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
Hello! In your video you said 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of sugar for egg wash, but in the directions you have 1 egg and I tablespoon of water!
Hi Brenna. Sometimes we update the recipe and cannot update the video since it’s already filmed. You can follow the written recipe, it’s the most up to date.
Hi Natasha. I love that this recipe seems very easy. Just what I’m always looking for. I notice that you don’t mention a pie crust blind here. Would it be bad if I do it? I’m always afraid of ending up with uncooked pie crust. How do you prevent that from happening?
Hi Lina! That’s correct, it’s not necessary to blind bake the crust for this recipe (or our fruit pies). We’ve had excellent results without blind baking. We do blind bake this crust when we use it with wet/custard fillings like our pumpkin pie.
Great apple pie- we have made 3 in as many weeks. Only thing I chang is 1/4 cup less sugar and an old trick I learned from a friend’s mother- put 1 drop of red food coloring in the water before adding it to the butter, flour and sugar mixture. It turns a brownish. Pink. I always say it makes a happy pie 😊
Hi Joy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Can I buy pie crust from the store, or would it be better to make the homemade crust?
Hi Abby! You sure can, but it’s so worth it to make homemade crust. It tastes so much better.
Hi, could I use Bob red mill almond flour instead? Will it still work?
Hi Kiki! I have not tested that to advise.
Hi! If I can’t use cinnamon what would be a good substitute?
You could use a mixture of clove, nutmeg, ginger (like pumpkin pie spice).
Hi there! I made the filling yesterday and popped it in the fridge to bake today but I don’t think I let the sauce boil long enough as it’s pretty runny and not very thick. Any tips on how to fix this before baking? Thanks 🙂
Hi Ashley! I’m not quite sure. You could try adding some more corn starch or flour. When it bakes, makes sure you bake it long enough for the filling to start bubbling, this will help it thicken more.
Hi there! This will be my first time making a pie ever! I generally do cheesecake. But this looked amazing so I will be making it this even to be ready for Thanksgiving. So day if you just reheat in the oven? If so how long? Thank you in advance. 😊
Hi Jocelyn! You can put it in a preheated 350 degrees oven for about 15 minutes or until heated through. I hope you love the recipe!
Should it be refrigerated if making the day before? Or leave on the counter ?
Very excited to try this!
Hi Laura, This pie is fine to stay at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just keep it covered or in an airtight container.
I made the crust and this apple pie – subbed with light brown sugar because it was what I had on hand. Everything else followed to a T. Amazing. Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Loren!
How long can you leave your apple pie out best filling apple pie recipe after cooking?
Up to two days or refrigerate for longer.
My oven stopped working, seriously 2 days before Thanksgiving, can I freeze or refrigerate this pie?
Hi Hollie! I’m sorry to hear that. This freezes well and it can be baked from frozen, it will just take a little while longer since it’s frozen.
Hi Natasha,
I want to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year but only have a 10.7 inch pie dish (we live in Switzerland). Will that work?
Thank you!
Hi Tanja, I honestly haven’t tried that to advise. If you do an expeirment, we’d like to know how it goes!
Hi Ms.Natahsha, I’m wondering how I could make this a day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday). Could I cook it the day before, refrigerate it, then when I want to have it about 30 minutes before I want to bake it I can thaw it, or does it really need to be made the same day?
Hi Cierra! This pie is fine to stay at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just keep it covered or in an airtight container.
Okay thank you so much for your response! I will make this tomorrow and leave a picture and review 🙂 I have a good feeling about this recipe!
This pie is so good, I make it ALL the time. I do think the pie is best left out rather than being refrigerated. I would even dare to say it gets better lol 🙂 enjoy and happy thanksgiving to you all
Hi Amber, I’m so happy to hear that! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!”
Absolutely amazing!!! I will be making this again in the next day or two for thanksgiving. The crust recipe is spot on. Matches my grandmothers to a T so i knew it’d be good. The filling though, oh my goodness…. PERFECT!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! It’s our favorite!
The sauce seemed to thicken up while it was over the heat, but the finished pie is filled with liquid and falls apart when you try to cut a slice. Very disappointed.
Hi CB, 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.
Hi! Can I replace a bit of the water with a couple tablespoons of brandy? Or should I just add it as well as all the water? Thanks!
Hi Angela! I think it could work to add it. I haven’t tested it myself. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
This is my favorite apple pie recipe. So easy!
My question is how long in advance can you make the filling? Can it be refrigerated and frozen?
Hi Andrea! I haven’t made just the the filling ahead of time. The pie can be assembled and frozen and then baked from frozen.
Hi Natasha
I’ve made recipe numerous times but froze before hand. I am making 3 days ahead of time. Will it be fine in refrigerator or should I freeze again.
Hi Rose! I would freeze it.
Do you know the weight of the apples after they have been peeled, cored and sliced?
Hi Carly No, I did not weigh them afterwards.
If it helps, I used 7 Granny Smith and after I peeled and sliced they were just a little over 2 1/4 pounds and it settled nicely in my pie.
In the video you say one egg with one table spoon of sugar!! That’s what I did and that is wrong It’s a table spoon of water my pie did not come out right. You really need to change the video
Hi Gary, either will work but we updated the recipe so the written recipe is the most up to date.
Is the 2 1/4 pounds of the apples before coreing and peeling?
HI Oli, yes I measured the apples when they were whole apples.