This old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch sour cream apple pie is thinly sliced apples folded into a creamy sour cream, egg and vanilla filling, baked in a store-bought or homemade crust and finished with a cinnamon-sugar butter crumble. Bake it at 420°F for 15 minutes, then at 350°F for 30 minutes, add the crumble and bake 15–20 minutes more. It’s the pie our family serves every Thanksgiving.
This simple recipe for sour cream apple pie has a crumbly topping and smooth, creamy apple filling. It is a tried and true passed down Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe. Our Thanksgiving would not be complete, if we did not serve this pie. It’s a crowd-pleaser, so be prepared to dish-out seconds!
As a little girl, one of my fondest memories of Thanksgiving was staying up way past my bedtime to help my parents prepare for Thanksgiving.
My dad has some serious roots tied to the Pennsylvania Dutch. While not a baker or cook himself, he always had access to some pretty epic recipes. And when I say recipes, what I really mean is, recipe cards. You know — the index cards from the ever ancient postcards that we used to receive from family and friends.
The ones that were so heavily loved and passed down that you had a hard time reading because half of the batter was still left on the card. Those were the kind of recipes my dad’s family passed down to us. This is the exact card we received so many years ago.
Check out the most amazing recipe for PA Dutch Chicken Corn Noodle Soup here.
why your whole family will love this sour cream apple pie recipe
- Easy to Make
- Crowd-Pleasing Dessert
- Kid Friendly
- Old-Fashioned Staple
- Irresistible Flavor
ingredients
To make this easy and delicious traditional sour cream apple pie recipe you’ll need a few ingredients that you can get at almost any grocery store or even online!
Here’s what we are working with:
for the filling
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cups sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 unbaked pie crust, store-bought or homemade (graham cracker or regular) pie crust
For the crumble
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter
how to make sour cream apple pie
You’ll find the exact amounts and printable steps in the recipe card below. Here’s what each step looks like, plus the little things that make it work.
1. Make the filling. Preheat the oven to 420°F. Blend the beaten egg, sour cream and vanilla, then add the sugar, flour and salt and mix until smooth.
2. Fold in the apples. Gently fold the thinly sliced apples into the sour cream mixture. Slicing the apples thin helps them turn tender in the creamy filling.
3. Start the bake hot. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell and bake at 420°F for 15 minutes.
4. Lower the heat. Lower the oven to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes more, then remove the pie from the oven.
5. Make the crumble. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon and mix until the ingredients form a crumbly topping.
6. Add the crumble and finish baking. Spread the crumble over the pie and bake for another 15–20 minutes at 350°F, until the topping is golden.
Not only is this recipe a traditional one – so that alone makes it already awesome, but it is super easy and requires just 10 simple ingredients. You can choose to make your own pie crust, but we typically use a store-bought graham cracker pie shell for this recipe. Honestly with all the deliciousness of that crumble topping, any kind of pie crust will just enhance it. That’s what so great about this pie recipe–you simply cannot go wrong!
what kind of pie crust is best for sour cream apple pie?
We usually use a store-bought graham cracker crust, which adds a little extra sweetness and crunch. A regular store-bought or homemade pie crust works just as well; make sure it’s unbaked when you pour in the filling.
how to store sour cream apple pie
Because the filling is made with sour cream and egg, cool the pie and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Keep it covered in the fridge and enjoy it within 3–4 days. Serve it chilled, at room temperature or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. It’s definitely one of those recipes worth saving. There’s nothing better than having what looks and tastes like a gourmet dessert on the table, but one that saves you time behind the scenes.
Please leave us a star review and comment if you make this delicious, family sour cream apple pie recipe.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. I answer every single question as quickly as I can.
Happy cooking! And thanks for being part of our tribe, The Tasteful Tribe!
ENJOY!
sour cream apple pie FAQs
Yes. We typically use a store-bought graham cracker pie shell, but a regular store-bought or homemade unbaked crust works too.
Start at 420°F for 15 minutes, lower to 350°F for 30 minutes, then add the crumble and bake 15–20 minutes more at 350°F.
You’ll need 2 cups of peeled, thinly sliced apples.
Yes. The filling contains sour cream and egg, so refrigerate the pie within 2 hours of baking and eat it within 3–4 days.
It’s a Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe passed down on an old handwritten recipe card from my dad’s side of the family.
Baking this pie for the holidays? Find the rest of your menu in our list of easy Thanksgiving recipes.
If you love this recipe, check out…
- Better Than Grandma’s PA Dutch Potato and Bread Stuffing
- The Best Caramel Apple Dumplings
- The Easiest Chicken Pot Pie Recipe (Made With Crescent Rolls)
- Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes: Soups, Potato Filling and Dumplings
- Paleo Peach Upside Down Cake (Easy!)
recipe video
Sour Cream Apple Pie
- VGVegetarian
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 2 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 unbaked pie crust, store-bought or homemade (graham cracker or regular) pie crust
For the crumble
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Blend together beaten egg, 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add in 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt. Fold in finely sliced apples.
- Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake at 420 degrees for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven and combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Mix well until the ingredients form a crumble-like topping.
- Spread crumble topping over the pie and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to tag thetastefultribe on instagram @thetastefultribe if you try this sour cream and apple pie recipe. We love seeing your version of the recipe! You can also post your pictures to my facebook page!
KitchenWench
My family loves this recipe. They refuse ‘regular’ apple pie in favor of this every time. The only change that I make is to double the amount of apples because I make a deep-dish pie and to add a sprinkle of ginger and allspice into the sour cream mixture for a little flavour punch.
Sarah Troester
Thank you so much for this amazing feedback. It makes us to happy to hear!!