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Old Fashioned Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe

In this post you’ll learn to make an Old Fashioned Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe.

 


Have you ever had onion pie? It is so delicious y’all! This old school recipe has been around a while…we’re talking centuries. There are a few variations but this is the simple classic recipe.

An onion pie is basically an onion quiche. It’s creamy in texture and savory. If it is your first time having a bite…you may be surprised at how amazing something consisting of a lot of onion is so darn good.

It doesn’t hurt if you use the famous sweet onion of the South, Vidalia onions, which hail from Georgia. Vidalia onions work perfectly in this recipe and that is why I wait til Vidalia season each year to bake up this cheese and onion pie.

Some of the colonial versions of an onion pie also had apples and potatoes in the pie mix. Today folks may choose to use different types of cheese or what have you.

Lastly, you have the option of using a pie crust or making a crust from saltine cracker crumbs. Both are delicious so you can’t go wrong either way.

Old School Cheese and Onion Pie

Creamy onion pie (quiche) made with Vidalia onions from Georgia and Swiss cheese on a white square plate.

This recipe has been handed down to me from generations ago. It is so old that one of the ingredients is scalded milk. They used to scald milk for recipes before the days of pasteurization and such to kill any possible bacteria. We don’t have to bother with that step these days.

I do choose to use raw milk for my family but the way the dairy operation works in a sanitary milking facility make that quite safe today. Still, there is no need to scald the milk that I use.

Caramelized Onion Pie

Green jadeite stand with an onion pie sitting on it next to three Vidalia onions

The recipe for an onion pie is really easy but there is one step that takes a little bit of time….sauteing the onions. You don’t have to stand over them or anything the entire time but they do require stirring every few minutes.

The onions will cook for about 40 minutes until they turn golden, or you can choose to cook them longer until they are richer in a caramel color. 

What do you need to make an onion pie? Vidalia onions, a pie shell, butter, Swiss cheese, flour, eggs, milk and a few seasonings.

It’s completely optional but since I have fresh chives in my herb garden, they’re a perfect garnish for this recipe. I also like a few dashes of hot sauce on my slice of onion pie. MMM mmm mmm. 

I’ll share everything in the printable recipe card further down along with all of the steps, including the optional cracker crumb crust.

Vidalia and Swiss Cheese Pie

Drops of hot sauce on a slice of onion pie, garnished with fresh chopped chives

More recipes that you might enjoy: Breakfast BLT , Ham Egg and Cheese Cups, or Broccoli and Cheese Quiche.

If you happen to have leftovers of this onion pie, they can be covered and stored in the refrigerator up to three days. A cut slice warms nicely in the microwave. The taste and quality aren’t compromised in the least.

Let’s make this Old Fashioned Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe!

Yield: 1 Pie

Old Fashioned Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe

Old school onion pie with Vidalia onions and swiss cheese on a jade pie dish - green glassware

Delicious old fashioned onion and cheese pie, made with sweet Vidalia onions is perfect for brunch or supper.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 Store Bought Pie Crust (optional cracker crumb crust in note section)

Filling

  • 3 c Vidalia Onion, diced (1.5 to 2 onions)
  • 1/4 c Butter
  • 8 oz Swiss Cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 tbs Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 3 Eggs, beaten well
  • 1 c Whole Milk

Instructions

  1. Saute the onions in butter over medium low heat, stirring constantly until golden brown. This will take 40 to 45 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F
  3. Use a slotted spoon to drain and remove the cooked onions and transfer them into the pie shell.
  4. Line a baking sheet and place the pie pan on the baking sheet to help with transferring in and out of the oven.
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, flour and seasonings together.
  6. In a measuring cup, whisk the eggs together with the milk then pour it into the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
  7. Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the pie shell. Gently move the onions around so the custard filling mixture is well combined.
  8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

Notes

Optional Cracker Crumb Crust

Mix 1 cup of Saltine cracker crumbs (or cracker crumbs of choice) with 1/4 c butter and press into a 9" pie pan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 Slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g

Classic Onion Pie

Photo of a Vidalia onion pie with a wedge serving on a white plate

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You can also see this recipe shared at Food Friday, Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday.

Old Fashioned Vidalia Onion Pie Recipe

Meet Julia

Author of Julia's Simply Southern

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Barbara Miller

Saturday 3rd of February 2024

The photo made me say MMMMMMM and the recipe looks so easy. I'll be looking for the Vidalias too. TY

Meg

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

Can this be put together the night before and baked the next morning?

Bob

Sunday 19th of February 2023

@Meg, i think if you assemble it with all the ingredients refrigerator-cold, it will take way longer to bake and the crust will probably get soggy. For a traditional quiche, I grumble and blind-bake the crust to head that off. There go another 20 minutes. . .

Meg

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

Can you assemble this the night before, refrigerate and then bake the next morning?

Julia Jordan

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

Probably, although I haven't done that myself but it should work just fine :)

Page

Sunday 17th of May 2020

This is a good recipe, but I recommend using scalded milk. The actual purpose of scalding milk was not to pasteurize. You may want to Google that.

Carlee

Tuesday 4th of June 2019

That pie looks fabulous! The pastry crust looks delicious but now I'm curious about the saltine cracker crust. I've never had a savory crumb crust!

Julia Jordan

Tuesday 4th of June 2019

Thank you! I've never made it with the cracker crust. This recipe was passed down and I've always used a pie crust. I am sure the cracker crust would be delicious because my grandmother made a squash casserole that way and it was amazing.

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