Caramel Pie is a quintessential Thanksgiving dessert! This stunningly sweet homemade pie is rich with a caramel custard filling, which has the most deliciously silky consistency. Just pour in the filling, let it set, and serve!
Best Pie with Caramel
This autumn, give your oven a much needed break and make this homemade Caramel Pie recipe! If you love the rich, sweet flavor of caramel, you’ll love every last bite of this. It’s the perfect centerpiece to your Thanksgiving dessert spread.
This easy homemade pie is made with pantry staples that you probably already have. Ingredients like heavy cream, butter, egg yolks, and plenty of sugar are mixed together to create this sticky sweet Caramel Pie! During the holiday season, you’re going to want trusty dessert recipes like this one that don’t break the bank.
And here’s my little tip: everyone always asks for seconds, so consider making two of these if you’re feeding a crowd!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Caramel Pie Recipe:
- EASY: All you have to do is whip up the caramel filling, pour it into the pie crust, and let it set. Simple!
- SO SWEET: Both brown and white granulated sugars combine to give the pie its signature caramel-flavored sweetness.
- THANKSGIVING PIE: As much as well all love pumpkin and apple pies, this old fashioned Caramel Pie might just be our favorite!
Silky smooth, sweet as can be, and SO easy to make, this dessert checks all the right boxes!
How to Make Caramel Pie
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Add the brown sugar, flour, egg yolks, and salt to a pan over medium heat, stir in the milk and heavy cream, then whisk until thick and set aside.
- Add the white sugar to a separate pan over low-medium heat, and stir until caramelized. Stir in the butter.
- Whisk together the sugar and custard to make the pie filling.
- Pour the mixture into baked pie crust, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Top with whipped cream, and enjoy!
Caramel pie tastes like a rich, buttery soft caramel candy tucked into a flaky pie crust. It’s truly a caramel lover’s dream!
If your caramel pie set up too hard, you may have overcooked the caramel. This caramel pie is meant to be gooey, but it should still set up firm. Be sure to take it off the heat before it reaches 245°F; otherwise, the sugar will have entered the “hard ball” stage, which can cause the pie to come out hard.
Yes! Any pie that contains eggs and dairy should be refrigerated. Do not leave caramel pie out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.
It’d be a shame to waste 4 perfectly good egg whites, so plan to make meringue cookies, pavlovas, or macarons! You can also top this caramel pie with meringue instead of whipped cream!
This buttery, sweet, ooey gooey Caramel Pie is always a huge hit! Whether you serve it on Thanksgiving or bring it to your next potluck, it’s sure to garner you lots of compliments.
Make Ahead Instructions
This caramel pie can be made up to 3 days ahead of when you plan to serve it. Store the pie tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with whipped cream just before serving.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover caramel pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy cold, at room temperature, or gently heated in the microwave.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze caramel pie whole or in individual slices tightly wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Tips for the Best Caramel Pie
- Whisk continuously when cooking the milk/cream mixture to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.
- You may wish to strain the milk/cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure there are no cooked egg pieces in the filling before mixing it with the caramel.
- Cook the caramel to no hotter than 245°F to prevent it from becoming hard when set.
- Serve this pie topped with whipped cream or meringue (a great way to use up those egg whites)!
More Thanksgiving Pie Recipes We Love
After just one hour of chilling in the fridge, this homemade Caramel Pie is ready to be topped with a big dollop of whipped cream and served! During the hectic holiday season, you can always depend on this easy recipe to get the job done.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes to Try:
- Pumpkin Crisp
- Caramel Apple Freezer Pie
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Snickers Apple Salad
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
Caramel Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust 213 grams, store-bought or homemade; baked according to package
- 1 cup brown sugar 213 grams
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 60 grams
- 4 large egg yolks 56 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk 227 grams, 2% or whole
- 1 cup heavy cream 227 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 42 grams (⅜ stick)
- Whipped cream optional, for topping
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Add the brown sugar, flour, egg yolks, and salt to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in the milk and heavy cream.1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 4 large egg yolks, 1 cup milk, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup heavy cream
- Whisk continuously for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture thickens to custard-like consistency. Set aside. (The custard-like mixture should be quite thick. If it's not, keep cooking and whisking and it will eventually thicken up.)
- Add the granulated sugar to a separate saucepan or skillet over low-medium heat.1 cup granulated sugar
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar until it melts and caramelizes. Stir in the butter until incorporated.3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pour the caramelized sugar into the custard mixture, whisking until combined.
- Pour the pie filling into the baked pie crust.1 9-inch pie crust
- Cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
- Chill for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) or until the filling is set.
- Top with whipped cream.Whipped cream
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- (Step 1-3) I’d suggest keeping the custard over low heat and whisking every so often while you cook the caramel on a separate burner. Or even better, cook the custard and caramel simultaneously on separate burners so each stays warm before combining.
- (Step 4) If you notice some tiny pieces of hardened caramel had formed, but if you keep whisking over low-medium heat, those pieces will melt.
- Whisk continuously when cooking the milk/cream mixture to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.
- You may wish to strain the milk/cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure there are no cooked egg pieces in the filling before mixing it with the caramel.
- Cook the caramel to no hotter than 245°F to prevent it from becoming hard when set.
- Serve this pie topped with whipped cream or meringue (a great way to use up those egg whites)!
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Nutrition Information
