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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Hi,
I have done your apple pie numerous occasions now and it always turn out delicious:-)
I’m only struggling with the amount of butter for the apple sauce… can you kindly tell me how much in grams is 8 tablespoons of butter as I’m always doing this part intuitional 😉
Thank you in advance
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Monika! If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hello. I plan on making your apple pie for thanksgiving. My question is when you make the filling, does it have to be a stainless steel saucepan or any kind of saucepan . Not sure if it will make a difference on the outcome of the filling.
Thank you.
Hi Sylvia, the stainless steel worked great for this recipe, but I bet other saucepans will yield a similar result.
Apple pie was a huge disappointment! The cinnamon overpowers the apples, and isn’t good. Would not use this recipe again.
Also used the pie crust recipe. I’ve never used a food processor before gi make crust. Maybe I did something wrong, because it came out tough and not flaky.
Overall, the apple pie was a flop and most of it went in the trash!
Hi Shari, bummer! This is a very popular recipe for us and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. This recipe has just a small amount of cinnamon – did you possibly use a tablespoon measurement instead of a teaspoon measuring spoon? It’s easy to overlook that. Also, with the crust, it should be flaky and tender – it sounds like it was over-processed in the food processor. I highly recommend watching our pie dough video tutorial to see where things started to look different. that should help.
It happens way too often to find awful recipes on the Internet, but this was definitely not one of such occasions! This pie is just awesome. The crust is the best I ever tasted, it’s a keeper for ages to come, and the filling is delicious. For those who haven’t tried this, yet: do it immediately. You’ll be very happy to taste it.
Grateful greetings from Italy.
You made me a litter nervous at the start of your comment – ha ha! Thank you for the wonderful review.
Hi Natasha,
When I make apples pies (I use Granny Smith apples), the bottom always seems sogging & not fully cooked. I do put flour or corn starch in my apples but this doesn’t help. What can I do to get a cooked bottom? Thank you!
PS: I love all your recipes & video.
Hi Lena, I haven’t had that issue with this particular pie recipe. It could be the recipe you’re using?
I have made this recipe, exact… twice! And it has been too runny and undercooked…. 😭 when I make the sauce in the pan, its thick but once I try to bake it and follow the direction exact, failed both times. What am I doing wrong? 🙁
Hi Sarah, maybe it could be the number of apples used or any substitutions made? Also, not baking long enough would affect how the syrup thickens up. Lastly, you want the pie to rest and cool for the juices to thicken before slicing into it.
I have the same issue with a runny filling. I searched up online for some tips on how to avoid runny filling and one of the tips is to coat cut up apples in sugar and cinnamon prior to mixing it with the sauce. Sugar and cinnamon will absorb the excess of apple juices and prevent your filling from getting watery.
Another tip was to add starch into the mixture prior to pouring it into your pie crust.
I will try both next time.
This pie is delicious goodness! 😃
I will have to work on getting the filling thicker. I followed your instructions carefully but it turned out a bit watery. Might be the apples being too juicy lol
Thank you Natasha! I use lots of your recipes in my cooking for the last year or so. LOVE IT!
Thank you for giving us a delicious recipe for fresh apple pie. I did notice a discrepancy. This may have been addressed but – the recipe calls for an egg wash on the top with one egg and a tablespoon of water. Your video says one egg and a tablespoon of sugar. I did both. Just curious. Love your videos.
Hi Gayle, I misspoke in the video (like a verbal typo), and there’s no fixing video audio once it’s out there. Sorry about that, and there is no sugar in the egg wash. I’m so happy you loved it anyway and that this has become your new favorite. I wonder if I’m missing out by not putting sugar in my egg wash?
Natasha, I had the same question about the sugar and just made one with that instead of water. I’ve made this before (twice and still never noticed the discrepency) and it has always been perfect. So, I guess will see how it tastes tomorrow! (We do a family Thanksgiving the Saturday before). I’m guessing its going to be pretty good, because that’s just the kind of optimist I am 🙂
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes and was wondering if I could completely built this pie and then freeze it before baking? I want to make this pie for Thanksgiving but want to make it ahead of time and then bake last minute. Any suggestions?
Thanks a bunch,
Other Natasha. 😊
This recipe can be made ahead. You can store it in the fridge already baked and cover it loosely with plastic wrap and reheat it the next day in the oven. I haven’t tried freezing this or making it ahead for a long time, and I worry if you assemble and leave it unbaked for two days, it will get soggy.
This recipe seems off. The butter to flour ratio doesn’t make a roux as it does in the video, 1-2tbsps more flour otherwise it’s a broken caramel sauce.
Hi Goody, it will all work out once it’s baked. If the sauce is overheated, it can get thicker and seem broken when mixed with the apples, but once it is baked the sauce will be lovely.
Dear Natasha…what are your thoughts about precooking the apple filling?
Hi Ruba, you do not have to pre-cook the apples for this apple pie filling.
Will be be traveling for Thanksgiving and wanted to make the pies ahead of time and freeze. Any chance you have now tried this since earlier comments posted on freezing? Wondering if I should bake and then freeze, or prep them and freeze and bake on the day I want to use? Thanks
Hi Marla, I haven’t tested freezing that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
can i make pie and freeze ahead of thanksgiving Love your recipes Cant wait for your cookbook
Hi Karen, I haven’t tested freezing that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Amazing pie!!! 10/10 recommend this recipe. I really loved the filling. Make sure to slice your apples thinly so they really melt in your mouth. Her pie recipe was good too.
Thanks for the reminder, Annie. That’s awesome feedback, thanks for the review!
Question…do you need to blind bake the pie crust before baking it with the apple filling?
Thx
Hi Lori, blind baking the pie crust is not necessary for this apple pie.
I think your number 2 instruction is missing the butter? It just says to whisk in flour!:)
Hi Ester. Step #2 on the printable recipe cards reads: “Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour then simmer for 1 minute”. I hope that helps.
My filling didn’t set up, and I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions? The taste was excellent, but super runny.
Hi Lori, if it’s still to runny, you can try cooking it down a bit more.
Hello Natasha! I made your apple pie yesterday and it was a huge hit! I had never made apple pie (or crust) before, as my husband was the pie king in our house, so I was a little hesitant, but it came out wonderful! I will be using this recipe from now on! Thank you so much!! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Teodora!
Hi. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I’m currently out of all-purpose flour for making the crust.Is it possible to use rice flour instead?
Hi Zakieh, I haven’t tested that to advise on the outcome. With a substitution like that, I imagine you will need to alter other ingredients as well. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Natasha! Your Apple Pie recipe
HIT A HOME RUN
better yet
A GRAND SLAM
Thank you for a perfect comment, appreciate it!
I have a bushel of Granny Smith from the orchard. Can I make several batches of pie filling and freeze in freezer bags to be baked throughout the holidays?
Hi Diane, I haven’t tried freezing the filling alone with this recipe specifically. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that!