Old fashioned vinegar pie

Old fashioned vinegar pie is a depression-era recipe that uses a bit of creativity to turn pantry staples into something delicious. 

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Vinegar pie is something that many people may not have tried. It's a custard pie that has a bit of apple cider vinegar in the filling to provide a bit of tartness. 

This makes old fashioned vinegar pie an excellent pie to make when people didn't have fruit on hand. Since it's a depression-era recipe, it uses some pantry staples like flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. 

It's similar to a lemon pie, but instead of needing a fresh lemon to make the pie, you use apple cider vinegar. This makes the pie easy to make using things people would generally have in their homes, and is a frugal recipe as well. 

Vinegar pie has a lot of sugar in it, and that gives it a nice thin crunchy top layer. The inside is a custard filling with just a hint of flavor from the apple cider vinegar. I like to use a touch of nutmeg in the filling as well. 

When you make this pie, you need a single pie crust. You can use a store bought pie crust, or your favorite homemade pie crust recipe. 

My favorite all-butter pie crust recipe can be found in this post for apple crumb pie. This is the pie crust recipe I almost always use. 

Pie is a favorite dessert in our family, so there are many pie recipes on this blog. I like to try all sorts of different pie recipes like this vinegar pie.

The first time I made this recipe was many years ago for my husband's birthday dessert. We had several family members give it a try and no one could guess what the secret ingredient was in this custard pie, but everyone enjoyed it.

It's a great pie to give a try sometime when you are looking for a unique dessert recipe. See if anyone can guess what kind of pie it is when they give it a try.

I like to top this pie with some fresh raspberries or fresh blueberries. The pie is quite sweet, so things like whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are too sweet for topping this vinegar pie, in my opinion. 

The contrast of the sweet-tart berries are nice on the sweet pie. Sliced strawberries would also work well. You can simply serve it as is, too.

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Amy (Savory Moments)

Old-fashioned Vinegar Pie

Old fashioned vinegar pie is a depression-era recipe that uses a bit of creativity to turn pantry staples into something delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe for your favorite pie crust
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• berries, for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Fit your pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together all of the filling ingredients (butter through nutmeg) until smooth. Pour into the pie crust. Lightly rap the pie pan down onto the counter to remove as many bubbles as you can.
3. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue to bake until the top and crust are golden and the filling is set, about 25-35 minutes.
4. Let cool completely before slicing.
5. Serve topped with fresh raspberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries, if desired.

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This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated in 2023 with a recipe card, new text, and more to improve reader experience.

Check out these other old fashioned pie recipes:

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Pie

Old Fashioned Zucchini Pie

Old Fashioned Raisin Pie 

Shoofly Pie