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
Lovely flavour on my first attempt. The bottom was a bit soggy for me, any tips on how to avoid this while keeping the flavor?
Hi Shane, my best advice to avoid a soggy crust is to bake right away in a fully preheated oven and not let it sit out for long before getting it into the oven.
Made vegan pie crust for my sweet niece, wondering if the filling can also use Earth Balance as a butter sub, please?
Hi Nikki! I haven’t tested it but I imagine it would work. Let us know how it turns out if you test it.
Help!
I made the sauce without issue on Thanksgiving but it seems to be causing me issues today!
I believe I am doing the recipe correctly but the sauce seems more of a very sticky “sludge” and there remains a liquid phase.
Can someone possibly help solve my issue!
Hi Kenneth, I am always happy to help troubleshoot. If the sauce is heated for too long or over too high of heat, it will get too thick. If that happens, mix it together with the apples as well as you can and it will still come together and be ok after it’s baked in the oven and the apples release their juices.
Hi there! I made this pie at Thanksgiving. I had to cook it about 20 minutes extra to see the juices bubbling, & apples appear cooked. It was amazing!!! Best I ever made! I did it the same way next time, but the apples (Granny Smiths) stayed crunchy, less juicy all around. I have a free standing oven thermometer, so I’m sure the temp was reliable. Do you have any advice?
Hi Kathryn, I wonder if maybe your oven runs cooler? Also, was your oven fully preheated? I found my oven takes an extra 5 minutes to fully preheat to the right temperature even when it alerts me that it’s preheated.
Wonderful pie, love the taste, husband approved! 3rd time I made it, finally figured out why my pie crust was a little short; I am using a 9.5 in. pie plate. Increased my crust ingredients to 1 1/2 times the original recipe and now I had enough for my pie plate instead of a 9 in pie plate. Keep the good food coming!
So glad you enjoyed the results!
Will this work with gluten free flour too. Has anybody tried?
Or erythriol/monk fruit sugar to make it edible for people with diabetes?
Hi Irene! I have not tested it. I think it could work but you may have to experiment with it. I looked through the comments as well, but I have not seen a response regarding these substitutions.
Hi Natasha, I have a question about the filling in the saucepan. The recipe calls for 8 TB of butter, but in the instructions it says 3 TB which is the correct measurement?
Hi Denise, I don’t see where it says 3 Tbsp – can you point that out to me specifically where so I can adjust if needed because it should be 8 Tbsp. In the written instructions I’m seeing this: “Melt butter in a medium saucepan ” and in the ingredient list, it says 8 Tbsp. The video also says 8 Tbsp of unsalted butter in the instructions.
It was my mistake, too tired and read the recipe wrong. I am sorry. I have made both your lattice and crumb top pies before many times, I don’t know why this time my mind saw the 3T flour as butter. Ugh. Merry Christmas! Thank you
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi Natasha, I can tell you are an excellent cook. Just wanted to see what you think about using Apple Pie Spice by McCormick instead of just cinnamon in your apple pie. It has cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in it and it is made for apple pies. I think it works super. You should try it!!!😁
Hi Gayle! Thank you 🙂
I think that using that spice would be great. Thanks for sharing.
Worst pie ever, sauce turned into gummy hard state that can’t pour on apples. Followed recipe step by step.
Hi Ariana, this is a very popular recipe for us but I am always happy to help troubleshoot. If the sauce is heated for too long or over too high of heat, it will get too thick. If that happens, mix it together with the apples as well as you can and it will still come together and be ok after it’s baked in the oven and the apples release their juices.
Wow…I would suggest checking all steps to make sure you didn’t miss something…….It’s really worth giving it another try! It is a Delicious recipe 😋I have made and froze 4 pies for the Holidays to give as gifts…That’s how much I love it!
Thank you Sharon! I’m so glad you loved the recipe so much.
Hi Natasha, I made the pie and everyone LOVED it so I made a few more and froze them 😃
How would you recommend baking the pie now? From frozen and at what temperature? or thaw first? Thanks
I just saw that you answered this question on dec 10th.
I’ll keep my eye on the pie! 😉
Hi Amali, you will bake it from a frozen state. It may take a few more minutes so keep your eye on it in the oven.
Hi Natasha, I tried making the caramel twice following the recipe and instructions but both times ended up with the butter splitting from the pale yellow sugar goo. Any tips or recommendations please? The pie crust turned out amazing!
Hi Charlotte, I haven’t had the sauce separate before. Are you making sure to follow each step in the recipe in order without any substitutions? I recommend watching the video and reading all the recipe tips.
The all time best pie ever-the inside of the is perfection.I have made many apple pies-and this was great!!!
Wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed it. We love this pie. 🙂
I’m pulling this out of my freezer to bake today – do I bake it from frozen or should I thaw it first? Do I follow the same baking instructions?
Hi LP, you will bake it from a frozen state. It may take a few more minutes so keep your eye on it in the oven.
I found using OliveNation’s Apple Pie Spice Mix made making this recipe even easier!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
I was wondering if I could do 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2cup white sugar? Also, could I add vanilla to the sugar mixture once its taken off heat- before adding it to the apples?
Hi Michelle, I think that could work but you’ll have to experiment with it.
This was the first time I attempted to make a crust and pie recipe, and it came out perfectly, it was easy to follow and tasted delicious, 10/10
Love it! Thank you so much for your perfect review.
Hi Natasha, I’m looking for a good Apple Crisp recipe that isn’t dry like some of them are hoping you have one.. Thanks
Hi Peggy! Yes, you can use the search bar above to search all of my recipes or you can click on the red font for the apple crisp recipe.
Possibly THE best apple pie I have ever made. However, could you possibly have omitted a tiny, but important ingredient in the sauce?—salt? My grandma always preached to me that if my butter was unsalted, I should add at least a pinch, maybe even two, to the apples. I did that with this recipe and it was delicious! Perhaps the recipe for the pie filling wasn’t supposed to have any salt, but I felt more confident adding it. I’d love to hear what you think, Natasha, as well as other bakers who’ve made this wonderful pie. Thanks for your patience!
Hi Teri! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. It’s one of our favorites as well. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
Can you freeze the filling? I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and making another pie tonight per request! So good.
Hi Julie! I have not tested freezing just the filling but the whole pie freezes well after it is assembled.
I made this pie for my family Thanksgiving and it was delicious! I used Granny Smith apples and followed the recipe except I used store bought roll out pie crust (I am not successful with pie crust). I also just used the whole crust on top, no lattice, just vented it. My husband could not stop eating it. I plan to make your blueberry pie recipe for him next! Thank you for sharing!
You’re so very welcome! I’m glad it was a hit!
Made the apple pie for Thanksgiving, following the recipe exactly. It was amazing. First pie I had ever made. Turned out perfect and was a huge hit. I wish I could post a picture of it!
Tip: Definitely put foil or a sheet pan on a rack underneath the pie. I missed that instruction and had a bit of a mess to clean up as some of the gooey goodness leaked through the lattice. Even so, it was well worth it.
Hi Mike! Thank you for the feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe. In the future, you can tag me on Instagram or Facebook #natashaskitchen.