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.
BEST apple pie I’ve ever had😋
It turned out amazing thanks for sharing!
Ppl don’t be scared to try it I know your gonna love it even if your not a big fan of apples.. your gonna want to make it again and again lol!!
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lena!
Best apple pie I’ve ever made. My guests I served it to agreed!
Could just the apple filling be made and frozen? That way it would be ready to pull out, thaw and use when time is short to make a pie.
Hi Mary! Thank you for the review. So glad it was loved. I have not fried freezing the apple pie filling however, the pie its self freezes well. It bakes well from a frozen state.
See my additional comment below…editing to add I *always* add cayenne pepper to my apple pies. In my opinion, it’s THE secret ingredient. Add a pinch to the filling mixture and also in the crumble topping.
Apples I used were some we picked locally – any crisp apple will do!
Cayenne pepper? That’s interesting but sounds adventurous! 🙂
Fantastic! I made a few changes based off of what I had and some added flavor. Substituted: rolled oats in place of pecans, salted butter. Added to filling mixture on stovetop: Trader Joe’s bourbon vanilla extract 1tsp, grand mariner liquor 1tsp. Added to topping: sprinkle of butterscotch baking chips (just because I was wanted more chunk without having pecans on hand). Saving this one! Best apple pie I’ve ever had!
That’s wonderful, Jenna! So glad you loved this one.
Amazing! Best I’ve ever made! Between taste testing mixed ingredients to the final product-Delish!
Thank you, Jessica! We’re so glad that you liked this recipe!
This is such a wonderful pie recipe – the best one I’ve made! It’s my sons favorite – I want to make him one and bring to him at his college but one of his roommates has a nut allergy. Can I make the topping without the pecans? Suggestions for a replacement?
Hi Mary! You can try substituting something else, but I haven’t tried an alternative myself to advise. Omitting them will be okay. One of my readers mentioned trying oats. Here’s what they said: “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!” I hope this is helpful.
Our neighbors brought us a ton of apples from their trees so I made 2 of these today. They were my first homemade Dutch apple pies (my personal favorite) and it turned out delicious. I did use store bought crust for convenience and omitted the pecans because we didn’t have them but the recipe was easy enough for my 11 year old to follow along with and the end result was perfect. Definitely saving for future pies!
That’s wonderful! I’m happy you loved the recipe.
Hi, I would like to ask you whether i can bake the Apple Crumble without the pie crust as a base? Just pour the apple mixture into the pie dish!
Hi Marica. I have a recipe for Apple Crisp that would work better with that method.
Hey Natasha,
I was thinking about making this (it looks soooo delicious) but I only have puff pastry on hand. Do you think that I could puff pastry it for this recipe instead?
Hi Bella, I would recommend my apple turnover recipe if you are using puff pastry.
Hi Natasha,
This is so delicious. I have tried your other recipes and they never disappoint.
I was wondering if I could make mini versions by assembling the pies uncooked and freeze them? So when I feel like having pies I could just pop one in the oven ?
Hi Natasha! I haven’t tried making these as individual mini pies to advise on the bake time, outcome or process. If you happen to try that out, I’d love to know how you like it!
I made this for my grandson’s 13th birthday. He wanted it “ice cold”. Strange, I know, so I made it two days early (I bought the Johnny Apple peeler, corer & Slicer on Amazon as suggested – SO Fabulous and FUN!) and the pie was absolutely PERFECT! It was the BEST tasting pie ever and sliced up beautifully. Everyone LOVED it!
So glad to hear that, Robbie! This pie is truly so good! Thank you for the review.
Hi Natasha, today is the second time i bake your Dutch Apple Pie….Alhamdulillah it tastes great as always. The best apple pie recipe ever!!!!! Thank you
Aaaw, love it! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
Love the crumb topping I have been using it on all my pies. Question…..can I premix all the dry ingredients days ahead put in baggies. Making 4 pies for a party would be easier if I could do that. Thank you John
Hi John, I imagine that will be okay. You may also go through the tips that I provided in the recipe in the “Make-Ahead Tips” part.
The perfect combo between an apple crisp and an apple pie! Contrarily to some of the other pies that I have tried, this one contains just the right amount of sweetness and flavor without it being too rich.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
My new favorite Apple pie recipe! I absolutely love it! I love how the pecans add just the right touch.. I also make this pie filling recipe up and freeze it! It cooks up great after being frozen and saves some time.. I recommend everyone that loves Apple pie to try this recipe.. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!
I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review!
Watched your video on Dutch Apple Pie. It looked so good I had to make it. It was as delicious as you said it would be. I haven’t made pie crust in forever but I thought I’d give it a try also. It too was easy using your recipe and yummy. Thanks for the video and the great easy to follow directions. I did order the apple peeler you recommended.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Andrea!
Der Kuchen ist super lecker!
Danke für das tolle Rezept 😃
You’re welcome, Nadine. Glad you loved it!
Hi Natasha, this pie is so awesome! Love the sauce and the topping. Served it tonight. Your recipes are the best! I am so grateful I found you on-line. You are such a blessing. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Aaw, that is so nice. Thank you for your amazing feedback, Debra.
Great recipe, my Dutch husband was delighted. He said it is better than his favourite apple pie from the Netherlands.
Thanks for the wonderful feedback. Daria. That is an awesome compliment!
Definitely the best Dutch Apple Pie I’ve ever made. I used a frozen Mrs. Smith’s crust instead of Natasha’s scratch recipe and walnuts instead of pecans. However, I am inspired now. I’ll gladly try pecans asap, and maybe even attempt that scratch crust…
Great to hear that you loved it, George. I hope you can try the homemade crust next time so you can compare and experience making a homemade version too.
Hi Natasha, i ended up with a soggy bottom pie. Shouldn’t we blind bake it first ? 🙁
Hi Sami, I haven’t had that experience – did you use the pie crust recipe from our site? Also, did you make sure your oven was fully preheated before baking? And also make sure to bake soon after assembling without letting the pie sit out for too long before baking.