Chess Pie

Chess Pie is a classic Southern dessert with a rich, buttery filling made from simple pantry staples like sugar, eggs, and cornmeal. Baked in a flaky pie crust, it’s sweet, custardy, and lightly crisp on top—pure comfort in every bite!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Keyword: Chess Pie

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 5

Servings:

Calories: 400kcal

Equipment

9-inch pie dish
Mixing bowls
Pastry blender or fork (for crust)
Whisk
Rolling Pin
Pie weights or dried beans
Pie crust shield or foil strips

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/4 cup 175g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup 115g cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 to 4 tablespoons ice cold water

For the filling:

4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups 300g white sugar
1/2 cup 115g melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup 35g cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional

Instructions

Make the crust:

In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar.
Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough holds together when pinched.
Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface, fit it into your pie dish, and crimp the edges.
Chill again for 15 minutes. Then line with parchment and fill with pie weights.
Blind bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. Remove weights and bake another 5 minutes.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and salt until blended.
Add sugar and melted butter; whisk until smooth.
Stir in milk, cornmeal, flour, vinegar, vanilla, and nutmeg.
Pour filling into the pre-baked crust.

Bake:

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40–45 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is golden.
If the crust starts to brown too fast, cover with a pie crust shield or foil.
Cool completely before slicing.

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