Brown Sugar Pie 

This delicious Brown Sugar Pie is an old-fashioned recipe that's rich and simple and sure to be your new favorite pie. It's made with just a few basic ingredients and although it may not be pretty, it's the sweetest treat with each and every bite.

If you absolutely love the flavor of brown sugar in your recipes, be sure also to try making some Easy Baked Peaches with Brown Sugar or Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Salmon. For more simple and tasty pies, try making an Easy Sweet Potato Pie or Pecan Pie.

I have something to share with you. Not every dish will not look perfect.

In fact, some things will look a hot mess and still be completely delicious. One of those things is the recipe I'm sharing today for a brown sugar pie. This simple pie looks like it's had a rough day and lost. I actually questioned if it was worth sharing or not.

I decided to share it anyway because I want you to know this community is a safe space and my hope is that you'll get in the kitchen and experiment. Everything will not be perfect and that is okay. Practice is what makes you better. No one is a five-star worthy cook their first or tenth time in the kitchen. Even though I've mastered how to make the perfect macaron, I will still manage to burn toast. Go figure.

But back to this pie recipe, it looks this way because it rises and becomes puffy while it's baking and then deflates as it cools. Similar to souffle and the famous Milk Bar Crack Pie®.

It's perfectly normal and I feel it has a rustic appeal to it. At any rate, this pie is delicious and one that you want to add to your recipe box to give a try. Trust me, you will love it.

Let's get started!

​Why Use Brown Sugar instead of White Sugar? 

Try not to substitute brown sugar for white granulated sugar when it comes to making a brown sugar pie. The brown sugar adds a more complex flavor with hints of molasses and caramel. Brown sugar also contains more moisture than white sugar which helps to make the pie filling soft, moist, and almost gooey in texture. This creates a more luscious and indulgent pie. Plus it has a delightfully sweet aroma and is a traditional ingredient of this particular pie. 

Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, either can be used depending on your preference. Light brown sugar is milder, lighter in color, and has fewer molasses. Dark brown sugar has prominent caramel undertones, is darker in color, and has a higher moisture content. 

Which Pie Crust Should I Use? 

There are many different kinds of pie crust to make desserts. However, for this particular pie recipe, we're going to use a traditional pie crust that is made with flour, butter or shortening, water, and salt. It has a flaky, tender texture that's versatile enough for both sweet and savory pies. It also has a neutral flavor that really allows the brown sugar filling to shine. Once baked, it creates a golden brown flaky pie crust that's perfect to use with this pie recipe. 

There are a few options traditional pie crust options to choose from. 

• Refrigerated - I prefer to keep it simple and use a refrigerated pie crust that can be easily located in the refrigerated section at the grocery store usually by the eggs. It usually comes in a box with two pie crusts, but only one is needed for this pie. 
• Frozen - A similar alternative to refrigerated pie crust is frozen, just allow it to thaw completely before using. This can be found in the freezer section at the grocery store. Be sure to select a 9-inch pie crust that isn't a deep dish. 
• Homemade - Feel free to make your own homemade pie crust to pair with this delicious pie. 

Ingredients You'll Need

1. Brown Sugar - The star and main ingredient of this sugar pie recipe. It also provides a nice layer of rich sweet flavor. Use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, whichever you prefer.
2. Butter - Use salted or unsalted butter, whichever you prefer. Try to select a high-quality butter and be sure to melt it and allow it to come to room temperature before using it to make this recipe.
3. Eggs - You will need two large eggs for this recipe. Try to remove them from the refrigerator and allow them to sit at room temperature for easier combining with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Milk - For this recipe, I use whole milk and have not tried making this pie with any milk substitute. You could however substitute the whole milk for heavy cream if you prefer or have it on hand.
5. All-Purpose Flour - Plain unbleached flour with no additives is needed to make this pie recipe.
6. Salt - Kosher salt is what I prefer to use the most when it comes to baking, but any will work.
7. Almond Extract - Adds a slightly nutty flavor to the pie, you may use vanilla extract if you prefer.
8. Pie Crust - Use a frozen, homemade pie crust, or refrigerated store-bought pie crust, a 9-inch regular and not deep dish crust.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.

How to Make Southern Brown Sugar Pie

Begin the recipe by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap the packaging of the unbaked pie crust (if using refrigerated) and place it in a 9-inch pie pan. Since we're using premade pie dough, there will be no need to prebake the crust or worry about using any pie weights.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer, blend together the butter and brown sugar. A food processor could be used instead. 

Add in the eggs, milk, and almond extract. Add in the dry ingredients, all-purpose flour and salt. Continue mixing until all of the ingredients in the large bowl are combined. The mixture will be thin and runny.

Carefully pour the brown sugar mixture into the prepared unbaked pie shell.

Carefully place into the preheated oven and bake from 50 to 55 minutes until the center of the pie has set and the top has lightly browned. The pie will rise and become puffy while baking, but once removed from the oven it will deflate and settle as it cools. This will cause the top of the pie to crack which is normal.

Allow the sweet pie to cool completely before slicing to serve. The pie will have a flaky crust and the filling has a rich brown sugar flavor, similar to a brown sugar chess pie. Serve a slice of this pie warm or at room temperature topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Make sure the pie crust is at least 9 inches in size. This recipe yields 1 pie.
• The mixture will fill the pie crust almost to the top, so be sure to place a sheet pan underneath the pie as it bakes to prevent it from spilling out into the oven.
• Use any flavor extract that you prefer. Try vanilla, lemon, or butter extract.
• If you prefer not to use melted butter, you may use room-temperature butter and combine it together with the brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• If you add warm melted butter to cold ingredients, the butter will solidify but continue mixing until the batter smoothes out.

Storage Tips

Refrigerator. Once the baked sugar pie has completely cooled, cover the pie with some aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator. You may store the pie in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. When ready to serve the pie again, allow it to come to room temperature or slightly reheat it before enjoying it.

Freezer. This pie can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to 30 days. Allow the baked pie to cool to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before storing it in the freezer. 

Once you're ready to serve, simply remove the pie from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving it the next day. Once the sugar pie has fully thawed you may store it at room temperature.

More Easy Recipes You'll Love

• Easy Baked Peaches with Brown Sugar 
• Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Salmon
• Easy Sweet Potato Pie
• Pecan Pie Recipe
• Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso

Have any comments, questions, or more delicious ways to enjoy this Easy Brown Sugar Pie Recipe? Please share them in the comments below!

📖 Recipe

Original post date 02/24/2020. Updated 08/29/2022 & 11/01/2023.