My all-time favorite Apple Pie Recipe! Imagine saucy apples bubbling through that flaky pie crust – irresistibly good! This pie always gets glowing reviews from everyone who takes a bite. This is the pie everyone has to make for Thanksgiving!
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Helpful Reader Review
“I have made a lot of different apple pies for my family over the years. This is by far the best apple pie ever! My family requests it all the time.“ – Elaine ★★★★★
Apple Pie Video Tutorial
Watch my video and see how easy this apple pie is—from the simple crust to that homemade apple pie filling. You’ll crave it until you make it!
Apple Pie Recipe
This easy Apple Pie is a treasured recipe with thousands of glowing reviews. It’s simple to make but looks just like a professional baker spent hours in the kitchen to make it, and it tastes that way too. It’s buttery, flaky, gooey, and just perfect.
You’ll love the homemade flaky pastry pie crust – we use this same crust for Blueberry Pie and Cherry Pie. It’s also perfect for savory pies like Chicken Pot Pie. It’s a keeper!
The method for this homemade apple pie filling is surprising, but it will win you over. It’s well worth the extra 5 minutes, and you’ll never want canned apple pie filling again.
Ingredients for Apple Pie
You may be surprised to hear you only need pantry staples and some fresh apples to make this apple pie recipe.
- Pie crust – you’ll need two disks of homemade pie crust. We love this apple pie crust just as much as the filling. Since it’s an all-butter homemade pie crust (no shortening), it’s flaky and tender. The bottom is never soggy but forms a crispness at the edges. You can use store-bought, but homemade is best.
- Apples – We use Granny Smith in this pie recipe for the best flavor and texture. Avoid overripe or mushy apples. See my notes on apple substitutions below.
- Butter & Flour – creates a thick and saucy filling
- Cinnamon – adds a warm, spiced flavor to the apples. You could also add a pinch of nutmeg.
- Sugar – add sugar to taste, depending on the types of apples used (see apple options below).
- Egg Wash – combining egg and water gives the crust a golden brown, shiny finish.
The Best Apples for Apple Pie
Granny Smith apples are tart and crisp and the gold standard for baking, but any sweet/tart and crisp apples or even a mix of apples will do, but use less sugar when substituting sweeter apples such as Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, or Pink Lady.
How to Make Apple Pie
- Prepare the pie crust recipe and chill in the refrigerator. When ready to assemble your pie, preheat the oven to 425˚F with a rack in the center of the oven.
- Make the Filling – Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Whisk in water and sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Do not overcook.
- Prepare apples – peel, core, and slice apples into about 1/4″ thick slices. Sprinkle with cinnamon and toss to combine, then stir in the filling to coat the apples.
The Best Tool for Apple Recipes
My family loves apple recipes, from Baked Apples to Apple Turnovers. If you love apple desserts, this apple slicer will save you so much prep time! It peels, slices, and cores all in one swoop. You’ll have all of your apples prepped in less than 5 minutes. Imagine saucy apples bubbling through that flaky lattice crust – irresistibly good!
- Roll the Crust – into a 12-inch diameter pie dough and transfer to a 9-inch, deep pie pan. Add the apple filling, mounding in the center (avoid getting apple filling on the edges of the pie crust, which will make it difficult to seal).
- Lattice Top – Roll the second disk into an 11-inch diameter circle and cut into 10 strips with a pizza cutter. Arrange half of the strips over the pie and weave in the second layer of strips (see how to make a lattice crust). Crimp the edges to seal and brush the crust with egg wash.
- Bake at 425˚F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue baking for another 45 minutes until you see thick juices bubbling through the lattice crust for at least 5 minutes.
How to Keep Pie From Browning Too Fast
If you find the edges of your pie are browning too quickly, you can use a pie shield or simply cut a 3″ circle out of the center of a square sheet of foil and loosely place it with the dull side down over the top of your pie.
Tips for the Best Apple Pie
- Don’t overheat the filling – Avoid overheating the sauce or cooking for too long, which can cause it to separate or get too thick. If this happens, don’t stress, you can still toss the apples together with the sauce, and it will come together in the oven.
- Chill the crust – make sure to chill the pie crust according to the instructions, or the butter will melt out of the crust, and it will go flat.
- Let it cool – allow the pie to cool and set for at least an hour before slicing, for the juices to thicken up and set, otherwise it will slide apart when sliced.
Everything about this apple pie is good, from the flaky, buttery, homemade crust to the unbeatable apple pie filling. Try this served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Let me know if it graces your holiday table.
P.S. Did you know you can make an apple pie ahead (see the make-ahead tips in the notes below). With all the bustle of the holidays, it’s nice to know you can check this pie off your list early.
The BEST Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for double pie crust
- 2 1/4 lbs Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored 6-7 apples (7 cups thinly sliced)
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg , + 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
Instructions
- Make the pie crust recipe and chill per instructions while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering for 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice 7 cups of apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices.
- Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the bottom pie crust to a 12" diameter circle. Wrap it around your rolling pin to transfer it to the 9" pie plate. Add apple mixture, mounding slightly in the center and being careful not to get the filling on the edges which would make it difficult to seal.
- Roll the second crust into an 11" round and cut into 10 even-thickness strips using a pizza cutter. Arrange strips in a woven lattice pattern over the top (see video tutorial). Beat together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water and brush the top with egg mixture.
- Bake at 425˚F in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue baking for another 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling through the vents for at least 5 minutes.* Rest at room temp 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Store at Room Temp: Cool completely to room temperature before covering and storing. The pie keeps well covered on the counter for up to 2 days.
- To Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Pie: store in a freezer-friendly airtight container for up to 3 months. Here’s a tutorial on how to freeze and bake a frozen pie.
- To Reheat: thaw baked pie in the fridge or on the counter and then reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Fall Baking Recipes
Fall always puts me in the mood for baking. All of these recipes are on our regular rotation. These recipes are easy to make and are so good that they are our go-to Thanksgiving recipes!
- Pumpkin Cake
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Baklava
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Bread with honey butter
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Apple Crisp
- Pumpkin Roll
This is the best recipe by far!! The only thing I did did i mixed the apples with brown sugar and cinnamon and put them in a colander and in 2 hours it released all the apple juice and used that juice instead of water in the flour and butter mixture. It was delightful Thank you Natasha
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Mary!
Hi. I’m looking into making this recipe with your homemade pie crust. I see that you can make ahead of time and freeze but, I was wondering if I could make and assemble this recipe a day a head of baking it and leave in the refrigerator until the next day. Can I do this and just refrigerate until the next day? If so, do you recommend leaving out on the counter until baking? Thank you in advance!
Hi Carlie! Yes, you can assemble and refrigerate to bake the next day. Bake it directly from the fridge, it will take a little longer to bake since it will be cold.
Thank you for your response! I’m wondering if your Dutch Apple pie can also be completely assembled ahead of time and just put straight into the oven from the refrigerator?
Hi Carlie, I recommend taking a look at the Make- Ahead section of the Dutch Apple Pie recipe. Similar you can make it ahead, bake and then freeze, or you can make ahead portions of that pie before freezing. More on that recipe post. I hope you love both.
My 10 year old followers your recipe, and it came out perfect and delicious 😋 Thank you
That’s wonderful to hear, Myra!
Hi Natasha! Can I make this recipe with a dish that’s only 1.7 inches tall I noticed that the one that you linked to is a deeper type of pie pan. Also, would you recommend ceramic or metal pipe pans? Thanks! I really appreciate this post.
Yes, you can use a dish that’s only 1.7″ tall for the recipe. Just use less filling so it doesn’t overflow, and make sure to seal and vent the crust well.
I made this pie for the first time today. The flavor is delicious! The crust is light, buttery, so flavorful. I didn’t do a lattice top, and my pie came out very “soupy”. Is it because I didn’t cut the lattice top?
Hi Melanie! It likely played a roll since it didn’t have the lattice top for steam vents. It could have also been the type of apples used (some are more juicy and break down more when cooked making it mushy). You may have needed to bake it longer as well for the filling to thicken.
Be sure to let it cool before slicing, it will
continue to thicken as it cools.
Thank you for the feedback. I will try these tips next time. It is truly the best pie I have ever tasted!!!
“This is the best apple pie” A quote from my husband of 54 years of marriage. I have never baked an apple pie from scratch, have always bought frozen and baked ones. Let me put it this way, I could literally be on (The Worst Cooks) show😂 SERIOUSLY anyway I made Natasha’s recipe and that is what my husband said. I couldn’t believe it. I will admit I bought the pillsbury crust because making pie crust would give me anxiety 😫 way too hard for me. Thank you Natasha! You are adorable
You’re so sweet, Cindy! I’m so glad it was a hit. I definitely think you can do the homemade pie crust, it’s easier than you think. I hope you’ll give it a try, it’s so much better than store bought. It will take it over the top, again- guaranteed!
First time making apple pie and it came out perfect and literally the best Apple pie myself and family have ever tasted. Thank you so much
I’m so happy the apple pie was such a big hit!
Made this pie so many times and it’s always delicious. But today the sauce separated on me, it wasn’t thin more clumpy and the butter was separated. Any idea what I did wrong?
HI Daniela, thankfully it comes together in the oven even if it does separate like that but that separation is typically due to over-cookigng the mixture – cooking for too long or on too high of heat.
I made this Apple Pie today and it is delicious. This is the best apple pie I have ever made thanks to Chef Natasha. I love the recipe is user-friendly!!! I’m making this pie for Thanksgiving & X-mas.🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I’m so happy to hear that, Kimberly! Thank you so much for the feedback.
This is the best recipe yet. I’ve made many apple pies over the years, this tops them all.
Exquisite pie Natasha! Baker of nearly 40 years, and this is truly my best bake! I adore the sauce…a remarkable pie, thank you! 🙏
Aw, thank you, Kim! So glad this recipe worked out well for you. It’s my favorite apple pie.
This is the best apple pie ever, I found this recipe about 6 years ago and since then I have made it so many times that I have lost track of them!
So happy to know you’re loving the recipe!
I need this award winning apple pie in the form of a crowd pleasing apple slab pie. I would greatly appreciate it because this pie is a favorite to all who eat it.
Hi Destiny! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe. I’m sorry I don’t have slab version of this one. I think it’s totally doable, but would likely require some modification and different baking time.
Loved the taste but I had one issue! There was so much juice and it didn’t thicken. How can I avoid this? I am not sure where I went wrong. I added the flour and waited an hour for it to set.
Did you use granny smith apples as recommended? You might want to avoid overripe apples asit yields more juice. Make sure to slice the apples at about ¼‑inch thick so they release manageable juice. Drain or discard excess juice and increase the thickener slightly.