Sour Cream Apple Pie

A few weeks ago I asked you guys about pie on Instagram.  I wanted to try some new ones and asked what your favorite, go-to pie was.  Several people mentioned Sour Cream Apple Pie and the funny thing is that I’ve tried a couple recipes for that over the years and nothing has turned out super great.  After hearing more great reviews I decided to give it one more shot.  I’ve had pretty good luck with recipes that have high ratings on  All Recipes, so went for this one

I don’t think you can go wrong with a classic Apple Pie, but this sour cream twist is pretty fantastic.  Basically it’s your classic apple pie, but all wrapped up in a sweet sour cream custard and then smothered with an amazing cinnamon-sugar crumb topping.  One thing that makes this pie a little different than your standard, is that it’s best eaten chilled.  That means it’s awesome to make ahead of time for Thanksgiving and not even worry about re-heating.

Creamy Apple Pie

Ingredients Needed

  • Crust – See “Crust Notes” section below for options. I’ve included crust instructions, but you can use your favorite pie crust recipe here. 
  • Filling
    • Granulated sugar
    • All-purpose flour
    • Salt
    • Sour cream
    • Vanilla extract
    • Egg
    • Apples
  • Topping
    • Granulated sugar
    • All-purpose flour
    • Cinnamon
    • Butter
how to make pie crust

How to Make a Sour Cream Apple Pie

Crust

  1. Bring shortening to room temperature if not already. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add shortening in small cubes.
  2. Cut in shortening until you get pieces that are about pea-sized.
  3. Start sprinkling the ice water by about a tablespoon at a time over the flour/shortening mixture. Very, very gently, turn the dough with your fingers so it gets exposed to the water. You’re not mixing, just trying to moisten all of the flour/shortening mixture. Gradually, all of the flour mixture will be moistened. Gently pat the dough into a ball (it should come together easily but not be sticky).

Filling & Pie Assembly

  1. Prepare pan: Preheat oven to 425℉. Place pie crust in pie pan and flute edges as desired.
  2. Prepare filling: In a medium bowl, stir together ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and salt. Mix in the sour cream, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add apples, and stir to coat. Scrape the mixture into the pie shell.
  3. Bake: Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350℉ and continue baking for 25 minutes more.
  4. Prepare topping: While the pie is baking, prepare the topping in a medium bowl. Stir together ⅔ cup of flour, ⅔ cup sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  5. Finish and chill: After the 25 minute bake time has passed, cover the top of the pie with the crumb topping, and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and apples are tender. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.
apple pie with sour cream
apple pie recipe sour cream

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

This pie is best served cold so, yes, it’s perfect for planning ahead! Make it a day ahead of time and cross dessert off your to-do list.

Can I make this dairy-free?

While you are always welcome to try out dairy-free substitutes, the sour cream here is such a main ingredient that I can’t promise those substitutions would hold up well to baking. Your best bet is probably a traditional Apple Pie or this Crumb Topped Apple Pie, with dairy-free adjustments.

Sour Cream Apple Pie by Our Best Bites

Sour Cream Apple Pie

5 from 1 vote
This is your classic apple pie, but all wrapped up in a sweet sour cream custard and then smothered with an amazing cinnamon-sugar crumb topping.  This pie is best eaten chilled; that means it’s awesome to make ahead of time for Thanksgiving.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

Crust (store bought works too)

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • cup + 2 tablespoons shortening room temperature
  • ½ cup ice water

Filling

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 cups apples diced or sliced

Topping

  • cup sugar
  • cup flour
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter chilled, diced

Instructions

Crust (or use store bought, and skip the next 3 steps)

  • Bring shortening to room temperature if not already. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add shortening in small cubes.
  • Cut in shortening until you get pieces that are about pea-sized.
  • Start sprinkling the ice water by about a tablespoon at a time over the flour/shortening mixture. Very, very gently, turn the dough with your fingers so it gets exposed to the water. You’re not mixing, just trying to moisten all of the flour/shortening mixture. Gradually, all of the flour mixture will be moistened. Gently pat the dough into a ball (it should come together easily but not be sticky).

Filling & Pie Assembly

  • Prepare pan: Preheat oven to 425℉. Place pie crust in pie pan and flute edges as desired.
  • Prepare filling: In a medium bowl, stir together ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and salt. Mix in the sour cream, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add apples, and stir to coat. Scrape the mixture into the pie shell.
  • Bake: Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350℉ and continue baking for 25 minutes more.
  • Prepare topping: While the pie is baking, prepare the topping in a medium bowl. Stir together ⅔ cup of flour, ⅔ cup sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  • Finish and chill: After the 25 minute bake time has passed, cover the top of the pie with the crumb topping, and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and apples are tender. Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate until chilled before serving.

Notes

  • Store leftover pie, covered tightly, in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
  • And guys- if you’re going to be making lots of apple-related recipes, hop on Amazon right now and you can have an apple peeler and corer in your possession in no time.  It’s SO WORTH IT.

Nutrition

Calories: 707kcal, Carbohydrates: 81g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 431mg, Potassium: 131mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 552IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 3mg
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American, Thanksgiving
Keyword: Sour Cream Apple Pie
Calories: 707kcal
Author: Sara Wells
Cost: $8
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!

 

woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. You didn’t prebake your pie crust, did you? I didn’t think so but I wanted to be sure. I am using the pie crust recipe that you mentioned with the sour cream. Thanks!

  2. I’m trying this recipe today. Under the ingredients for the topping it says 2/3 cup of sugar and flour but then the directions say 1/3 cup. You say you like to double the topping so I’m guessing the ingredients list is the correct one?!

  3. 2/3 cup of sugar and flour in the strusel in the ingredient list and then 1/3 in the written instructions. Which one is it?

  4. Your pie looks like it has layers in the filling. How did you achieve that? my pie came out with maybe a touch too much fillling for a store bought whole foods crust. I also added a bit of cinnamon and mace to my apples, reduced the sugar in your recipe and used 1 quarter cup white sugar, 1 quarter cup brown sugar style Splenda. (the pie was still a little too sweet for my taste). I needed to add additional butter to get the crumb topping.

    1. If you made substitutions it might look a little different than mine. I just made as directed 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Made this pie for a family pie night we had and it was so, so good! It will definitely make an appearance on Thanksgiving as well. A keeper, we loved it!

  6. Do you know what the flours role in the sour cream mixture is? I want to try this one but we are gluten free. I have gotten pretty good at doing my own substitutions but it helps if I know why the flour was needed. Thanks

    1. I believe it’s just a thickener, so I would assume a flour substitution would work just fine. Let me know if you try!