This sour cream apple pie is a delicious non-traditional pie with a tart creamy filling and buttery cinnamon streusel topping.

slices of sour cream apple pie on plates with forks

Some of you might be thinking sour cream in a pie? But it works, and it’s delicious! It’s always fun to try twists on a classic, and this may just be the apple pie upgrade you’ve been looking for.

What makes this sour cream apple pie so unique is that the apples are baked in a custard-like filling, so it has a nice creamy texture with a bit of bite from the apples. The cinnamon crumble topping gives a little crunch, and a flaky pie crust shell holds it all together.

There’s lots of fabulous seasonal flavor in this apple pie, and it’s perfect for fall and holiday baking!

sour cream apple pie ingredients

Ingredients you’ll need

Let get baking! Here’s everything needed to bake this sour cream apple pie (full recipe below):

  • Single prepared pie crust (I recommend homemade, but store-bought will work too)
  • Full-fat sour cream
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs
  • Apples
  • Light or dark brown sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Butter
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Vanilla extract

What are the best apples for baking?

The best apples to bake with are ones that are tart, firm, and won’t break down in the oven. Granny smith, jonagold, jonathan, gala, honeycrisp, and pink lady/cripps pink are all great varieties to choose from. Stick to one type of apple, or feel free to combine several varieties to get even bigger flavor.

rolling out pie crust, crimped in pie dish
making sour cream apple filling, adding crumble topping

How to make this sour cream apple pie

  1. Prepare pie crust. If you want a homemade crust and don’t already have one prepped in the fridge or the freezer, I have included a recipe below. (It’s a halved version of my foolproof flaky pie crust.)
  2. Line pie dish with pie crust. On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crust out into an approximate 11-inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Fold the edges over and crimp as desired.
  3. Peel and slice apples. Peel apples and slice into ¼-inch slices. Only do this right before mixing the filling to avoid browning.
  4. Mix filling. Whisk together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in sliced apples and carefully spoon it into the pie crust, rearranging apples to make an even layer as needed.
  5. Top with streusel. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Scatter it over the top of the apple filling.
  6. Bake. Bake pie at 400°F for 50-60 minutes until filling is set and topping and crust is golden brown.

For best results, let the pie rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Then, enjoy!

sour cream apple pie baked

My best pie baking tips

  • I usually plan for 1 medium apple = 1 cup sliced apples. So you’ll need 5 apples for this recipe.
  • This is how I peel and core applesfor baking. It’s fast and easy!
  • Brush pie crust edge with a simple egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water) for a colorful crust. Without it your edge will be dull and colorless.
  • If the edges brown more quickly than the topping, cover with a sheet of foil with an 8-inch circle cut out of the inside, or pie crust shield.
  • Place your pie on a sheet pan to easily transfer it back and forth from the oven.
  • For cleanest slices (as shown in these photos), let the pie cool completely to room temperature for several hours before serving. You can also let it chill in the fridge.
  • Because the filling for this pie contains sour cream and eggs, this pie should be stored in the fridge.
  • Looking to save some time? Learn how to make pie crust in the food processor.
  • If pies intimidate you or they just don’t seem to come out right, be sure to check out my best tips for making perfect pies. I share solutions for the most common pie baking problems.
  • Here’s a list of my favorite pie tools.

closeup of sour cream apple pie slice

More apple pies you’ll love

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This recipe was originally published October 2015 and was sponsored by Go Bold with Butter.

closeup of sour cream apple pie slice

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Servings: 10 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
A non-traditional apple pie with a tart creamy filling and streusel topping.
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Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (150 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter , cold and cut into cubes (1 stick, 113 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons water , cold

For the filling:

  • 1 cup sour cream (227 grams)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30 grams)
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups apples , peeled and thinly sliced (5 medium apples, 550 grams)

For the topping:

  • ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (106 grams)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (60 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted (56 grams)

Instructions
 

To make the crust:

  • In medium bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cubed butter and use pastry blender to cut butter into dry ingredients until size of small peas.
  • Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough starts to come together into ball. Dump dough out onto clean surface and knead a few times to incorporate all of dry bits. Work quickly, do not over handle.
  • Shape into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pie crust into a rough 12-inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges and crimp as desired.

To assemble and bake pie:

  • Preheat oven to 400 °F.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the sour cream, sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. Add apple slices and toss to coat. Dump into the prepared pie crust.
  • In a second bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Use your hands to crumble the topping on top of the pie.
  • Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake until topping is golden and filling is set and slightly bubbles at the edges, about 50-60. If topping browns before filling is set, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time. Let pie cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

NOTES

  • Makes one 9-inch pie.
Calories: 562kcal, Carbohydrates: 72g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 106mg, Sodium: 272mg, Potassium: 202mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 949IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.

Disclosure: This recipe was made with Real® Butter in partnership with the American Butter Institute. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands and campaigns I believe in, which make it easier for me to bring you new and creative content. All opinions are always my own. To see all of the recipes I have created for Go Bold with Butter, click here.