• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Check out the Living in Normal Shop!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Living in Normal Logo

Living in Normal

Life is short. Buy the shoes. Drink the wine. Eat the dessert.

  • Blog
    • Recipes
      • Beverages
      • Appetizers
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts
      • Grandma’s Recipes
    • Lifestyle
  • Shop
    • Living in Normal Shop
    • Shop My Instagram
  • About
  • Home
Home » Blog » Recipes » Grandma’s Chess Pie

Grandma’s Chess Pie

August 29, 2021 by Molly
  • Facebook
  • X
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Chess pie is an old family favorite that my grandma would often make. This pie is a rich, creamy, buttery dessert, made with basic pantry items, and is super simple to put together. Grandma’s old fashioned chess pie is also known to some as the pantry pie or cornmeal pie.

grandma's old fashioned chess pie sitting on a pie stand with red flowers in a vase

What is Chess Pie?

It seems the big questions about chess pie floating around the Internet are how it got its name and where it originated. There are so many theories, but after much research, I found several consistent articles that say it came from England and is a southern staple in the United States. Another consistency among most articles is that the pie uses very basic ingredients because there was a time when many people could only afford very basic pantry staples. Some articles even refer to it as the pantry pie or cornmeal pie.

how to make chess pie

My grandparents lived through the Great Depression, and at one point my grandpa worked for a payment of milk and eggs while my grandma stayed home with their four children. Grandma spoke often about the simple dishes she would make because she only had basic ingredients and a large family to feed. My grandma’s old fashioned chess pie recipe is one of those simple, yet inexpensive dishes.

Grandma and Papa Pogue
Grandma and Papa Pogue April 15, 1933

ingredients in Chess Pie

Chess pie has many recipe variations across the Internet. Some use buttermilk, some use lemon, and there are articles that claim chestnut flour was used at one time. However, my grandma’s recipe uses basic ingredients like eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, and butter. The odd ingredients you wouldn’t expect…cornmeal and vinegar. Hence, why some people refer to it as cornmeal pie.

What is chess pie

Vinegar is used in the recipe to help cut the sweetness. As I mentioned, some recipes call for lemon, but back in the early days when this recipe was popular, citrus was hard to find. Therefore, many cooks would use vinegar, because it was an ingredient stocked in most pantries.

Chess Pie in my Grandma's handwriting.
Chess Pie in my Grandma Pogue’s handwriting.

I have read about various reasons for using cornmeal in the recipe. Some say the cornmeal gives the pie its golden brown top; I have also read that it was used in place of chestnut flour when that was hard to find; and some articles say it was a replacement for flour when cornmeal was all the cook had on hand.

My grandma was great at using whatever ingredients were available in her pantry, and I know she always had cornmeal in her pantry. My grandparents were super thrifty and could make good use of whatever they were blessed to have during hard times.

What is chess pie?

How to Make Chess Pie

Honestly, this pie is so simple to make. All you do is mix the ingredients together with a whisk and pour them into an unbaked pie shell. When I make this pie, I take a shortcut and use a frozen pie crust. It only bakes for 35-40 minutes, and you have a delicious pie ready to serve.

mixing the ingredients
filled crust

My Grandma’s Recipes

I love having this space on the Internet to document some of my grandma’s recipes. Many of her recipes are so simple since money was often tight and she only had few ingredients.

buttery dessert

She was a fantastic cook and taught me how to cook many of her favorite family recipes. I would sit with her for hours and write them down because she knew most of them by memory. At one time, my dad documented several of them for a family cookbook.

You can find my grandma’s recipes I’ve documented in Grandma’s Recipes. If you are a pie coinsurer, you might want to check out my mother-in-law’s Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie recipe that has been handed down for many generations.

xoxo,
Molly

grandma's old fashioned chess pie sitting on a pie stand with red flowers in a vase

Chess Pie

Chess Pie is an old family favorite that my grandma used to make for us. This pie is a rich, creamy, and buttery dessert made with basic pantry items and is super simple to put together.
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup melted butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. corn meal
  • 1 tsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 5 tbsp. milk
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 1 unbaked pie shell

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Melt butter and let cool slightly.
  • Mix ingredients in order, except for pie shell.
  • Pour mixed ingredients into unbaked pie shell.
  • Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until set.
  • Let cool and enjoy!
buttery pie
Category: Desserts, Grandma's Recipes, Recipes
Previous Post:amaretto sour with cherries as garnishAmaretto Sour Cocktail
Next Post:Individual Charcuterie Cupsjarcuterie

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie

    September 8, 2021 at 9:39 am

    Hi Molly! I love this and can’t wait to try the recipe! I too saved all my grandma’s and mama’s recipes. Such treasures. I have a large family and I am always looking for tasty recipes that don’t break the bank. Love your blog <3
    Xx
    Julie
    inthedayandlifeofanordinarywoman.com

    Reply
  2. Linda M Purcell

    September 8, 2021 at 10:15 am

    This looks so delicious. Just my cup of tea. I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  3. Maureen

    September 8, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    I have an unbaked pie crust in my freezer since it came in a pack of two. This looks like a great recipe to use it in since I tend to have these ingredients on hand at any given time!

    Reply
  4. Mandy

    September 8, 2021 at 10:09 pm

    Oh my! So easy and sounds so delicious! Adding it on my list to try! Thanks

    Reply
  5. Mary

    September 10, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    I LOVE to bake! My specialties are macarons and pavlovas, but I’m starting to explore cakes and pies now. I only had chess pie once from a bakery near me. But I’ve not come across a recipe worth trying till now. My brother’s wife likes to buy frozen pies or store-baked pies but I prefer to make everything from scratch as much as possible. I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply
  6. Alissa

    September 11, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    This looks so good and love the history behind it! Trying this recipe for sure.

    Reply
  7. Jess

    March 2, 2022 at 4:10 pm

    5 stars
    I know they were born from a very difficult time in history, but I simply adore all of the recipes that came out of the Great Depression. Being able to create something yummy from so little is so inspiring to me.

    Definitely adding this to the “must try” list!

    Reply
    • Rose W.

      October 29, 2024 at 12:39 am

      5 stars
      Never heard of chess pie until my neighbor asked if I could bake one for her birthday. The first year I used a different recipe and she really liked it. Luckily though, I lost that recipe and ended up finding this one. She said it is the best chess pie she has ever had. Now she has me make it every year for her birthday AND Christmas!

      Reply
  8. Becki

    June 20, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    5 stars
    Molly, your grandma’s pie recipe sounds so delicious, and it looks so beautiful! It sounds somewhat similar to custard pie. Oldies but goodies and the stories behind them are so treasured! Grandma’s always made the best everything! Definitely will try it!

    Reply
  9. Linda

    August 24, 2022 at 10:09 am

    5 stars
    This is one of my favorite pies! Simple and so delicious! Love having it any time, particularly during the holidays. It is definitely a “comfort” dessert!

    Reply
  10. Virginia

    September 8, 2022 at 8:33 pm

    I want to make this but I really love Lemon chesc
    Do you know how much lemon juice would go into a lemon chess pie using this recipe

    Reply
  11. Kate

    July 21, 2023 at 10:44 pm

    5 stars
    First time making this but it won’t be my last! So easy to make and tastes delicious.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Star Ratings




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

Molly and her dog Wrango on the beach with ocean waves in the background.

Welcome to Living in Normal! I love sharing everyday style ideas, delicious food, real life adventures, travel, bargains and anything that makes life exciting. Learn more about Molly.

Photo of Molly blowing snow.

about

grandma’s recipes

contact

PRIVACY POLICY | DISCLOSURE | TERMS OF SERVICE |

Copyright © 2025 · Living in Normal · All Rights Reserved