Skip Whipped Cream: Try This Tangy, Retro Topping For Pumpkin Pie Instead

No one would blame you for topping a pumpkin pie with whipped cream, whether you're adorning one of the best pies you can buy in-store or one you've made yourself — but what if there was another topping worth a try? Sour cream is cool, creamy, sour, and tangy – and on top of a pumpkin pie, it gives the sweet and warmly spiced filling a little contrast. Honestly, whipped cream can't compete with that. 

If this combination sounds a little retro, you'd be right: sour cream is used a little less commonly these days, but it appears alongside pumpkin desserts from vintage cookbooks, such as Libby's "The Great Pumpkin Cookbook" from 1984. But modern recipes for homemade pumpkin pie with sour cream do still exist here and there. Some recipes utilize sour cream as part of the filling during the actual baking process, and others (the ones we're focusing on here) just call for using the sour cream as a topping. For a flavorful topping, all you need to do is mix sour cream with sugar and vanilla (or even add some orange zest as an optional addition), and spread that mixture over a nearly-baked pie. Then return it to the oven to finish baking (about ten minutes is a good benchmark).

Despite sounding a little out of the ordinary, sour cream works really well in a pumpkin pie. It brings an acidity to a dessert that is otherwise sweet and rich. Compared to other dairy products like whipped cream, ricotta, or crème fraîche, sour cream is tangy, thanks to the lactic acid that is produced during its fermentation. That unique quality is what makes sour cream popular for both savory cooking and sweet baking. And truthfully, putting pumpkin and sour cream together is actually nothing groundbreaking.

These two are combined in a myriad of other recipes, from savory pumpkin soup topped with sour cream and pumpkin-and-sour-cream pasta to sweet pumpkin sour cream muffins and pumpkin sour cream coffee cake. In a pumpkin pie, it works to give each bite a little extra tartness.

To make it work best, use rich, full-fat sour cream and keep the sugar addition relatively modest. You don't want to turn it too sweet and lose the tang, since it's the most interesting thing about sour cream in the first place. And don't forget that one of the biggest mistakes to avoid when making pumpkin pie is over-baking — the center should keep a slight wobble when the pie comes out of the oven, with the sour cream a little set, yet still creamy.