Chess Pie

Last Updated on September 1, 2021 by Annie

This dairy-free chess pie is the southern classic remastered with a hint of coconut. It is quick and easy to make and will be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.

In my family, chess pie signifies Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is the only time of year my paternal grandmother would bake it. Now, I have not always been a chess pie eater, in fact, a majority of my family did not indulge in this sweet pie. My grandmother made the pie for my grandpa and my aunt. That was until my mom joined the family.

My mom took to chess pie quickly, which meant my aunt had to share. They kept this pie a secret from my sisters and me, telling us we wouldn’t like it, it had eggs and vinegar. They failed to mention it was entirely sugar-based. It was at least 15 years before any of us tried the pie and I am not sure who was more upset, my mom and aunt who now had to share the pie with 3 other people, or my sisters and me who had been deceived for so many years.

Recently, my grandma came to visit Connecticut and we got a chance to dig out her chess pie recipe, remove the dairy, and make it together.

So What is Chess Pie?

This question comes up every time I make chess pie. Chess Pie is a simple and sweet custard pie. Traditionally it is considered a Southern dessert however there are many who believe it originated in England and came to New England before settling in Southern American.

Many people often mistake chess pie for buttermilk pie because their ingredients and appearance are similar. They both contain egg, sugar, milk, and butter with the difference between the two being cornmeal. Chess pie uses cornmeal as a stabilizing agent while buttermilk pie omits this ingredient.

How to Make Classic Chess Pie

Ingredients Needed

• Pie Crust– You can use a store-bought crust or make your own. I have listed the directions for making a crust from scratch below.
• Sugar– Sweetens this custard pie.
• Coconut Oil– Used in place of lard or butter to mix with the sugar in the base.
• Eggs– At room temperature, help binds together the custard base.
• Vinegar– Adds an acidic touch to the custard.
• Vanilla– For flavor.
• Non-dairy Milk-Tenderizes the custard filling.

How to Make the Pie Crust

If you are making your own pie crust from scratch, here are the steps to follow for a delicious and flaky crust.

• In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt.
• Using a pastry blender, cut the vegetable shortening into the flour mixture until crumbly.
• Next, add 1 Tablespoon of ice cold water at a time to the flour mixture. Stir the mixture until it is almost all combined, about 4 tablespoons of ice water.
• Form the dough into a dish and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

How to Make the Chess Pie

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch pie pan.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar and corn meal. Whisk in melted coconut oil.
• Next, add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.
• Finally, stir in the vinegar, vanilla, and non-dairy millk. Set aside.
• Take the pie crust dough out of the refrigerator and roll flat on a piece of parchment paper.
• Roll the dough to about 12-inched across.
• Carefully transfer the dough to the pie pan and gently place the crust into the pan.
• Tuck the edges under and decorate the edge as desired.
• Pour the chess pie mixture into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Dairy-Free Changes

To make this a dairy-free pie a few changes were made.
-For the pie crust, replace butter with a vegetable shortening like Crisco.
-The original recipe my grandmother uses calls for lard. Growing up she only used butter to make the custard, for this swap I replaced butter with melted coconut oil.

Variations

I know there are other allergens that might cause some difficulty when making dairy-free swaps that use nut-based milk or ingredients with soy.
-If you have a tree nut allergy, swap the melted coconut oil for melted unsalted margarine. You will need to increase the amount from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.
-Swap the Crisco for Spectrum to get a soy-free option.

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few of my favorite ways to dish out a slice of this dairy-free chess pie.

• Topped with a scoop of non-dairy whipped cream like Truwhip Vegan.
• Smotherd under a healthy drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
• With a big scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

Pro Tips for Chess Pie

• Make the pie crust in advance. You can make it up to 3 days in advance. Simply wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the pie.
• Use a pastry mat while rolling out the dough to help you measure out the right-sized circle for the crust.
• You do not need to pre-bake the crust. YAY FOR ONLY ONE BAKE!
• Once the pie cools, you can cover and freeze the pie and remove it from the freezer a few hours before you plan to serve it. (But believe me, it is MUCH better fresh.)

Storing and Making Ahead

My grandmother has been known to make chess pie well before the intended serving date. Unfortunately, that meant occasionally forgetting about the pie entirely and serving it a year later…

For the freshest chess pie, here’s the best way to store it:

• Storing– Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Freezing– I would suggest making the pie no more than 3 months in advance. Allow the pie to cool completely before freezing. When you are ready to serve simply remove from the freezer a few hours before serving.
• Reheating– If you like to serve your chess pie on the warm side, reheat the whole pie in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Alternatively you can slice the pie and heat in the microwave on 10-second intervals until the desired temperature.

Other Holiday Desserts to Try Next

• Apple Galette
• Pecan Pie Blondies
• Chocolate Chess Pie
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

If you tried this decadent Chess Pie Recipe and enjoyed it feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!

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Chess Pie

This southern custard pie is a quick and delicious holiday pie!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas, Coconut Oil, Dairy-Free, Pie, Southern, Thanksgiving

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 1½ c. Flour
• ½ tsp. Salt
• ½ c. Crisco Or other vegetable shortening
• 4 Tbsp. Ice Water

Chess Pie

• 1½ c. Sugar
• 1½ Tbsp. Corn Meal
• ⅓ c. Coconut Oil Melted
• 3 Eggs (room temp)
• 1 tsp. Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• ¼ c. Non-dairy milk (room temp) I used almond milk

Instructions

Make the Pie Crust

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut the vegetable shortening into the flour mixture until crumbly.

2. Next, add 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time to the flour mixture. Stir the mixture until it is almost all combined. It should take about 4 Tbsp of cold water.

3. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

Make the Chess Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a pie pan.

2. In a mixing bowl stir together sugar and corn meal. Whisk in coconut oil.

3. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition.

4. Finally stir in the vinegar, vanilla, and almond milk. Set aside.

5. Take the pie crust dough out of the refrigerator and roll flat on a piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough to about 12 inches across.

6. Carefully transfer the dough to the pie pan and push the dough into the pan. Trim the edges.

7. Pour the chess pie mixture into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes.

8. Remove and allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes

If you want to replace the coconut oil for a tree nut free option, use 1/2 c melted margarine.