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
Fabulous recipe! My kitchen smells so good!! 😋
Thank you!
The best smell after baking an apple pie! I’m glad you loved it, Jennifer!
Best recipe for apple pie on the internet!
Thank you for the amazing feedback!
Oh my goodness!!! This is the best apple pie that I’ve tasted! This recipe is AMAZING! Thank you so much and God Bless you and your family!!
That’s so wonderful Ava! Thank you for sharing that with me.
I used 7 Granny Smith apples instead of 6 and ended up with more filling than crust, so if you prefer a more balanced ratio, stick with 6 apples—if you love a generously filled pie, go with 7. Otherwise, no complaints at all; the recipe was a hit and became the talk of our Thanksgiving meal!
Thank you for your feedback, Rebecca, they vary slightly in size so that could be the culprit! I’m so glad the recipe was a hit!
This is so good! I ran out of time to do the lattice, but still a good looking pie 😀
I bet it looked and tasted just as good as with the lattice!
This is my absolute favorite apple pie recipe! I have baked Natasha’s apple pie every year on Thanksgiving for the past 4 years and I always get a ton of compliments on it. The video tutorial makes it super easy to follow!
That’s so wonderful, Erica! Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! I’m so happy this recipe is your favorite!
Dear Natasha. I use soooooooooooooooooooooo many of your recipes which are all waaaaay good. I love to bake and have tried many apple pie recipes. They always are dry. I tried yours for Thanksgiving and this as my daughter said was 12/10. Over the top perfect. I changed nothing but use my own pastry recipe made with lard from the old Joy of Cooking cookbook. This is now my one and only apple pie recipe. Thank you so much for all your great recipes.
I’m so glad you loved our Apple Pie recipe, John! I’m smiling big reading your awesome review.
Best apple pie recipe ever created! Super easy to follow. I bake this with my 7 year old son. Everyone in the family loves this pie. We made it today again for my mom who’s visiting from out of town. It was a hit! Thank you!!!🙏 😊
Thank you for sharing, Bonnie. I’m happy to hear that you loved the Apple Pie!
Hi!
I tried to enter the challenge with apple pie November 30 at 9 PM CST (11 pm EST) but it was already ended..
Hi Marina, I noticed today it closed early, so we opened it back up. Try to get it in!
My first pie! Pies always intimated me but this was absolutely amazing! Flakey buttery crust delicious caramelized apples, definitely going to be my go to pie recipe! Love following your recipes they never disappoint!
That’s wonderful to hear! You did a great job, keep up the good work. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Best recipe of Apple pie ever! Moist filling and crunchy chewy crust!my husband loves Apple pie the best of all the pies out there.. will be making this recipe over and over again! Thank you!
This is the BEST Apple Pie recipe that I’ve ever made! Hands down! The crust cooked beautifully, filling is so moist and just delicious! My husband loves Apple pie the best of all the pies, I’ll be making this over and over again!
Hi Natasha, I thought I already had the best apple pie and crust recipe but you hit it out of the park and my guests agree! Not only delicious but beautiful presentation, too! Thank you for sharing your family recipe. Making the pie filling per your instructions and then mixing it into the apples was a new experience for me. Clever, delicious, and outstanding results!!!
Thank you for sharing that with me, Joan! I’m glad ut was a hit for you and your guests!
This has to be the best apple pies I have every made. The filling was perfect, not too sweet, not too gooey, just perfect. Thank you!
That’s just awesome, Gretta! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Was wondering if we have to us Granny Smith? All I have are red apples can’t wait to make this Sunday
Hi Giz, I highly recommend using granny smith apples for pies. I usually don’t recommend red apples as they won’t withstand cooking temperatures.
It’s a great pie, the filling is to fire for. My go to recipe for several Thanksgiving days already. Thank you
You’re very welcome, Svitlana!
Loved it! I didn’t do the lattice (this time) simply because my son wanted this instead of a cake for his 5th birthday! It was well received by everyone!
Aww, I love that he wanted this as his birthday cake. That’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing that with me, Kaitlyn!
This is truly the best apple pie recipe, there were no leftovers, everyone came back for seconds.
I’m so glad you all loved it, Carolina. It sounds like you have a new favorite.
I made the Natasha’s Kitchen recipe of the apple pie today and it came out pretty good for a first time pie maker! I would try to make this recipe again! Not to sweet!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Janet.
I love this recipe, its definitely a keeper. I always tell my family, “Natasha hasn’t let me down yet” when they rave about how good anything is I’ve made, using your recipes. My husband loves this apple pie!! I just need a lot more practice making it look prettier!!
Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot to me.
Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot to me. I’m sure it’s going to be great as you practice!