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
I absolutely loved this recipe! It was delicious. I do have a question though. If I only had a 9.5 inch pie dish, would I increase the recipe by .5?
Hi Serena, doubling the recipe by .5 will probably overflow since it is double the amount. I think this will still work great in a 9.5″ dish!
Hi Natalie, your crust was easy to make and tasted great! The filling tasted great as well but I felt the apples were still crisp and not cooked all the way through, especially in the centre. Is it supposed to taste this way? I baked it for 15 mins at 425F and 45 mins at 350F as per the recipe.
Hi Carrie, they should be nice and soft. It could be the apple type and ripeness. I do recommend reading through our tips and our reader comments.
I also had the same question! I don’t usually use granny smith in pies and was curious if the crisp was the norm this apple….
Thanks for sharing this recipe Natasha. So far I have just had store bought Apple Pie but this homemade Apple pie with homemade pie crust was just awesome. Though the dough was difficult to roll out the results were simply Yummy😋. My kids and my family loved it. ☺
I am so happy with that, Anisa. Thank you for choosing this recipe to try and I’m so glad you loved it!
Yum. I used a premade pie crust because … I’m lazy. Still delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Christine!
Fantastic recipe Natasha. Thank you💕💕
Thank you so much, Louisa!
So delicious! Received tons of compliments on this pie! Can this pie be frozen? Would you recommend assembling the pie and freezing before baking? How would you recommend baking the frozen pie, then?
Hello Stephanie, thank you so much for your awesome feedback. I haven’t tested freezing that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi i took my pie crust out of fridge it was to hard to roll are you suppose to take it out and let it sit for awhile it might be a stupid question but they were really hard. Made The pie had a lot of juice did i not let it sit long enough it sat for an hour
Hi Donna, I would recommend thawing it in the refrigerator overnight. You can try microwaving it for 10-20 seconds before folding it. Let us know how it goes.
Hi i took my pie crust out of fridge it was to hard to roll are you suppose to take it out and let it sit for awhile it might be a stupid question but they were really hard
Hi Donna, yes, let it sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before rolling or it will be difficult to roll out if it is refrigerated for long periods. This dough will work for pumpkin pie also.
I want to make this but can I use sugar free like Splenda? My husband and sister love apple pie. Using the apple I might get away with. Thanks
Hello Linda, using Splenda should work. Although, I have not personally tried that yet to advise on the measurements I heard others tried it and it worked too.
Thanks so much. I have had great luck with the Splanda and will let you know how it works. Thanks.
Hi, I’m looking for a very quick recipe for apples pie. Can I use a store brought crust for this recipe? I would live to try your crust but I need to make a pie in not a lot of time. Please advise
Hi Ayanna, yes you can definitely use store-bought crust.
Hi Natasha was wondering if I can freeze the Apple pie and should It be cooked..partially cooked..or uncooked..looks so delicious
Thank you
Hi Eva, I haven’t tested freezing that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
My family lived this apple pie recipe, it was easy & delicious, thank u!!!
You’re welcome Megean! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha, Ewa again, your video says to beat 1 eg with 1 tbsp of sugar for the egg wash. The directions say to do 1 egg and 1 tbsp of water…….. I’ll try the sugar like the video says.
Hi Ewa, that was a blooper. I meant to say water and have no idea why I said sugar. I hope it was clear in the video that I used water. It’s definitely water.
Hi Natasha, my sauce didn’t look like yours, it was thick. Any idea why? I followed the directions exactly, I don’t have a high end stove. Do you think a difference in BTU’s may have effected my sauce? Would love any insight! Thanks!
Hi Ewa, cooking on too high of heat would make it thicken faster. If everything was measured correctly, it sounds like too high of heat could be the culprit.
I made your apple pie today. My hubby peeled & sliced the apples & I did the rest. My husband thought it was the best apple pie he’s ever tasted & his mom was a superb cook & baker. It was delicious. Only one problem, slightly juicy. How can I prevent that? Thank you.
That’s just awesome Pam! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It will be juicy but not too juicy.
Not sure if it’s me or this recipe but something is off. I used 7 Large Honey Crisp Apples. The weight was 3.5 lbs and More than stated in recipe which is 2.25 lbs. I got enough filling to make TWO REGULAR SIZE NINE IN PIES! By my math, I’d need HALF MY AMOUNT TO MAKE ONE REGULAR NINE INCH PIE. that’s means for one pie it be 1.75 lbs of apples. Oh well. Now I just have a ton of pie. Too much for me and my husband who have no kids. I understand weight is given as a way to standardize the amounts…. but even if I had used 6 large honey crisp apples, that would be enough to make two regular 9 inch pies. I added all spice nutmeg and cardamom to my apples. Used dark brown sugar in the apple slurry. Hope they work. First time making apple pies specifically.
Hi Emmi, 3.5 lbs is definitely too much apple and would overwhelm the recipe and there wouldn’t be enough sauce for that much apples unless you scaled it up proportionally and divided it into 2 pans for 2 pies. Honey Crisp can range greatly in size – I’ve seen some jump honey crisps out there and it sounds like those are the ones you had. I would always go by the weight of the apples since they can vary significantly by size.
Hi Natasha. Melica again. I was wondering if it is okay if I can use all purpose flour whole wheat for the crust, and maybe for the pie instead of the original all purpose flour.
Hi Melica, I have not tested this with wheat flour to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
So good and easy! Love all your recipes so easy to make and so delicious
Thank you for your good comments and feedback! We appreciate you sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha. Melica again. I was also wondering if it is okay if I could use all purpose flour whole wheat instead of the original all purpose flour. Thank you again.
Hi Melica, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi! My sauce completely broke and is now lumpy flour sugar and butter that won’t combine. Not sure what happened there
Hi Devon, I haven’t had that experience so I’m not sure without being there. Could it have been overcooked? Were any substitutions made?
Hi Natasha. My name is Melica. Today if I can try, I would really love to bake your inviting apple pie. I mean it absolutely looks scrumptious. I was just wondering about one thing. Does it matter what type of type crust you buy or bake. Or will it ruin the whole pie. Thank you. You are the best Natasha. And a excellent Baker. You are one of my favourite bakers. Please continue to keep on baking. You have such a kind, and beautiful heart for baking. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes with all of us.
Sincerely, Melica.
Hi Melica, I haven’t tested too many other pie crusts but the one we recommended in the recipe post above was our favorite for this recipe! I hope you try and love it!
hi the pie was so good my family loved it thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome Saja! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!