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
Hi Natasha:
I have a question:
Your printed recipe says to beat together 1 egg with 1 tbsp of water to brush the pie dough before baking.
However, your video says to beat together 1 egg with 1 tbsp of sugar to brush the pie dough before baking.
Which mixture will give the best results? I’m a novice and don’t want to mess up. 🙂
Thank you for clarifying for me!
Wallace
Hi Wallace! Follow the printed recipe. It’s the most up to date version. Sometimes we make improvements/modifications to a recipe but can’t edit the video since it’s already been filmed. I hope you love the recipe!
Natasha:
Yes, my family and neighbors love this pie. I’ve made 6 pies in total (2 pies each time). I followed the video directions before I saw your comment and the results were still always amazing. Next time, I will follow the printed directions, but I can’t imagine it can get even better than before. I’ve always been able to cook, but your recipes promoted me to chef extraordinaire! 🙂
Thank you so much for your help.
very caramelly and delicious, my sister in law called it heaven on a plate
Hey, do you recommend blind baking this?
Hi Gab. We do not blind bake this crust in our fruit pies, it’s not necessary. We do however blind bake this crust with custard fillings like in our pumpkin pie recipe.
I haven’t made a pie in ages because they didn’t turn out that great (user error, I’m sure!). I made this today for a family dinner and oh my gosh! This is delicious! The crust is seriously so easy and I watched your video to help me figure out how to peel and chop the apples before they turn brown. This is the best pie I’ve ever made! Everyone loved it. Thank you!!
That’s so great to hear, Karen. I’m glad it was a hit!
Toss with a bit of citrus juice as you chop them. Orange or lemon works. That will prevent browning
Can I make the pie, put it in the fridge raw and bake the next day?
Hi Cassie! Yes, that would work. It may take a little longer to bake since it will be cold.
I made this with premade shortcrust pastry and it turned out AMAZING! So delicious and gooey in the middle, 5min later it was almost gone!
I halved the sugar and only used half a cup. It was still plenty sweet if you ask me and I could cut down the sugar even more. Especially good to know since one serving in our house is a quarter of a pie 😁
I’ve made this recipe many times because the flavor is incredible. However, every time I make the sauce it comes out think and clumpy. What am I doing wrong?? In the end, everything tastes great, but its difficult to coat the apples because the sauce is so thick.
Hi Katherine! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe. I suggest working at a lower heat rather than high heat which will take longer but may help to prevent that. Even if there is some separation/clumping in the sauce, once you combine with the apples and bake the pie, it should come together nicely. It’s pretty forgiving in that way. Are you using granulated sugar? If you are using course sugar, it will not melt the same.
I love this recipe so much It always comes out great. Love the pie crust recipe!
Hey Natasha, if i cut my slices a little thicker, more to say like a 1/2 inch thick. would the pie still cook evenly, or would i have use another recipe?
Hi! You can cut them a little thicker but keep in mind that the apple slices cut thicker could cause them to remain crisp and not cooked through and softened enough.
Seriously, the BEST apple pie recipe ever!!!! Everything from the homemade pie crust, to the filling, simply delicious!!! And hubby approved too!!
Made this recipe for my mom’s birthday last night, it was a huge hit! The instructions were very easy to follow for me and my 16yo daughter who are both new to baking. We used 7 granny smith apples and it looked like too much but trusted the process and the pie was PERFECT. Next time, I’m making the crust from scratch, I used pre-rolled because of a time crunch. The filling is delicious!
I’m so happy you both loved this recipe and process, Yesenia! That’s so great!
Made this yesterday for dessert. It was amazing. The pastry melted in the mouth, I only needed to add maybe 1 tbsp of water and it was perfect. I was concerned the filling may be too sweet, so I omitted some of the sugar, glad I did, it came out just right for our taste. The only problem I had is my 4 year old tried some and thought it was amazing, so now we have to share with him too! 😀
Hi Natasha,
Should I bake this pie in convection oven or not?
Hi Doros, I use conventional oven settings and not convection.
This is the most amazing apple recipe! Just made it and it’s a hit with the fam as always. Every recipe I have used so far has turned out to be absolutely delicious but this is my fave 😍
I’m so happy to hear that, Zia!
Thanks for the recipe! I have made many apple pies over the years but I think this one was the biggest hit, and everyone loved your crust! I am actually not eating desserts right now 😅 but I made this for 4th of July and one person said it was the best apple pie she’s had in 30 years so I’m pretty sure it gets 5 stars! Thanks again 🤗
That’s amazing, Amanda! Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I’m glad it was a hit.
If I wanted to freeze pie. Do I assemble pie then freeze or freeze after baking? Thankyou!
Hi JM, you can freeze it assembled and bake from frozen without any issue. You’ll just need to bake it longer.
Very lovely recipe! Made it for my brother’s birthday! He’s going to love it because I’ve taste tested it – YUM!!!
Happy birthday to him!
Honestly the best apple pie I have ever tasted. I think the buttery, sugary syrup that coats the apples is the trick. After letting the pie sit for a while out of the oven, the filling firms up. We devoured the pie in one night!
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. We love this pie and I’m so glad you loved it too.
Made this apple pie and it was a big hit with my guess thank you for a great apple pie recipe
The printed recipe says to use 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water for the wash that goes on top of the crust. However, in the VIDEO, your voice instructs us to use 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of SUGAR. Which is correct?
Hi Andrea, both will work, but follow the written recipe. It is the most up to date. Sometimes we make modifications to improve a recipe but cannot edit the video since it’s been filmed.