Easy Salted Honey Pie Recipe

Three months ago I was in Brooklyn at my sister's and she dragged me to this bakery called Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Made me try their salted honey pie. Fifteen bucks for one slice. Fifteen dollars. I almost left but she'd already paid for it so I ate it. One bite and yeah, okay, I understood why people go crazy for this thing. Sweet honey but with enough salt that your mouth doesn't know what's happening but in a good way. Custard tasted like melted gold or something. But fifteen dollars for pie? Not doing that again. Got home and spent two weeks trying to figure out how to make it myself. First try was way too sweet.

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Why You'll Love This Salted Honey Pie

Most pies are just sweet. Boring sweet. Eat one piece and you're done because it's too much sugar. This one's different because of the salt. Sounds strange but the salt makes the honey actually taste like honey instead of just being sugar. Takes it from okay to "wait give me more of that." My husband doesn't even like Salted Honey Pie - says it's always too sweet and he'd rather skip dessert. He ate a quarter of this thing over two days and kept talking about it.

The texture is weird in a good way. Not thick and gloopy like normal pie filling. This is smooth and creamy, almost like you're eating honey that turned into pudding or something. Cuts clean without falling apart or leaking everywhere when you slice it. Made this last Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie because I was sick of pumpkin. My mom looked at me like I lost my mind bringing Salted Honey Pie to Thanksgiving dinner. She tried one bite and asked if I'd make two for Christmas. So I did.

Ingredients For Salted Honey Pie

For the Pie Crust:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup cold butter cut into cubes
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water
• Or just buy a pre-made crust if you don't want to deal with it

For the Honey Filling:

• ¾ cup good honey
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons flaky sea salt

For Serving:

• Extra flaky sea salt for top
• Whipped cream if you want

Step by Step Method

Prepare Your Pie Crust Base

• Mix flour, salt, and sugar in bowl until combined
• Cut cold butter into flour with fork or fingers until mixture looks like coarse sand with pea-sized chunks
• Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing just until dough comes together
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling

Shape and Blind Bake the Crust

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• Preheat oven to 425°F while dough chills
• Roll out dough and fit into 9-inch pie pan, trimming and crimping edges
• Poke holes all over bottom with fork to prevent bubbling
• Line with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake 15 minutes

Finish Crust Preparation

• Remove weights and parchment after 15 minutes
• Bake crust another 10 minutes until starting to turn golden brown
• Take out of oven and reduce temperature to 325°F
• Let crust cool slightly while you make filling

Create the Honey Custard Filling

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• Whisk together honey, cream, milk, eggs, sugar, melted butter in large bowl
• Add vinegar, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon sea salt, whisking until completely smooth
• Don't skip the vinegar - it balances sweetness and cuts through richness
• Mixture should be pourable and evenly combined

Bake Until Just Set

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• Pour filling into warm pie crust carefully to avoid spilling
• Sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt over top of filling
• Bake at 325°F for 45-55 minutes until edges set but center still jiggles slightly
• Center looks underdone but will firm up as it cools

Cool and Chill Completely

• Let pie cool on counter for at least 2 hours at room temperature
• Transfer to refrigerator and chill another 2 hours minimum before serving
• Filling needs this time to set properly or it'll be soupy when cut
• Sprinkle extra flaky salt on top right before serving

Salted Honey Pie Variations

Salted Honey Custard Pie with Lemon:

• Add zest of 2 lemons to the filling
• Use 2 tablespoons lemon juice instead of vinegar
• Top with candied lemon slices
• Way brighter and less heavy tasting

Bourbon Honey Pie:

• Add 3 tablespoons bourbon to the filling
• Use dark honey for richer flavor
• Only make this for adults obviously
• My husband's favorite version by far

Chocolate Drizzle Version:

• Make pie as usual but let it chill completely
• Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over top
• Sprinkle with extra sea salt
• Tastes like salted chocolate honey candy

Salted Honey Pie with Cornmeal:

• Add ¼ cup cornmeal to filling for chess pie texture
• Slightly grainy but in a good way
• More traditional southern style
• Less smooth but some people prefer it

Substitutions

Crust Options:

• Homemade → Store-bought pie crust (way faster)
• Butter crust → Lard or shortening (flakier texture)
• All-purpose flour → Whole wheat flour (nuttier taste)
• Regular crust → Graham cracker crust (sweeter base)

Honey Alternatives:

• Local honey → Clover honey (milder flavor)
• Light honey → Buckwheat honey (stronger, darker taste)
• Pure honey → Half honey, half maple syrup (different sweetness)
• Regular honey → Orange blossom honey (floral notes)

Dairy Swaps:

• Heavy cream → Half and half (lighter but thinner)
• Whole milk → 2% milk (works fine, slightly less rich)
• Dairy cream → Coconut cream (dairy-free option)
• Regular milk → Oat milk (changes flavor slightly)

Salt Changes:

• Flaky sea salt → Kosher salt (less fancy but works)
• Sea salt → Maldon salt (crunchier flakes)
• Regular salt → Smoked sea salt (adds depth)
• Fine salt → Coarse salt (better texture on top)

Other Substitutions:

• Apple cider vinegar → White vinegar (less flavor)
• Vinegar → Lemon juice (brighter taste)
• Butter → Coconut oil (different flavor)
• White sugar → Brown sugar (caramel notes)

How to Store Salted Honey Pie

In the Fridge (3-4 days):

• Cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil
• Keep refrigerated at all times or filling gets weird
• Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving for best taste
• Or eat it cold straight from fridge - both ways are good

Freezing (Up to 2 months):

• Wrap whole pie tightly in plastic wrap then foil
• Freeze for up to 2 months
• Thaw in fridge overnight before serving
• Might weep slightly after thawing but still tastes fine

Make-Ahead Tips:

• Bake crust up to 2 days ahead and store covered at room temperature
• Make filling and bake pie day before serving
• Keeps better than most custard pies because of honey
• Actually tastes better next day after flavors settle

Serving Temperature:

• Cold from fridge works great
• Room temperature for 30 minutes is ideal
• Don't heat it or custard gets runny
• Add fresh salt flakes right before serving

Equipment For Salted Honey Pie

• 9-inch pie pan (glass or metal both work)
• Rolling pin for crust (or wine bottle works)
• Mixing bowls (at least 2)
• Whisk
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Pie weights or dried beans for blind baking
• Parchment paper

FAQ

Just Make This Pie Already

So that's everything I know about salted honey pie after making it probably fifteen or twenty times by now. Works for Thanksgiving, Christmas, random dinner parties, or weekends when you want dessert that feels expensive without actually being expensive. Nobody ever expects honey pie. Everyone's so used to apple pie and pumpkin pie and pecan pie that when you show up with this, they don't know what to think. Then they try it and suddenly they're asking for the recipe or asking if you'll make it again next time.

Need more recipes that don't take all day? Check out our Easy French Dip Biscuits Recipe ready in 30 minutes - this is what I throw together when I forgot to plan dinner and people are showing up soon. Our Easy Buffalo Chicken Lasagna is comfort food but different from regular boring lasagna everyone's eaten a thousand times. And our Easy Samoa Bundt Cake Recipe tastes exactly like those Girl Scout cookies but in cake form so you don't have to wait until cookie season to eat them.

Make this Salted Honey Pie and tell me how it goes. I actually look at all of them, even the ones that are just people saying "yum."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rate this Salted Honey Pie if you make it!

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Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Salted Honey Pie

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Salted Honey Pie

A silky, sweet-and-salty custard pie inspired by Four & Twenty Blackbirds' famous Salted Honey Pie. Honey, cream, and a hint of vinegar come together for a golden filling that's smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced by flaky sea salt.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Honey pie origin, Salted honey chess pie recipe, Salted honey custard pie, Salted Honey Pie, Salted honey pie Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Salted honey pie history, Salted honey pie near me, What is a honey pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 420kcal

Cost: $11

Equipment

• 1 9-inch pie pan (glass or metal both work)
• 1 Rolling pin (or wine bottle in a pinch)
• 2 Mixing bowls (large and medium)
• 1 Whisk (for combining filling)
• 1 set Measuring cups and spoons
• 1 Parchment paper (for blind baking)
• 1 set Pie weights or dried beans (prevents crust puffing)

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust

• ▢ 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar - optional
• ▢ ½ cup cold butter - cut into cubes
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons ice water - add gradually

For the Honey Filling

• ▢ ¾ cup good honey - local or high-quality preferred
• ▢ ¾ cup heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup whole milk
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons melted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar - balances sweetness
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons flaky sea salt - divided

For Serving

• ▢ extra flaky sea salt - for topping
• ▢ whipped cream - optional

Instructions

• Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in cold butter until mixture looks sandy with pea-sized pieces. Add ice water gradually until dough forms. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out chilled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, trim and crimp edges, and poke holes in the bottom. Line with parchment paper, add pie weights, and bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove parchment and weights. Bake another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and let crust cool slightly.
• Whisk honey, cream, milk, eggs, sugar, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of flaky salt together until smooth and fully combined.
• Pour filling into warm crust. Sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon flaky salt over top. Bake at 325°F for 45-55 minutes, until edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly.
• Cool pie at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then refrigerate another 2 hours until fully set.
• Sprinkle with extra flaky salt before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature with whipped cream if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 115mg | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 950IU | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1.2mg