Vinegar Pie

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water, 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edges.
2. Whisk the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Pour the filling into the crust.
4. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles only slightly when the pan is nudged.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing.

The Tale of Vinegar Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Vinegar pie is a classic 'desperation pie.' The earliest printed recipe found so far is from an 1855 American housekeeping manual, so the pie predates the Great Depression by decades. It is often said that cooks used vinegar, sweetened with sugar and set with butter and eggs into a custard, as a stand-in for lemons when fresh lemons were scarce or expensive. The pie remained a cheap standby in Southern and Appalachian kitchens, including many African American households, into the 20th century, and cider-vinegar versions were sometimes compared to apple pie. Its exact origins are not well documented.