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
Im not the biggest fan of apple pie…. or so I thought!! Turns out I just hadn’t made a good one yet. This one is PERFECT
i only have self rising flour will it still work?
Hi April, I have not tested that to advise. It might work but you may have to make some adjusments so I can’t guarantee success.
This is such a great crust and apple pie recipe. I have had so many people ask if I would share the recipe with them because it just taste soooo good. The crust is so flaky and tasty even the day after. My daughter in law says the filling is a perfect consistency. It is so fun to make a pie that everyone loves.
Hello Monica! Thanks so much for sharing my recipe to others, it means a lot to me!
This was my first time ever making an apple pie—actually my first time making any pie—and Natasha’s recipe made it such a great experience! The instructions were super easy to follow, and the pie turned out so much better than I expected for a first attempt. The crust came out flaky, the filling had the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and my whole kitchen smelled amazing. I’m really proud of how it turned out, and I’ll definitely be using this recipe again!
It sounds like you found a new favorite, Helen! Thank you for sharing that with us.
This was my first and absolute best apple pie I’ve ever made and tried. Made it for our Thanksgiving dinner and it turned out so delicious!
That’s just aweomse, Yuliya!
SO delicious, flaky, buttery and easy to make! This was the first apple pie I’ve made with a lattice crust! My 10 and 12 year old girls helped me and we said we are going to make this pie our thanksgiving Tradition! (It was also the first time I’ve roasted a turkey and we made your turkey and it was a total success!! This year was a “first times” Thanksgiving for us!) Natasha, thank you for ALL of your help in my kitchen over the years!! We were thanking God for Natasha’s Kitchen all day yesterday!
Aww, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and encourage words. Happy Holidays.
First time I’ve ever baked a cake crust and all! So simple and everyone agreed how tasty and amazing it was! 10/10 – will def be making it many more times!
One question Natasha, does the baking time change if we bake in a tin foil plate? (Would love to start gifting pies!)
Thank you for sharing that with us! Regarding your question on using a tin foil plate – my suggestion is to start checking for doneness ~5–10 minutes earlier than the recipe’s time, particularly if you see the crust browning. If you have a lot of filling, you might need to extend total bake time by 5–15 minutes so the filling cooks through.
The pie was amazing. Everyone loved it! Served it warm cuz nobody could wait for it to cool.
That’s perfect! I’m happy that everyone loved it!
Loved making and enjoying with delicious recipe! We love Apple pies and we enjoyed the buttery taste, the crips crust and apple filling. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor! Thank you for sharing your easy and delicious recipes with us! Happy thanksgiving!
You’re so welcome! So happy to hear that you enjoyed making it and you loved the apple pie!
First, making the filling for the two pies was very fun and a little tiring😂 But I made sure all the apples were peeled and chopped evenly as much as possible. The filling was very delicious, rich and smooth; the whole family loved it! For the topping, I used your crumble recipe instead of another pie dough since I prefer crumble more; this made the pie even better in my opinion because not only was it crunchy on top like I always want it to be but it was also soft in the middle and added so much extra cinnamon flavor! Thank you so much for the tip on using soft butter instead of melted or cold. Overall, this was a great pie and dessert for Thanksgiving and I definitely will be having another slice soon with a nice scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream😋 Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving Mrs. Natasha🥳🦃🙏
Thank you for your comments and feedback! So glad that you enjoyed the pie!
Made this pie tonight and it was excellent! I put sparkling sugar on the crust 😋
I followed exactly the instructions and the apples were hard. I should’ve cooked the apples a little bit before put as a filling. The pie was ok, definitely not the best. But I would make this recipe again.
Hi Carol! Thank you for your feedback. Raw apple slices sometimes don’t get soft in the oven, it also depends on the type of apple, slice thickness, and baking time & temperature. If slices are too thick or uneven, the larger pieces may stay undercooked even if the crust gets cooked. I recommend making sure that the apples are cut thin and uniform so they bake evenly next time.
I make this recipe every Thanksgiving for years now (the homemade crust too!) and it is such a hit. Everyone looks forward to my apple pie every year. Thank you to Natasha for such an delicious and easy recipe!
You’re very welcome, Lexi! This one is a personal favorite and I’m happy your family is loving it too.
This apple pie came out amazing. I did modify slightly and added a little brown sugar. Also, accidentally used tbsp of cinnamon. Otherwise, exact same. 😁
I bet that smelled amazing baking in the oven with the extra cinnamon.
Natasha’s recipe for the dough was so easy, especially in the food processor, which I never thought to use. Made this for our Thanksgiving pie and made up her pumpkin cake roll as well. Thanks Natasha. Wonderful recipes.
Hi Jen! I’m happy to know that you enjoyed the Apple Pie and Pumpkin Roll! Thanks so much for your good feedback.
SO Delicious! I have never made filling on the stove before, so I was concerned I didn’t do it right–but WOW was this so delicious. Thanks!
Hi Becky! Great to haer that you enjoyed this recie a lot!
This apple pie is absolutely the best apple pie I have ever eaten… it’s perfect… and so is the pie crust!
I’m so happy to hear you loved the apple pie and the pie crust.
So happy to find this recipe. Our Thanksgiving apple pie was delicious.
So glad to hear that it was a huge success!
Mmm.really the best apple pie ever.cooked it for the first time.but it was easy .recommend .
My second year in a row making this lovely pie. Always a winner. And it was the first pie I ever made last year so I’m feeling rather proud of myself. Natasha, you never let me down! I made your cranberry sauce too. Thank you!
You did a great job, Stacy! So great to hear that it was a huge success!