Our classic Apple Pie Recipe with an irresistible homemade apple pie filling always gets glowing reviews from everyone who takes a bite. From the best flaky pie crust to the generous saucy center, this is the pie everyone has to make for Thanksgiving!
Homemade apple pie is easier than you think. This crust comes together fast and requires basic ingredients, and the filling is scrumptious and equally simple to make.
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We love apple recipes, from Baked Apples to Apple Turnovers, and let’s not forget Sharlotka Apple Cake. If you love apples, this easy apple pie is a must-try! Imagine saucy apples bubbling through that flaky lattice crust – irresistibly good!
Apple Pie Video Tutorial
Watch me make the best apple pie recipe, and we know you’ll crave it until you make it. This easy Apple Pie is a treasured recipe with hundreds 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, flakey, gooey, and sweet, just perfect.
Apple Pie Recipe
You’ll love the homemade flakey 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 homemade apple pie filling is adapted slightly from the famous Grandma Ople apple pie. The method for this 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 crusts – 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 storebought, 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 – use unsalted to add richness to the saucy filling.
- Flour – helps to thicken up the 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 – combine 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, and you can adjust the sugar accordingly. We use a full cup of sugar for tart Granny Smith and slightly less when substituting sweeter apples such as Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, fuji, Braeburn, or Pink Lady.
Our Favorite Tools to Make Pie
You don’t need fancy equipment to make an apple pie from scratch, and once you have the right recipe for pie dough, it’s as easy as pie!
- Food processor or pastry blender
- Rolling Pin
- Pizza Cutter, or a knife
- Pie Plate – 9″ wide, deep dish
- Apple Slicer – I highly recommend this time-saving tool. I even bought one for my Mom!
How to Make Apple Pie
- Prepare the pie crust recipe and chill in the refrigerator as instructed. 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 then whisk in 3 Tbsp flour and continue whisking constantly for 1 minute. Whisk in 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar (if using a sweeter apple, adjust the sugar). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and continue whisking 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 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and toss to combine, then pour on the filling mixture and stir to coat the apples.
- Roll the Crust – Over a floured surface, roll the first chilled pie disk into a 12-inch diameter disk then transfer to a 9-inch, deep pie pan. Add the apples over the crust, 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. Arrange half of the strips over the pie and weave in the second layer of strips. See my easy tutorial on how to make a lattice crust. Finish the pie by crimping the edges. In a separate dish, beat together the egg and water and brush over the lattice crust (you will have some eggwash left over).
- 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.
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 panic, 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. If you serve it hot, it will slide apart.
Make-Ahead & Storage
With all the bustle of the holidays , it’s nice to know you can check this pie off your list early. Be sure to cool completely to room temperature before covering and storing.
- Storing at Room Temperature: The pie keeps well covered on the counter for up to 2 days.
- To Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: store in a freezer-friendly airtight container for up to 6 months
- To Reheat: thaw in the fridge or on the counter and then reheat in a 350°F oven until warm
Everything about this apple pie is good, from the flaky buttery homemade crust to the unbeatable apple pie filling. Let me know if it graces your holiday table.
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, 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
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, remove cores, 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.* Rest at room temp 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Egg wash with water or sugar as stated in your video?
Hi Linda, either will work but we updated the recipe so the written recipe is the most up to date.
Absolutely delicious apple pie, everyone loved it. The apples are tender and the cinnamon gives that warm flavour. It smelled great while baking itself. Loved the recipe. I don’t eat egg so I used a butter+milk+water for the wash instead and that too turned out fine. Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Thank you Natasha for your amazing apple pie recipe!!! Everyone who has ate my pie( your pie recipe) says this it is the best pie recipe, ever!!! I have to agree!!! Thanks again!!!
I’m so happy to hear that. This is my favorite apple pie recipe!
Really recommend this recipe! I absolutely love making it. Its tasty and really fragrant.
Hi Annie! I’m so glad you love this recipe. It’s our favorite apple pie.
This is the most amazing apple pie I have ever made! Paired with your easy pie crust recipe how could I go wrong… I have not made a pie in over 12 years and everyone raved and raved about this. I might even make another one very soon. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Pat! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad it was a hit.
3 stars because the chef wrote incorrect ingredient. She wrote baking soda. But in her videos she states baking powder. My cookies didn’t come out the way it should because I followed the ingredient and used baking soda instead of baking powder. Please confirm the ingredient list before posting. Now I have to toss it and buy more ingredients. It’s just a waste.
Hi Art! You left this review on the wrong recipe. You must be referring to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I always recommend reading the full recipe, there is a note in the written blog that the recipe was updated because we had better results. Sometimes we update the recipe
but can’t update the video since it’s already been filmed.
good morning, i made your apple pie and the pie crust this passed wkend it was great, my sister and brother-law loved it, my sister ate 3 times, the only thing a added was a little of nutmeg to the pie. GREAT! THKYOU
Hi Rosa! Thank you for sharing that with us. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
This is the best apple pie I ever made! It looked beautiful and was so delicious!
I’m so glad, Rene! Thanks for sharing.
I made this recipe for a family dinner. When I took it out of the oven it was the best looking pie I had ever baked! 10/10 from everyone!
Wonderful! Thank you for the perfect raing an review, Angelica.
I found that it was too sweet if that even makes sense. Needed a bit of salt in my opinion.
Hi Denise, too sweet is likely due to using sweeter apples in which case you would want to reduce the sugar. The recipe calls for granny smith apples which can be quite tart without the sugar to balance the tartness.
My passionfruit is very generous this year, so I added the pulp of 6 passionfruit to the sauce…. Try it!
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I have a large stash of frozen apple slices..how do you suggest I use them in your recipe? Thank you!
Hi Carol! I have not tested this recipe with frozen apples to advise. While fresh is best, I assume you can use frozen apples too. Some apples are going to freeze better than others so I am not sure how the texture will be effected. Let us know how it turns out.
I’ve never made a pie before, and I rarely cook, as my wife loves to cook. My work was having a holiday division get-together and had a pie-making contest. I decided to make a pie and I love apple pies so I used this one. My pie ended up looking amazing and professional. Everyone that tried it said it was delicious and didn’t have anything bad to say about it. The only thing I forgot was to powder the pie dish so some of it stuck to the dish. I was the biggest fan of the pie and went back for seconds and thirds. I didn’t win the contest, but the accolades from my colleagues were enough for me. Thanks Natasha for making me look good, and for the delicious apple pie. It is definitely the best one I’ve ever had. Kudos!
You’re very welcome! This is our favorite apple pie recipe, and it always disappears so fast. I’m so glad it was a hit.
I love this recipe!! It’s a perfect combination of cinnamon and sugar and the unsalted butter based filling is amazing! This will be my go to apple pie recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s wonderful to hear, Charlene! This is our favorite apple pie recipe and I’m so glad you l loved it too!
This is the absolutely best apple pie recipe I have ever tried and that says a lot as I have made a lot of apple pies for more than 60 years and a lot of them have been really delicious, but now I think that I’ll stick to this one in future. I live in Denmark and am so glad to have found your recipes. I don’t very often visit American websites but I’ll definitely check your recipes out next time I am looking for a recipe.
Wow! Thank you so much for your thoughtful and awesome feedback, Marion! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Best apple pie recipe ever! I have prepared the pie multiple times right up to the egg wash and baking. I then wrap it tightly in saran wrap, and cover in tinfoil and put in freezer until I need it. I always let it thaw covered overnight and then I add egg wash and continue on with baking instructions. This really helps when you are entertaining and then you have time to prepare your main course and Natasha’s fluffy dinner rolls.
Hi Terri! This is a great “make-ahead” option. I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve used this recipe now for 4 years and it’s a winner every time!
Can it be canned for preservation? I tried freezing but in thawing it seemed a little too thin.
That’s wonderful to hear, Lindsey! I have not tested canning the filling.
Used this recipe for the filling, and used another recipe for the crust. Excellent pie, will use this recipe again.
Note: there is 1 slice left.
Nice, so glad that you enjoyed this Apple Pie recipe!
I just made this pie tonight using a different crust (Sally’s Bake Blog all butter crust, basically the same) and it was delicious. My problem was that my filling was too liquid-y. I did everything correctly but I’m wondering if I had one too many apples. I peeled and cored 7 but when I got to the final one, I already had almost 7 cups. So, that final one put me over the 7 cups. Could this have caused too much juice? My filling thickened up nicely and I baked it 10 extra minutes but it was still very thin after baking and I lost a lot of juice in the oven (thank goodness for the foil lined pan). One of my new years goals was to learn to make a few pies well, so I will be trying again. Even though the filling was thin, my family raved and cleaned their plates.
Hi Crystal. That could be it. If you’re using more apples, it would need a bit more flour to help thicken.
This is a great recipe. I followed it but made a couple of changes. I used several sweeter apples and cut out sugar. It is just perfect.
This is our favorite apple pie recipe. I’m so glad you loved it. Thanks for sharing.