mixed together and do not use a mixer.
Finished pre-baked crust. Don’t let it get too brown, you want it just like this one. See! The fork prick technique works perfectly!
Place pies on top of a cooling rack in a lined pan so that any spillover will drip down into the pan. No more sticky, messy pie pans and an easier cleanup.
Done! Isn’t it pretty? Allow pie to cool completely before eating. This gives the custard time to set. You know it’s done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
My Grandmother’s Strawberry Custard Pie
Sweet and easy this old-fashioned custard pie is a favorite in our family and has stood the test of time.
Ingredients
- fresh strawberries thinly sliced as many as you want
- 9 ″ pie shells
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup of sugar to sprinkle on strawberries I used 1/2 of it because my strawberries were very sweet
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prick pie shell and slightly bake for 10 minutes being careful not to let it get overdone. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, use a hand whisk to mix eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Do not over mix! Add vanilla and milk and mix lightly. Put strawberries in the pie shell or mix into the custard base. Pour custard over strawberries and fill the pie shell. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a cooling/baking rack before serving. Store in the refrigerator. It’s really good cold!
Recipe Notes
Options: You can use cherries! I was able to get two 9″ pies from the recipe because I used 1 pound of strawberries, so if you use fewer strawberries, you may only get one pie. If you use a deep dish pie crust you may only get one pie. You can also use light cream mixed in with the milk. Feel free to cut back on the sugar if you have super sweet strawberries. For a sparkly topping, sprinkle with a little bit of sugar.
Tried this recipe twice. First time I had mixed the custard ingredients at the same time. Then I saw what I did wrong. Second time I followed recipe word for word. Cooked the pie for over 2 hours and it still wasnt done. Still super giggly. I thought I’ll put it in the fridge and see what happens tomorrow. Nope still not done. I was really hoping this recipe worked.
Hi, I’m so sorry that the recipe didn’t work for you. I will be retesting this recipe soon to try to figure out the problem. There are lots of variables in baking, so any information on the ingredients you used like whole milk or 2%, fresh or frozen strawberries, how you mixed it (by hand or electric) or if you live in a high altitude area would be very helpful. Again, I’m so sorry this didn’t work for you. I know how frustrating that is when you want a recipe to work. I’ve been there many times myself. I’ll let you know as soon as I can figure this out. Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for letting me know that you had problems with my recipe.
I think you could heat the custard base over low heat until it starts to thicken and the pour into the pie shell and bake
i’m curious if anyone has tried cooking the custard base to slightly thickened? My mother in law used to back a similar version to this recipe and she cooked the custard….but this is the closest I have come to find her recipe that we lost. I did make this last year and it was amazing.
Perhaps there was too much liquid, especially if those strawberries were juicy.
Two cups of milk seems like a lot for one pie.
I make a standard egg custard recipe with three eggs and only one cup of liquid, and it always turns out great.
I like to use Carnation’s Evaporated Milk, as it gives a creamy flavor with fewer calories than actual cream.
But I’ve also used Carnation’s Condensed Milk, which is sweeter, as well as my usual Lactaid milk, which I prefer for my savory pies.
P.S. I must be gluten-free, and so don’t use flour in my egg custards, But if you use less liquid, you don’t need it.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. You see, my grandmother in North Carolina, where I grew up use to make this and I loved it. I have moved to NY and have misplaced the recipe. So this afternoon amidst our Coronavirus social distancing and staying inside – I want to try and make it again (its been many years since I have) – so googled and you were the first for “Strawberry Custard Pie”. Now I hope I can find Strawberries somewhere.
Oh, the strawberries at Patterson Farms – fond memories – I grew up in Salisbury not far from there.
Take care!
Hi Wendy! It’s good to hear from someone from Salisbury! I’m so sorry that you lost your grandmother’s recipe, I know how heartbreaking that can be. We’re waiting for the strawberries to be ready at Pattersons!!! I grew up just a few miles from them. I just bought some strawberries at Food Lion (not nearly as good as Patterson) and I’m hoping to make this pie this week too. I hope you’re able to find some and that this recipe works great for you. I hope and pray that you and your family are safe and well in NY. Let me know how your pie turns out and I hope it brings back sweet memories for you.
Blessings,
Tera
I thought you must be a Salisbury gal when you mentioned Patterson Farms, and again when I saw your Cheerwine Cupcake recipe. I was searching for a strawberry custard pie recipe and this came up. Haven’t made it yet, tho’ I’m heading to NC shortly. May just go to Rosebriar for a slice when I get there!!!
Hi! Nice to meet another person who knows Salisbury! I’m testing my recipe again today, so you may have to watch for updates. Just looked up Rosebriar’s and it looks amazing. I need to add that to my places to try. I hope you have a really good trip to NC!
Have an awesome day!
Tera
Yay Salisburians ……. Im in China Grove & we love Pattersons . I will be making these tomorrow
Wendy I grew up in Salisbury as well. My grandma use to make it too. Loved it!
My grandmother used to make the same pie. It must be a local thing because we went to school together. I have been trying to duplicate my grandma Anderson’s pie recipe. This looks just like it. Thanks
You are so very welcome. I hope this recipe is close to your grandmothers! Nothing beats grandmother’s cooking, I wish I had more of my grandmother’s recipes too. I hope you and your family are doing good! Good to hear from someone from school. Go Raiders!!!
Take care and have a blessed day!
Tera
Good hearing from you also. I cooked the custard until it started to thicken and it turned out great. Thanks again!
Go Raiders!!
Hi! I’m so glad that it turned it out great for you! I’ve not thought of cooking the custard first, maybe my grandmother left that step out? Lol But, I’ll definitely have to try that. Thanks for the great suggestion!
Have an awesome day!
Tera
so you cooked the custard and baked the pie in the oven too? I tried it once without cooking and my berries were almost turning black and it still wasn’t done.
I searched strawberry custard pie and yours came up immediately. I knew it was a good one when I read “Patterson’s farm strawberries ” because I’m in Kannapolis and know all about their amazing strawberries!
Thank you so much! Patterson’s strawberries are the best! So glad they are ready for pick up now. Good luck with your pie and stay safe!
Have a great day!
Tera
My grandmother used to make this and I’ve been looking for this recipe…and I’m now a grandmother so I’ve been looking for a long time! And I’ve from Salisbury! Thanks…am going to try to see if this is the one of my memories!
Baking this pie as we speak. Cook time is already up tp an hour and 5 minutes and its still not done. Did you ever re-test this recipe? I was surprised that it didn’t say to cook the custard first. I hope I can get this thing done.
I had to cook this for an hour. Then it set up. I personally think it needs more flour to make a baked custard that is more stable, as the custard is loose.
Oh! It IS a very tasty pie and I’ll make it again.
Hi!, I’m so glad that you like it!
Thank you,
Tera
Made pies to exact recipe with exception I cooked custard first and it’s been an hour and still not set up. I’m thinking less milk or more flour?
I’m sorry you had issues with the recipe. It’s so weird because our family has used this for years with no problem. It was my grandmother’s recipe. I do know that it will seem like it isn’t set in the oven, but it does eventually set. I was hoping to have revisited the recipe by now and was waiting for strawberry season, but I missed it due to COVID. Hopefully, I will get the chance to get some fresh strawberries and retest this soon. Thanks so much for letting me know what you did so that I can try that out. Have a great day! Tera
Has anyone tried using whole goats milk? I used our farm fresh milk and it didn’t set up in the allotted time. I’m covering the crust with tin foil and reducing the heat slightly. Maybe it’ll set up if I bake it longer.
I made these pies today and tweaked the recipe after reading the comments. I used 4 eggs and 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of milk. I did not sprinkle any sugar on the berries. It turned out perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe
You’re so welcome! I’ll have to try your modifications. I’m so glad it turned out so great for you!