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This Butterscotch Pie packs so much fall flavor into one delicious pie.
In a world full of salted caramel, butterscotch is often overlooked and forgotten. Poor butterscotch.
That’s why I’m excited to shine the spotlight on butterscotch with this pie recipe. It’ll make you remember just how wonderfully sweet and complex the stuff is. Liquid gold! Well, in this case, pudding gold.
I particularly love this recipe for holidays like Thanksgiving. Why? Well, there’s no pie crust involved. Just a simple ground cookie crust, which comes together in no time.
Also, this recipe has to be made ahead of time. It doesn’t take up more than 10 minutes in the oven, since the filling is made on the stovetop.
Every bite just tastes like fall goodness.
I hope you will give this pie a try this Thanksgiving!
How to Make Butterscotch Pie
The Crust
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the sweet yet spiced Biscoff cookie crust! They’re like a combination of gingerbread and graham crackers and they complement the butterscotch flavor oh so well.
You can find them at most grocery stores. I’ve seen them at Walmart, Target, and Kroger stores and you can find them under the name Speculoos at Trader Joe’s. You can also buy them from Amazon here.
Crust Alternatives for Butterscotch Pie
If you can’t find or don’t want to use Biscoff, you can easily replace it with 250 grams of any other crispy cookie. That’s 17 graham crackers (when I say graham cracker, I mean the full rectangle). Vanilla wafers or gingersnaps would also be fun options!
Butterscotch Pie Filling (read this!)
I highly recommend reading the recipe through once or twice before you actually get started making the filling. It’s not hard, I promise, but there are a few different components involved. You make a caramel / butterscotch sauce, then make pudding which involves tempering eggs.
Tempering sounds really fancy but it’s basically just how we gently bring the eggs up to temperature without scrambling them. I talk more about tempering in this video post for how to make homemade custard ice cream.
Whole milk really does work best here. You may be able to get away with 2% milk, but anything lower will lead to a watery filling that won’t set quite as well. I have not tried this recipe with any non-dairy subs.
Which Pie Pan Should I Use for Butterscotch Pie?
This recipe was written to use a 9-inch pie pan. Be sure your pie dish isn’t too shallow. This recipe basically fills the pie pan all the way to the top with butterscotch goodness.
How to Make Butterscotch Pie Ahead
- This pie must chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge.
- I almost always just make it the day before I plan to serve it so it can firm up completely overnight.
- It’ll stay good in the fridge for a few days, but the crust will get soggy the longer it sits.
- The whipped cream topping is best made the day it’s served.
- Serve chilled.
More Pie Recipes:
For the cookie crust:
-
32
Speculoos / Biscoff cookies
(250 gram package)
-
6
tablespoons
(85 grams) unsalted butter,
melted
For the filling:
-
6
large egg yolks,
beaten
-
3/4
cup
(150 grams) granulated sugar
-
1/4
cup
heavy cream
-
1/2
cup
(100 grams) packed dark brown sugar
-
1/3
cup
(43 grams) cornstarch
-
3/4
teaspoon
fine salt
-
3
cups
whole milk
-
1
tablespoon
(14 grams) unsalted butter
For topping:
-
1
cup
heavy whipping cream,
cold
-
3
tablespoons
(23 grams) powdered sugar
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla
-
Crushed Speculoos / Biscoff cookies,
for garnish, if desired
Make the crust:
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
-
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the Speculoos cookies until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a fairly deep 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the filling:
-
Read the filling instructions completely before beginning.
-
Whisk the egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl until smooth. Set aside.
-
In a small stainless saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with 1/4 cup water. Gently stir with a silicone spatula. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally without stirring, until the mixture turns a dark amber color, about 10 minutes total. Be careful not to burn. You can always return to heat and cook more, but you can't undo a burnt butterscotch!
-
Remove from heat. Gradually stir in the heavy cream. Set aside.
-
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add half of the milk, whisking to combine. Whisk in the remaining milk. Set over medium-high heat, whisking often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add in the butterscotch mixture.
-
Gradually ladle about a quarter of the hot liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Add another quarter of the hot mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Slowly transfer the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened like pudding.
-
Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute to encourage the mixture to cool. Pour through a mesh sieve into the prepared crust to remove any lumps.
-
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight to set. At this point, the pie can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Make the topping:
-
In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken. Add in the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
-
Spread over the chilled pie. Garnish with Speculoos crumbs, if desired. Serve chilled.
This post was published in 2018 and has since been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
October 2020 Baking Challenge
This recipe was the October 2020 selection for our monthly baking challenge. Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out everyone’s pies:
Hi! Will this pie taste good with a graham cracker crust?
Hi Anjali! Please check out the second item in the pink tip box (above the recipe) for more info on this 🙂
I am almost afraid to make this again because it tasted so good. I followed the recipe exactly. The consistency was similar to Crème Brulee but I was wondering if it could be a little thicker and how to make it a little thicker? Maybe add more cornstarch but I am afraid that it will change the taste. Just wondering what your thoughts are. Thank you, Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! So glad to hear that you enjoy this pie so much! This pie should thicken beautifully on the stovetop, so I would recommend allowing it to cook there a bit longer if you’re finding the consistency too loose. Feel free to add more cornstarch, as it shouldn’t change the flavor – but just add a little, as too much can definitely overthicken the pie. I hope that helps!
Quick question – would the butterscotch flavor be stronger if I switch the brown and white sugars? Brown for butterscotch and white for the pudding?
Hi Kim! Apologies if I’m misunderstanding your question, but the butterscotch pudding does contain both white granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. The combination as written will yield a beautiful butterscotch flavor and a perfect texture. Feel free to experiment as you wish, but I personally made this pudding as written for Thanksgiving last year and it was a huge hit with my family. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
This was an amazing recipe. the only thing we did differently was add some bourbon. I have been searching for a good butterscotch pie recipe!
My father in laws favorite, I’ve never heard of it till I asked what his favorite dessert was.
I made it for his Birthday one year, he loved everything about it, I looked at a lot of recipes before my first attempt, by far this is the best.
My mother in law mentioned she had tried to make this pie through the years but hers always turned to soup! Not that it didn’t still taste good, but I scored a home run with mine, I like to add a few crushed cookies into the topping for a fun crunch.
Well here I go… another birthday another pie.
So glad to hear this was such a hit with your father-in-law, Heather!!
Hello there,
Thinking about making this dessert along with a few others for Thanksgiving. I’m wondering if you think this pie has enough structure to bake and then use little circle cutters/biscuit cutters to cut out mini pieces of the pie? Then stick a tooth pic in them so they are bite sized?
Thank you!
Emily
Hi Emily! We haven’t tried that, but as long as you follow the directions and set the pie fully in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight, it may be possible. Again, as we haven’t tried that, I couldn’t say for sure! Perhaps it would be easier/safer to spoon the filling into a mini cheesecake tin (after baking the mini crusts in there and cooling)? Good luck and happy baking!
I’m making the butterscotch pie. Sugar is a amber gold and when Islowly poured the cream in it hardened lime toffee. Can I reheat to melt.
Hi Pat! If I’m understanding you correctly, and you have just added the cream to the melted sugar, it sounds like you may be able to rescue it if you very gently reheat the mixture – but it may not be possible. Caramel mixtures can be so temperamental, and it’s not always the easiest thing to make! I hope you were able to rescue your mixture and enjoy this pie!
Butterscotch is my husband’s favorite! This is what he wanted for his birthday tomorrow. Made a different recipe and it tasted like straight brown sugar. So I cranked out one of these and saved the recipe to my iPad so I’d never make that mistake again!! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
So excited you enjoyed this pie, Sharyn!! I hope your husband loves it, too! (and Happy Birthday to your husband!)
I won a contest with this recipe. Absolutely amazing flavor! Definitely worth the work when people gush all day long about how good it is! Followed all the directions exactly.
Amazing, Michele! Congratulations, and thanks so much for sharing! Happy to hear it was such a hit!
Can you tell me if the heavy cream in the filling is the same product as the heavy whipping cream in the topping? At the geocery store I can find heavy whipping cream and whipping cream, but nothing that’s called heavy cream.
Yes, they’re the same, just different names 🙂 You’ll find heavy cream/heavy whipping cream near the milk in the grocery store, whereas whipping cream is typically found in the freezer section. You just want to make sure that the heavy cream you purchase has no less than 36% milk fat. Whipping cream has a slightly lower milk fat content, about 30-35%. It has a much lighter texture and won’t hold its peaks for as long. I hope that helps!
Last year I made this and it came out perfectly. I made it yesterday and sliced into it today and it didn’t set properly. I read another blogger’s post regarding making pudding pie and she said to cook the pudding at medium heat because cooking it at a heat that is too high will cause the pudding to be runny. My stove has numbered settings 1-6 where 1 is low heat and 6 is high heat. The recipe says to cook on medium high and I think last year I cooked at 4 and it turned out well but yesterday I cooked at 5 and the pudding didn’t set. I read a couple of comments where people said there pie didn’t set and I’m pretty sure it’s because it was cooked at a heat that was too high.
Hi Esther! A runny pudding usually means that it wasn’t cooked for long enough at a high enough temperature to set. Too high of a temp and you run the risk of burning your pudding! It’s possible that with the higher temp you baked your pie at this time, it just wasn’t cooked for long enough.
Excellent pie!! The custard is incredibly thick and flavorful and creamy. It’s definitely worth it to make your own whipped cream, too! It deserves it.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Grace!
I doubled the recipe to make two pies. For the pie filling, I used Wholesome Delicious Organic Light Brown Sugar from Costco (a little darker than C and H Light Brown Sugar) and was very happy with the taste and color of the pudding/filling. Otherwise, I followed the filling recipe exactly. It is very appropriately sweet, rich, smooth, and deliciously special. For the crust, I used a regular butter recipe pie crust. I served it to sons who had asked for a chocolate cream pie, but I wanted to make something different.
Seeing that the pie filling takes six egg yolks was surprising. Now I am wondering how I can alter this recipe to make a chocolate pie.
So glad you tried this recipe out! For a chocolate pie option, feel free to check out my popular French Silk Pie recipe!
Great instructions. I’ve been looking for a good version of this family traditional pie. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed this pie!
Hi, I just made this yesterday for the first time. It was good, but it wasn’t as dark as yours and it wasn’t very butterscotch-y flavored, more like a custard pie. Is that because I didn’t get the sugar and water amber colored enough? Another question, should I wait until the sugar cools a little before adding heavy cream? I dumped it right in and it bubbled and steamed and kind of hardened. I want to make this again next week, thank you!
Yummy yummy! Read the directions like she says..it will make it easier for you. I will be making this again. Mine was a lighter color …i was worried i would burn it. But it tastes so good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this pie recipe!
Do you have a tried-and-true suggestion for replacing the cornstarch in this recipe? Thank you!
I do not, sorry!
My crust cracked. Why?
Hey Tessa!
Would you please post the weight of the eggs in grams which have gone into baking this pie?
In India we don’t get eggs in particular sizes so it would be of great help if you share the same.
1 egg yolk usually weighs about 18 grams so I’d say aim for 108 grams. I hope that helps! Enjoy 🙂
Hi tessa how to we know who won the competition
Winners were announced here!
It was so good and my whole family loved it
This is an AMAZING recipe! I can’t wait to make it again!!
The instructions were easy to follow. My caramelized sugar turned brown much faster than 10 minutes. I decided to make a meringue since there were 6 egg whites I needed to use. I found a recipe that used cornstarch to keep it from seeing but it doesn’t look like it’s going to work. Tessa, what’s a good recipe for meringue? I couldn’t find one on your site.
The pie was yummy, especially the crust! It’s also very rich. I like that it holds it shape after cutting into it. I wouldn’t say this is a complicated recipe but it has a lot of steps and uses a lot of dishes. Definitely watch the sugar water mixture because it burns extremely quick as stated in the recipe. I had to remake it because mine was scorched at 8 minutes on medium high heat.
I just made a butterscotch pie! I was super intimidated to make this but the directions were easy to follow and my pie tastes amazing. Thanks Tessa!
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed!
I love all things butterscotch, so I knew i was going to love. This pie was even better than I imagined! The Biscoff cookie crust was the perfect pairing with the delicious butterscotch pudding filling. I let my butterscotch cook just a little bit longer than needed because I’m one of those weird people who actually like burnt things. My kitchen smelled like roasted marshmallows, & I was in heaven! I will definitely be making this again!
Really good! Directions were easy to follow and the result was delicious!
This Lotus Biscoff Butterscotch Pie was so fun to make! I was really worried the biscuit crust would not come out the way I wanted because I have used a different amount of the cookies and butter and as well as a completely different shape for the pan! Using a square pie pan instead of a circle was my creative brain trying to tell me to switch it up haha. I made the whipped cream and used a piping bag to make flowers of different sizes on each border and a big one in the centre in which I cracked one of the lotus biscuits in half and inserted in the whipped cream flowered centre. I am so excited to take part in this competition and can not wait to see who wins! Good luck to those who win including me!
This pie was creamy, smooth, delicious and easy to make! We loved it. The Biscoff Cookie Crust really added a nice flavor to it. Will definitely make it again.
Thrilled to hear this!
My first time making a pudding filling and it was actually really simple! Definitely worth it, love the biscoff crust and sweet filling.
Yay! 🙂
Rich and delicious!
OMG OMG OMG this should be outlawed!!! I don’t think I will share cause it’s too dangerous
Omg, this was so incredibly flavorful & amazing!! The texture was perfect & it set up beautifully! The recipe was indeed a bit of a challenge with the separate cooking/mixing steps, & the first batch of the sugar initially went from 10 minutes of clear hot sugar liquid to burnt in 10 seconds, but the next batch was perfect & I’m so happy with how this came out! Will definitely make again! It was a perfect dessert for Tganksgiving. 🙂 Also a great recipe to use up extra egg yolks! I was able to use yolks I had recently frozen. Thanks for this great recipe!
Thrilled that you enjoyed this pie recipe!
Pure goodness!
Thank you Tessa!
Made my own spéculos and used coconut whipping cream.
Delicious, loved the biscuit base and the butterscotch was super tasty.
I love the butterscotch pie, the family could not get enough of it either! My pie is darker looking than everyone else’s but tasted amazing. The recipe was fab and easy to follow and definitely will be making this again very soon!
Thank you Tessa for this recipe.
Did my own spéculos as this biscuits are not in Jamaica (at least in my parish) and used Nature’s Charm whipping cream.
I gave it five stars because it’s an excellent recipe. However, my baking expertise needs another round with this one. Even though I read through the filling instructions three times before starting, I forgot to add the heavy cream immediately to the butterscotch mixture and ended up with it hardening too quickly, and then trying to heat it a bit so I could mix it together. And I think I tempered the eggs correctly but now I’m worried I didn’t and may not be safe to eat. And even though I used whole milk and let the pudding mixture thicken, as I poured into into the dish, it appeared runnier than I expected. I did taste the filling, though, and it is amazing. So we’ll see how it all comes together in a few hours.
A little bit work intensive, but it was well loved by my whole family! I’m glad I tried this recipe that was a bit outside of my comfort zone.
I was not expecting to like this but it was delicious, especially the crust. Highly recommend for fellow skeptics like me.
Had such a fun time making this! It’s is absolutely delicious!!!
I loved this pie! Butterscotch is one my favorite flavors and this was a challenge to make but so worth it.
Please mention the cups in grams and ml for milk and cream or tell about how much is your one cup in ml?
Loved it, just not sure why part of my pie a few spots came out discolored :/ also felt like it was more than enough filling is it because it wasn’t deep enough? If so the. Maybe more crust because that seemed like not enough.
A lot of time consuming work but quite tasty. Loved the crust. The filling could be more butterscotchy and less custardy.
Such an amazing recipe!! Super flavorful and the biscoff cookie crust compliments the butterscotch perfectly. I’ll definitely be making this again!
This was my first time making butterscotch or pudding and this recipe made it easy! My pie turned out delicious!
This was my first time making and eating butterscotch pie and it was rich, creamy and delicious! If you love butterscotch you have to make this pie. Thank you Tessa for another great recipe!
Mine didn’t quite keep its pie form. I’m not sure what went wrong. But it’s delicious none-the-less. It was fun to make butterscotch. Next time I think I’d just make the filling as pudding cups.
Loved this! First time making a pudding pie and making a caramel sauce. Definitely will make again. Tasted just like fall.