Sour Cream and Apple Pie
Sour cream apple pie takes everything you love about classic apple pie and adds a delicious twist. The sour cream brings a gentle tang and creaminess that balances the sweetness of the apples, creating a filling that’s rich but never heavy. With each bite, you get the familiar comfort of cinnamon-kissed apples plus a smooth, custard-like texture that makes this pie unforgettable.
Sour Cream and Apple Pie: A Creamy Twist on a Classic Favorite
Every fall, we make a trip to a small orchard nearby that lets you pick your own apples and enjoy treats that they offer like fresh apple cider and homemade baked goods. There’s something about wandering among the trees and filling our baskets that makes the season feel special!
It really gets me fired up and ready to bake when we get home.
One of our favorite ways to enjoy our harvest is in a classic apple pie, and this sour cream and apple pie is a delightful twist on that favorite classic that we’ve come to love over the years.
The sour cream adds a subtle tang and creamy, custard-like texture that balances the sweetness of the apples, creating a rich, comforting dessert.
A couple of our other favorite apple recipes are Apple Cider Donuts and Apple Sheet Cake with Browned Butter Frosting.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A twist on tradition – All the cozy flavors of apple pie with a creamy custard-like filling.
- Perfect balance – The tang of sour cream keeps it from being overly sweet.
- Great for any season – Apples shine year-round, not just in the fall.
- Easy to make ahead – This pie keeps beautifully, making it great for gatherings.
Ingredients
Here is a run-down of the ingredients that you’ll need to make Sour Cream and Apple Pie. The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Pie Crust- You’ll need one 9-inch pie crust. You can make your own crust, use a frozen deep-dish pie crust, or a pre-rolled crust from the refrigerator. For gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill pie crust mix.
Sour Cream– Full-fat sour cream will result in the best texture. You can use a low-fat sour cream, but the pie won’t be as rich and creamy, and possibly will become watery.
Sugar– You need granulated sugar for the pie filling and the topping.
Egg– 1 large egg works as a binder for the pie filling.
Flour– All-purpose flour or use arrowroot powder for gluten-free. This will help thicken the filling as the pie cooks and cools.
Salt
Spices– Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice are the common spices used in apple pie. If you have apple pie seasoning in your pantry, you could use that as well. Use an equal amount of the spices listed in the recipe card to substitute.
Vanilla– Preferably, use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla.
Apples– You will need 2 cups of peeled and thinly sliced apples. I like to use tart apples with a slightly sweet apple variety mixed in, like granny smith and honey crisp apples. These two varieties work great, because they cook up well and hold their shape.
Lemon Juice- Coating the apples with lemon juice helps to keep the slices from turning brown as you work on peeling and slicing.
Butter– Melted butter helps to create the crunchy crumble topping for the pie. I used unsalted, but feel free to use salted. Just omit the salt in the topping mixture.
Equipment
Pie dish
You will need a 9-inch pie dish that is at least 2 inches deep. You can use ceramic, glass, or metal.
Mixing Bowls
A rolling pin or a pasta machine for rolling out the dough, and a sharp knife or a pasta cutter.
Peel & Core
You need an apple peeler and/or a pairing knife. An apple corer is also handy to have for slicing the apples.
Measuring
You will need a few different measuring cups and measuring spoons for this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lay the pie crust over the dish and press the dough down to fit. Trim the edges or tuck them under, and crimp the dough to create a crust.
**note- you can bake the pie as is without pre-baking the crust or you can check out the blind baking technique that I recently shared in my Goat Cheese Quiche post.
2: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sour cream, granulated sugar, and the egg.
3: Add in the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix until well combined.
4: Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
5: Fold in the thinly sliced apples until all the apple slices are evenly distributed.
6: Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Make sure that the apple slices are lying flat, and not sticking up.
7: While the pie is baking, combine the melted butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the crumb topping in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix with a fork until a sand-like consistency with pea sized crumbles forms.
8: Remove the pie from the oven.
9: Add the crumb topping mixture evenly over top of the pie. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
10: Place the cooked pie onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving.
Additions & Substitutions
Nuts – Add in 1/2 cup – 1 cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the crumble topping mixture.
Pie Crust – Store-bought or homemade works. For a twist, try a graham cracker or gingersnap crust.
Sugar – Swap part or all of the white sugar for light brown sugar to add a caramel note. Coconut sugar can also be used if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not required, but blind-baking for 8–10 minutes helps prevent a soggy bottom when adding the creamy filling. You can find instructions for blind baking a pie crust in this post.
The custard should be set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
Tent the pie with foil if the edges of the crust begin to brown too quickly. Baking on a lower rack also helps the bottom cook fully without over-browning the top.
Sour Cream and Apple pie
Ingredients
Equipment
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lay the pie crust over the dish and press the dough down to fit. Trim the edges or tuck them under, and crimp the dough to create a crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sour cream, granulated sugar, and the egg.
- Add in the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix until well combined.
- Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Fold in the thinly sliced apples until all the apple slices are evenly distributed.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Make sure that the apple slices are lying flat, and not sticking up.
- While the pie is baking, combine the melted butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the crumb topping in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix with a fork until a sand-like consistency with pea sized crumbles forms.
- Remove the pie from the oven. Add the crumb topping mixture evenly over top of the pie. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Place the cooked pie onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving.
