Sugar cream pie, aka “Hoosier pie,” is a rich, custard-filled pie with warm notes of cinnamon on top of a flaky, buttery crust. This pie is an Indiana classic (it’s actually their official state pie!). It first originated in the 1800s thanks to the Indiana Amish and Shaker communities. Sugar cream pies are so easy to make and require only a few pantry staples that you probably already have on hand.
Sugar Cream Pie Ingredients
- Single-crust pie dough: Feel free to make your own single-crust pie dough with our recipe at the bottom of this page, or go with a store-bought one. See what our Test Kitchen pros picked for the best premade pie crust.
- Sugar: As the pie’s namesake, sugar delivers all the sweet goodness in the pie.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the pie to give the filling its smooth, custard texture.
- Vanilla: A splash of vanilla adds a delicately sweet and subtly floral aroma to this pie.
- Cinnamon: A sprinkle of cinnamon adds a warm, cozy flavor and a bit of color.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the crust
Preheat the oven to 450°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle. Transfer the pie crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the crust to a 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate, and flute the edge. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Fill with pie weights
Line the unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.
Editor’s Tip: Fill the foil-lined crust almost all the way to the top with the weights, or else your crust won’t be weighed down enough, and it will bubble up and shrink!
Step 3: Parbake the crust
Bake the crust on a lower oven rack until the edges are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and the weights. Continue baking until the bottom is golden brown, three to six minutes. Cool the crust at room temperature on a wire rack. Reduce the oven setting to 375°.
Editor’s Tip: If the pie crust starts bubbling up, prick the pie with a fork to allow the air to escape.
Step 4: Cook the sugar, cornstarch and milk
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the milk until the mixture is completely smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
Step 5: Add the butter and vanilla
Remove the mixture from the heat. Whisk in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated.
Step 6: Assemble the pie
Carefully pour the filling into the pie crust. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the filling into the crust. Sprinkle the top all over with cinnamon. Use as much or as little as you like!
Step 7: Bake and chill
Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the pie to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate the pie until it’s completely chilled.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different crust: For a change of pace, try baking this pie in a crumb crust. There are a ton of genius crumb crust ingredients to choose from, like graham crackers, Nilla wafers, gingersnaps and even crushed ice cream cones.
- Add a little more spice: Add 1/8 teaspoon each of cloves, nutmeg and ginger when adding the cinnamon. A mix of these fall spices will make your pie taste heavenly!
- Swap in a richer milk: If all you have on hand is whole milk, buttermilk or half-and-half, use that! Anything with a higher fat content than the 2% milk this sugar cream pie recipe calls for can be swapped in; just note that the pie will taste richer (darn!). However, don’t swap in something with less fat than 2% milk, like skim, fat-free or almond milk.
How to Store Sugar Cream Pie
To store, cover the sugar cream pie tightly in storage wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to four days. You could also store slices of the pie in an airtight container. We do not recommend freezing this pie, though. If you know how to freeze a pie, you’ll know that custard-based pies do not freeze very well.
Sugar Cream Pie Tips
How do I make a single-crust pie dough?
To make a single-crust pie dough from scratch, grab a large bowl, and whisk together 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Gradually add 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water, tossing with a fork until the dough holds together when pressed. Shape the dough into a disk, and wrap the dough with storage wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Can I make sugar cream pie dairy free?
We have not tested a dairy-free sugar cream pie. However, if you’d like to try at your own discretion, we recommend using a full-fat coconut milk in place of the 2% milk (be prepared for a slight coconutty taste) and a really nice vegan butter brand in place of the butter in the sugar cream pie recipe.
