Desperation Pies Are Back: 13 Pantry Pies Grandma Made From Almost Nothing, and 2.6 Million People Just Watched One Get Made

Desperation pies are the old family recipes cooks baked when there was no fruit in the cellar, no money for nuts and only a little flour, sugar and butter left in the pantry. They got a fresh spotlight when food historian Max Miller baked a water pie on his YouTube show Tasting History and more than 2.6 million people tuned in to watch. Below you will find 13 of these humble pies, from water pie and vinegar pie to chess pie, shoofly pie and a mock apple pie made without a single apple. Every slide has a short shopping list and easy steps, and most of them use ingredients already sitting in your kitchen. If you want a cheaper Thanksgiving dessert table this year, start here..

Water Pie, the Queen of Desperation Pies Since 1908

Water pie is the most famous of the desperation pies, and it is exactly what it sounds like: water, sugar, flour, butter and vanilla baked in a crust. Most people call it a Great Depression recipe, but when Max Miller made it for his Tasting History episode on water pie, he found a version printed in 1908, years before the Depression began. In the oven the mixture turns into a sweet, buttery, custard-like filling with a crackly top. It costs pennies, and it still surprises everyone who tries a slice..

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 5 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425F. 2. Pour the warm water and vanilla into the crust. 3. Whisk the sugar and flour together and sprinkle evenly over the water, do not stir. 4. Dot the butter on top. 5. Bake 30 minutes, then lower to 375F and bake 25 to 30 minutes more until bubbly. 6. Cool completely so the filling sets.

Vinegar Pie, the Custard That Tastes Like Lemon

When lemons were too costly or simply not in the store, farm cooks reached for the vinegar jug. A spoonful or two of cider vinegar gives a sweet egg custard the same bright, tangy bite you expect from lemon chess or lemon meringue. Nobody at the table guesses the secret, and that is half the fun. It is one of the oldest desperation pies in American cookbooks. Vinegar pie was common in pioneer and prairie kitchens in the 1800s, long before anyone used the word desperation for it, and it still tastes cheerful and fresh today.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Whisk the sugar and flour together. 3. Beat in the eggs, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and salt until smooth. 4. Pour into the crust and dust with nutmeg. 5. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until the center barely jiggles. 6. Cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

Chess Pie, the Southern Star of Desperation Pies

Chess pie is the Southern cousin of every pie on this list. It needs only sugar, butter, eggs and a spoonful of cornmeal, which gives the top a thin, crackly crust while the inside stays soft and sweet. Nobody agrees where the name came from. One favorite story says a cook was asked what she was baking and answered that it was jes pie, meaning just pie. Whatever the truth, it is one of the easiest desperation pies to master and a great first pie for new bakers.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon cornmeal, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup milk, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Stir the sugar, cornmeal, flour and salt together. 3. Whisk in the butter, milk, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until golden on top and just set. 6. Cool completely before cutting.

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie, Indiana’s Official State Pie

Indiana loves this pie so much that lawmakers named it the official state pie in 2009. Sugar cream pie has no eggs at all. Cream, sugar and a little cornstarch thicken into a silky, pale custard, and a dusting of nutmeg on top is the only decoration it needs. Families often stirred the filling right in the crust with their fingers, which is why some old recipes call it finger pie. Like most desperation pies, it is rich, simple and perfect for anyone who has heavy cream left over after the holiday baking.

You will need: 1 prebaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ground nutmeg or cinnamon.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 375F. 2. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, then add the cream, milk and butter. 3. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling. 4. Stir in the vanilla and pour into the crust. 5. Dust with nutmeg and bake 15 to 20 minutes until the top starts to bubble. 6. Chill until set.

Shoofly Pie, the Pennsylvania Dutch Molasses Crumb Pie

Shoofly pie comes from Pennsylvania Dutch farm kitchens, where molasses kept for months and flour and lard were always on hand. A sticky molasses layer settles at the bottom while a buttery brown sugar crumb bakes on top, so every bite is half gooey and half cake. Bakers argue about wet bottom versus dry bottom, and both are delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning. Of all the desperation pies, this one has the deepest flavor. The funny name is often said to come from the flies that had to be shooed away from the cooling pie.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 4 tablespoons cold butter, 1 cup molasses, 3/4 cup hot water, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon baking soda.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 375F. 2. Rub the flour, brown sugar and butter together into crumbs. 3. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water, then whisk in the molasses and egg. 4. Pour into the crust and scatter the crumbs over the top. 5. Bake 10 minutes, then lower to 350F and bake about 30 minutes more until set. 6. Cool before slicing.

Mock Apple Pie Made With Crackers, Not Apples

Of all the desperation pies, this is the one that makes people stop and ask for the recipe. Broken crackers simmer in a sugar syrup with lemon juice and cinnamon until they soften into tender layers that look and taste remarkably like baked apples. Pioneer cooks crossing the plains made versions with soda crackers when there was no orchard for hundreds of miles, and the idea came back during hard times in the 1930s. Serve it warm and let your guests guess what is inside before you tell them.

You will need: Pastry for a double crust 9 inch pie, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 36 buttery round crackers broken into pieces, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425F. 2. Boil the water, sugar and cream of tartar, add the crackers and simmer 2 minutes. 3. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and cool. 4. Pour into the bottom crust, dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. 5. Add the top crust, seal and cut vents. 6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden.

Oatmeal Pie, the Poor Man’s Pecan Pie

Pecans have always been expensive, so clever cooks swapped in the cheapest thing in the cupboard: old-fashioned oats. Baked in a brown sugar and corn syrup filling, the oats toast on top and turn chewy and nutty, so the slice looks and eats a lot like pecan pie. That is why many families still call this one the poor man’s pecan pie. Among all the desperation pies here, this is the one that fools the most people at the Thanksgiving table, and it costs a fraction of the real thing.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 3 eggs, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. 3. Stir in the oats. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes until the center is set and the top is golden brown, covering the edges if they darken. 6. Cool completely.

Green Tomato Pie From the End of the Garden

Every gardener knows the moment: frost is coming and the vines are still full of hard green tomatoes. Rather than waste them, country cooks sliced them thin, tossed them with sugar, cinnamon and a little vinegar and baked them under a crust. The result tastes surprisingly like a tart apple pie, with a gentle tang and a soft, jammy filling. If you have a bag of green tomatoes from the market or your own backyard, this is the sweetest of the garden desperation pies and a great way to use every last tomato.

You will need: Pastry for a double crust 9 inch pie, 4 cups thinly sliced green tomatoes, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar or lemon juice, 2 tablespoons butter.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425F. 2. Toss the tomatoes with the sugar, flour, spices and vinegar. 3. Spoon into the bottom crust and dot with butter. 4. Add a lattice or full top crust and seal the edges. 5. Bake 15 minutes, then lower to 350F and bake 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly. 6. Cool before serving.

Transparent Pie, Kentucky’s Golden Take on Desperation Pies

Transparent pie is a Kentucky treasure, especially along the Ohio River towns where small bakeries still sell it by the slice. The filling is just sugar, butter, eggs and cream, and it bakes into a glossy, see-through golden layer that looks almost like amber glass. It is close to chess pie but without the cornmeal, so it is smoother and more delicate. Like the other desperation pies, it was born from what a farm kitchen always had: eggs from the hens, cream from the cow and a sack of sugar.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter softened, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon flour, a pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Cream the butter and sugar. 3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the cream, vanilla, flour and salt. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden and set at the edges with a slight wobble in the middle. 6. Cool completely so the filling turns clear and firm.

Raisin Pie, the Pennsylvania Dutch Funeral Pie

Raisins kept all year in the pantry, so when a neighbor passed away, Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish families could bake this pie on short notice and carry it to the house. That is how it earned the gentle name funeral pie. The raisins simmer in water with sugar, lemon and a little cornstarch until thick and glossy, then bake under a lattice top. It tastes warm, rich and a bit like mincemeat without the fuss, and among desperation pies it is a lovely way to remember family cooks at a holiday table.

You will need: Pastry for a double crust 9 inch pie, 2 cups raisins, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon butter, a pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Simmer the raisins in 1 1/2 cups of the water for 5 minutes. 2. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt with the rest of the water and stir into the raisins. 3. Cook until thick, then add the lemon and butter and cool. 4. Pour into the crust and top with a lattice. 5. Bake at 400F for 30 to 35 minutes until golden.

Bean Pie, the Creamy Custard Pie Made From Navy Beans

Beans in a dessert sound strange until you take one bite. Cooked navy beans are blended with eggs, butter, evaporated milk, sugar and warm spices until completely smooth, and the baked custard tastes a lot like a sweet potato pie with a lighter, silkier texture. Bean pie is closely linked with Black Muslim bakeries in cities like Chicago, Detroit and New York, where it is still sold fresh on the street. A can of beans is one of the cheapest things in any pantry, which makes this one of the best budget desperation pies you can bake.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 2 cups cooked navy beans (drained), 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Blend the beans and butter until completely smooth. 3. Add the sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, flour, vanilla and spices and blend again. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until set in the center. 6. Cool, then chill before slicing.

French Canadian Sugar Pie, Quebec’s Answer to Desperation Pies

North of the border, families in Quebec have their own version of the desperation pies, called tarte au sucre, or sugar pie. Brown sugar and cream cook down into a fudgy, caramel-like filling that sets in the crust, and it was a winter staple in farm homes where sugar and cream were easier to find than fresh fruit. It is very sweet, so cut thin slices and serve them with a strong coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For more thrifty cooking from the same era, see our Depression era dinners that fed a whole family.

You will need: 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust, 2 cups packed brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons butter melted, 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350F. 2. Whisk the brown sugar, flour and salt. 3. Whisk in the cream, eggs, butter and vanilla until smooth. 4. Pour into the crust. 5. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until bubbly at the edges and just set in the middle. 6. Cool completely so the filling firms up.

Milk Pie and the Penny Crust Behind All Desperation Pies

Milk pie is the plainest pie of all: milk, sugar, flour and butter stirred right in the crust and baked into a soft, pudding-like custard with a nutmeg top. It was the go-to when the hens stopped laying and there were no eggs to spare. Every one of these pies starts with the same thrifty shell, so learn the crust once and you can bake any pie on this list. Flour, cold fat, salt and a splash of ice water cost only pennies and make a flaky crust that beats anything from the freezer case.

You will need: For the crust: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cold butter or shortening, 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water. For the filling: 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 2 cups whole milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, nutmeg.

How to make it: 1. Cut the fat into the flour and salt until crumbly, stir in ice water until it holds, chill 30 minutes, roll out and fit a 9 inch pie plate. 2. Heat the oven to 350F. 3. Whisk the sugar and flour in the crust, then gently stir in the milk and vanilla. 4. Dot with butter and dust with nutmeg. 5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until set. 6. Cool before slicing.