This Hoosier sugar cream pie is perhaps the best dessert to ever come out of Indiana. Who knew a little sugar, flour, cream, and vanilla could become something so magnificent? Easy to understand why it’s so common since it comes together from pantry staples.
The recipe for Hoosier sugar cream pie traveled across the prairie in covered wagons with the earliest settlers of the Indiana Territories. According to pie lore, it was a great favorite of pioneering farm wives who, to avoid washing utensils or a bowl, would throw the few staple ingredients in an unbaked pie shell and mix with their fingers before rushing back to their work in the fields.
At Hoosier Mama, we prebake the pie shell and use utensils, but the basic recipe—cream and sugar thickened with a little flour—remains unchanged. The flavor is wonderful—somewhere between crème brulée and melted caramel ice cream, depending on the exact recipe. Recipes are closely guarded and passed down from generation to generation, with each family claiming its recipe is best. Our recipe, somewhat controversially, calls for both white and brown sugar.
[Editor’s Note: Talk about the sum being exponentially more than the parts. This pie is quite, quite similar to the much ballyhooed pie sold by the much, much, much more ballyhooed Momofuku Milk Bar—part of the David Chang kingdom—in New York City. Seriously, folks. You have got to taste this pie. One bite and you’ll understand the lure.]–Paula Haney
☞ Contents
Sugar Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 single-crust All-Butter Pie Crust blind baked
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Place the pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
- Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix with a whisk or your hands to break up any clumps and to combine ingredients.
- Gently stir in the heavy cream with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not overmix. (Whipping the cream will prevent the pie from setting.) Stir in the vanilla extract or paste.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pie halfway and bake for 20 to 25 more minutes, until large bubbles cover the surface. The pie will not appear to be set when it comes out of the oven.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature.
- Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before slicing and serving. (The baked pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Some folksy like to throw leftover Sugar Cream Pie slices, individually wrapped, in the freezer and snack on them frozen.)
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
You definitely don’t have to be a Hoosier to enjoy this pie. Super easy to make—your favorite baked pie crust, cream, and sugar.
The baking was the longest part of the recipe. I chilled the baked pie overnight and served it for dessert the next day. The slices were easy to get out of the pie pan, which was a nice change from leaving half the crust in the pan. I was half (maybe 3/4) expecting the filling to be very sweet.
Not only was it not overly sweet, but it had a nice caramel flavor from the brown sugar and long baking time. The filling itself wasn’t rigid but soft and it didn’t weep or flow when cut. The crust was flaky and rigid, which gave a nice crunchy contrast to the soft filling. I think the confectioners’ sugar dusting was just to gild the lily, so to speak. A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream might be good with the pie also. But this pie can definitely stand on its own.
This is a very unique pie. The flavor and texture are reminiscent of a combination of crème brulee and chess pie. It’s so creamy yet sweet.
I followed the directions and didn’t whisk the cream and sugars for very long—it was about 30 seconds, just long enough to combine all the ingredients, but that was all. I was concerned the filling would come out grainy, but the end result had a light yet creamy feel. The pie emerged from the oven with what looked like a layer of clear butter on the surface. It was a bit disconcerting. Once my pie cooled to room temperature, I placed it in the refrigerator overnight and it was completely set when we were ready for dessert. The baking time was spot-on and the recipe was easy to follow.
This one will make it to my dessert table again.
This was the perfect combination of taste and ease. The ingredients come together in absolutely no time. The texture was smooth and the flavor was great.
I followed the instructions and didn’t whip the mixture; instead, I gently stirred in the cream. The baking time was just right for my pie. Actually, the pie set up a little sooner than 4 hours.
I’d make this pie again.
Originally published May 10, 2020
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Good morning David,
I am in the process of baking the Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie. The recipe calls for 1, blind-baked crust. When I went to the recipe for the specific pie crust mentioned, it is enough for two crusts, which I made. Going back to the filling recipe, it “assumes” that the second blind-baked trust will be saved for another time or another use. Am I reading this correctly?
Thanks again for bothering to answer this. I am loading up on so many of your recipes, especially during lockdown, this is a great way to spend some time and give friends the results of my efforts.
Best regards,
Gary
Oh, Gary. You have that 100% correct. The recipe makes two crusts. We found it’s easier for people to make two at once than one. Because this is, after all, crack pie! Once you eat it you’re going to want another one pretty much ASAP!
And I’m delighted that you’re finding the recipes useful and delicious. Stay well during this lockdown.
Thanks David, and to update you, I ended making 3 crusts since on of my pie plates was not very big. And, since I love sweet things but not only sweet, I tried using one recipe of the cream filling for all 3 pies… # hours later, I am lying on the lounge chair on the terrace having consumed 2 of the 3 pies… totally consumed them. Just a perfect amount of the creamy goodness in each pie crust and I loved it all. Please save me from myself. Cheers, Gary
Gary–step away from the pies. Do you hear me: STEP AWAY FROM THE PIES!! Now you know why their nickname is crack pie.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I make this pie every other month or so as it is INCREDIBLY easy and makes me look like a kitchen master 🙂 My husband’s family is from IN and so they always bought sugar cream pie from the grocery store bakery for occasions but I was told that this version is even better than they remember. I have the recipe memorized at this point but I keep it up for reference whenever I make it. FYI, I make this with a graham cracker crust because they are easy to keep on hand in the pantry and we literally cannot get enough sugar in our household. Thanks again!
You’re very welcome, Michelle! Just doing what we do best!
One more thing: I made the Crack Pie and I definitely prefer this recipe. While the crust for the Crack Pie was definitely a keeper, I found the recipe for the filling to be overly fussy since it tasted so similar to this.
Nods. We felt exactly the same, Michelle. So glad to hear you like this as much as we do!
This pie is great, creamy and it tastes like vanilla ice cream. I up the amount of flour to 3 TBL because the filling is a bit oozy and runny if made as written but it was still just great with the crispy crust. I make this all the time.
Vee, thanks so much for letting us know. I love this pie, too. Actually, I love just about any recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar. Have you tried their compost cookies recipe?!
This pie is indeed super tasty and the filling has a very nice caramely flavor as if I was eating a vanilla fudge but in a very soft version. Some of my guests said it was like eating a pecan-less pecan pie. However, I find that a really tiny slice is more than enough for me (although I have a very very sweet tooth); and that it needs to be followed by a big glass of water or milk. My guests all liked it too but felt that it was so rich that after a few bites, it was time to stop. Thanks for sharing. Regine
Yep, we feel the same about its richness, Regine. Although that doesn’t stop us from having a lot of tiny slivers! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know you like it.
I have been dying to bake a sugar cream pie for awhile, ever since first being introduced to one a couple years ago (I’m not a Hoosier). A sweet, Amish grandma found out I’d never had one and brought me a piece. I marveled at how something so simple could whip up into something so amazingly delicious.
I came across this feed and just HAD to try the recipe. But I did have some trepidation: I have to follow a gluten-free diet. Would the crust turn out? Would a GF sub for the thickening agent work to help set the pie? Or would I end up with a crumbly and/or gloppy, oozy mess? Hmmmmm….
Well, Bob’s Red Mill did right by me, in that their pre-mixed pie crust flour, matched with superbly detailed directions, helped me to whip up two buttery gluten free pie crusts in no time flat. They baked up perfectly.
To stay true to your filling recipe, I followed it to a “t”, substituting Cup 4 Cup brand gluten-free all purpose flour in equal quantity to the standard flour. But, because of that concern about having an oozy, un-set pie filling, I added 2t of xantham gum as a safety measure.
The result: A nicely set pie with that superbly caramel-ly flavor that so many commenters raved about. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I hope that sharing my two cents in regards to my experiment will help gluten-free foodies be able to share in the scrumptious goodness of this pie!
Kate, I’m so relieved to hear that this recipe worked so well for you as a gluten-free dessert! Your tricks and tips are terrifically helpful and I have no doubt they will be much appreciated by many GF readers. Many kind thanks for taking the time to share your experience.