This recipe for old-fashioned vinegar pie will make you feel like one of those hardy pioneer bakers who were able to make something delicious from almost nothing.
It is so good and easy to make! If you’re a fan of old-fashioned desperation pies, another favorite to try is a classic Indiana sugar cream pie.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my pie and tart recipes in one place. Thanks for stopping by!
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Watch my vinegar pie web story here.
Vinegar Pie, At a Glance
✔️Skill Level: Beginner
✔️Skills: Lining a pie tin with dough, whisking
✔️Type: Pie
✔️Number of Ingredients: 6
✔️Prep Time: 10 minutes
✔️Cook Time: 35 minutes
✔️Yield: 8 servings
Related Recipe: Pate Brisee
Jump Straight to the Recipe
Freaking awesome pie! Good thing Pioneer days included lots of hard manual labor or else everyone would have weighed 400 pounds if this was the pie of choice. Very rich, sweet and just satisfying. Going into my regular rotation of pies. Love old pie recipes and this one will be one that is turned to time and again.
Reader Scott
Pies in Time of Desperation
Sometimes, you just need something sweet. Something simple to throw together with a few pantry staples, something soul-satisfying and made with love. Sometimes you just need pie.
These days, most Americans are very fortunate to have ingredients handy to make fruit pies or chocolate pies whenever we feel like it, but back in the days before refrigeration, before huge supermarkets with all their bounty from all over the world, our pie-loving forebears had to be pretty creative in order to have pie in the dead of winter.
These pies relied on staples that were almost always available. Flour, butter from a cow, and water = pastry, and the fillings were based on other pantry stand-bys like:
- molasses (shoo fly pie)
- sorghum (sorghum pie)
- cream (sugar cream pie),
- cornmeal (chess pie and its variations like chocolate chess pie)
Eggs were almost always available because most people had chickens.
And there you had it: pie whenever you needed a sweet pick-me-up between the distant memory of bright crimson and golden leaves and the much longed-for buds of May.
If you know this is a pie you want to make, you can skip straight to the recipe.
But Vinegar Pie? Really?
I hear you. I mean, of all the desperation and “pioneer pies” I’ve ever heard of, old-fashioned vinegar pie seems to be the most desperate kind of pie, you know?
The pie is like an answer to a challenge.
Two pioneer women talking about what they could make out of nothing, and then one says to the other,
“Oh, yeah?! How ’bout you make a vinegar pie, Marjorie!”
And Marge pushes up her sleeves, adjusts her bonnet, tightens her apron strings and is all “Hold. My. Beer, Blanche.”
I think you’ll get over the weirdness once you realize the pie isn’t made mainly of vinegar. It’s not like a sliceable sweet and sour sauce.
The vinegar in this pie is used as a flavoring agent. Like vanilla. There’s just enough of it in the mix to bring a nice tartness to round out the sweetness.
It reads as a “lightly lemon pie,” not as a pie full of vinegar.
The rule “you catch more flies with honey (or in this case, sugar) than you do with vinegar” is still true.
Nobody is going to eat a pie that has a cup of vinegar in it, least of all me.
If you’d like to read a bit more about the history of vinegar pie, you can jump down to that section.
How to Make the Most Desperate of the Desperation Pies
Growing up in the UP, Michigan. The depression and snowed in for weeks this was a favorite recipe we loved. They baked from memory. So, I’ve tried so many times to be disappointed. This was it! The brown sugar was the key. Took me back to childhood! Perfection.
Pinner PJ
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make vinegar pie.
If you’re comfortable with making pie, you can jump straight to the recipe.
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- pie crust: feel free to make your own, or use frozen store-bought. I use pate brisee which is an all-butter crust.
- eggs: you can use 3 or 4. Using four eggs will give you a firmer, more easily sliceable set. If you use 3 eggs, your pie will be a bit softer and creamier. There is no wrong answer here–it all depends on your taste. But there are no substitutes here. You need the eggs.
- brown sugar: brown sugar provides sweetness and a bit of flavor from the molasses. You can use honey if you prefer, but just remember that this will add more liquid to the pie, so don’t go crazy with it. And in this case, I’d go with the four eggs.
- melted butter: adds richness, helps to carry flavor, and assists with browning. I give two amounts of butter. You can use more or less, depending upon your taste. Please note that the butter may seem to separate out of the pie and make the top look slick, but it will reabsorb as the pie cools.
- salt: brings out all the flavors and counteracts any bitterness you might get from the apple cider vinegar
- apple cider vinegar: provides the acidic flavoring of this pie so that it reads as almost a lemon pie. And yes, you could absolutely top this with meringue to make a “desperation lemon(ish) meringue pie.” Or just step into the modern world and make a lemon meringue tart.
Procedure
- Make a pie crust (optional. You can also buy one)
- Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, salt, butter, and apple cider vinegar together.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake.
For those of you who are thinking, “It can’t be this easy,” trust me. It is that easy.
Do I Need to Blind Bake?
Jenni Says: I am pretty sure the pioneers didn’t take time to parbake or blind bake their crusts, but to ensure browning on the bottom of the pie, you may want to do that. Here’s how to blind bake a pie crust.
I hope I’ve made my case for the tastiness of this pie.
As I said in the recipe, I used brown sugar rather than white. I figure a pie “seasoned” only with a bit of salt and vinegar (chips! No, not chips) might need the additional flavor of molasses.
Anyway, I hope you give it a try and that you enjoy it very much.
As unlikely as it sounds, I think this homey pie will win you over with how easy it is to make and how easy it is to eat!
Serving Suggestions
Vinegar pie is a simple pie and can stand on its own.
If you do want to serve it with something, stick with simple garnishes. A light dusting of powdered sugar would be welcome, or consider spooning on a bit of hand-whipped cream and maybe a handful of berries.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
My recipes are almost all written by weight, including liquids, unless otherwise specified.
For accuracy and consistency of results, I encourage you to buy–and use–a kitchen scale.
I promise that baking and cleanup will be so much quicker and easier.
This is the scale that I recommend for home use. I have owned and used one for years.
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
Love Vinegar Pie? Please Rate and Review. Thank you!
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Old-Fashioned Vinegar Pie Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 crust for a single crust pie your favorite recipe or store-bought
- 3-4 large eggs at room temperature (three will give you a softer set)
- 1 cup light brown sugar* packed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt I used Morton’s (yes, that much)
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 sticks**, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
For the Crust
- Line a 9″ pie pan (not deep dish) with your pastry. Crimp however you’d like.
- Line the crust with parchment or a large coffee filter and then fill it with beans or other weights. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.***
- Carefully remove lining and weights and set aside. Brush crust all over with egg wash (1 egg beaten well with a pinch of salt). Prick the bottom crust well with the tip of a sharp knife, and then bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the bottom of the pie crust looks dry. If the crust bubbles up at all with air pockets, carefully press them out.**
- Remove the crust from the oven and set aside. The crust will be pale. It’s okay, it will bake some more once you put the filling in.
For the Filling
- Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt until well combined and smooth.
- Drizzle in the melted butter while whisking constantly.
- Whisk in the apple cider vinegar.
- Pour into the crust and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pie is 165F. The filling will rise up and be nicely browned on the top. It will sink back to level as it cools.
- Remove pie from oven and cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled from the fridge. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
History of Vinegar Pie
Okay, so maybe my “hold my beer” scenario is pure fiction. Over on Instagram, I even wrote a one-act play about how vinegar pie was invented and featuring everyone’s favorite pioneers, Charles and Caroline Ingalls and their kids, Mary and Half-Pint. More fiction?
Well, according to Carissa from the blog Pretty Hungry, Laura Ingalls-Wilder wrote about this pie and a bunch of other crazy/awesome desperation pies her mom used to make in that little house on the prairie or in the big woods or wherever they were living at the time Charles would look over at her in January, and say, “Hey, hon? Make me a pie!”
It is my feeling that the history of vinegar pie is the same history as all the other desperation pies.
Someone, somewhere wanted pie.
And that someone decided they were going to make pie out of whatever was available.
I am not sure there was a single person that invented this pie.
It was probably a bunch of able and creative (and desperate) home bakers who all said something along the lines of “I have eggs, sugar, and vinegar. I’mma make a pie. Hold my beer.”
And that’s it, friends. I hope you give the pie a try, and I really hope you love it.
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Did you use 3 or 4 eggs? I will be making this for a pie lover and I do not bake very well!
I think you will prefer the texture with 3 eggs. Just whisk everything together and bake. I think you will end up with a Successful Pie! Enjoy!
Hi again! Thank you so much for the reply. One more question: If I use a store bought crust already in a tin pan, can I still “blind bake” it? The filling looks easy enough, but the crust scares me!
Yes, you can absolutely do that, Sally Ann. It’s a great time saver! I hope you guys enjoy!
Thank you so much for your answer! After some busy days I will certainly try again and let you know. But about the eggs. Did you beat the eggs very fluffy like for bisquit or just a little bit? Does it matter anyway? I thought that it was therefor so thick, that I didn´t beat the eggs correctly.
Thanks a lot for your help!
With very best cooking regards
Ruth
Glad I could help! No, everything is just whisked together until smooth, so you don’t have to beat the eggs like for meringue or sponge cake. Let me know how round 2 goes when you have the chance!
Thanks for this very exciting recipe. I tried it also, but I am sure that I overbaked it. Tasted well, but looked like an omelette. I also added 3 tablespoons of flour, but I read again and no flour was needed. But in what temperature you put it in the oven. I tried 170 degrees celsius for about 25 minutes. Today I am sure, temperature was too high. I will like to try again and not fail .
Thanks for your nice page and comments
With best regards
Ruth
Hi, Ruth! I’m glad you tried the pie and that you liked it enough that you want to give it another go. The recipe calls for 350F, so 170C was a good starting place. Maybe knock it back to 160-165C and keep an eye on it. I also like to check for doneness with an instant read thermometer. For a custard pie like this, you’ll shoot for 72-73C in the center. Mine took 35 minutes to bake. If you think it is browning too much on top, loosely cover the top with some foil. Please let me know how your second guy turns out, and thank you so much for leaving a comment. It’s nice to get feedback and I’m always happy to help by answering questions!
A little more background on vinegar pie. Back then when lemons were hard to come by in rural Virginia and West Virginia, cooks would tap the acidic qualities of vinegar to create a nearly perfect citrus substitute. So we applaud their ingenuity and culinary skill. It certainly is a delicious “desperation” pie.
I knew that it read as lemon. I’m impressed they were able to come up with it by design and not only out of desperation for pie! Thanks for filling in some blanks, Ely!
Even more curious than I am about the Vinegar Pie, which I’ve heard about for years, I’m trying to figure out where this obsession of the wife always having a beer in her hands. Truthfully, that is just about the LAST thing should would have had. Despite what they show on old western television programs and John Wayne movies, women, NOT even prostitute or “ladies of the evening” were allowed in saloons. Pioneer women didn’t sit at home wasting resources making home brew or even homemade wine. Unless you’re talking the VERY back hills of Kentucky, Tennessee and probably West Virginia, who are not pioneer women, these are the prairies of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, and moving west as the decades rolled along. Making moonshine and homemade liquor was not a thing for these families. Most, believe it or not were very religious , far far more than people today. These folks didn’t have much to base hope on and God and religion was one of the few things they did. Oh sure, there may be an odd scattering of people who did, but it was not the norm. So I’m really baffled at where you get this picture of these women, trying to feed a family and make a life with little or nothing sitting around knocking back beers.
It is in no way based in fact, Pamela. The image of a pioneer woman drinking a beer and asking her friend to hold it a visual joke. The term “hold my beer” is similar to “just watch me,” and in no way was meant to indicate these women actually drank any sort of alcohol, let alone beer. The pie is wonderful, regardless of whether you drink or not. I hope you enjoy it!
Pioneers, both the religious and the nones, did make beer, wine and liquor and pioneer women imbibed. Children were offered small sips. Alcohol, the making and consumption of (not to mention other mind altering substances), is an integral part of the history of humankind including the pioneers.
Calm down Pamela.
Believe it or not but my family was pioneers from Virginia who came to the back hills of Kentucky as you call it. Home brew has been around forever and it was kept around for medicinal use not only for drinking. I don’t know where you got your information but way out west there were women who worked in saloons but they weren’t prostitues.
Uuummmmm……you are much mistaken, madam.
Well that was a long “Shame on you” response. Hopefully my response will be short. I think you have made a mountain out of a mole hill. Is that pioneer enough? The shame is on you for making the EXPRESSION “Hold my beer” an abomination for a recipe. Really? When a person is graciously offer something to you, like a recipe. Maybe a Thank You would be more appropriate. Thank you.
Actually, since before the middle ages beer and ale were the preferred drink of choice for all classes, and with notable the exception of Islam, by all religions. The water was dirty and unsafe to drink. Turning it into some sort of alcohol made it safe to drink.
Yup! Enjoy the pie. ❤️
I have always wanted to make this pie and today may be the day! I have all the ingredients on hand and some extra time this afternoon set aside for pie baking. Thanks for the delicious recipe. I’m excited!!
I’m so excited you’ll be making this, Renee! Enjoy it!
We have a restaurant that makes Honey Vinegar pie. What would you recommend to try and imitate that recipe? Looking forward to trying your recipe too!
I love the sound of that! Honey can be a pretty strong flavor, so maybe start by subbing in honey for maybe 1/3 of the brown sugar and go from there. You could also try asking the restaurant. They might share their recipe with you! Let me know how your experimentation goes, and I hope you enjoy it!
Can white vinegar be used in place of apple cider vinegar?
The original recipe was most likely made with old-school apple cider vinegar made at home and tasting much more of apple than today’s versions. I think plain white vinegar is too sharp for this recipe. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, maybe use a mixture of white vinegar and lemon juice. Let me know how it goes–hope you enjoy the pie, Jo!
Thank you so much for your response! I have vinegar pie before but I’m visiting my sister and she hadn’t even heard of it so I’m hoping I don’t ruin it.
I hope it turns out well–so nice of you to treat your sister, Jo!
I am never one to leave a recipe as it is written. I decided to experiment a bit. I peeled and chopped an apple, tossed it with a little flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I put it in the pie shell before adding the filling. The pie, while probably great without this, was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I am with you on rarely following a recipe as written. Your apple spin sounds fantastic–thanks for sharing it, Heidi!
Hi!! If I use maple syrup instead of brown sugar how much should I use?
Hi, Tammie. I love the idea of using maple syrup! The general rule is to use 2/3 cup of maple syrup to replace 1 cup of granulated or brown sugar. To make up for the extra liquid, use 3 eggs and a yolk rather than 4 eggs, and watch it carefully so it doesn’t cook too quickly. Please let me know how it turns out. I imagine the flavor will be great!
In the old south, we call this pie “Chess Pie”.
Here in NC, chess pie has cornmeal in it, but there is no doubt it’s almost the same thing. A pie by any other name is still delicious! 🙂
I made your pie recipe tonight. Vinegar pie is pretty much my favorite pie and I was surprised and excited to see it was so easy. But, maybe I messed up? The butter kind of separated out.
Aw, boo, Melissa. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you as well as you would’ve liked. It’s hard to say what could’ve happened since the method is so straightforward, but I will make a note in the recipe that it happened to you. It would be totally acceptable to cut back on the butter just a touch, especially if you liked the flavor of the pie in general.
I was just re-reading “Little House in the Big Woods” and came across vinegar pie. Curiosity led me to your helpful article and recipe! Can’t wait to try this!
I love all those books! You’re going to make me want to re-read as well! The pie is really good, and very easy to make. Enjoy!
What a great post! Love your sense of humor – you started my day with a laugh! ….and the pie sounds yummy. I looking forward to trying this one soon. With so many flavored vinegars available these days, it makes me wonder about the possibilities….
I’ll be sure to look at your other posts now that I’ve “found” you!
Hi, Judy, and welcome! Glad you found me! Enjoy all the vinegar pies, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have questions or anything. [email protected] or on facebook https://www.facebook.com/PastryChefOnline or https://www.facebook.com/groups/PCOFearlessKitchenFun
Wonderful post! You always make it look so easy. FYI, you are correct in assuming that brown sugar would have been the sugar of choice in the pioneering days. It wasn’t until the late 1880s that white sugar became a preferred thing. A note on vinegar: back then vinegar was used as a seasoning for all sorts of desserts. It was sweeter and usually tasted of the ingredient it was made from (like balsamic). Apple cider vinegar was the most common. And now I need to make my own vinegar pie!
Thanks for the confirmation on the brown sugar, and on the vinegar info. I imagine it was also more concentrated, flavor-wise, since many vinegars are now diluted to a certain percent? Now, get thee to the kitchen and make a vinegar pie, Gina! 🙂
Prior to the 1880s, where granulated sugar was called for, the sugar used depended on the region of the country in which the baker lived. In New England and the northern Midwest, the availability of sugar maples and appropriate tapping weather made maple sugar less expensive than refined, white cane sugar. In the South, unrefined cane sugar was generally used day-to-day. White table sugar was more widely available at lower cost by the 1880s, because 50% of global supply came from sugar beets.
A note on brown sugar: if you’re aiming for an authentic 19th century flavor, consider using muscovado, demerarra, piloncillo, or even unrefined evaporated cane juice crystals. Commercially available brown sugar is currently made by spraying molasses onto refined white sugar (to avoid uneven coloration).
All of that said, this recipe made a really nice pie.
Glad you enjoyed it! Sometimes I will add a touch more molasses along with brown sugar for a more “old fashioned” or authentic taste. I need to give it a shot with maple–I imagine that’s delicious!
What about molasses? Would that have been common? Would it work in this recipe do you think? I just stumbled upon this but now I want to make a shoo-fly pie…
Hey, K, and yes, molasses would’ve been very common. The shoo fly pie I link to in the post is incredibly good, if I do say so myself. I think it would work in this recipe, but if you’re going to use molasses as the sweetener, you may as well go all in with the crumbs on top, too! Enjoy!
Jenni, what a lovely pie! Simple and easy and I so appreciate the history and information you share. We can’t wait to make this one.
Yay! I hope you guys enjoy it–the minis can totally help. That is how easy it is to make!
Am diabetic,and on low fat ,how can I have pie?
Let me direct you to the wonderful blog All Day I Dream About Food. Carolyn is diabetic and has all sorts of keto/diabetic-friendly desserts, and I’m sure that includes pies! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/