15 Custard Pies That Are Creamy, Flaky and Tender All at Once

Pies are known for being flaky, but custard pies combine a flaky crust with a decadent, creamy inside. It's a dessert that features the best of both worlds: a tender center and a crispy edge that's perfctly sweet. Whether you top the custard with fresh fruit or a heaping pile of whipped cream, custard pies are always a good idea.

Rhubarb is known for being particularly tart, so pairing it with something sweet and creamy is a great way to balance out the flavors. This creamy custard dessert is flaky on the bottom, tender in the middle, and dotted with chewy, fibrous rhubarb on top. Rhubarb comes in different colors, so try picking the most vibrantly-red pieces to make this dessert extra pretty.

If you’ve never heard of chess pie before, it’s a classic Southern dessert that features a gooey, super rich butter-and-sugar custard that’s baked inside a flaky pie crust. It’s a totally versatile dessert that can be served with a scoop of ice cream in the summer or a dollop of whipped cream in the fall.

If you love decadent, creamy desserts, this is the recipe for you. It starts with a delicate homemade pastry that gets filled with thick, creamy custard. Maple syrup adds a caramelized sugar flavor, which makes it taste almost like toffee.

This impressive pie combines homemade pie dough with a homemade custard that's tangy and sweet. Lemon juice, lemon zest and buttermilk are key to the bold and vibrant flavor. Serve with a heaping pile of freshly-whipped cream.

This sweet and tangy pie is a great way to make the most of summer peaches. While it might look fancy it couldn’t be easier to make, which means it’s a great choice for a fun summer party. It’s a totally versatile recipe so if you can’t find peaches, feel free to swap them out for strawberries, cherries or plums.

Creamy, tangy and buttery, this is the perfect pie to serve when you want something sweet and impressive. We use mostly butter in our from-scratch pie dough, but we also add a little vegetable shortening as well. It creates a crust that is both tender and flaky, but structured enough to stand up to the custard and piles of meringue.

A classic cocktail inspired this boozy pie. Flavors like cherry and orange marry perfectly to create a cake that’s fruity and bold. Make it with rye instead of bourbon if that's your fancy. And be sure to include the retro garnish for a fun finishing touch.

The secret to this easy ruffled milk pie is store-bought phyllo dough, which gets sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, shaped into roses and coated in a creamy, rich custard. It’s crispy and creamy at the same time, with a tender center that’s perfectly sweet. This version is inspired by the Greek dessert galatopita and reminiscent of the Egyptian dessert Mesh Om Ali, which was made TikTok-famous by @RamenaSaidWow’s omnipresent “crinkle cake.”

This sweet custard pie gets crunchy bites of texture thanks to flakey shredded coconut. Freshly-squeezed lime juice gives this custard pie a delightfully tropical flavor. A heaping pile of freshly-whipped cream makes this pie even more decadent.

Chess pie is a classic Southern pie, with a filling thickened with egg yolks and cornmeal, which gives it a slightly (and delightful) gritty texture amidst the silky-smooth custard. This version has an extra caramelized flavor from the brown sugar which means it’s dark and rich. Though it’s perfect on its own, it’s even better with a few fun toppings like whipped cream, caramel sauce and chopped nuts.

This gorgeous pie is a fun alternative to the standard holiday dessert. Instead of traditional fruit-only pie, the creamy custard adds a layer of luxurious sweetness that’s creamy and elegant. It’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and it makes a great addition to your Thanksgiving or holiday dessert.

This custard pie is surrounded by crispy crust on all sides. First, the store bought pie shell gives a flaky texture on the bottom and sides. Next, the coconut in the mixture rises to the top of the custard to create a crispy layer on top as well. It’s creamy and sweet with a tangy flavor from the addition of buttermilk.

Pumpkin pie might might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of custard pies, but it's one of the best examples of it. The homemade pumpkin pie spice, flaky pie crust (butter and shortening!) and custardy filling make each bite delightfulky creamy and crispy. This tried-and-true recipe is everything you want from a classic pumpkin pie.

Lemon is the perfect flavor to pair with custard because it balances out the creamy richness with bright acidity. This pie is super easy and only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Even better, the homemade crust is made from saltine crackers and shredded coconut.