Dutch Apple Pie Recipe (VIDEO)
This homemade Dutch Apple Pie is a showstopping holiday-worthy dessert. It is everything you love about Classic Apple Pie with a buttery crumb topping.
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We love apple recipes from Apple Turnovers to Baked Apples. There is nothing like the sweet smell of homemade apple desserts. If you are a fan of apples, this Dutch Apple Pie Recipe is a must-try! Watch the video tutorial and you will master this pie in no time.
Dutch Apple Pie Video Tutorial:
I hope you enjoyed our quick apple slicing tip in the video. It really does make prepping apples super fast and fun.
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What is a Dutch Apple Pie?
Dutch Apple Pie is essentially a crumb topped apple pie. We use a traditional butter crust to line the pie plate, fill with apples like you would for classic Apple Pie, and top with a buttery crumb-pecan topping.
The Best Apples for Baking:
We highly recommend using Granny Smith Apples for most apple desserts. The contrast of the tangy apples with the sweetness of the filling is irresistible. While Granny Smith works best, you can substitute. Be sure to use a crisp/tart apple that is not overly ripe.
If you are using sweeter apples, I suggest squeezing some fresh lemon juice over your apple slices to balance the sweetness and cutting down on the sugar in the filling. You can Substitute with: Jonagold, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp.
How To Slice Apples: You can peel, core, and slice the apples by hand with a knife, but the fastest and easiest way is to use an Apple Slicer. It does all of the prep in one step. Watch the video tutorial above to see this in action.
How to Make Apple Crumb Pie:
A Dutch apple pie sounds fancy but the process is simple and you will impress everyone with your stunning pie.
- Make the Crust – roll a chilled pie disk and transfer it to a pie pan.
- Prep Apples – Peel, core and slice the apples. Toss with cinnamon.
- Make the Filling – in a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour then add sugar, and water. Stir sauce into sliced apples.
- Make Crumb Topping – using your hands, form pea-sized crumbles from flour, brown and granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter then add pecans.
- Assemble and Bake – pour the apple filling over the bottom crust, smooth out the top and cover with crumb topping. Bake at 375˚F for 55 minutes.
How to Make a Crumb Topping:
A crumb topping is simple to make and all you need are your hands to form the crumbs. Mix dry ingredients together, then work softened butter into the flour until well incorporated and coarse crumbs form, then fold in the pecans.
How to Transfer a Pie Crust:
The easiest way to transfer a pie crust is to wrap it around your rolling pin and then unroll it into your pie pan. Watch the video tutorial to see this process in action.
Common Questions:
Absolutely! If the only thing stopping you from making this is the homemade pie crust, then buy a pre-made crust. If the crust is frozen, thaw according to package instructions and proceed with the recipe as usual.
You can leave out the pecans or replace them with chopped walnuts, sliced or slivered almonds.
The pie is done when you see bubbling juices at the edges coming through the topping. You can also check with an instant-read thermometer. Pectin breaks down and softens the apples at 175˚ so you want your pie filling to reach 175˚F.
For the apples to cook through evenly, cut your apples slices 1/4″ thick.
This recipe has a generous amount of filling so we recommend a deep-dish pie pan.
How to Serve Dutch Apple Pie:
Dutch apple pie is a show-stopping holiday dessert. If you want to make it even more decadent, serve it with:
- Vanilla Ice Cream – scooped over each slice
- Caramel Sauce – drizzled over the pie
- Whipped Cream – lightly sweetened
Make-Ahead Tips:
We love to make and serve the pie the same day it is made but you can pre-make portions of the pie or even bake the entire apple pie with crumb topping ahead.
- Pie Crust – The homemade pie dough can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use. You can even mold it in the pie pan ahead, cover, and refrigerate a day ahead.
- Crumble Topping – you can make the topping a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Storing the Finished Pie – the pie can be baked, cooled, and refrigerated a day ahead. Bring the pie to room temperature or slightly warm it in the oven before serving.
Everything about this Dutch Apple Pie is good, from the flaky pastry dough to the warm gooey apple filling and crisp buttery pecan topping.
More Holiday Desserts:
If you love this Dutch Apple Pie recipe then you won’t want to miss these holiday desserts. These are the fan-favorites that are most popular for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
- Pumpkin Cake – with an irresistible frosting
- Tiramisu – a no-bake, timeless Italian cake
- Tres Leches Cake – can be decorated for any holiday
- Baklava – with excellent lemon-honey syrup
- Banana Bread – our most famous banana bread
- Pumpin Cheesecake – easy and stunning dessert
Dutch Apple Pie Recipe (Apple Crumb Pie)
Ingredients
For the Dutch Apple Pie:
- 1 pie crust (1/2 of our pie dough recipe)
- 2 1/4 lbs granny smith apples 6 medium apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375˚F with a rack on the bottom and a rack in the center of the oven.
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Roll out your chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12” diameter circle. Transfer to a 9” pie pan. Tuck excess pie dough into the dish and crimp the edges.
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Peel, core, and thinly slice apples to about 1/4” thickness. You should have 7 cups of sliced apples. Place them in a mixing bowl and stir in 1 tsp cinnamon.
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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, 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering for 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices. Pour apples over bottom crust.
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To Make the Crumb Topping, stir together dry ingredients: flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and work it into the mixture with our hands until pea-size crumbs form throughout the mixture. Stir in pecans. Spread the crumb topping evenly over your apples
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Bake uncovered at 375˚F for 50-60 minutes (we found 55 minutes to be perfect), or until the center of the pie registers 175˚F. Place a sheet of foil on the bottom rack to catch any drips from the pie. If topping is browning too much, cover with a sheet of foil. Remove from oven and cool 1 hour to allow the filling to set so it’s easier to slice.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Love love love this apple crumble pie..and the apple pie, and the pumpkin pie, and the pot chicken pie and all your recipes!!! Wow Natasha! You never disappoint me!! Thank you thank you for all your delicious recipes! You inspire me to be a great cook!
God bless you!
Love,
Sheila from Australia
Wow looks like you are definitely a pie lover! I’m glad you enjoyed all of those recipes, Sheila.
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. It was good and very easy to make. But… I don’t know what went wrong. Weither my baking dish was not deep enough or big enough or there were too many apples or too much sauce but the sauce went bubbling over and made a huge mess in my oven.
Hi Natalia, if the recipe was followed as written, then the most likely culprit was too small of a pie pan. Also, it’s always a good idea to place a sheet of foil under the pie dish to catch any drips, especially if using a smaller pan. You could adapt this recipe to a smaller pan by using less apples.
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was the first time I’ve ever made it and it was delicious. In fact it was everyone’s favorite. It was gone in 2 days. I just got a request to make another and I will certainly oblige.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I made Natasha’s Dutch apple pie for Thanksgiving. It is by far the best apple pie I have ever made. It was scrumptious! It is the only apple pie I will ever make in the future.
Hi Mary, that is so fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, I’m glad you loved this recipe.
Delicious and easy to make!
Huge portion, can feed dozen od people!
Great to hear that, Sanja. Thank you for an awesome feedback!
Made this pie for Thanksgiving. It was one of the best apple pies I have ever made. Highly recommend!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Julie!
Everyone loved it! Just love this pie crust recipe. I’ve made it for your pot pie recipe also. It’s so easy! Thanks again for another great recipe.
You’re welcome, Sue. The pie crust recipe is surely always a hit! I’m glad you loved it.
can you freeze the crust
Hi Tim, the pie crust does freeze well. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
I haven’t made this yet but plan to, tomorrow. Can I use 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar?
Hi Michelle, that would work, but the filling will take on a little darker color.
Natasha, can I make this in a 10 inch pie dish? Would I need to change baking time?
Hi Nat, that would still work and I would bake for about the same amount of time since you want the apples to soften adequately.
I do not have a “deep dish” pie pan, will I need to lessen the ingredients to make sure it fits in a basic 9” pie pan that is not deep dish or will it all still fit?
Hi Katie, it really depends on the depth of your pie pan (ours is just under 2″ deep) so it would need to be a judgment call. I would highly recommend placing a sheet of foil under your pan to catch any drips from the pie filling.
First time making this and your pumpkin pie with your crust recipe. I need to work on my dough rolling skills. My son gave the Apple a 10. My husband, who is the Pumpkin pie expert, loved the flavor of the custard. I blind baked my crust to long. I read in some forums not to blind bake the crust or poke holes, what is your take on that?
Hi Kelly, we did not do that, and it worked out great! I hope you give this recipe another try :).
How much is 8 tablespoons of butter? I would be happy if you write grams
Hi Oshrat, we have the metric conversion option listed on our printable recipe card. You can also use a search engine to convert it. 8 tbsp butter should be about 113.4 grams. I hope this is helpful.
Can’t wait to try this out for Thanksgiving. I’m going to bake it the day before and then re-heat on Thanksgiving.
It is seriously so good! I hope you love this recipe, Rod!
Hello Natasha! You are my first go-to when I want to make something 🙂
I made your pie crust for the first time instead of my usual frozen one and saved the other disk for Thanksgiving next week 😀
However, please help me understand what went wrong and what I should do for next week to make it perfect.
1- The filling turned out clumpy ( I followed your directions). So I made another batch and only cooked on low simmer the whole time and it turned out like the one on your video.
2- The crumbles turned out into a cookie consistency so I rolled and pulled it apart into pea size. It turned out like cookies topping and tasted great!
3- Even after letting the pie sit for 1 hour, the inside was soupy/runny. The apples stayed in shape but wondering why…the only water was the 1/4 cup in the filling. I did only have 5 medium sized Granny Smith apples instead of 6.
Overall it was still yummyliscious!!!
And beautiful! Until I sliced it 🙁 Yet I want to make it again…so I hope you could help/advise me.
Thank you again for sharing your talents. I find your recipes much easier to follow than anyone else!
~Maria
Hi Maria, I’m so glad you loved the pie and I am happy to help trobuleshoot. If you put the sauce over cold apple slices it can look “clumpy” but it will be great once baked. Make sure that the proportions of apples to sauce were the same as listed in the recipe.
Love your website and videos… could I reduce the amount of sugar with the apples? I usually make a rhubarb crisp with apples as I need recipes that are gluten free.
Hi Jennifer, yes that would work to reduce the sugar. I love the idea of a rhubarb apple crisp.
Hey Natasha can’t wait to make this Dutch apple pie for thanksgiving! Was wondering if I substitute butter for margarine would it make a difference/ would I need to add more?
Hello Jasmin, I honestly haven’t tried making this recipe using margarine yet to advise.
This is the best apple pie recipe I ever tried. So easy to make and tastes sooo good! Since I am short of time, I bought a pre-made pie shell and blind baked it first so it is not soggy at the bottom.
Can you clarify this for the crumb topping? 8 Tbsp 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature. Is it 8 Tbsp and 1/2 cup or 8 Tbsp=1/2 cup. Thanks!
Hi Joann, I’m so happy you loved the pie recipe! Thank you for sharing your great review. You are right – that is a little complicated the way it reads. It is just 8 Tbsp of butter for the topping. I updated the recipe card to clarify.
Dutch Apple Pie…I am 77 yrs old and have to bow down to you on this recipe. Excellent and I made it with your homemade pie crust. I baked it 4 days ago and just reheated a piece that was left and it was like fresh out of the oven. Bravo !!!
Perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this recipe, Karen. I’m so glad you enjoyed this pie!
Hi, can i make this pie but with blueberries??? Keeping the crumble on top??
Hi Monika, I have not tested this with blueberries to advise.
I made this pie and it was amazing. Was wondering if you have used this recipe to make an apple crisp obviously leaving out the crust. Or do you have an apple crisp recipe?
Hi Trisha, I have not, but that is a great suggestion! Adding it to my list. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
Trying this this weekend! Can it be made the night before serving? If so, should I store it in the fridge or on the counter at room temp! Thanks in advance!
Hello Marianne, yes you may. Please read the Make Ahead Tips in the middle portion of the recipe.
Thank you Natasha for another easy to follow recipe! The pie turned out sooo delicious! So glad i made two 😋 Quick question, I refrigerated one pie after baking it, how long would I reheat it for and at what temperature ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lesya! I would reheat it in the oven. For a 9-inch pie, once your oven is pre-heated to 350 degrees, I would put it in for maybe 20 minutes or so and then check on it.
First time making a scratch pie for quite a few years but wanted to try your butter based pastry and it is fall apple time in Canada. Crust was so easy and good. Apple filling was spot on. Crumb topping was a bit dry so I might have to up the butter next time. Loved the pecans though.
If the crust is frozen, do you bake the pie crust first after thawing or bake it all together with the filling?
Hi Amita, I would bake it together with the filling. I do not pre-bake the crust for this.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Apple corer/slicer is next on my list of “must haves”!
Thanks for sharing, Natasha🍎
I hope you get it! Hey, Christmas is right around the corner!
Do you use light or dark brown sugar for the crumb topping?
Any brown sugar should be fine.
How do you get your pie crust to cook on the bottom? Mine never seem to cook all the way through. There always gummy. I love your videos. I wish you’d get your own show on the food network channel.
Hi Marcia, I would highly recommend using the same pie crust we have on our site as well as making the filling the same way with the sauce. It seems to be the right combination to prevent a soggy crust.
Thank you. I can’t wait to make this for thanksgiving. I just ordered the Apple slicer.
I hope you love this recipe!
May I ask why it’s called a Dutch apple pie? I’m Dutch, but our traditional apple pie isn’t made like that, it doesn’t have crumbs on it. So I was wondering why it’s called a Dutch apple pie. I’m not criticizing or something, just genuinely curious! It really does look delicious!
Hi Aline, I’m not sure what the origins of the name are but from my research, I discovered what I listed in the “what is a dutch apple pie” section above.
This pie is delicious! I made the crust, filling with apples from my tree, and topping as directed. I however can’t eat nuts, so I substituted oats. It was the best recipe I’ve tried and by far the most unique, we topped it with ice cream and my family can’t wait for me to make it again!
That is so wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your great experience with this recipe. We appreciate your kind words, Jessalynn.
Can it be frozen
Hi Lulu, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe for a long time to advise. But you can check the Make Ahead Tips part in the recipe.
Hi Lulu, I haven’t tried freezing an apple pie with a crumb topping so I’m not sure how the topping would hold up. I assume it would work, but haven’t tested it.
Yumm! What a treat.
I made this pie a couple nights ago. Sorry i forgot to take a picture. It is so good.
I’m happy you enjoyed that Sherri!
Delicious 😋
Thank you!
Made this today. Ended up with 2 pies, one with walnuts and the other without. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! My family has declared we will never eat another frozen apple pie. Recipe was exact including the baking time. Perfect! I had two store bought crusts but next time I will make that also. Thank you so much!
Love it! I’m so glad you liked it, homemade is always a better idea too. Thanks for your awesome review, we appreciate it!
Tried dutch apple pie in this Halloween, my kids loved it…. Came out super delicious..
Tried all three of your delicious recipes..
..Dutch apple pie with homemade pie crust.
… Tres Leches cake
…. Pizza with homemade dough and alfredo sauce.
Hello Neenu, so nice to know that you loved those recipes! I hope you love every recipe that you try from my website.
I LOVE your videos.
Thank you!
What is the name of your apple slicer corer
Hello Donna, here’s the apple slicer that I used here in this recipe.
OMG I can’t wait to try this. Thank you and I love your videos..
You’re welcome. I hope this becomes one of your favorite recipes!
how much butter do i use to make the sauce filling for the apple pie you do not say in the recipe
Hi Anika, I have it listed under the apple pie ingredients. It is 8 Tbsp of unsalted butter.
have you ever experimented with MOnkfruit sweetener or other types of artificial sugar? I”m KETO, but would love to make this.
I have not experimented with that for this recipe. If you happen to test that I would love to know how you like this recipe.
Yum – delicious dessert! Everyone loved it!
Hi Melissa, I’m so happy to hear that you all loved the Dutch apple pie recipe!
Did you taste the tomba chicken in outback restaurant or still . Dutch apple pie looks nice.
Hi, I haven’t tried it but now I want to! I hope you get a chance to try the pie.
Absolutely amazing! Definitely going to be making a couple more of these to bring to Thanksgiving!!
Thank you for that wonderful review, Stephanie!
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make this!
This recipe is so so good! I hope you try it soon!