When you want to serve something that screams elegance and sophistication at your next gathering, Caviar Pie is the answer. This isn’t actually a pie in the traditional sense, but rather a stunning layered appetizer that looks like a million dollars and tastes even better. Picture this: a base of finely chopped hard boiled eggs mixed with mayonnaise, topped with a thick layer of cream cheese, covered with sour cream, and crowned with glistening caviar and fresh chives. It’s served cold with crackers or toast points, and every bite delivers a perfect combination of creamy, salty, and luxurious flavors. This dish has been a staple at fancy cocktail parties and holiday gatherings since the 1980s, and it’s having a major comeback because people love how impressive it looks with minimal effort. You can make it with expensive caviar for a truly special occasion or use more affordable options like salmon roe or lumpfish caviar for everyday entertaining. Either way, your guests will think you spent hours creating this masterpiece when it actually takes about twenty minutes to put together.
Serving Quantity: Serves 12-16 people as an appetizer
Cooking Time:
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Chilling time: 2 hours
- Total time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Nutrition Information (per serving):
- Calories: 195
- Total Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
- Sodium: 380mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Vitamin A: 12% of daily value
- Calcium: 6% of daily value
- Iron: 8% of daily value
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 16 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup of sour cream
- Half cup of mayonnaise
- 1 small onion very finely minced
- 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 4 ounces of caviar (your choice of quality)
- Quarter cup of fresh chives finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of capers drained
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- Half teaspoon of garlic powder
- Quarter teaspoon of white pepper
- Pinch of salt
- Crackers or toast points for serving
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Boiling the Eggs Perfectly
Place your eggs in a single layer in a large pot and cover them with cold water by about an inch. Put the pot on the stove over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. As soon as the water reaches a full boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for exactly 12 minutes. This gives you perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs with bright yellow yolks and no green ring. While the eggs are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice water. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs immediately into the ice bath. Let them sit in the ice water for at least 5 minutes to stop the cooking process. This also makes them much easier to peel. Once they’re cool, tap each egg all over to crack the shell, then peel them under cold running water. The water helps the shell slip off more easily.
Preparing the Egg Layer
Pat your peeled eggs dry with paper towels. Chop them very finely with a sharp knife. You want them in tiny pieces, almost like a coarse paste. Put the chopped eggs in a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, half of the minced onion, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, white pepper, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together really well with a fork until it’s combined and looks like chunky egg salad. Taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed. This mixture should be flavorful on its own because it’s the base layer. Line a 9 inch springform pan with plastic wrap, letting it hang over the edges. You can also use a pie plate, but the springform pan makes it so much easier to unmold later. Press the egg mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it out and pack it down firmly. It should be about half an inch thick. Put this in the refrigerator while you make the next layer.
Creating the Cream Cheese Layer
In a large bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until it’s completely smooth and fluffy with no lumps at all. This takes about 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining minced onion, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and half of the chopped chives. Beat everything together until it’s well combined. The onion and chives should be distributed evenly throughout. Taste the mixture. It should be creamy and slightly tangy. Take your pan with the egg layer out of the fridge. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the egg layer. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it evenly all the way to the edges. Make sure this layer completely covers the egg layer with no gaps. Smooth the top as much as possible because this will be the base for your sour cream layer.
Adding the Sour Cream Layer
In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. The lemon juice thins out the sour cream slightly and adds a nice brightness. Carefully spread the sour cream mixture over the cream cheese layer. This is your final layer before the caviar, so take your time to make it smooth and even. Run your spatula in one direction to create a clean, flat surface. The sour cream should reach all the way to the edges. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, being careful not to let it touch the sour cream surface, or you can tent it with foil. Put the pan in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 2 hours. This chilling time lets all the layers firm up and the flavors meld together. You can actually make this up to this point a full day ahead, which is perfect for party planning.
Unmolding and Final Assembly
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, take the caviar pie out of the refrigerator. If you used a springform pan, run a thin knife around the edge between the pie and the pan. Release the springform latch and carefully remove the outer ring. Use the overhanging plastic wrap to lift the pie onto your serving platter. Gently peel away the plastic wrap. If you used a pie plate, you can serve it right in the plate or carefully slide it onto a serving platter using a large spatula. Now for the showstopping part. Open your caviar and use a small spoon to gently place it on top of the sour cream layer. Start from the center and work your way out in a circular pattern, or you can cover the entire top evenly. Be gentle because you don’t want to break the delicate eggs. If you’re using less expensive caviar like lumpfish, you might cover the whole top. If you’re using pricey sturgeon caviar, you might just do a decorative circle in the center.
Garnishing for Presentation
Sprinkle the remaining fresh chives over the caviar in a pretty pattern. You can do stripes, a border around the edge, or just scatter them randomly. Add the capers around the outer edge of the caviar or scattered throughout. The capers add little pops of briny flavor and look like tiny jewels. Cut thin slices of lemon and arrange them around the base of the pie on the serving platter. You can also add some fresh dill sprigs tucked around the edges for extra color and that classic caviar pairing flavor. Some people like to pipe a decorative border of extra sour cream around the edge using a piping bag with a star tip, but this is totally optional.
Serving Your Caviar Pie
Set out a small spreading knife or offset spatula next to the pie so guests can serve themselves. Arrange plenty of crackers on plates around the pie. Water crackers, table crackers, melba toast, or plain crackers work best because you don’t want anything too flavorful competing with the caviar. You can also serve thinly sliced toasted baguette or pumpernickel bread cut into small rounds. Some people love serving this with blinis, which are small Russian pancakes. Keep the pie chilled until serving time. If it sits out too long, the cream cheese layer can get soft. You can put the serving platter on a bed of crushed ice to keep everything cold during a long party. To eat it, guests spread a generous amount of the layered pie onto their cracker, making sure to get all the layers in one bite. The combination of the creamy egg, tangy cream cheese, cool sour cream, and salty caviar is absolutely incredible.
Tips for the Best Caviar Pie
Don’t skimp on room temperature cream cheese. Cold cream cheese will be lumpy and impossible to spread smoothly. The type of caviar you use is completely up to your budget. Black lumpfish caviar looks impressive and costs much less than sturgeon. Salmon roe is another beautiful and affordable option with those gorgeous orange pearls. For the most authentic version, use sturgeon caviar, but save that for really special occasions. You can divide the top into sections and use different types of caviar for a stunning presentation. Make a ring of black caviar around the edge and salmon roe in the center. Chop your onion as finely as humanly possible. Big chunks of onion are unpleasant in this delicate dish. You can use a food processor to mince it really fine, or even grate it on a box grater. If raw onion is too strong for you, soak the minced onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using. This mellows the flavor. For a fancier presentation, make this in a shallow rectangular pan and cut it into neat squares to serve on individual plates. Add a dollop of extra sour cream and a small spoonful of caviar on each square. This dish is quite rich, so small servings are perfect. You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream if you want something slightly less rich. Don’t make this more than 24 hours ahead because the layers can start to get watery. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, though the caviar won’t look as pretty. For a budget friendly version, use smoked salmon finely chopped instead of caviar. It’s still delicious and impressive. Add some chopped fresh dill to every layer for more flavor. If serving this at a cocktail party, consider making two smaller pies instead of one large one. Place them at different spots so guests can access them easily.
