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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My timeless Sour Cream and Raisin Pie Recipe is a uniquely delicious custard pie crowned with a cloud of toasted meringue. This budget-friendly treat is made from a handful of pantry staples, and it’s mostly hands-off. You prep and bake the pie in less than 90 minutes, then go about your business while it cools. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and other autumn get-togethers!
- This nostalgic pie is finding new fans who appreciate its irresistible sweet and tangy flavors.
- A blend of delectable textures gives this sour cream raisin pie layers of delight.
- A piecrust to be proud of! Our perfect pie crust, rich with butter and egg yolk, beautifully enhances the filling.
Personal Story: I ended up testing this pie three times so what you see is the perfected version. Originally the filling wouldn’t set and the results were a runny pie you couldn’t slice. The second round of testing I added extra egg and I increased the cornstarch slightly to really buy myself some insurance. With fingers crossed I could see that the second time was the charm! The pie set well, not too firm and holds its shape. It’s an old fashioned recipe but it’s a good one so It knew I had to get it right.
I love this type of retro dessert, like the kind of treasure you’d find in your granny’s recipe box. Often, the best recipes are vintage favorites, perfected over the years and savored by generations! Sometimes they get elbowed aside by the latest trending fad, but my Stovetop Chocolate Cake, Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies, Hummingbird Coffee Cake Recipe, One Bowl Applesauce Cake, and Mile High Sweet Potato Pie are time-tested winners and will please everyone from toddlers to grandma and grandpa.
Table of Contents
- What is Sour Cream and Raisin Pie?
- Tools You Need
- Key Ingredients and Why
- How to Make Sour Cream and Raisin Pie
- Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- FAQs
- More Raisin Recipes
What is Sour Cream and Raisin Pie?
- Sour Cream and Raisin Pie is a one-crust pie featuring raisin-studded cinnamon custard filling and a meringue topping baked until golden brown. Raisins add texture and wholesome sweetness, as they do in my Best Ever Oatmeal Cookies, Best Ever Irish Scones, and O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Cake.
- Blind baking or parbaking keeps the crust from getting soggy. Brushing egg wash over the pastry ensures a nicely crisp and flaky crust.
- Sour Cream and Raisin Pie originated in Midwestern Amish and Mennonite communities in the 1800s, and it’s a perfect example of their practical and comforting cooking style with roots in German and Eastern European traditions. Shelf-stable raisins were a pantry staple, and sour cream was readily available because most families kept dairy cows. This budget-friendly pie was popular during the Depression and is a staple dessert in the Midwest.
Tools You Need
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Glass measuring jug
- Kitchen scale (optional)
- Rolling pin
- 9-inch (23-cm) pie tin
- Parchment paper
- Pie weights (optional) or dried beans
- Pastry brush
- Heatproof metal bowls
- Wire mesh sieve
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment (optional) or an electric hand mixer
- Silicone spatula
Make it Bolder!
Raisins give this pie its unique fruity-sweet flavor, but you can use other dried fruits if you prefer. Substitute an equal amount of currants or dried cranberries or cut-up cherries, plumping in them boiling water before mixing them into the custard.
Key Ingredients and Why
1 recipe Homemade Pie Crust
- My buttery crust perfectly complements the filling.
- Follow my step-by-step instructions to make pastry making easy, even if you’re a beginner.
Raisins
- Raisins give this pie lovely molasses-like sweetness and add texture to the custard.
- When grapes are dried to make raisins, the sugar concentrates, giving raisins an intense sweetness with hints of caramel and bright fruitiness.
- You can use regular dark raisins or golden raisins (sultanas) in this recipe, but dark raisins give a better visual contrast.
Boiling water
- Soaking raisins in boiling water plumps and softens them, mellowing their chewiness.
Egg yolks
- The egg yolks emulsify the custard filling’s ingredients, creating a consistently silky texture.
- Egg yolks are rich in fat, which is imperative for making a creamy filling.
- Importantly, egg yolks help the custard thicken as it cooks.
- Make egg wash (an additional egg mixed with a tablespoon of water) to brush on the pie crust.
Sour cream
- Sour cream, with a fat content of about 20%, gives the custard a rich, plush texture and velvety mouthfeel.
- Sour cream is fermented dairy cream. The fermentation gives it its signature tangy flavor and thickness.
- Alternatively, you can substitute full-fat yogurt for sour cream. If it’s too thick, thin it with a spoonful of milk.
Whole milk
- Mixing whole milk with heavy cream keeps the custard from becoming too dense and heavy.
Granulated sugar
- Granulated sugar sweetens this sour cream raisin pie.
- Importantly, sugar also thickens the raisin pie filling.
- To add a note of molasses flavor, you can substitute light brown sugar for granulated sugar.
Cornstarch
- Cornstarch thickens the custard by absorbing liquid in the mixture and forming a gel, creating a stable structure.
Cinnamon
- Cinnamon gives the custard warm seasonal spiciness.
Salt
- Salt is essential in dessert recipes to balance the sweetness and enhance individual flavors.
Vanilla extract
- Vanilla’s creamy, floral taste elevates the pie filling and unifies the ingredients.
How to Make Sour Cream and Raisin Pie
Make the pie crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roll out the prepared crust in a ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick circle and place in a 9-inch (23 cm) pie tin. Crimp the edges and brush the entire crust with egg wash.
- Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment paper.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the custard filling
5. In a heatproof bowl, add the raisins and boiling water, cover and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes until plump. Strain and set aside.
6. Place egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl next to stove. Place a sieve over another heatproof bowl and set it near the stove.
7. In a saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly pour in the sour cream and milk.
Cook over medium-low heat until steaming (about five minutes).
8. Slowly add this hot mixture to the egg yolks while whisking constantly.
9. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it has been actively bubbling for one minute.
10. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Mix in the raisins and vanilla.
11. Pour into prepared crust. Cool for 10 minutes.
Make the meringue topping
12. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip egg whites and salt on high speed until soft, foamy peaks form, about three minutes.
13. With the mixer still running, add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat for five minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form.
14. Pile the meringue on top of the custard filling, making sure the filling is completely covered.
Bake the pie
15. Bake pie for 15 minutes until meringue is golden. Cool for one hour on the counter, and place in fridge to chill for at least three hours before serving.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- Before baking the crust for this raisin pie recipe, brush it all over with the egg wash. This will help seal the crust and prevent it from getting soggy once you add the custard.
- Plumping the raisins is essential to keep them soft in the cold custard.
- Be sure to cook the custard for two full minutes while it’s simmering to ensure the cornstarch is activated or the pie will not thicken.
- Making meringue is easy, but it can take some practice. Use my top tips for success, even if it’s your first time:
- Watch carefully to make sure the sugar is nice and foamy with soft peaks before you add the sugar.
- Add the sugar gradually, just one spoon at a time.
- Once the peaks are stiff and glossy, stop beating so you don’t risk overwhipping the meringue, which will make it dry, clumpy, and prone to collapsing.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make Ahead Tips
- Prepare the pie crust in advance to save time on baking day:
- Make the pie crust, roll it out, and either shape it in a disc or press the pastry in your pie pan and crimp the edges.
- Wrap the pie crust dough well and refrigerate for up to two days.
- For longer storage, wrap the dough well and place it in a freezer bag for extra protection. Freeze for up to eight weeks.
How to Store Leftovers
- Store leftover pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
FAQs
Do I have to blind-bake the crust?
- I always advise blind baking (pre-baking) pie crust when a pie has a wet filling, such as custard.
- Not only does partially baking the crust before filling it keep it crisper, but it also helps the crust maintain its shape, making it easier to fill, and prevents the formation of steam pockets which would make the bottom crust uneven.
How do I ensure my meringue won’t shrink or weep?
- Use large eggs for the most volume, and be sure to use room-temperature eggs, as they will whip up better.
- Check out our tips for how to whip eggs perfectly.
- When baking, get the meringue a nice dark golden, which will give it a lovely toasted marshmallow flavor.
Can I make this pie egg-free?
- For a custard pie like this sour cream and raisin pie recipe, eggs are the main ingredient. No substitute can achieve the same result.
More Raisin Recipes
Sour Cream Raisin Pie


Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 Homemade Pie Crust , chilled
- Egg wash
Raisin Sour Cream Filling
- 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) raisins
- 1 cup (5 fl oz/150 ml) boiling water
- 3 large egg yolks , at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 oz/225 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (6 oz/ 170 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Meringue Topping
- 3 large egg whites , at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz/85 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
Pre-bake the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- On a floured surface, roll the pie crust to an ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick circle and line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie tin with it. Crimp the edges and brush all over with an egg wash.
- Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Set aside to cool (keep the oven on).
To Make the Filling
- In a small heatproof bowl, combine the raisins and water, and let plump for 10 minutes, then strain and set aside.
- Place the egg yolks in a medium, heatproof bowl near the stove. Place another heatproof bowl with a sieve set over it also near the stove.
- In a saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly pour in the sour cream and milk.
- Cook over medium-low heat until steaming (about five minutes).
- Slowly add the hot mixture to the egg yolks while whisking them constantly.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture has been actively bubbling for 1 full minute.
- Pour through the sieve and into the clean bowl. Stir in the raisins and vanilla extract, then pour into the baked pie shell. Let cool for 10 minutes.
To Make the Meringue Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or with a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until soft, foamy peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- While the mixer is going, add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, then continue to beat for about 5 minutes to stiff, glossy peaks.
- Pile the meringue on top of the pie, then spread it out a bit to get near the edges.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes, until the meringue is golden.
- Let cool on the counter for one hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- Store leftovers well covered and in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.