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Maple Cream Pie
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Maple cream pie is a rich, seasonal dessert with deep roots in the Northeastern U.S., particularly New England, and Quebec, Canada—regions where maple syrup is both a cultural and culinary treasure. This pie features a creamy, custard-like filling made from pure maple syrup, cream, butter, and eggs, offering a naturally sweet and distinctive maple flavor. While traditionally paired with a flaky pie crust, this recipe takes inspiration from the best pie I’ve ever had, from Poorhouse Pies in Underhill, Vermont. The charming, self-serve bakery runs on the honor system, embodying the simplicity and warmth of small-town life. The sweet dessert tastes like eating a plate of pancakes and maple syrup in pie form.
Maple Cream Pie
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Maple syrup – I love the natural sweetness and slight nutty flavor the maple syrup adds to the pie – it tastes like a pancake pie! Be sure to use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup (which is mainly corn syrup). Maple syrup is a labor intensive product which is why it’s so expensive.
- Heavy cream – The base of this custard pie filling is made from heavy cream. The remaining heavy cream is whipped and piped onto the pie for decor. Since the pie is sweet, I don’t add any additional sugar to the homemade whipped cream to balance the sweetness.
- Sweetened condensed milk – Sweetened, condensed milk is made when all the water has been removed from cow’s milk and then mixed with sugar. This sweet, creamy ingredient adds a caramel-like flavor that enhances the maple flavor of the pie and adds extra creaminess to the filling.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch acts as a thickening agent, making the filling perfectly creamy and custardy.
- Eggs – While some recipes use only egg yolks for custard pies, I add 1 whole egg to help emulsify the custard mixture and create a better structure to the filling as the pie bakes.
- Graham crackers – Ground graham cracker crumbs are combined with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon to create the crumbly, flavorful crust to this pie.
How to Make Maple Cream Pie
Step 1: Blend pie crust ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190ºC). Butter a 10” (25cm) pie dish. In a food processor combine the graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter, pulsing until the graham cracker crumbs are moist. (This part can also be done in a mixing bowl).
Step 2: Bake crust.
Pour into the pie pan and press the crumbs evenly along the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Step 3: Reduce maple syrup.
Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the maple syrup and reduce by a quarter, to about ⅓ cup (107g), about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add cream.
Whisk in the cornstarch followed by the cream, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, then remove from heat.
Step 5: Temper eggs.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg and vanilla. Whisking constantly, slowly add the cream mixture to the eggs.
Step 6: Bake pie.
Strain the maple filling through a fine-mesh sieve into the graham crust. Bake the pie until the filling is firm to the touch, but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour.
Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Step 7: Make whipped cream.
Add the cream to a medium mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 4 minutes.
Step 8: Garnish pie and serve.
Spread the whipped cream over the pie or add it to a pastry bag and pipe over the pie. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- If you don’t have graham cracker crumbs, you can easily make your own by adding graham crackers to a food processor and pulsing until crumbs form.
- Graham crackers can be ground in the food processor to make your own crumbs.
- The graham cracker crust can be swapped for a store-bought crust (thought I highly recommend making your own) or pie dough for a more traditional pie crust.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this maple cream pie recipe, give these sweets a try:
Maple Cream Pie
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
For the maple filling:
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For serving:
- 1 cups heavy whipping cream
- Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Instructions:
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190ºC). Butter a 10” (25cm) pie dish. In a food processor combine the graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter, pulsing until the graham cracker crumbs are moist.
- Pour into the pie pan and press the crumbs evenly along the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the maple filling:
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the maple syrup and reduce by a quarter, to about ⅓ cup (107g), about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the cornstarch followed by the cream, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, then remove from heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg and vanilla. Whisking constantly, slowly add the cream mixture to the eggs.
- Strain the maple filling through a fine-mesh sieve into the graham crust. Bake the pie until the filling is firm to the touch, but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour.
- Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
For serving:
- Add the cream to a medium mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the cream forms stiff peaks, about 4 minutes.
- Spread the whipped cream over the pie or add it to a pastry bag and pipe over the pie. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve.
Nutrition:
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What do you do with the 2 T butter for the filling?
So sorry that is a typo – a remainder from an earlier recipe test! I have corrected the recipe ingredient list.
I don’t think you understand how much I needed this pie in my life! It is smooth with a great natural maple taste that makes you want to eat more than one slice at a time! This is now my go to pie to bring places. People rave about it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed!!