This Honey Carrot Pie is a unique dessert with a nuanced special flavor. The carrot filling is like a thick custard that pairs perfectly with the crunchy biscoff cookie crust.
We all know carrots are naturally sweet, but they often aren't thought of as sweet enough to be made into a dessert. I think this pie proves otherwise. It has a creamy intense flavor, but if you weren't told it's carrot, it might be difficult to distinguish what the flavor is, other than delicious.
This pie is quite similar to a Pumpkin Pie or a Sweet Potato Pie, but also, entirely it's own thing.
When developing the recipe, I wanted to try to highlight the carrot flavor by not adding in any additional spices. However, the idea of adding honey as part of the sweetener and a splash of vanilla sounded like the right move, and I think it helps the pie feel like a definitive dessert without covering up the slightly earthy carrot flavor.
Its smooth, soft filling pairs so well with the crunch of a biscoff cookie crust, though a few other crust options are discussed below.
So, let's get to making it, shall we? The text below offers tons of tips and helpful notes, or you can scroll to the bottom to grab the recipe and get started!
More of a visual person? Check out the video of me making it below, located right above the recipe!
Ingredient Overview
Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.
- carrots
- honey (see below for details about what type)
- vanilla extract
- biscoff cookies (see below for other crust options)
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- heavy cream
- kosher salt
Tools Needed
Here is a list of some of the primary tools I use in this recipe. You won't necessarily choose to use them all, but they are exactly what I used. Any links may contain affiliate links.
- food processor (to make the crumb crust)
- blender (to puree the carrots)
- pie plate
- large pot with a tight fitting lid
- steaming basket
- essentials: kitchen scale, measuring cups and measuring spoons, spatula, etc.
Let's Talk, Honey...
There are a lot of different types of honey out there, ranging from raw and unfiltered to heavily processed, as well as various flavor profiles such as clover and buckwheat.
For this recipe, you can truly use any honey you like the taste of but be aware the flavor profile will carry through to the finished product.
I recommend clover honey for its traditional honey taste and more neutral flavor profile. Orange blossom would be another good choice.
If you use raw unfiltered honey with some crystalization in it (which does not indicate that it has gone bad, it's a natural phenomenon in honey), gently reheat it to melt away the crystals before using.
How to Cook the Carrots
There are two ways to cook the carrots, with some slight differences in the final flavor.
The best way, with the most carrot flavor, is to steam the carrots. This keeps more of the flavor within the carrots.
The second method is to boil the carrots. Some flavor will naturally migrate out of the carrots and into the water, so the final result will be a little less carrot-y.
Regardless of which cooking method you choose, it's important to make sure the carrots are incredibly fork-tender. The carrots should almost be falling apart. If the carrots are al dente they will not puree well and it will result in a lumpy pie.
It can take about 20-30 minutes to steam the carrots, and slightly less time to boil them.
Carrot Pie Crust Options
This recipe calls for a Biscoff Cookie Crust, but there are several options you could use in place of it. Some additional options:
The biscoff crumb crust is great because it's simple to put together and adds a layer of flavor and texture to the pie!
Overview of Steps
This is a fuss-free recipe. Here are the steps for making it:
- Steam or boil the carrots.
- Assemble and blind-bake the biscoff crumb crust.
- Blend the carrots with honey.
- Add the remainder of the filling ingredients to a bowl and combine with the carrots.
- Pour the filling into the crust and bake!
How to Tell When It's Done
A carrot pie has a unique consistency due to the texture of the carrots. While I was testing the recipe, I accidentally undercooked it several times. In fact, some of the photos you see here are slightly undercooked with a bit of a softer center.
I treated this pie like a standard custard pie, which typically entails baking it until it is nearly done, with a little wiggle still left in the center. It turns out, that doesn't work for this pie. While the pie does continue to cook as it comes out, it wasn't setting up the way I would have expected, and it was just slightly soft.
So for this pie, you want to bake it until it no longer wiggles. This will ensure the perfect texture. However, like other custards, you still don't want to overbake it. Overbaking the pie can result in large cracks in the filling, and if it's really over-baked, it could curdle. So watch the pie closely at the end of the specified baking time. If you do crack your filling, it's not the end of the world though! It's nothing a little whipped cream can't cover.
With a well-calibrated oven, it should take about 45-55 minutes to cook through. Keep in mind if you open your oven a lot to check on the pie it will significantly increase the baking time.
How to Serve It
This carrot pie is best served chilled. Garnish it with whipped cream.
The photos here show some candied carrots on top of the whipped cream. It added a fun look to the pie, and a nice crunch. But making candied carrots was very time consuming. The method I used for the candied carrots is below.
To make candied carrots:
- Peel strips of carrots using a peeler
- Simmer the strips in simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water) for 10 minutes
- Transfer carrot strips to a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure not to lay the strips flat and spread apart (not touching)
- Bake in a 200-degree oven for 10-15 minutes
- One by one, remove the strips from the oven and curl them around a cylindrical kitchen tool (I used a fork). They dry quickly which is why they are left in the oven as they are curled.
- Toss the dried curls in granulated sugar and place on a piece of parchment
- Add to the pie when ready to serve.
More Spring Pie Recipes:
Watch it: Carrot Pie Video
I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Honey Carrot Pie, please leave a comment and a star rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, too!
PrintFull Recipe
Honey Carrot Pie
This Honey Carrot Pie is a unique dessert with a nuanced special flavor. The carrot filling is like a thick custard that pairs perfectly with the crunchy biscoff cookie crust.
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:45
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8-10
- Category: Sweet Pie
- Method: Baked
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) biscoff cookies
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup lightly packed (40 grams) light brown sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
For the Filling:
- 16 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced into small pieces (about ½” half moons or similar)
- ½ cup (160 grams) pure clover honey
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (113 grams) heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Place biscoff cookies in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form.
- Add crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt to a medium bow and mix together. The mixture should be damp, like wet sand, and will hold together when squeezed. If it is too dry, add a tablespoon more melted butter at a time. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon more biscoff cookie crumbs until it’s the correct consistency.
- Pour the crumb crust into a 9” pie plate and start pressing the ingredients up the sides of the pie plate to form the edges first. Once the edges are formed, work the crumbs down to evenly distribute into the bottom of the pie plate and pack it down into an even layer.
- Steam the sliced carrots until extremely “fork” tender, about 20-30 minutes. Alternatively they can be boiled.
- Transfer the carrots to a blender, with the honey, sugar, water, vanilla and salt. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Add eggs, and cream to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add the carrot puree and whisk until combined.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared pie crust and bake in the pre-heated oven on the center rack until the pie is set without any wiggle, about 45-55 minutes. Be careful not to overbake the pie to the point that it cracks. Once the filling is set, immediately remove it from the oven.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature and then transfer to the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Serve with whipped cream and optionally a candied carrot garnish.
Notes
Have a question or looking for tips? The text written above the recipe is always a great first place to start! This Carrot Pie was developed with love, and I always include loads of explanations, tips, step-by-step photos and technical advice shared before the recipe.
For this recipe, you can truly use any honey you like the taste of but be aware the flavor profile will carry through to the finished product. I recommend clover honey for its traditional honey taste and more neutral flavor profile. Orange blossom would be another good choice.
This pie was photographed with candied carrots on top of the whipped cream. It added a fun look to the pie, and a nice crunch. But making candied carrots was very time-consuming, so I didn't include it in the recipe. If you did want to make them, the method is in the article above the recipe in the paragraph titled: "How to Serve It"
Keywords: Carrot Pie
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