If you have never tried Southern Brown Sugar Pie, you are in for a treat! It’s an easy pit that’s full of rich, brown sugar flavor!
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
It recently came to my attention that brown sugar pie is not a commonly known dessert. “What?!”, I thought! The world doesn’t know about BROWN SUGAR PIE?! Well I intend to change that, one Pizzazzerie reader at at time. This pie is a family tradition that my mother made for every holiday, her parents made for every holiday, and generations back.
Southern brown sugar pie is very similar to chess pie but yet, so different. The rich brown sugar flavor and caramelizing on top is just.so.good. It’s hands down my favorite pie (even over my red velvet fudge pie, which is saying a lot).
Now I’m not saying it’s a gorgeous “look at me” pie. It’s simple-looking, plain jane, ho-hum. But watch out because there is a reason it’s the first dessert gone at holidays. The crispy caramelized crust on top is my favorite part. Then the ooey gooey brown sugar inside is so delicious.
Now you can give it a little extra pizzazz with some whipped cream or butter pecan ice cream but know that it doesn’t need it as it’s stand-alone amazing. I also love that it only has a few ingredients (ingredients I often have on hand anyway) so it’s perfect for a last-minute dessert too! I might even make it into mini pies this year to give as gifts!
I’m so thankful for ALL of the readers that have shared their photos of the brown sugar pie, emailed to tell me how much their families love this pie, and those who have tagged me on social media to share pies. It’s clearly a little hidden gem of a recipe that doesn’t necessarily look like it would be the “winning dessert” but in my family, it absolutely is!
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:
“Thank you so much. The pie turned out just wonderful! This is hands down a new family favorite. My kiddos said it is better than birthday cake! (Which to them is better than anything else)” – Brittney
Your oven may take longer to cook, so just watch it. It will still “set up” once it cools but try to be sure your brown sugar pie is slightly firm before bringing out of the oven. I hope you’ll try it this year! It’s definitely a delicious southern tradition that would be a tragedy to never taste, especially if you have brown sugar. My husband’s grandmother says it reminds her of a pecan pie (without pecans) so if you like pecan pie, you’ll definitely love this one too! And because it’s thin, you’re totally allowed to have two pieces. Enjoy!
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pound light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 pie crusts or 1 deep dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare each pie pan with pie crust.
- Lightly whisk together eggs and add in sugar, butter, and vanilla. You don't want to over-beat your pie filling.
- Pour pie filling into each pie pan. Bake pies on middle rack of oven for 45-55+ minutes or until golden brown. Update: It might need longer based on oven temperatures. Check to see that pie is baked through (if you move it slightly, it shouldn't jiggle).
- Note: You may need to loosely place aluminum foil around pie crust edges to prevent them from getting too brown. I often allow it to cool and then refrigerate it to set up further. Then I warm slightly before serving. If you make 1 deep dish (instead of 2 regular pies), then increase baking time.
Notes
Nutrition
If you want to make your own homemade pie crust, I recommend THIS recipe!
For another favorite dessert, try these chocolate pecan pie bars!
XO,
Courtney
Question – if you made mini pies – how long should they bake?
Hi Jamie! This will ultimately depend on the size of your mini pies. I’d just watch the pies and if they are still “jiggling” when you move them, they’re not done. Be sure the crust is golden brown,the top looks set, and then you should be good! My guess would be at least 3o minutes.
oh my gawd, I love this pie!!! I’ve had this but never made one on my own. . love this recipe!!
Thank you Alice!! :) :)
Great recipe!! It’s actually super similar to the pecan pie recipe I always make for my family, but I can’t wait to try this out without the nuts!
Amanda | http://www.thecoolyork.com
Basically a big butter tart, no nuts or raisins….. you cant go wrong!
2 questions please…does this pie taste best on the day it is baked or the day after? (I think some desserts taste better after they rest a bit). Also, could you use dark brown sugar? What difference does that make? Thanks so much!
Hi Carrie! I do think you can make it the day before! As far as taste, I have enjoyed it the day of and after and didn’t notice a major difference. I think dark brown sugar would just give it a richer taste, I’m sure it would be fine though I haven’t tried it.
Thanks so much! I plan to make it tomorrow…can’t wait!
The question is “WHEN” isn’t this pie good? My Mom used to make this for us in northern Ontario many years ago. Try a piece when it’s still just slightly warm…Ohhh boyyyy!
I plan to make this, but I have a large bag of brown sugar. How many cups are in a pound of brown sugar?
A pound of brown sugar—light or dark—contains about 3½ cups when loose and 2¼ cups when packed. I suggest using packed.
I made the mistake of using dark brown sugar (what I had on hand at the time) it was awful! The flavor was just too intense. It may have been the recipe I used but dont chance it. The taste is not the same as using light brown sugar.
One more question, please. Do you store this at room temperature? Thanks again!
I usually store it at room temp if it will be eaten the same day. Safest best is refrigerated!
Made this pie yesterday and got a request from hubby to make another for him to take to the grandkids. Easy and awesome flavor!!!
YAY!!! :)
I fixed this last night and I’m not sure what I did wrong- but after it cooked it was a liquid in the crust. I used the whisk on my kitchen aid mixed and mixed the eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Put it in a frozen pie crust. Baked it- and liquid. It seems like it’s missing something but everyone has commented it works. What did I do wrong?? :(
Jamie – Did you cook it long enough? It seems like it didn’t bake long enough. Bake until it’s firm, which shouldn’t be too far off from the instructions time but it could vary by oven or if the pie crust was still frozen, that could have delayed cooking. I’m sorry!
I did 45 mins.
Ugh it keeps taking away my comments. My crust was semi frozen. Next time I’ll make sure it’s room temp.
Had the same liquid pie when I tried it the next day. Made the pie last night with the frozen pie crust that was thawed before using. Cooked for more than 45 minutes and shook before removing from the oven and the pie was firm when I took it out. This morning it was liquid. Plan to eat it on vanilla ice cream. By the way, I added pecans to mine before cooking. Not sure why that would change the baking process…
Probably too much air from using the Kitchen Aid. A gentle whisk by hand to not allow a lot of air. 😊
So I’m making this tonight. Sons birthday is in a few days and I came across this on Pi interest. I am adding pecans but I’ve never had this. Hope it works out!!!!
Weird question… I dont have a food scale to measure 1 lb of brown sugar .. About how many cups I of brown sugar would this recipe call for ?
It is hard to say without a food scale… you can either go buy a 16 oz box/bag or try to guestimate. Brown sugar can very by weight because of the moisture content based on the time of year, humidity where you are, how fresh your brown sugar is…etc. Liquid measuring tools don’t measure dry ingredients the same…in other words 8 oz of brown sugar in a measuring cup will not necessarily be the same as 8 oz of brown sugar measured with a food scale.
For equivalencies, just Google it! Type in your search bar “equivalency 1 pound brown sugar to cups”. You will see various sites offering the info. I usually click on and read 3, then do an average.
You think you could bake and freeze? I get into crazy time crunch close to the holidays so anything I can bake ahead is great!
Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light?
Hi I made these tonight should I use the icebox to make them cool and set?
Do you mean before baking? You shouldn’t need to but you certainly can. Let me know if you mean before or after.
Should this only be done with salted butter, or is unsalted alright?
Unsalted is fine! ;)
Is there an ingredient missing from the recipe? I made this and baked an extra 10 minutes, the top was crusty but the inside was ooey gooey syrup. I was so disappointed :(
Oh no! I’ll add a note about cooking time but it could need longer depending on ovens. I’m so sorry!
When you say a stick of butter how many ounces would you say that would be?
1 stick of butter is 4 ounces.
Thank you x
WHY have I never heard of this pie?! I’m ashamed!!! Thanks for sharing, i’ll have to try!!!
I am going to make it today because it look good. I have an friend that told me about the brown sugar pie.
He want me to make him one so that is what I am going
to do now.
Silly question…should the crust be cooked before the filling is added?
Hi there!
The link for the homemade pie crust isnt working, could you please send link again?
Thanks!
https://spicedblog.com/homemade-pie-crust-7-ways.html is the homemade pie crust I recommend!
I have never had this pie before. My pie is in the oven now and I cannot wait to try it!
I’ve lived in Alabama my whole life and never heard of this. Made one earlier today and the top was starting to burn and the inside was like liquid :( I did try it in the toaster oven tho :/ (mine is big enough to cook anything) I’ve got another one in the actual oven Right now so fingers crossed!
Ok so after that little experiment the pie turned out perfectly. This leads me to believe those whose pie didn’t turn out was because of too much heat too fast. I know some people’s ovens cook hotter than others. The pie itself is good and will def add nuts next time for a thanksgiving flair!
I tried making this cake today. 10 minutes into the 45 minutes it needs to bake I went to check on it and the filling had overcooked and spilled all over my oven.
I followed the exact directions so i’m not sure what could’ve gone wrong. Did I maybe put too much filling in? Or does my oven get too hot?
I’ve never had it overcook or spill over. If anything, it would need MORE time to fully cook through. Perhaps it was overfilled or the pie crust wasn’t large enough? I’m baffled! I’m so sorry!
I have been a professional chef for many years now, I suggest people go out and buy an oven thermometer I have never used an oven with out one in it, we never trust a factory installed temp gauge.
This is of my favorites! My grandmother made them, in the South she called them chess pies. Get a big glass of milk and throw calorie counting out the window.
I’m from Virginia and the brown sugar pie is a tradition in my part of the country. So is chess pie, but there is a difference. My chess pie is a thin, smooth, sweet firm pie, whereas my sister’s brown sugar pie is oozing with butter that has been absorbed by the crust, and has a dark brown crusty texture on top. My brown sugar pies have never passed the taste test from my son, but I’m going to try this one! Thanks.
This is my sister’s dream pie- basically a Chocolate Chip Pie we love, without the chocolate chips. Her dream! I can’t wait to make it for her.
I made this pie the other day and it tasted like vanilla extract. Is the recipe right, a tablespoon of vanilla? not a pleasant taste.
Oh no, Mindy! I’m so sorry it didn’t come out well. I’ve made it for years but will make it again this week and double check everything.
I made this pie today in a frozen, but thawed pie crust. While it is delicious, it developed a hard sugary layer on top of the pie crust. Then a gooey layer and crunchy top layer. I baked the pie on a baking sheet for about 50 minutes. I used 2 1/2 C of brown sugar as I don’t have a scale. Any thoughts as to what caused the hard layer of sugar?
Hi Jeanette, Did you pack the brown sugar when you measured it? Loose brown sugar is about 3 1/2 cups to the pound. It does normally have a crunchy top layer and an ooey gooey layer, which is normal. I don’t recall having a hard sugary layer on the pie crust, however. Was the batter fully mixed before being poured into the crust?
I packed the Brown sugar. Ill try whisking it longer next time and not placing it on a cookie sheet for baking. I’ll keep trying!
You might try putting it in an electric mixer and getting it really whipped. I may even try this again and do both ways to see which is better (whisking or electric whisking). Perhaps it needs that air folded in to get fully mixed. It’s an old recipe passed down from generations so I’m sure it needs some details filled in to get it just right :)
My pie is in the oven right now but it has spilled over into the cookie sheet. I put it in a baked 9 inch Pillsbury pie crust (not a deep dish crust). Hope it tastes good as I want to make a few for an upcoming bake sale at work.
Looks like it’s super thick then, which is fine but you’ll want to make sure you cook it until through. You may need to cover the pie edges so they don’t burn. Just cook until “set”.
Looks yummy! It reminds me of a pecan pie minus the pecans =)
I just put this in the oven for our Thanksgiving dessert. I used a potato masher to blend the eggs and brown sugar together. It worked like a charm, quickly removing the lumps. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow!
Perfect! Remember to bake long enough based on how your oven bakes, looks like some people need extra time.
Do you bake the crust first or put the filling in the unbaked crust?
Hmmm, your pie looked really good, but unfortunately I am a little disappointed in the way mine turned out. After reading the comments, I followed the directions to a T, but it still came out really runny (and never set). All in all, I ended up baking it for 65 mins before throwing in the towel. The top was starting to burn. Maybe I’ll have to adjust the recipe a bit, if I decided to give it another go. Thanks for the inspiration!
I am absolutely ECSTATIC to try this pie today! Thanksgiving I am always looking for new recipes to try, because I’m the adventurous type; however, my husband is more or less “picky,” so my adventure side suffers. BUT the reason I am so excited, is that husband I mentioned before.. He has this so, so so so strange habit that I never understood, and that is literally scooping brown sugar from the canister and eating it. :/ SO weird. but I think this is the PERFECT pie for him! And lucky me, I have one extra pie crust from making a pumpkin ;] THANK YOU! I will let you know how fast he devours it!
I’m making this now, how do I know when it’s set? The top looks great but I can’t tell about the inside.
Mine’s not setting either. It’s been more than an hour. Weird.
I set the timer for 50 minutes and then left it in for about 10-15 minutes more then turned the oven off and left it in there for about 15 more minutes until I was ready to go. I was worried that it hadn’t set but it did and it was DELICIOIS!!
This pie is a absolutely delicious! I am from the south and grew up with Chess Pie.I have tried several pie recipes over the last few months and this one is the win
ner in my book. I made another one for Thanksgiving. The husband really likes it too.
Should the crust be cooked at all before the filling is added?
Thank you!
I used a store bought one so it was fully cooked.
Mine turned out awful! They were VERY gooey and weird looking. I don’t think I did enything wrong, but I’m not very good at making pies. Any tips?
You may need to have cooked it longer. It also might needed to have set up more. Did you eat it hot, that might have been the problem. Let it “set” either out or in the fridge. So sorry! I’m going to remake this recipe step by step and see if I can update with other tips.
How long did you bake it?
This looks amazing! I think I might add a tablespoon or two of Bourbon!
That would be SUCH a great addition, Josh! :)
Great recipe! I used what I had on-hand, which was dark brown sugar and a little less vanilla (probably 2 teaspoons). Baked for 55 minutes. Perfection confection! Thanks!
Should this be eaten when hot or will it be okay if it’s eaten at room temperature?
It’s 100% fine at room temperature. I typically keep it in the refrigerator so it firms up. Then I slice it and zap it for about 5-10 seconds in the microwave before eating.
I made this pie and baked it for 45-50 minutes. The center did not set up. I was afraid to bake it any longer because the crust was getting really dark and even though I covered the edges, it was getting too dark. I am going to make another one and bake it for 1 hour because that is how long I have to bake my Pecan pies and this pie reminds me of Pecan pie without the nuts.
Glenda, it may need longer depending on oven. Also, I allow it to cool and then refrigerate it to set up further. Then I can warm slightly to serve (or eat room temperature).
I am preparing this for thanksgiving. Should I make this a day ahead or the day of (thanksgiving).
This was really good but it did not cook throughly! It was cooked on the top but liquidity all in the middle. I cooked it for 45 minutes and then another 10 minutes. (55 minutes in all) I want to make this again but do you know how I can do it so the middle will get fully cooked?
Amber, I’m so sorry it didn’t set up fully. I’d add another 20 minutes but cover it with foil for that last 20 so the top doesn’t burn. Then I’d let it cool and refrigerate overnight. Then warm slightly to serve. Oven times can vary but I do know that you want to let this set up rather than cut into it right after it comes out of the oven.
I cooked It for another 20 minutes and it was still liquidity. I lowered the temperature so it wouldn’t burn and just let it cook for another 30 minutes. I took it out and it was finally starting to cook! It needed another couple minutes though so I put it back in for 20 minutes. It was finally fully cooked. (125 minutes all together)
Amber, I’m so sorry it took that long! That’s so crazy as we made it again this Thanksgiving and it didn’t cook nearly that long. I will say it may have some “movement” but when we allow it to cool and refrigerate to finish setting, there isn’t any liquid involved once we pull it out, slice it, and warm to serve. Again, so sorry it took so long! I hope it was worth the wait!
In Indiana, I encountered something new to me called Sugar Pie, made with white sugar. I didn’t care for it. I’m with you, I love the flavor of brown sugar. And your pie is plenty pretty!
While I call my 2 year old “sugar pie” so I’m intrigued to go hunt down that recipe but I think in the end, brown sugar would taste better. Thanks for telling me about sugar pie, though, Jean! :)
Looks like the recipe for my mother’s pecan pie without the pecans.
It is very similar to a pecan pie filling (without pecans).
Hi, Courtney, Is this pie an eight inch or nine inch? Thank you!
Hi Anne! It can be either, it won’t make a huge difference, just be sure your pie crust is the right size for either one and if it has a little more filling or a little less, it won’t matter. Just cook a few minutes longer if you do an 8 inch pie as it will be thicker :)
Hello, I bake the pie in a spring-pan at 50 minutes; turned out perfectly. The next day I baked a Caramel Apple Cheesecake over the pie. Let cool, then chilled over night. Served at a reception with a few other new recipes;
the cake got the best reviews. Thanks for sharing!!
Hello. My husband has requested a pecan pie with no pecans for his birthday. I think this sounds perfect. Is it best to use with salted or no salt butter? Thanks!
Hi Brittney!
You could use either, I’ve made it with both and didn’t notice a large difference! :)
Thank you so much. The pie turned out just wonderful! This is hands down a new family favorite. My kiddos said it is better than birthday cake! (Which to them is better than anything else)
Oh wow! I love this pie! I’ve had it pinned on my Pinterest for months and I’m glad I finally made it. I followed the recipe mostly, I didn’t have a pie shell so I made a graham cracker crust shell instead and I added a teaspoon of ground cardamon (just because I love the flavor of it). My pie is amazing and almost sinful. Thank you for the recipe and thanks for all the tips from previous folks.
Thank you SO much Carrie! Love the idea of the graham cracker crust instead! I’ll have to try that soon! xoxo – Courtney
Can I use margarine as a supplement?
I wouldn’t substitute margarine for butter. Not in pie or cake recipes especially.
I am planning on making this pie and was reading all the comments. The recipe at top says it is for 2 PIES. I just wondered if the ones saying it didnt cook or was spilling over realized that or were they pouring enough for 2 pies in a regular shell. I get tickled reading comments on recipes. I have seen them not know the difference in cornmeal and cornstarch. Some people have no business in the kitchen! Lol
Harsh! At least people are trying.
“When you have made as many mistakes as I have then you can be as good as me.”
Wolfgang Puck
Would add nuts to this recipe change the directions for baking?
Never mind
Would adding nuts to this recipe change the baking directions?
It shouldn’t, but it may depend on the amount of nuts you add.
OK, I made this pie and it was a bust. I don’t know if I baked it too long but I left it in the oven for 55 minutes and this thing was so hard I couldn’t cut it with a knife. We tried to eat it anyway but it was more chewy than hard taffy and far to sweet. I hope everyone else has better luck than me. I won’t make it again.
Hi Veola, I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you. Did you melt the butter and use room temp eggs? Usually, if someone has trouble with this recipe, it’s that it needs extra time to cook to set. I’ve never had anyone tell me it was *too* hard. I’m sure any number of factors can affect it from oven temp to ingredients, but again, I’m sorry it didn’t work on your end.
Yes, you cooked it too long, maybe didn’t cool it properly as well…
But…sounds like over cooked…left to sit in pan in oven, maybe? Glass Pan? OOOOOhhh maybe a Dark coated Pan?? That’ll do it every time! Ruins every baking item i put in them unless I turn the oven down at least 25 degrees, even then you gotta watch it…I got rid of all mine. I go to thrift store and find heavy HEAVY stainless steel and cast iron pans….people through away the expensive ones because they don’t know how to use them proper. Such a good bargain doing that.
I just halved the recipe, and placed dough in those personal sized oval casserole dishes, with nine of the larger size chips of Dark Chocolate – 70%Cacao, Covered edges with foil, anad set timer for 28 min, for first check. I’d say, you test these like you do any custard pie…say, Pumpkin? You stick a table knife in the center and when it comes out clena it’s done. Guess what? When it’s done, it DOESN’T JIGGLE. Just like the lady said…
I will, I WILL, eat these even if they don’t come out like I want them to…even if they are burned, just a little…okay, maybe…a lot…LOL…IDK, idk….
Can not find the recipe to the pie crust . Can you send me that please?
Lori – I use a storebought refrigerated dough for ease. If you want homemade dough, I always recommend this recipe here: https://spicedblog.com/homemade-pie-crust-7-ways.html
Interesting to see, we have been making our French Canadian sugar pie. Grew up with this for over 50 years. The recipe varies within our family. But looks exactly the same. So good, Thanks for sharing
Thank you for this recipe! I made it and I saw how a bunch of people said theirs wasn’t setting. I left mine in a long time prob another 40 mins at least. But mine was thicker than the one you made. My crusts burnt a lot but it was honestly still really good. I put it in the freezer and then the fridge for an hour and it set and tasted amazing! I just feel like it was way too much butter. But other than that and how long it took it was great! I will make again with less butter and make it thinner.
Just like my grandmothers recipe.
This maybe a silly question. But would it be stupid to use graham cracker pie crust? I sent my husband to the store with a list and that’s what he came back with. I think I might just try it for the heck of it.
Hi Heather! I haven’t made it with a graham cracker crust, but you could certainly try it out!
Can you use frozen store bought pie crust.. but that it out? Then do I cook the crust first or just make to your directions? Thanks
You can use frozen but thaw and then follow directions.
I know this is an old recipes but how much is a pound of brown sugar is it the hole bag
Yes, usually the boxes are 1 lb but check the box description to be certain.
I made this pie for a Holiday luncheon at work. I have not had a brown sugar chess pie in over 25 years, but it was my absolute favorite as a child and I was thrilled to find this recipe. I must say, it did not disappoint! It was exactly like the pie I remember as a child! Everyone at work loved it and a couple even asked for the recipe, I happily shared the link. The consistency was perfect and I baked for 40 minutes. I was concerned after reading all of the comments about runny pies, but mine set perfectly. I have a convection oven (not sure if that makes a difference), eggs were at room temperature, used Land O Lakes Margarine (not butter, wonder if this is causing issues some are having), 1 lb of Dixie Crystals lite brown sugar, and I thawed my pie shells before filling.
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to make it for Christmas dinner for my Mom.
I’m so glad you loved it, Barbara!
Hi Courtney,
I’m a guy who likes sweets and ran across this recipe when looking for a no-nut pecan pie recipe.
I followed the directions – even the few tips in the comments – and the pies came out perfectly.
However, in spite of my sweet tooth, both my partner and I agreed that it was a little too sweet. Our “cure” was plain Greek yogurt. Turned out to be a terrific combination.
Rick
So I made this and it raised, like a lot almost as if it had yeast in it lol, has anyone else had this problem. I used a deep dish crust and followed the recipe.
This worked out perfectly. Exactly what my sister made at Thanksgiving. I had Apple and Brown Sugar Pie and eating a little of each at the same time was delicious and even better than eating each seperately. My ideal cook time for a single pie was 65 minutes.
So glad to hear it! Thank you! :)
Can I use a frozen pie crust?
It’s a giant butter tart! Butter Tarts are a favourite Canadian treat. Some bakers add raisins or nuts to the mix for variety. However they’re served, they’re delicious!!