Amish Raisin Cream Pie Recipe
Perhaps you’ve never had the privilege of tasting a slice of Amish raisin cream pie. So you may be feeling a bit skeptical and thinking, “Raisin pie? That doesn’t sound very appetizing.”
But let me assure you that raisin cream pie actually tastes much better than it sounds.
With plump juicy raisins encased in a sweetened, creamy, custard filling and topped with whipped cream, this old-school pie is incredible! The flavors and textures work well together. And I’ll take a slice of Amish raisin cream pie any day.
So unless you really hate raisins, do yourself a favor and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
This post contains affiliate links.
Old-Fashioned Raisin Pie (Raisin Pie History)
Chances are that your grandma made raisin pie sometime in her life since this pie has been around for generations. And traditionally, raisin pie was also called funeral pie.
Dating to the 18th century, German colonists in the early United States often brought raisin pie to funerals, giving it the nickname “funeral pie.” And the reason for this was very practical.
Before there was refrigeration, fresh fruits were not readily available. But since raisins have a long shelf life and are available year-round most homes had dried raisins on hand. And these dried fruits made a delicious pie filling no matter what time of year a funeral occurred.
Although, their recipe for homemade raisin pie was probably different than this creamy raisin pie. It would most likely have had a filling made with water, raisins, sugar, spices, etc., and topped with a second crust.
But honestly, I much prefer creamy Amish raisin pie.
One Crust Raisin Pie
This raisin pie is very easy and quick to make, especially if you already have a crust on hand. You can prebake a store-bought crust, or use my flaky pie crust recipe.
Pie crust is actually quite easy to make, and my recipe makes three nine-inch crusts. Although, I’ve also broken down the recipe for you, in case you want to make only one. But whenever I bake pies, I make three for our family. (You may need pie plates – affiliate link.)
Last week I prebaked three pie crusts and made one peanut butter cream pie, one Pennsylvania Dutch raisin cream pie, and one chocolate pie. They’re all amazing and never last long at our house.
And this recipe for raisin pie only uses one prebaked crust on the bottom. The top of the pie gets covered in sweetened whipped cream.
How to PreBake Pie Crust
A lot of people use weights when prebaking pie crust (tips on how to prebake a crust), but I’ve never used any.
I roll out my pie crusts, place them in the pans, and prick them all over with a fork. Then I place slightly smaller pie pans inside of my crusts (to keep the sides from collapsing) and bake them at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove the pie pans and continue baking the crusts until nicely browned (mine – in the photo above – got a little darker than I usually bake them).
Let me know in the comments below if you enjoy Amish raisin pie!
If You Love Amish Pies, You May Want to try More of My Pie Recipes…
Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie recipe
Amish Wet-Bottom Shoofly Pie recipe
Amish Raisin Cream Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. raisins
- 2 1/4 c. milk
- 3/4 c. brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp. cornstarch or clear jel
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 pre-baked 9" pie crust
Whipped Cream:
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the raisins to a small saucepan and cover with water. Boil for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and set the raisins aside.1 c. raisins
- Heat the milk in a large saucepan to the boiling point.2 1/4 c. milk
- In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the beaten eggs and whisk.3/4 c. brown sugar, 4 Tbsp. cornstarch or clear jel, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 large eggs
- Add about a cup of the hot milk to the sugar/egg mixture to temper it.
- Slowly, while whisking, pour the sugar/egg mixture into the hot milk and whisk constantly until it comes to a boil. (Be careful because when it comes to a boil it will bubble and splatter.)
- Remove from the heat and add the cooked raisins, butter, and vanilla. Mix and set aside to cool. (To prevent a skin from forming on the top, you can place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pudding.)1 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Once the pie mixture has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the baked pie shell and refrigerate for a couple of hours.1 pre-baked 9" pie crust
To make whipped cream:
- Add whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whip it until it is thickened.1 c. heavy whipping cream, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Spread over the top of the chilled pie filling before serving.
- Keep the pie refrigerated with a plastic wrap covering the filling. (I don't like to cover pies tightly, as the crust will get soggy faster.)