What Is a Vinegar Pie? Info and a Recipe
About Vinegar Pies and Recipes
As someone who will eat any kind of pie, the idea of a vinegar pie doesn't shock me at all. However, depending on where you live, it may be unheard of. In New York and Chicago, we are familiar with bean pies, which still shocks a few people. Even sweet potato pies are unknown to people without Southern roots.
- So then what is a vinegar pie? When you think about it, one of the most popular pies is the traditional 'mom and apple pie' pie. And vinegar, rather apple cider vinegar (ACV), is made from apples. A vinegar pie has a bit of vinegar to give it that nice tart apple taste.
- What is the history? Vinegar was used in flavoring pies since the 19th century in the North and Midwest. It provided a tart flavor for desserts when fruits like apples and lemons were not available. It seems to have been popular in Kansas.
- Any recipes? I asked a friend for her recipe and a photo and she is, like many great bakers, one who says, "just throw in a pinch of this and some of that," and it is perfect every time.
There are what seems to be hundreds of recipes on the internet, some with lots of spices - like nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamon, others with raisins or lemon and brown sugar instead of white. Some very early recipes did not have eggs.
The recipe variations are quite different and have expanded greatly from the original simple pie which was probably made with the simplest ingredients available. So I will list the most basic one:
Recipe for Vinegar Pie
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 organic eggs, lightly beaten
- 5 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
Instructions for Vinegar Pie
- Combine sugar and flour
- Add all other ingredients
- Cook in a saucepan until thick
- pour into your prepared pie crust
- Bake in a 375-degree oven until the crust is brown/ about 20 minutes until the center is set
Note: Some people like to put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
Questions & Answers
Comments
Vinegar pie was common in the lumber camps of old. Fresh lemons were non-existent so they substituted vinegar. I first tasted it when an old lumberjack neighbor made it. He has cooked in the lumber camps of Upper Michigan.
My mother made vinegar pie every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The name doesn't sound god but the taste is and I still. make it every year
Wow. I'd never heard of vinegar pie, but I can totally picture this. It makes sense in the context of a shortage of affordable fresh fruit, just like thrifty home cooks came up with mock apple pie make with saltine crackers for filling!
I love Vinegar Pie. My dad learned how to make it from his mom. He was born in 1914 in New Mexico. His mom came from Kentucky. Their recipe is almost the same as yours, except instead of putting it in a pie crust, you pour the cooked mixture over a dish full of torn up stale bread, biscuits or rolls. The texture of the bread is so great once the custard soaks in. It's not a healthy dish, but it is historic and delicious!
This pie sounds very interesting and very good. Sounds like something my grandmother would have made. Voted Up and more.
It's been forever since someone commented on here. I love pie and weird pies are so much fun to make! I know when I mention to my boyfriend, Vinegar Pie, he is going to be hesitant to try....maybe I won't tell him the ingredients.... Lol! I know he was weirded out when I mentioned Love Apple Pie, made with ketchup!
Great information and recipe. Thanks
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Hi BkCreative, this is very interesting. I had never heard of the vinegar pie before. Thanks for sharing the information. Rated up;-)
We are having friends in from the US in a couple of weeks to stay with us. We will have a dinner for them to meet people. I think this will be perfect for dessert. I look forward to seeing faces as I say, this is vinegar pie. Thank you BK for such an unusual dish.
Lord Bryan
I've heard of (and love) sweet potato pie, but I've never heard of vinegar pie! Must have an interesting taste ... I never would have thought...
wow, sounds tantalizing.
Hi again Carolyn, Nice one, interesting. It is categorized as weird but seems nice alright! Thank you for the recipe! Maita
I had never heard of this. But it makes sense. My biggest complaint about many fruit pies is to often they are over sweetened. All you can taste is the sugar, I want to taste the fruit, the tartness,...this might be right up my alley.
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Wow what a combination of sweet and sour ,Vinegar itself has lot of benefits .So nice stuff.
My darling mother, who grew up in the upper midwest and graduated from the Univ. of Chicago, knew I loved her vinegar pie and vinegar dumplings. I don't have HER recipes for them however. But I'm just pleased that anyone else has even heard of the genre!!
Wow, vinegar pie? I love pies and I look forward to one day tasting that kind of pie. Thank you!
The sweet and sour taste of this pie makes it interesting. We've made like this pie onboard ship. You can also call it apple cider pie. Our Greek master like it that he usually ordered repeats of the dessert.
Thanks, BkCreative.
I never heard about vinegar pie. That's must be a healthy pie and absolutely delicious. Thanks for share with us. I'll show this to my mom. Vote this up.
Prasetio
I have actually heard of vinegar pie but have never tasted a piece. Speaking of unusual pies...many years ago there was a mock apple pie recipe that was going around that used Ritz crackers in place of real apples and the pie actually tasted and looked like an apple pie once baked. I can vouch for the taste of that although it was many, many years ago. Thanks for an interesting hub.
Nice! I've not heard of vinegar pie. I may try this. Probably if I get near one. Thanks again!
I will have to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe
I like apple cider vinegar and this recipe sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing it. Have a great weekend!
I don't care for ACV but love balsamic - can I substitute?
I am fixing your fantastic recipe as we speak!! so easy smells good but my yankee hubby is still skeptical/wait till its gone in three minutes I bet!! have you tried my outhern version chess pie yet? its good too...thank you for this recipe I added it to my favorites! barbara b
Wow, I will definitely try this pie one day! I'm a firm believer in the benefits of apple cider vinegar for health and how it makes so many recipes taste even better. I'm sure this is just another wonderful thing it can do!
I have to say that your title had me guessing about a vinegar pie. My grandma baked a lot of pies, and like the traditional farm picture, often had a fruit pie sitting on the window sill to cool off. None of them were vinegar, though. This looks so much like pumpkin pie, though, that I'll have to save it for my treat night once a week - Thanks!
WOW!!! Very different! I like different! lol I am going to make this and don't tell anyone what it is. lol, Blessings! Come visit me when you get a chance.
It sounds fantastic to me, I had many very good pies while in the south, chess pie was one and I think I may have had this and as I recall it was unforgetable. Thanks for the great read and recipe for vinegar pie. I believe apple cider vinegar is the end all to end all!
Daily ACV drinker chiming in! Never had it in pie form though. If I were a baker... :)
I tell you BkCreative....you always come up with the most interesting things. Vinegar Pie - who knew? I do like vinegar, so I will have to try this one out.
I would probably love this as I love all things vinegar. I'll definitely try it!
I've heard of a lot of unusual dishes before, but never vinegar pie. I might have to try it someday! Thank you.
I've made this several times, and it's delish! Thumbs up!
great recipe for just a few ingredients and reminds this ALA girl of chess pie!! I will bookmark it cause nothing is better than a nice dessert without a lot of effort!!great article too well put together thank you for this new recipe!
Your vinegar pie recipe certainly sounds interesting.
I love pies with a hint of tartness - but I would never have imagined a vinegar pie! So I'm going to try that recipe in the next couple of days and let you know. I'm a big ACV fan - have it everyday with hot water and honey so I know I'm going to love this. My husband and daughter though - not quite sure :)
Well...who has ever heard of a vinegar pie? I mean, it only makes sense...it is good for everything else! lol I am going to have to try this!!!
I've never heard of one or made it - that is shocking! What kind of pie do you think it 'most' resembles in flavor? Would it be like a custard or something along those lines? I will have to give it a whirl!
Vinegar Pie. Interesting. I'd try anything once or twice. We like to entertain and this would certainly be a talking point. I've copied the recipe and it's for my next dinner party. Thanks for this.
Lord Bryan
Thanks BK, I will give it a try. Thank you for sharing it. Godspeed. creativeone59
Vinegar pie has been added to my recipe file!!!!. Being from the North East, I myself had never heard of sweet potato pie. I am now a huge fan.
I never knock any pie recipe from a part of the country where I have never lived. Before refrigeration, you had to use what grew local.
Hmm, bean pie, sounds interesting.
I'd heard of vinegar pie, but the name was never appealing enough to even think about making it, and I know no one who does. But the ingredients are so simple--things you probably have around the house all the time--that I absolutely have to give it a try.
Wow..I have never heard of it until now..Thanks.
Thank you for sharing this unusual recipe but it sounds great. Must try.
I love apples and I love tart tastes, I think I would like this apple cider vinegar pie as well. Thanks for the history and the recipe!
Lucky for my waistline, I don't eat pies of any kind -- don't like them. I think the worst thing I ever heard of is a French/Canadian sugar pie. Euw!
Still, an interesting thought. Lynda
This is a great hub, I have always used apple cider vinegar but mostly in salads that I have quite often but I probably need more. I tried it in water with honey and that didn't work too well, I drink apple cider quite often I may try adding a tablespoon or two to that. I wonder if there are in benefits left if baked in a pie? I am going to have to take a vinegar thinking break one day and think just what could I have it in to get isn't it 4 tbls a day you need? I will look into that for the face later too. Good job here. We may find the fountain of youth yet. Well I am off to yard sales (my little Saturday treasure hunt, will check back later. Polly
Vinegar has so many uses. Your explanation that it helps flavor the pie makes sense to me.
Like Paradise commented, Vinegar pie???? :::insert wide eyes::::: :) I bet its healthy. Thanks for introducing us to an unusual recipe.
Vinegar pie??? I had to check this out. Seems more like apple pie without the apples, which could be OK after all. Thanks for an unusual recipe, BK.
Oooooh... I just love this idea since I am after all, obsessed with apple cider vinegar. I must figure out how to transform this to a vegan recipe. I am going to link this to my apple cider vinegar hubs for sure!!
Not long ago while visiting an uncle of mine, he and my mom were talking about how my grandmother loved to make pies. If no fruit or berries were in season she would sometimes make a vinegar pie. This was the first time I ever heard of vinegar pie and now here on hub pages it appears. thanks for sharing this recipe, I must get my wife to make us one soon.
Hmmm...interesting, but not very healthy..what with all that sugar, and the cholesterol from 4 eggs.
Still..it's not like you're gonna have it every week, are ya?
Nice pie, BK.
Love vinegar pie, the simpler the better. I prefer it without the raisins too and under the broiler seems to make it a bit firmer. Otherwise it can be custardy.
Thanks for all those vinegar links. I'll check it out and the weird pies.
Rated up!
Sounds interesting and unusual. I wonder how sour or sweet this would be.
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