Sour Cream Raisin Pie

This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.

This recipe for sour cream raisin pie is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, and topped with a creamy brown sugar meringue it is literally pie perfection!

For more great pie-baking skills, why not learn How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust? Or learn how to make this Peach Crumble Recipe instead?

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

This recipe is definitely a lot more old-fashioned than many other pies, but it is just as delicious thanks to its wonderful combination of light-as-air brown sugar meringue and a perfect tangy custard filling loaded with raisins.

Not everyone loves raisins, but this pie will probably convert even the diehard anti-raisin haters out there. The two different types of cream and all of the Christmas-y spices give it a warming, filling flavor, and the whole pie tastes like something your grandma would make for you.                                           

Sour Cream Raisin Pie Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Blind baked pie shell

• Thompson raisins

• White sugar

• Cornstarch

• Ground cinnamon

• Ground cloves

• Ground nutmeg

• Salt

• Sour cream

• Heavy cream

• Egg yolks, beaten well

Brown Sugar Meringue Recipe

• Egg whites

• Cream of tartar

• Packed brown sugar

• Vanilla extract

How To Make Sour Cream Raisin Pie

• Place the raisins into a glass with at least 4 cups capacity and that can be microwaved

• Add enough water to cover with an inch of water, and then microwave on high, stirring every minute until the raisins have plumped

•In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt

• Stir in the sour cream and cream, whisking the mixture until smooth

• Cook the mixture together, constantly stirring, over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly

• Turn down the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat

• Temper the eggs and then add the eggs together with the mixture

• Place back on the burner and bring to a gentle boil, cooking for 2 minutes

• Stir in the raisins, and then pour into the pie shell

• For the meringue, in a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt at medium speed

• Gradually beat in the brown sugar on high until stiff peaks form

• Spread the meringue in an even layer over the hot filling, sealing the edge to the crust

• Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit, or until the meringue is a deep golden brown

• Remove and cool on a wire rack for an hour and then place into the fridge for 2 hours and then slice and serve

How To Ensure Your Meringue Sets Up Properly

Trying to get meringue to set up properly is always a big challenge for most people. Despite how simple many professional chefs and YouTubers make it look, meringues are extremely likely to fail as you try and beat them together.

The key to getting a meringue to set up properly is to understand what you are trying to do by making a meringue.

You whisk and beat the egg whites not only to break up the protein strands within the albumen (that’s the fancy name for egg whites) but also to incorporate a ton of extra air. The protein strands within the egg white want to form links with themselves, and so they end up trapping the air in amongst the protein – this trapping of air forces the mixture to increase in volume, giving it that literally airy and light texture.

However, the egg white proteins cannot do this if there are other things that get in the way of those bonds, especially fat.

This is usually why meringues don’t set up properly in home kitchens; because there is something stuck in the bowl, or you have used your hands and touched the egg whites too much.

Try and keep the bowl totally clean and let nothing touch the egg whites – wash and thoroughly dry the whisk you are using before mixing, and use the egg whites as soon as you separate them from the yolk.

Also, make sure to keep the yolks away from the whites! The yolks are filled with fat that can ruin the whites.

A little bit of cream of tartar goes a long way here because it is an acidic solution. The acid helps the meringue to form up – if you do not have any cream of tartar, then a little bit of lemon juice works just as well.    

How To Easily Temper Your Eggs

Tempering eggs is never an easy task; it is only too easy to end up with accidental scrambled eggs.

However, with a little bit of knowledge, it can actually be really easy to temper eggs.

Simply stir in a very small quantity of your hot mixture into the eggs. The trick to avoiding them turning into thick scrambled eggs is to make sure that the eggs are well beaten before they see any of the hot mixtures.

As you beat the eggs, gently mix in the hot mixture, stirring rapidly to help evenly distribute the heat throughout the mix. 

This will stop the eggs from cooking when they are added to the pot and will help thicken everything in general.

Looking for more delicious Pie recipes? Try these out:

• Chess Pie

• Flapper Pie- The Lost Prairie Pie

• Impossible Saskatoon Pie

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

PIN this recipe to your DESSERTS board and remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!