This homemade Dutch Apple Pie is a showstopping holiday-worthy dessert. It is everything you love about a classic apple pie, but the bubbly pie filling is topped with an irresistible buttery crumb topping in place of the top crust. It’s simple to make and assemble, but really wows on the dessert table!
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We love apple recipes from Classic Apple Pie, Apple Turnovers, and Baked Apples to Apple Coffee Cake (which is my idea of a perfect morning!). There is nothing like the sweet smell of homemade apple desserts, especially in the Fall when apples are ripe and in season.
Dutch Apple Pie Video Tutorial:
Watch Natasha make this Dutch Apple Pie recipe, and be sure to listen for our quick apple-slicing tip in the video. It really does make prepping apples super fast and fun.
What is a Dutch Apple Pie?
Dutch Apple Pie is a crumb-topped apple pie or a mash-up between apple pie and apple crisp. We use a traditional homemade butter crust to line the pie plate, and then we fill it with our fan-favorite apple pie filling as you would for classic Apple Pie.
Then, instead of topping it with another woven crust, we switch it up, using a heavenly mixture of Fall spices, sugar, butter, and chopped pecans, like the streusel of an Apple Crisp, and sprinkle it over the apples. The result is so tasty and makes my house smell amazing.
Ingredients for Dutch Apple Pie
Check your pantry and fridge for everything you need to make this Dutch Apple Pie recipe. It’s the simple ingredients that make it so unforgettable!
- Pie Crust – our homemade pie crust is easy to make and worth the extra few minutes. Use one from the recipe and freeze the other. You can also use a pre-made pie crust.
- Apples – 1.25 lbs of Granny Smith apples equals about 6 apples. See our list below for apple substitutes.
- Filling – cinnamon, butter, flour, water, sugar
The Best Apples for Dutch Apple Pie
We highly recommend using Granny Smith Apples for most apple desserts because the tangy apples contrast the sweetness of the filling. While Granny Smith works best, here are some tips for substitutions:
- Crisp/tart apples that are not overly ripe work best, like Jonagold, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Honey Crisp.
- Adjust the sugar – For sweeter apples, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over your apple slices to balance the sweetness and reduce the sugar in the filling.
- Mix and mingle – For more flavor, you can mix apple varieties such as sweet Honeycrisp with tart Granny Smith.
Ingredients for the Crumb Topping
- Flour – we use all-purpose flour to give the crumb structure
- Sugar – we combine brown sugar and granulated sugar,
- Spice – cinnamon adds warmth and compliments the filling and salt balances the sweetness
- Unsalted Butter – helps the crumbs stick together and crisp up
- Chopped pecans – add nutty flavor and crunch
Pro Tip:
You can leave out the pecans if you don’t prefer nuts or have an allergy. You can also replace them with chopped walnuts, sliced or slivered almonds, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds or even some rolled oats.
How to Slice Apples for Dutch Apple Pie
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. We recommend cutting the slices 1/4″ thick for this Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie.
How to Make Dutch Apple Crumb Pie
A Dutch apple pie sounds fancy but the process is simple and you will impress everyone with your stunning finished dessert. This recipe has a generous amount of filling so we recommend a deep-dish pie pan.
- Prep the Oven – Preheat to 375°F and place one oven rack on the bottom and one in the center.
- Make the Crust – roll a chilled pie disk and then transfer it to a pie pan. Crimp the edges.
Pro Tip:
The easiest way to transfer a pie crust is to wrap it around your rolling pin and then unroll it into your pie pan, like in the photos above.
- Prep Apples – Peel, core and slice the apples to 1/4″ thick. Toss with cinnamon.
- Make the Apple Filling – in a saucepan, melt butter, then whisk in flour. Add sugar and water. Stir sauce into sliced apples then pour apples over the bottom crust.
- Make Crumb Topping – using your hands or a pastry blender, form pea-sized crumbles from flour, brown and granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter, then add pecans. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the apples.
- Bake Uncovered at 375˚F for 55 minutes and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving. This helps the filling set and it will be easier to slice.
How to Know When Dutch Apple Pie is Done
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.
How to Serve Dutch Apple Pie
Dutch apple pie will get all the attention on a Dessert Table. It’s truly delicious and smells heavenly! After baking, you’ll want to cool it for about an hour so it sets up a bit for easier slicing. I like to serve it warm, but you can also serve it at room temperature or chilled right out of the fridge.
If you want to make the pie even more decadent, serve it with:
- Vanilla Ice Cream scooped over each slice
- Caramel Sauce drizzled over the pie
- Whipped Cream lightly sweetened like in our Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Make-Ahead
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 it, and refrigerate it a day ahead.
- Crumble Topping – you can make the topping a day ahead, cover it, 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. It’s a must-try for your next Holiday Menu!
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
- Tiramisu
- Red Velvet Cake
- Toffee
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Baklava
- Banana Bread
- Tres Leches Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
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
- Preheat oven to 375˚F with a rack on the bottom and a rack in the center of the oven.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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.