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
Hi! Have tried this for several times and this recipe always works out. Today had an idea – to ad some dulce de leche to sauce..any idea how this will work( I have assumed it would be super.. 🙂
Hi Olga! To be honest, I have no idea what to expect with that. Let us know if you experiment.
Can the pie be assembled in advance (like a day or so) and then placed in the frig prior to baking? Or should it be baked right away or frozen if not for storage?
Pre-making the apple filling might cause it to get brown, the best way to make it ahead (in my opinion) would be to assemble and fully bake the pie as directed.
Great flavor. I might recommend cooking the apples a bit? Mine really shrunk down thus leaving quite a bit of space under the crust. I did not use Granny Smith so maybe that’s why they shrunk? Excellent recipe and will definitely make again.
Hi Debbie! I’m glad you loved it. Yes, some apples can shrink more than others.
Hello! If I want to make two at once, can I place both in the oven (side by side or one over the other on diff racks) or will that affect the cooking process?
Hi Paola! You can bake them on the same rack, at the same time. If you need to place them on separate racks, be sure to rotate them for even baking.
Hi Natacha!
So, the recipe tasted absolutely delicious the only thing was, I had a bit of an issue with the sauce. I followed the recipe to a T but when I left it to cool while I sliced my apples, it turned solid. I heated it again and it got softer but didn’t really turn back into a sauce. After baking, there were a couple of hard lumps of the sauce in the pie. I’m not sure where I went wrong? Could my stove have gotten too hot? Any insight would help since this was delicious otherwise.
HI Katelyn, that sounds like it was really over heated. Usually even if the sauce thickens, once it’s baked, it all melds together. Also, make sure your butter and flour and water ratio is per the recipe.
Followed this recipe today with my twin 14 y|o nieces and it was PERFECT! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that you loved the results. Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
Hello Natasha
Love your recipes. I usually use a store bought crust but I’m going to try your butter crust. Can I fully cover the pie instead of making a lattice crust and if so do I need to adjust the baking time? Thanks
Hi Lynn, you can fully cover and just cut slits in the top to vent the pie. Bake time would be the same. I hope you love the apple pie!
Hi, thank you for such a delicious recipe! We really enjoyed it! Do I leave leftovers covered on counter or should I refrigerate? Thanks so much!
Hi Ashley! You can keep it at room temperature for 1-2 days but refrigerate if longer.
Flavor is excellent but can’t figure out what I did wrong… twice! After baking, sauce is thin so didn’t set up… help? I double checked ingredients, measurements…
Hi Michelle, this has been one of our most popular recipes so I will do my best to troubleshoot. We thicken with flour – if your sauce water watery, I’m wondering if maybe the stovetop sauce step was skipped or maybe the flour was omitted? The sauce would be watery without it. Once the apple pie is baked, the sauce because bubby and thick and just right.
I love this recipe and have always made it with fresh apples with huge success! This time I will be using apple slices that have been frozen (we had to harvest them early because the squirrels were stealing them in abundance). Do I need to thaw the apples first before mixing with the sauce and putting into the pie? Thank you Natasha.
HI Terri, I haven’t tried using frozen apple slices but my concern would be the apples giving off too much extra liquid so I might want to thaw first and drain excess liquid. Let me know if you experiment and what you tried.
Hi! Delicious pie, I will never go back to my usual crust. Next time I may add a little nutmeg or cloves too. The only thing I
had a problem with was that my apples were a little crunchier than I expected. I sliced them very thin and did the full time as in instructions. Could it be the latice top? Perhaps a solid top would hold the heat in? I used granny smith apples. Thanks
Thank you so much for your review, 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.
Hi Natasha and thank you for the recipe.
Do you think I can freeze the pie for a week or two? And it would came out the same texture and taste?.
Thank you!!!
We love it baked fresh, but it does work out really well baking from frozen also. You will need to bake it from a frozen state. It may take a few more minutes so keep your eye on it in the oven.
Possibly the best apple pie I’ve ever made!! The sauce step was easy and so worth it! Sooo good!
Thank you for that wonderful review, Christina!
I couldn’t find more stars. I always made my grandmother’s apple pie which was good. But there is a difference in good and excellence. Absolutely delicious and my go to apple pie recipe from here on out. I didn’t get it sealed well enough, I have lost my pastry wheel somewhere and it boiled over. No problem I have learned the importance of putting pies on cookie sheets and I have learned the secret of getting those burnt on pie fillings off the baking sheet with NO scrubbing.
That is just the sweetest review. I’m honored! Thank you for sharing that with me.
Absolutely the best apple pie ever 😋
So easy to make and the pie crust is also delicious
Thank you for this great feedback!
OMG, this recipe was to die for!!! We followed it step by step, and probably the only issue we had was guestimating how long to pulse and then handle the dough. The filling was absolutely perfect. Our pie wasn’t as flaky as it should have been (we overworked it), but the taste of the filling plus the crust was buttery and bright and just melt-in-your-mouth good.
Hello Megan, thank you for sharing you experience trying our recipe. We’re happy to know that you liked it!
Can you use brown sugar for the sauce ?
I’m making this tomorrow for my sweet Momma. She’s been recently diagnosed with cancer. Praying she recovers 🙏
Hi Dianna! I’m sorry to hear about your mom.
I haven’t tested brown sugar as a replacement. In most baked goods you can, but it will affect the texture and taste.
I did sub brown sugar for all the white sugar and it turned out amazing. The flavor had a caramel edge to it. My family said it was the best apple pie they’ve had in recent memory. Thanks, Natasha!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Laura!
On my second time baking this, when making the sauce, i left it to cool. I think I cooled it for too long because it became a solid? I added water and put it back on the heat to turn it into a sauce again but I was wondering why that happened…?
Hi Elizabeth, did you possibly add too much flour or cook it down too much? It’s hard to say what happened without being there, I wish I could be more helpful.
Horrible, the filling has too much liquid in it and it turn the pie into a slip and slide.
Hi Giovanni. This recipe has amazing reviews and we haven’t had that issue. Did you make any substitutions? Also- see my note above for the best types of apples to use. You can add more flour to help thicken the filling but when make according to the instructions and baked long enough for the filling to thicken, we’ve had excellent results.
We added cloves, allspice, and nutmeg to ours and it’s just perfect! Thanks for the recipe~
Hi Chris! Thank you for the wonderful feedback. I’m so glad you loved it.