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This salted honey pie is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. With a custard-like filling that’s silky smooth and sweetened with honey, it’s a show-stopping dessert that’s both nostalgic and totally unexpected. Topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, this pie finds the perfect balance between rich and sweet, soft and crisp.
As a backyard beekeeper since 2019, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the complexities of honey, and this pie is one of the best ways to showcase it. The flavor is bold and unique, and it only gets better with the addition of salt.
What Makes This Salted Honey Pie Stand Out
Most custard pies use simple ingredients like cream, eggs, and sugar, but this recipe brings something truly special to the table:
- Freeze-dried corn powder adds a hint of toasted sweetness and complexity (inspired by the famous Milk Bar Pie). It’s not cornmeal, cornstarch, or corn flour. This is made by blending freeze-dried corn into a fine powder. You can often find it online, at Whole Foods, or make it at home with a high-speed blender.
- Milk powder enhances the creamy texture, adds richness and structure, and gives the filling depth. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur, or Horizon Organic – whichever you can get your hands on.
- Honey as the star: I use my own home-harvested honey, but any high-quality local honey will give this pie outstanding flavor. Since the filling is built on honey, the better the honey, the better the pie. Floral, light honeys work beautifully.
Tips for Success
A few simple tricks will help ensure your pie bakes and sets perfectly every time.
- Use a deep pie dish: This recipe makes a generous amount of custard filling. A 10-inch pie pan is ideal.
- Scrape the bowl often: This is one of those recipes where good mixing really matters. Be sure to scrape the bowl well throughout the mixing process to prevent the filling from separating.
- Don’t overbake: The center should still jiggle slightly when you take it out. It will set more as it cools.
- Chilled or room temp: This pie is delicious either way, so serve it however you like best.
How to Enjoy Salted Honey Pie
Let the pie cool completely before slicing.
It’s delicious at room temperature, but also wonderful chilled from the fridge.
Serve plain or with a small dollop of whipped cream.
It’s especially lovely on a holiday table or any time you want a dessert that feels both nostalgic and unexpected.
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Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoon of milk or water
- 1/4 cup butter
Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup milk powder
- 1/4 cup freeze dried corn powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 1 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- To make the crust, combine all 1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour, 1 Tablespoon Sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/4 cup butter and continue to cut in the butter until you only have very small pieces all covered in the flour mixture. Add the 2 Tablespoon of milk or water and form the dough into a ball. Press the mixture into desired pie pan (9-10 inches). Bake the pie crust with pie weights and parchment for 20 minutes at 350℉.
- To make the filling, combine the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup milk powder, 1/4 cup freeze dried corn powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 vanilla bean pod in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed. Add the melted 1 cup butter in 2 additions. Scrape the bowl well – the scraping will allow the finished pie to fully mix.
- In a separate bowl combine the 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 8 egg yolks. Add this combination of liquid ingredients in two additions to the honey mixture. Scrape the bowl well. Mix one last time to make sure the mixture is fully homogeneous. If the mixture has a texture like it's “broken”, that's fine, the overall viscosity must be consistent, however. If you've been a lazy-scraper in the early stages you'll regret it at this point. Remove the vanilla bean pod but scrape out any seeds and add them to the filling first.
- Fill the pie crust to the brim. Bake at 350℉ for approximately 40 minutes for a 9 inch pie or 45-48 minutes for a 10 inch. If your pie is 9 inches, you may have some filling leftover. The pie also will appear slightly jiggly even when it's done. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes on top of pie (amount can vary depending on preference).
- Cool completely before serving, some prefer room temperature, some prefer chilled. Either way, Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I do not have a mixer, only a handheld mixer. Is that a deal breaker?
Not at all. I just prefer a stand mixer, but a handheld will work just fine!
Tonie
I’m lactose intolerant is there anything I can use as a substitute for the milk powder?
Not for this recipe that I’m aware of. Sorry.
Try coconut milk powder. It can be found at whole foods or on Amazon. For the half n half you could sub coconut milk, nut pods creamer or ripples half n half.
Krissy, for the above question about sugar, coconut sugar would be a good sub and would make this pie even richer. (It tastes like brown sugar)
There’s lots of ways to make this pie a bit healthier to overcome that horrible nutrition facts label! I was considering making this pie for my husband until I saw that. Yikes!