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
Am I able to use salted butter if I’m out of unsalted butter?
Sure, it will just be a bit more salty.
I made this pie and took it to a Bible study group. I got raves about it. My son-in-law ate the last piece and he said it’s the best he has ever had. This is now my go to recipe. Thank you. 🥧🍏
That’s wonderful, Maggi! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha!
This is my favorite apple pie recipe but this time I need to make for we cannot have eggs. Is there an egg substitute I can use for the egg wash?
Hi Sue! Brushing the crust with milk or cream is a common substitute for egg wash.
Great, thank you so much, I will give it a try!
Would the cook time and temperature be the same for mini pies?
Hi Emma, I haven’t tried this as mini pies to advise, but my readers have tried that successfully. I imagine you will need to adjust the bake time since they will be smaller.
I always look for Natasha’s recipes because I can always count on them. And I don’t have to run to the store to buy something
I will never use again.
Thank you Natasha!!!
This is a great recipe. I have made it several times.
Hi Natasha,
Love your recipes. I was wondering if I could make and freeze just the filling to use for later? Thoughts?
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tried freezing the filling alone, If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
OMG. This is by far the best recipe for apple pie of all time, and I’ve tried dozens. Nothing comes closer to this. Trust me, you won’t regret trying this. I’ll never make an apple pie differently again. I add a couple little flourishes to this though. I coat apples in cinnamon, brown sugar, and cinnamon sugar (The more the better). I also sprinkle brown sugar on top before baking, after brushing the egg whites.
Anyhow, thank you sooooo much for this recipe. Words cannot express just how amazing this is. Stop reading this and start cooking immediately. You won’t regret it. 😁
Can you freeze the uncool pie and cook at a later date ?
Hi Allan! Yes, the unbaked pie can be frozen and then bake directly from frozen. It will just take a little while longer to bake so you’ll have to keep an ion it.
Will it be watery and if so what can I do to stop that . Thanks
Hi Allan, if baked from frozen it should not be as long as it is prepped and stored properly.
I have an apple orchard and selected apples from several different trees. Crust is perfect and it is the best apple pie I have made. I made the pie with the Dutch topping. Delicious fall favorite
Can you do this recipe with a solid crust top using a ceramic pie bird to release the steam?
I think that will work just make sure to keep an eye on the pie to make sure that it’s evenly browning.
Turned out amazing and I have to admit – I am not an artist and the lattice was so much easier than I had anticipated!! I was unclear however because in the written recipe it states 1 egg and 1tbsp water for the egg wash, but in the video, you said 1 egg and 1tbsp of sugar. I opted for the sugar (because who doesn’t love extra sugar!) but some clarification would be great! Thank you so much for your recipes! I have used a few and plan to use more!
Hi Lisa! I’m so glad you loved it. Both will work, but we updated the recipe so the written recipe is the most updated version. Unfortunately we can’t edit the video.
awesome recipe, but i did go with 1 cup of sugar for the filling, and used 4 pink lady apples. came out amazing.
One more question – if using a ceramic pie plate, is the cook temp and time still the same? I am so excited to make this tomorrow!!!!
Hi Lisa! The deep pie dish that I use for this pie is also ceramic. I hope you love the recipe!
Hi Lisa, the pie dish I used (and linked in this recipe post – affiliate link) is also ceramic. So that will work great.
Hi Natasha my oven is just old school type small,and it’s heat goes up only 200°centegrates
Hi Neha! I’ve never tested this at low heat. It will, of course, take longer to bake. It may also affect the texture of the crust and the crust me seem more greasy or seep butter.
I just made this apple pie this recipe is a keeper. I watched your video it was a big help.
Have you tried this recipe with filo dough or croissant dough?
Hello Lisa! I have not tried that yet to advise. I imagine that will work with a few adjustments!
love the roux…the pie turns out devine…will definitely make it again…
Do you bake the pie crust first? Or just roll dough into the pan and fill?
Hi Lisa, we did not blind bake, we didn’t need to do that with this recipe.
Okay! So just roll out and follow the directions? I’m so excited and don’t want to mess it up!!! Will keep you posted!
Excellent recipe, the secret to good fruit pies is cooking the roux first to achieve the perfect thickness, I don’t know why it took me so long to figure that out.