25 Old Fashioned Pie Recipes You’ll Love

If there’s one dessert that takes me straight back to grandma’s kitchen, it’s pie. I can still picture those cooling racks lined with golden crusts, the smell of cinnamon wafting through the house, and the clatter of plates at Sunday potlucks where every table seemed to have at least one homemade pie. Whether it was a creamy coconut pie from the church social or a tart rhubarb pie made with fresh garden stalks, these old-fashioned pies weren’t fancy—they were comforting, reliable, and full of love.

Today, I’m sharing 25 old-fashioned pie recipes that deserve a spot back on our tables. Some come from the “desperation pies” of the Depression, others from Southern kitchens where pecans and buttermilk were staples, and many from family cookbooks that got passed down through generations. These are the pies that taste like home.

1

Pumpkin Pie

Classic pumpkin custard spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg in a flaky crust. Rooted in early colonial harvest feasts, it’s been a Thanksgiving must for generations.

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2

Homestyle Cast Iron Apple Pie

Sweet-tart apples tossed with cinnamon and sugar, baked in a buttery double crust. Apple pie has been America’s favorite since colonial times and quickly became the dessert most tied to home and comfort.

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3

Banana Cream Pie With Pudding Mix (Easy & No Bake) - Basics With Bails

Silky custard layered with ripe bananas and topped with whipped cream. A 1950s diner favorite, it became more popular as refrigeration made cream pies easier to serve.

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4

Deep Dish Blueberry Pie

Juicy blueberries baked in a flaky crust, often served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With the rise of frozen fruit in the 20th century, blueberry pie became a year-round staple.

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5

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie | gritsandpinecones.com

A juicy filling made from wild-picked or garden-grown blackberries. Beloved in Southern and Midwestern kitchens, it’s the taste of summer on a plate.

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6

Easy No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie

A no-bake pie with graham cracker crust and chilled fillings like lemon or chocolate. Born in the 1920s–40s when refrigerators (then “iceboxes”) became common in households.

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7

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie Recipe - I Heart Naptime

Creamy coconut filling under clouds of whipped cream or meringue. A café and diner staple from the 1940s through the 60s, it was the kind of pie that felt celebratory year-round.

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8

Buttermilk Pie

Tangy-sweet custard pie with a smooth, creamy texture. A Southern favorite since pioneer days when buttermilk was always on hand.

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9

Southern Lemon Chess Pie (GF) - Well Fed Baker

A sugar-egg-butter custard with a touch of cornmeal. Popular in the South since the 1800s, it was a pantry-friendly dessert when fruit wasn’t in season.

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10

Old Fashioned Easy Custard Pie Recipe with Berries

A simple blend of eggs, milk, and sugar baked to silky perfection. One of America’s earliest pies, valued for its simplicity and wholesome ingredients.

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11

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Creamy peanut butter filling topped with whipped cream or chocolate drizzle. Gained traction in the mid-20th century, especially in Southern kitchens where peanuts were plentiful.

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12

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pie

Tart rhubarb softened with sugar in a double crust. A springtime tradition in the Midwest, rhubarb pies have been a homestead favorite for over a century.

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13

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Smooth and lightly spiced, made with mashed sweet potatoes. A holiday essential in African American Southern households, often baked instead of pumpkin pie.

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14

Old Fashioned Vinegar Pie

Custard with vinegar for a tangy note to balance the sweetness. A Depression-era “make-do” pie when lemons or fruit weren’t available.

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15

Maple Pecan Pie

Sticky filling made with pecans, sugar, butter, and corn syrup. A true Southern staple, it rose in popularity in the 1930s thanks to Karo syrup promotions.

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16

Sugar Cream Pie

A sweet, creamy custard with a dusting of nutmeg. Known as “Hoosier Pie,” it’s Indiana’s state pie and a tradition since the 1800s.

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17

Shoofly Pie

Molasses-based filling with a sweet crumb topping. A Pennsylvania Dutch classic from the 1800s, its name comes from needing to “shoo” flies away from the sugary surface.

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18

Savory Green Tomato Pie

Sliced green tomatoes baked with sugar and cinnamon to mimic apple pie. A creative “desperation” pie in Depression-era kitchens when fruit was out of reach.

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19

Transparent Pie

A buttery, sugar-based custard pie similar to chess pie. A beloved Kentucky specialty that has appeared in family cookbooks since the 1800s.

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20

Oatmeal Pie Recipe

Sweet custard filling thickened with oats, often compared to pecan pie. Popular in WWII households when nuts were scarce.

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21

Sweet Cherry Pie Recipe

Tart cherries baked into a sweet filling, often topped with a lattice crust. A summer classic since the early 1900s, it’s forever linked to American folklore and holiday tables.

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22

Award-Winning Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - House of Nash Eats

Sweet strawberries balance rhubarb’s tang in this juicy classic. Popularized in the early 1900s when strawberries became more widely available through farming.

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23

How to Make Blueberry Pie from Scratch

Juicy blueberries baked in a flaky crust, often served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With the rise of frozen fruit in the 20th century, blueberry pie became a year-round staple.

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24

Best-Ever Key Lime Pie - Once Upon a Chef

Tangy lime filling sweetened with condensed milk in a graham cracker crust. A Florida Keys specialty since the early 1900s, it hit national fame in the 1930s.

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25

Christmas Sweet Mince Pies - Culinary Ginger

A holiday pie made with dried fruit, warm spices, and sometimes beef suet. A tradition passed down from Victorian England, still served at Christmastime in many homes.

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Wrap-Up

These pies aren’t just desserts—they’re memories baked into every flaky crust and creamy filling. They remind me of the laughter at family tables, the joy of digging into a slice after Sunday dinner, and the resourcefulness of home cooks who could make something special out of whatever was on hand. Whether you’re drawn to the tang of lemon meringue, the richness of pecan, or the nostalgia of vinegar and oatmeal pies, these 25 old-fashioned recipes bring the comfort of grandma’s kitchen right back home.

FAQs About Old-Fashioned Pies

What makes a pie “old-fashioned”?

Old-fashioned pies are recipes that became popular decades ago, often tied to regional traditions, wartime rationing, or homegrown produce.

What’s the difference between chess pie and buttermilk pie?

Both are custard-style pies, but chess pie includes cornmeal for texture, while buttermilk pie has a tangy flavor from the buttermilk.

Why were “desperation pies” so common?

During the Depression and wartime rationing, cooks created pies from pantry staples like vinegar, oats, or molasses when fruit and sugar were scarce.

Can I make these pies today with modern ingredients?

Yes! Many recipes adapt beautifully—try fresh fruit instead of canned or butter instead of margarine while keeping their nostalgic charm.

Which old-fashioned pie is most nostalgic?

That depends on your family traditions, but apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies are the ones most often tied to holidays and childhood memories.