When I first tasted this creamy blueberry pie, I was surprised to discover it wasn’t just blueberries creating that perfect balance of sweet and tart—the secret ingredient was apples! This restaurant-inspired recipe captures the essence of Marie Callender’s famous Sour Cream Blueberry Pie, where tangy sour cream custard meets a perfectly balanced blueberry-apple filling. The addition of diced apples provides texture and cuts through the sweetness of the blueberries, creating a sophisticated flavor profile that’s perfect for summer gatherings or special occasions.
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Table of Contents
Blueberry pie with sour cream custard topping
This pie achieves its distinctive flavor through the perfect balance of sweet blueberries and tart apples, complemented by a tangy sour cream topping. The cornstarch and natural pectin from the apples work together to create the ideal texture—firm enough to hold its shape when sliced but still deliciously juicy. The sour cream custard topping, stabilized with gelatin, provides a sophisticated contrast to the sweet berry filling, making this dessert uniquely satisfying and reminiscent of the restaurant favorite that inspired it.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to make the pie:
- Baked pie shell – Provides the crisp, flaky foundation for the creamy filling
- Canned blueberries in heavy syrup – Delivers consistent sweetness and texture throughout the year
- Apple – Adds texture, natural pectin for thickening, and balances the sweetness of the berries
- Salt – Enhances and balances all flavors throughout the pie
- Cornstarch – Creates the perfect thickness for the blueberry filling
- Sugar – Provides sweetness that complements the tart components
- Lemon juice – Adds brightness and acidity that intensifies the fruit flavors
- Cinnamon – Contributes warm spice notes that enhance both the apples and berries
- Sour cream – Creates the signature tangy topping that defines this pie
- Vanilla – Adds depth and aromatic sweetness to the custard layer
- Cream cheese – Stabilizes the topping and adds richness
- Knox Gelatin – Ensures the sour cream topping sets properly without becoming runny
Why canned blueberries? Aren’t fresh blueberries better?
Fresh blueberries are great for snacking or using in a traditional blueberry pie, but in this recipe, they won’t work. If you are not the type of person who has a stash of canned blueberries in your pantry, you will have to pick some up from the store. Look for a brand like Oregon Specialty Fruit that comes in a heavy syrup. A thicker syrup will help to ensure a firmer pie filling.
Don’t worry too much about the sweetness of the canned blueberries in heavy syrup. The apples you use will help reduce the overall sweetness of the filling.
How to make sour cream blueberry pie
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine diced apples with water, sugar, and salt at medium temperature until the apples are done but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
- While apples are cooking, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and dissolve cornstarch.
- When apples are done, add lemon juice and berry juice. Cook and stir until blended.
- While stirring on medium heat, add dissolved cornstarch slowly and stir constantly until thickened.
- Add berries and cinnamon mix through. Remove from heat and cool before placing the filling into the cooled prepared pie shell.
- Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Dissolve gelatin in 2 tablespoons of water and set aside.
- Mix sour cream, sugar, cream cheese, and a dash of salt in a pan over low heat until sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed thoroughly.
- Stir and watch that mixture does not burn or dry out. When all is smooth and blended, add vanilla and stir.
- Gradually add gelatin until the mixture has a firm consistency of soft pudding, then remove from heat.
- Sour cream topping may be smoothed over blueberry filling while it is lukewarm.
- Refrigerate the pie until serving.
Tips For Making and Storing Blueberry Sour Cream Pie
Choose the right apples. The apples you choose can make a huge difference, not just in the flavor of the pie but also in the consistency. In addition to the corn starch, the pectin from the apples helps to thicken the pie filling. Green apples like Granny Smith have the most pectin and are tart. Less tart apples that still will hold up well when cooked include Jonagold and Honeycrisp.
Store the pie covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for two to three days in the fridge, although you may notice some liquid at the bottom of the pan after a day or two.
Love homemade desserts? Try these recipes
- Pineapple Angel Food Cake
- Olive Garden Tiramisu
- Peach Cobbler with Bisquick
- Chinese Almond Cookies
- Pistachio Pudding Cake
- White Chocolate Covered Oreos
- Jello and Cool Whip Layered Dessert
- Lemon Lush Recipe
- Cherry Turnover Recipe
More Blueberry Dessert Recipes
- Blueberry Cheesecake Pie
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Squares
- No Bake Blueberry Cream Pie
Be sure to take a look at more of my homemade dessert recipes and copycat favorites.
Marie Callender’s Blueberry Apple Pie with Sour Cream Custard
Ingredients
- 1 baked pie shell
Blueberry Pie Filling
- 15 ounces Blueberries in heavy syrup
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup Apple peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1/4 cup Water
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Sour Cream Topping
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cream Cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Knox Gelatin
- 2 tablespoon Cold Water
Instructions
Blueberry Pie Filling
- In a 2-quart saucepan combine diced apples with water, sugar, and salt at medium temperature until the apples are done but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
- While apples are cooking mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and dissolve cornstarch in a small bowl.
- When apples are done add lemon juice and berry juice. Cook and stir until blended. While stirring on medium heat, add dissolved cornstarch slowly and stir constantly until thickened.
- Add berries and cinnamon mix through. Remove from heat and cool before placing it into cooled prepared pie shell. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Sour Cream Topping
- Dissolve gelatin in 2 tablespoon water and set aside. Mix the sour cream, sugar, cream cheese, dash of salt in a pan warm on low heat until sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed thoroughly, stir and watch that mixture does not burn or dry out. When all is smooth and blended add vanilla and stir.Â
- Then gradually add gelatin until mixture has a firm consistency of soft pudding, remove from heat. Sour Cream topping may be smoothed over Blueberries while lukewarm and chill. Pie may be garnished with whipped cream.
This question is for anyone. I have a question about the apples. I don’t remember apple chunks being in the original, though I could be wrong. Are the apples added for flavor, or some other reason? Mine just showed white little chucks in the glaze.
So, this recipe was developed more than 30 years ago. If the restaurant has changed the recipe, I have not updated it. Marie Callendar’s pulled out of my area. I believe they added apple to the recipe to reduce the cost of the pie.
Cook time and total time are way off. Cooking the apples takes 10 minutes alone, then cook time for the gelatin and sour cream. Add cooling time for assembling properly and it took more like an hour and a half. Then it has to chill in the fridge so add time for that as well. The blueberry filling to cream topping is off. The blueberry filling filled most of the pie crust by itself; it should be closer to half and half of each. I’m giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because I am hoping that it at least tastes good after it chills.
Thank you for your feedback, I will review my timing. Did you use a deep dish pie, or a standard pie pan?
Is it possible to use fresh blueberries rather than canned? If so, what would be the recommendations on recipe change.
Jack, I think you would need to cook the blueberries down with some sliced apple or something to help thicken them. I would try something like 2 cups of fresh blueberries, a few tablespoons of sugar, and about half sliced apple to help make a thickened liquid. I have not tried this recipe, and the amounts may be a bit off, but that is what I would do.
As a previous Mare Callender’s Lead Line Cook and Asst Manager, We made these “cream pies” using a generic cream pie base. when we did this blueberry recipe, we couldn’t get the blue color as depp as we wanted, so Marie Callender corporate said to add “Mrs. Stuarts Liquid Bluing” (laundry stuff that is edible). We made 100 gallons of cream base at a time, then when we needed chocolate, p’nut butter, blueberry, banana etc, we used that same base and added the extra’s to make that certain pie. Like, the banana was cream base, no flavoring, whole banana on the bottom, then whipped cream on top. That’s it, except for a little almond slivers on top and also the pre-baked pie shell. The chocolate was pie shell, then the base mixed with melted chocolate chips, then whipped cream. That’s it! I think I still have the original Marie Callender base recipe’s and a few more. when Maroe Callenders was bought out from 3 Japanese men in the 90’s, they only wanted Marie Callenders for the frozen foods and all locations were told to destory the original recipes. Then new recipes were created by the new owners and sent to all locations. Plus, the image of Marie Callenders is NOT to be duplicated in any way except for the frozen food line.
Wondering if you would share the pie base? Trying to make the sour creme blueberry pie for Thanksgiving for my husband it was his favorite.
Thank you
I can not find blueberries in HEAVY syrup. Just light syrup which made it runny… what brand is heavy syrup and where to get!
I believe Oregon has it, I have seen these on Amazon. You could use blueberry pie filling, I would choose a better brand so there are more blueberries in there.
This recipe is brilliant!
You list water 2 times , you say put water with apples, which water?
When mixing the apples with the salt, sugar, and water, it states, “1 1/2 cups water.” Is that 1 and 1/2 cups water or just 1/2 cup water? I used 1 and 1/2 cups water, and it seemed like a lot, and when I filled the 9 inch pie crust, it filled it to the brim and dripped over the sides just a bit.
Really yummy!
We loved this and so did the people at the party I took it to. I was emailing the recipe out to everyone the next day!