If you enjoy sweet, cozy desserts, Oatmeal Pie is a must-have. This simple pie takes 15 minutes to prep before baking, and uses only one bowl to combine the oat and pecan filling for a satisfying treat. It's something everyone will love no matter the occasion.
Take a step back in history with this old-fashioned sweet treat! With the ease of mixing all the ingredients in one bowl and no mixer necessary, Oatmeal Pie is a wonderfully simple dessert perfect for any occasion.
This recipe makes 3 pies, so it's a great dessert to bring to an event or share with a friend or neighbor. Made exactly by the recipe, the rich flavor of this filling mimics a traditional pecan pie but is elevated in taste and texture by the oatmeal and coconut.
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You can also easily customize it by adding chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or raisins. It's also excellent topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!
If you're looking for more old-school desserts, you've got to try this Tomato Soup Cake, Butterscotch Pie Recipe, and Fruit Cocktail Cake!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Quick and Easy Preparation. With simple steps and basic ingredients, this recipe can be whipped up in no time.
- Get Creative with Flavors. The delicate sweetness of this pie makes for a great foundation for adding more flavors. You can add chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or raisins to create a whole new flavor profile!
- Versatile Serving Options. It's delicious by itself, but you can also serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.
- Perfect for Anytime. This old-fashioned favorite works well after a weeknight dinner or special events like Thanksgiving dinner, birthday parties, family reunions, or church potlucks.
Ingredients
Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card
- Salted Butter: Melted butter adds richness and enhances flavor.
- 2% or Whole Milk: Ensures a moist filling.
- Eggs: Acts as a binder, providing structure and stability to the pie.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the mixture and balances the flavors.
- Pancake Syrup or Light Corn Syrup: Adds sweetness and helps achieve that gooey texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances flavor and adds a delicious aroma.
- Quick Cooking Oats: Provides the signature chewy texture of the filling.
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut: Adds sweetness and tropical flavor.
- Chopped Pecans: Introduces a nutty crunch to the filling.
- Unbaked Pie Crust: Frozen shells saves time and provides a flaky crust without the hassle of making dough from scratch. Frozen regular pie crusts is recommended. Deep dish can be used if it's the only thing available, but it's NOT ideal as it's tougher to serve and slice with a pretty slice.
Tools You'll Need
How to Make Oatmeal Pie
- In a large bowl, whisk together butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and syrup one at a time until well blended.
- To the mixture, add instant oats, shredded coconut, and pecans. Stir until well combined.
- Distribute the filling evenly into each unbaked pie shell. Optional, add chocolate or peanut butter chips on top.
- Bake at 350° for 48-52 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes before serving.
Oatmeal Pie Recipe Variations
Here are some of our favorite flavor variations for this dessert:
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookie: Fold ½ cup raisins into the filling before pouring in the crusts.
- Kentucky Derby Flavor: After pouring the filling into each crust, add ¼-1/3 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips to the top of each pie to liken the flavors of a the traditional pie served at the Kentucky Derby.
- Reese's Cup: After pouring the filling into each crust, add ¼ cup each milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to the top of each pie to liken the flavors of a Reese's Cup.
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal: After pouring the filling into each crust, add ¼-1/3 cup peanut butter chips to the top of each filling.
Pro Tips and Substitutions
- Swap out the Nuts. If you’re not a fan of pecans, any chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds would work well.
- Omit the Coconut. You can omit the coconut if desired; just increase the oats slightly to maintain the volume of the filling.
- Use Maple Syrup rather than Pancake Syrup. Maple syrup can be a delightful alternative to pancake or corn syrup for added depth of flavor. However, make sure it has the same viscosity. Thinner maple syrups will yield thinner filling.
- Add Cinnamon. Some old-fashioned oatmeal pie recipes call for a hint of cinnamon. You can add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon if desired.
- How to make Unsalted Butter into Salted. Unsalted butter can also be used. Simply add a ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Other Crust Options. Frozen regular pie crusts is recommended. Deep dish can be used as well if it's the only thing available, but it's NOT ideal as it's tougher to serve and slice with a pretty slice. Instead of a store-bought pie crust, you can opt to use your favorite homemade pie crust dough. Depending on its thickness, you might need to par-bake to ensure doneness a the end of bake time.
Storage
To store leftover oatmeal pie, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze the pie for longer preservation. To do this, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil before placing it in the freezer. It can last up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. It's best to serve at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you take your oatmeal pecan pie out of the oven and find that the filling is still runny and hasn’t fully set, it requires more baking time. Incrementally add 5 minutes to the cooking time and monitor it closely. The filling is ready when you can insert a knife into the pie and it comes out clean without any filling spilling out. If the crust is browning too much, add an aluminum foil pie shield to the crust.
Yes! Old fashioned oats or rolled oats can also be used. Just note, the texture will be slightly chewier.
Yes, oatmeal pie can be made a day in advance. Just store it in the refrigerator and serve it when you're ready.
This vintage pie has been traced back to the Great Depression when ingredients were in short supply. There are recipes with varying common ingredients but are similar that are called poor man's pecan pie, custard pies, mock pecan pie, custard pie, or amish oatmeal pie.
Once baked and the texture is set, the texture of oatmeal pie likens to chewy oatmeal cookies.
More Delicious Desserts
Oatmeal Pie
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups pancake syrup or light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
- 1 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 frozen 9-inch regular pie shells unbaked
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and syrup one at a time until well blended.
- To the mixture, add instant oats, shredded coconut, and pecans. Stir until well combined.
- Distribute the filling evenly into each unbaked pie shell. Optional, add chocolate or peanut butter chips on top.
- Bake at 350° for 48-52 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Oatmeal Pie Recipe Variations
-
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pie: Fold ½ cup raisins into the pie batter before pouring in the crusts.
-
- Kentucky Derby Oatmeal Pie: After pouring the filling into each pie crust, add ¼-1/3 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips to the top of each pie to liken the flavors of a the traditional pie served at the Kentucky Derby.
-
- Reese's Cup Oatmeal Pie: After pouring the filling into each pie crust, add ¼ cup each milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to the top of each pie to liken the flavors of a Reese's Cup.
-
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Pie: After pouring the filling into each pie crust, add ¼-1/3 cup peanut butter chips to the top of each pie.
Pro Tips and Substitutions
-
- Nuts: If you’re not a fan of pecans, any chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds would work well.
-
- Coconut: You can omit the coconut if desired; just increase the oats slightly to maintain the volume of the filling.
-
- Syrup: Maple syrup can be a delightful alternative to pancake or corn syrup for added depth of flavor. However, make sure it has the same viscosity. Thinner maple syrups will yield thinner filling.
-
- Add Cinnamon: Some old-fashioned oatmeal pie recipes call for a hint of cinnamon. You can add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon if desired.
-
- Butter: Unsalted butter can also be used. Simply add a ¼ teaspoon salt.
-
- Crust Options: Frozen regular pie crusts is recommended. Deep dish can be used as well if it's the only thing available, but it's NOT ideal as it's tougher to serve and slice with a pretty slice. Instead of a store-bought pie crust, you can opt to use your favorite homemade pie crust dough. Depending on its thickness, you might need to par-bake to ensure doneness a the end of bake time.
Ginger McPherson
I made the Oatmeal Pie as a thank you to our very kind neighbors!
It was delicious and the all gave it 5 ⭐️
Laura Ashley
Awwww!! That makes my heart so happy to hear!! Thank you SO much!!!🥰 I'm so happy you made them and shared them with your neighbors too! You're so sweet!
Gail Seidenberg
Hi. If I omit the coconut, what measurement should I increase the oats to? Thanks so much!!!
Laura Ashley
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, so this is a guess...but I would start with another 3/4 cup oats. If the mixture appears too thing (look at the video to determine this) then you could add more.
Susan
Hi Laura - this pie looks fantastic and I would love to try making it. I’m confused on the amount of butter to use. It appears you use two sticks of butter in the video, but the recipe calls for 1/2 cup which would be only one stick of butter. Can you please clarify? Thanks so much!
Laura Ashley
Hi Susan! 🙂 Those were half sticks that add up to be 1/2 cup. That's one thing I always have to correct on my Mamaw's recipes. She'll say "add a stick of butter" and our store sells sticks that are 4 tbsp and sticks that are 8 tbsp. So, yes, 1/2 cup/8 tbsp is the right amount. I hope you love them!