Sugar Cream Pie
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Sugar Cream Pie is my favorite no-fail vintage recipe! This Midwestern specialty has a creamy egg-free custard filling topped with cinnamon in a flaky pie crust.
This egg-free custard pie is a regional treat, like buckeye balls. It’s simply sugar, cornstarch, butter, vanilla extract, and milk.
What is Sugar Cream Pie?
Also known as Hoosier Cream Pie, this is an Indiana specialty!
I had never heard of one until I met Andy. We both started our lives in the Midwest — he was born in Indiana, I was born in Illinois.
Even though Illinois and Indiana are so close to each other, this pie calls Indiana home, and most folks across the border (like me!) have never heard of it.
It’s a basic custard pie, made with cream, butter, vanilla, and no eggs! It’s the most simple comfort food that looks complicated.
Ingredients
- Whole milk
- Cubed butter — I use salted butter in all of my cooking and baking. If you choose to use unsalted butter, you will need to add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the filling.
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Pie crust
Many traditional recipes are topped with nutmeg. We don’t care much for much nutmeg, so we use cinnamon. Make sure you garnish with cinnamon or nutmeg before it sets to make it stick to the Sugar Cream Pie.
How to Make Sugar Cream Pie
- First, blind bake your crust. This keeps it from getting a soggy bottom!
- Then, mix the milk, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla together in a saucepan over medium low, stirring until it is thick and bubbly.
- Now, add the cubed butter and keep stirring until it’s melted. Boil for a minute more to incorporate all the butter, and add it to your baked crust. Use your leftover filling for a pudding or custard!
- Finally, sprinkle the no-bake Sugar Cream Pie with cinnamon and refrigerate until its set.
Anytime I have tried a traditional baked recipe, it has been runny. It also makes the edges rubbery and hard to cut.
Now, I use a cornstarch version I have played with over the years. This variation has not let me down in nearly 10 years.
This one is a certified no-fail recipe by me! Even the most beginner cooks should have no trouble with this one.
Why is my Sugar Cream Pie Runny?
When a Sugar Cream Pie filling gets too warm, either during mixing or baking, it won’t set and gets super runny.
I skip the baking at the end because of this! It does more harm than good, and everything is cooked, anyway.
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Be sure to let the custard pie set at least a few hours in the fridge, or even overnight. Cold custard is firmer than warm, so this isn’t a dessert to eat as soon as it’s assembled.
Sugar Cream Pie Tips
Pie Crust
I make my Sugar Cream Pie recipe with a regular pastry crust. Nothing fancy here.
I use a pre-made deep-dish pie crust for this recipe and all of my pie recipes. Pie crust is truly my kitchen demon!
A deep-dish pie crust is preferred. If you use a regular size pie crust, cut the filling recipe by about 1/3. Or you could keep it the same and pour the extra into a bowl for later. That’s what I do with all my cream pie leftovers!
Seasoned cooking veterans can turn this one up a notch by adding a homemade pie crust! The texture and flavor of this pie will have everyone believing it was harder to make than it really was.
What Kind of Dairy is Best for a Sugar Cream Pie?
The whole milk called for in this pie is easily interchangeable. I’ve also used skim milk, half & half, almond milk, and soy milk have all been used successfully.
You could even use heavy cream! I suspect the pie will be very rich, though.
MORE AMAZING PIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Butterscotch Meringue Pie
- Chess Pie
- Pie Crust Cookies
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Pina Colada Pie
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Sugar Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 12 tablespoons Butter cut into chunks
- 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon for sprinkling
- 1 Deep-Dish Pie Crust blind baked
Instructions
- If your pie crust hasn't been baked, blind bake the crust according to package or recipe directions.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix milk, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Whisk together until no lumps remain.
- Heat over medium low heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbling.
- Add butter and stir until melted.
- Boil for another minute or so.
- Pour into pie crust.
- There will be extra filling, pour it into a bowl for later, it makes a great pudding/custard.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of filling are bubbly. Optional, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
- Refrigerate until cold and set. Cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller is a food journalist, CEO of Pear Tree Kitchen, and co-creator of Food Blogger Help. She also has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a registered nurse licensed in the State of Oklahoma. When she has free time between writing, blogging, and cooking, she can be found volunteering as an RN with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps.
I’m so upset… I made this pie a few times with no issues and absolutely loved it but the last few times I’ve tried it will not “thicken and bubble” for love nor money. I tried adding more cornstarch this time, as I saw in one of the comments, but still after over three hours of stirring over medium low heat it would not bubble. It did thicken enough to coat the back of the spoon so I went ahead and added the butter. I have no clue if it will set up. Feels like crap failing at a “no fail” recipe.
Hi Sarah!
I’m sorry to hear you are having difficulty all of a sudden. You shouldn’t feel bad failing at a no-fail recipe, I made one for my husband not long ago, he didn’t want to wait and cut into it and it was like very loose pudding. Did you change brands of cornstarch by any chance? You might need to turn up your heat a little bit, the filling ingredients are just milk, sugar, and cornstarch, even without enough cornstarch that should have been beyond bubbling after 3 hours. The amount of butter called for should also help set the filling as it cools back down. I’d love to help you troubleshoot.
I’m still using the same brand of cornstarch maybe I need to find better quality.. I had tried to double the recipe in a bigger pot so maybe that’s why it never thickened. I don’t know, I’m going to try again tomorrow and just do a single batch in the bigger pot and see if that helps… I’m just disappointed because I love this pie so much
Hi Sarah!
My family is here visiting, so I was talking about this problem with my daughter-in-law. She was wondering if you had tried to double it. If you want to do double, you may just need to turn your heat up to medium or even medium high to heat up that much filling at once. I’d love to hear back from you after you try a single batch again. I don’t like hearing when people have wasted ingredients on one of my recipes. Groceries have gotten far to expensive for all of that!
Update: I did the single batch tonight, only took a little over an hour to thicken and bubble! I added a bit more cornstarch like before and turned the heat up closer to medium. I could have cried happy tears when I saw the bubble! I love this pie so much and I can’t wait to eat it! I will have to play around with it and see if I can successfully double the recipe because I love making them for my friends! Thanks for your help!
I am so happy to hear that it was successful as a single batch! Thanks for taking time out to swing back through to let me know!
Happy Holidays!
Does this recipe work with almond milk?
Hi Susanne!
This recipe should work with any kind of milk or cream. The cornstarch should thicken this pie without an issue.
Cheers!
I almost never leave comments or reviews but today I am making my review on this. I am not going to lie, I did not make the pie because once I made the filling, I tasted it and ended up putting some in a bowl and added some fresh fruit and ate it like I have not eaten in years. I am sure it would have made a great pie but it did not make it to a pie this time, trust me I will be doing this again and maybe it will be a pie. This deserves a perfect five stars! Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe.
Hi Sara!
Thanks for coming back and letting me know how much you liked this pie filling! I always put the extra filling in a bowl and eat it without a crust. Happy to know I am not the only one!!
I have made this pie over and over again a fb it is amazing. I had two batches that did not set up all the way and now I am nervous to make it again. I did not any ingredients or the way I made it so I can’t figure it out. Help please I need this deliciousness again!
Hi Maggie!
It could just be the quality of ingredients have declined recently (even as grocery prices soar). You could try adding an additional tablespoon of cornstarch. I made this pie yesterday and used a heaping 1/3 cup of cornstarch because I’ve had to use more lately to thicken gravy and sauces. Hope this helps!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Hi Kimberly!
I use salted butter.
Cheers!
The best sugar cream pie ever!!
Hi Janet!
Glad to hear you liked it! It’s one of our favorite pies.
Happy Holidays!
Hi Sharon!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I am in Southern Indiana and have never made a sugar cream pie. This is the recipe I chose to try of all the ones I found in my google search. Cannot wait to make it this evening !
Hi Brandi!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Be safe and well!
My brother lives in Winchester Ind and is part of the cleaning crew at Mrs. Wicks factory.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve never had Mrs. Wick’s pie but I hear they are delicious!
Cheers!
I used egg nog instead of milk. I Was delicious
Hi Stella!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing! That was a brilliant idea! No-fail eggnog pie!
Merry Christmas!
Awesome idea!
I used two cups heavy cream one cup two percent milk. With a phyllo cinnamon sugar crust. Was amazing thank you so much for recipe
Hi Kim!
Thanks for sharing! Using phyllo dough for a crust was an awesome idea, I bet that combination was divine!
Cheers!
Does the pie need to cool before placing it in the refrigerator?
Hi Bethany!
Great question! It can be put into the refrigerator as soon as it is done! That’s what I do so we can eat it sooner. I always clear a shelf so the pie isn’t touching anything else. Hope this helps!
Beth
Do you also cover the pie when you put in the refrigerator?
Hi Becky!
I don’t cover my sugar cream pie. If I were going to, I would wait until it has cooled and set. This one will form a skin on the top and that’s what you want. Hope this helps,
Cheers!
Use to buy a Redwood inn in Crawfordsville Ind fantastic but was sure they had a Meringue on it maybe it was whipping cream can’t remember for sure so many years ago do you know
Hi Joyce!
I’m not sure what they would have had on top of the pie, I have only ever seen it with nutmeg or cinnamon on top. Fun story, we had a Redwood Inn in my hometown too! They didn’t serve Sugar Cream Pie though, it was in Illinois.
Cheers!
I made this pie last week and topped it with homemade whipped cream when it was cooled.Easy and absolutely delicious, thank you.
Hi Danny!
Thanks for stopping by and letting us know how it turned out! Great idea adding whipped cream – going to try that next time I make it.
Cheers!
I am from Illinois and we always had Wicks Sugar Cream Pie for Christmas….our IGA always carried it!!! 🙂
Hi Cindy! Thanks for stopping by and sharing! Sometimes I think we lived in a bubble in Kankakee! Cheers!
Hi Beth
This looks amazing. I was wondering if you could sprinkle toasted coconut on top. My husband loves coconut custard pie which I don’t have luck with. Maybe I could trick him into believing ….? XXXOOO
Hi Jeanne!
You could sprinkle some on top without a problem. You could probably even get away with putting some into the filling once it was cooked. It won’t have the same consistency as a coconut cream pie, bit I’ll bet it would be delicious!
Hope this helps!
I have used this recipe but with 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream . It is delicious
Hi Sonya!
Thanks for stopping by and letting us know that it works well with heavy cream!
Stay Safe!
I’m so happy to find this recipe! I was born and raised in Richmond, Indiana. We always got our sugar cream pies from Mrs. Wicks in Winchester. I’ve moved across the country a few times and the holidays never seem complete without this pie. I’ll be making it for myself this year, baked with nutmeg and cinnamon! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Lacey!
So happy to see someone from my husband’s hometown visiting the blog!
I’ll have to ask my in-laws about Mrs. Wicks. I hope you enjoy the pies!
Cheers!
I was looking for a “Chess Pie” recipe when I stumbled across this one. It was super easy, and turned out really well! The texture and flavor is really similar to these. Thanks! It’ll be a staple for us – everybody at our family gathering just loved it.
Hi Rebecca!
Thanks for stopping by! So glad your family enjoyed this pie!
This pie was a staple of farm wife’s in Ohio and Indiana. All ingredients were available as most had milk cows and the rest was staples. My Grandma used what we would call whipping cream for hers. She used nutmeg sprinkled on top . I would not use less than 2% milk but have used evaporated milk which turned out well. We could not wait for Christmas as she always made this pie for us.
Can this recipe be made with skim milk and turn out favorably?
Thank you!
Deena
Hi Deena!
This recipe will work with skim milk. I have made it with 2% milk without any issues or changes to the texture.
Hope you enjoy this pie as much as we do!
Beth