This Southern Brown Sugar Pie has a rich, gooey brown sugar filling with the soft texture of pecan pie - without the pecans! Made with just five filling ingredients, this easy old-fashioned pie is a crowd-pleasing dessert for Fall gatherings, holiday tables, or anytime you're craving a simple Southern treat.
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Quick Recipe Summary ✨
Classic Southern Brown Sugar Pie: An old-fashioned single-crust pie with a rich caramel-molasses flavor and a soft, gooey brown sugar filling.
Just 5 filling ingredients: Brown sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, and salt are whisked together and poured straight into an unbaked pie shell.
Active Time: about 10 minutes • Bake Time: 45 to 55 minutes • Total Time: about 2 hours, including cooling
Difficulty Level: ⭐ Easy. Mix, pour, and bake - the key is knowing when the gooey filling is properly set.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie, about 12 slices • Make-ahead: Bake a day ahead and chill until ready to serve.
👉 Follow the doneness cues and troubleshooting tips below for a Brown Sugar Pie that's gooey and soft without being runny.
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Why this recipe works
- Big brown sugar flavor: Butter and vanilla bring out its warm caramel and molasses notes.
- Gooey, not runny: Eggs set the filling while keeping that soft, pecan pie-like texture.
- Easy to customize: Light or dark brown sugar lets you control how pronounced the molasses flavor will be.
Back when I was in culinary school, one of the first lab classes I took was American Regional Cuisine (ahh…memories). Each week we made a meal based on the area of the country we were studying, and it was an interesting class for me because I was unfamiliar with many of the dishes.
When we got to Cuisine of the South, there were lots of new dishes for me (Hush Puppies? Hoppin' John Salad? Shrimp Perloo?). Some items I had known and loved, especially desserts like Pecan Pralines, but had never made.
I discovered another unfamiliar but wonderfully easy sugar pie recipe, Southern Brown Sugar Pie!
Brown Sugar Pie is an old-fashioned Southern dessert with a soft, gooey filling made primarily from brown sugar, eggs, and butter. Its rich caramel-molasses flavor and texture are similar to pecan pie, but without the pecans. It's kind of like a cross between Butterscotch Pie and Pecan Pie.
With little effort needed, this easy pie is a snap to make, and that soft, gooey filling is a delicious contrast to the buttery, flaky crust.
You can serve the pie chilled, room temperature, or even warmed a bit. It doesn't hurt to add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Oh, and it pairs beautifully with a wee dram of whisky if you're so inclined!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this Brown Sugar Pie recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar works. Light brown sugar gives the pie a milder caramel flavor, while dark brown sugar adds deeper molasses notes.
Pie shell: I use my flaky all-butter pie crust recipe (using a single crust 9 : 6 : 3 recipe ratio of flour, butter, and water, by weight). You, of course, can use your favorite homemade or store-bought shell. I promise I won't take it personally.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Brown Sugar Pie
Making this easy brown sugar pie recipe is as simple as mixing all the filling ingredients and pouring it into the unbaked pie shell. And boy, does the house smell good while it's baking!
Step 1: Prepare the pie shell
If you are making your own pie crust, simply roll out the dough and ease into a 9-inch pie pan (photo 1). Chill the pie shell in the freezer for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Step 2: Make the filling
Beat the eggs, then add the brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt (photo 2). Whisk it all together, making sure that you don't have any lumps of brown sugar hiding at the bottom.
Step 3: Bake the pie
After pouring the filling into the chilled pie shell, bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown and the center is soft, not liquid (photo 3).
Put aluminum foil around pie crust edges about halfway through the cooking time to prevent them from getting too brown.
How to tell when the filling is done
Knowing when the filling is done is a little tricky - unlike with a pecan pie, the top puffs up and browns, but you can't directly judge the filling underneath.
Look for the outside edges of the filling to be set, while the center should still be gooey and soft, but not liquid.
The filling will puff up during baking, then settle nicely as it cools. After letting the pie cool on the counter, refrigerate it for at least an hour to help the filling set even more.
Storage instructions
Brown Sugar Pie will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Serve it chilled, at room temperature, or gently warmed.
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some issues you might encounter when making this Southern Brown Sugar Pie:
- Filling is runny: It was likely underbaked. If the pie is still warm, return it to the oven and continue baking until the center is soft but no longer liquid.
- Filling puffed up: That's normal! It will settle as the pie cools.
- Crust is browning too quickly: Shield the edges with foil and continue baking until the filling is set.
- Pie seems too soft to slice: Let it cool completely, then refrigerate it to help the filling finish setting.
- Brown sugar won't mix smoothly: Keep whisking and check the bottom of the bowl for any stubborn lumps before pouring the filling into the crust.
Pie sizing options
While the recipe as written makes one 9-inch pie, you can easily scale it up or down:
- For two 9-inch pies: Double the ingredients - except use 3 eggs - and bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
- For a 9-inch deep-dish pie: Double the ingredients - again using 3 eggs - and increase the baking time to 55 to 60 minutes.
- For a small batch pie using a 7-inch pie pan: Halve the ingredients and reduce the baking time to 30 to 40 minutes.
- If you prefer your pie in hand-held form, consider making Brown Sugar Pie Bars. They're portion-controlled bits of pie goodness!
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Not necessarily. Recipes called Amish Brown Sugar Pie vary, but many include flour and milk or evaporated milk, producing a creamier filling that's closer to sugar cream pie. This Southern version gets its soft, gooey texture from eggs, brown sugar, and butter.
The two use similar ingredients, but not in the same proportions, and there might be the addition of corn syrup or lemon juice in the filling. Butter tarts are also frequently made into little tartlets (not unlike my Two-Bite Lemon Tartlets), and some folks add raisins as well.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More pie, tart, & cobbler recipes to try
Recipe
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 single pie crust, homemade or store bought, see Recipe Notes
For the filling
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, see Recipe Notes
- 1⅛ cups brown sugar, packed, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
To finish
- whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Prepare the crust: Prepare a single pie crust recipe. Roll out the pie dough, then ease into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill the pie shell in the freezer for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: While the pie shell is chilling, whisk 2 large eggs in a large bowl. Add the 1⅛ cups brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and whisk together until the filling is well combined and smooth.
- Pour filling into the chilled pie shell.
- Bake the pie for 45 to 55 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and the center is soft, not liquid. It will puff up during baking, but will settle as it cools.You may need to put aluminum foil around pie crust edges about halfway through the cooking time to prevent them from getting too brown.
- Allow pie to cool on a cooling rack, then refrigerate for at least an hour to set up further.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature. Top with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
- Storage instructions: Brown Sugar Pie will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Serve it chilled, at room temperature, or gently warmed.
Notes
-
- For two 9-inch pies: Double the ingredients - except use 3 eggs - and bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
- For a 9-inch deep-dish pie: Double the ingredients - again using 3 eggs - and increase the baking time to 55 to 60 minutes.
- For a small batch pie using a 7-inch pie pan: Halve the ingredients and reduce the baking time to 30 to 40 minutes.
- If you prefer your pie in hand-held form, consider making Brown Sugar Pie Bars. They're portion-controlled bits of pie goodness!
Ariane says
Excellent! So delish!!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Ariane, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Annie Plamondon says
I've tried many different sugar pies over the years, some with condensed milk, some with flour as a binder, some with syrup. This one is by far the best! The taste and texture are perfect. My boys loved it and I have baked it quite a few times already. Thank you.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Annie, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Scarlet says
That brown sugar pie with whipped cream looks amazing. I'd add a bit of that scotch into the whip cream too. I love the contrast of that bold scotch flavor against the sweetness of the pie.
Tammy Spencer says
Love this idea! Please let me know if you do it, and thanks for sharing 😉