Apple Pie
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Golden, buttery crust, bubbling apples, and plenty of cozy fall flavor—this truly is the perfect homemade apple pie.
As fall rolls in and apple season reaches its peak, there’s no better time to bake a homemade apple pie—whether you want to use up a bushel of apples or whip up a special Thanksgiving dessert. It may seem daunting, but this tried-and-true recipe makes it easy to bake the perfect pie every time.
The secret to making the best apple pie is avoiding common pitfalls, like a soupy filling and a soggy crust, by cooking the apples before filling and baking the pie. This simple step thickens the juices, concentrates their flavor, and ensures a crisp, flaky crust with a rich, cider-flavored apple pie filling.
This, my friends, is the ultimate apple pie recipe! Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce for an extra-special dessert.
“Apple is my husband’s favorite. He walked out the door this morning and said it was the best I’ve made!”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Pie
For the best apple pie, stick with firm, baking apples that hold their shape and don’t turn mushy in the oven. Good choices include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Golden Delicious. Using a mix of a few varieties gives the filling the perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the pie crust. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly, with lots of pea-size bits of butter still visible. Add the water and pulse again until the mixture is evenly moistened and very crumbly.
Step 2: Chill the dough. Turn the dough crumbles out onto your work surface and divide them into two piles — one slightly larger than the other (about 15% bigger). You can just eyeball it, or if you like to be precise, aim for about 13 ounces and 11½ ounces. Shape each pile into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disc. Wrap both discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, or up to 3 days, to let the dough rest.
Step 3: Prepare the apple pie filling. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, toss the apples with the lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour, and cornstarch. Stir until everything is evenly coated and you don’t see any streaks of dry flour or cornstarch. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the apples soften slightly and the juices start to thicken, 11 to 13 minutes. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet to cool completely before assembling the pie.
Step 4: Prepare the bottom crust. Take the larger disc of dough out of the fridge and let it sit a few minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 13-inch circle, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Drape the dough over your rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Gently press it into the pan, then trim the edges. Transfer the apples into the crust and refrigerate while you prepare the top crust.
Step 5: Prepare the top crust. Roll out the second disc of dough into an 11-inch circle. Drape it over the chilled pie and gently press around the edges to seal. Trim any excess dough, then crimp the edges with a fork or flute them with your fingers. Brush the top with egg wash, cream, or milk, and sprinkle with sugar for a golden, sparkly finish. Finally, cut a few slits in the top to let steam escape.
Step 6: Bake. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet (it helps crisp the bottom crust) and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for about 45 minutes more, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack—at least 4 hours—before slicing. As tempting as it is, don’t cut in too soon or you’ll end up with apple soup!
The pie can be baked a day ahead and kept at room temperature. For longer storage, you can freeze it—either before or after baking—for up to 3 months.
Apple Pie Video Tutorial
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Apple Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 18 tablespoons (2 sticks + 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 7 tablespoons ice cold water
For the Filling
- 4½ pounds baking apples (about 8 large apples; see note), peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Baking
- A beaten egg, heavy cream, or milk, for brushing over crust
- 2 tablespoons granulated or turbinado sugar, for topping the pie
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly with lots of pea-size clumps of butter within.Add the water and pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and very crumbly.Dump the dough crumbles onto a work surface and divide into two piles, with one pile about 15% bigger than the other. You can eyeball it, but if you have a kitchen scale, one pile should weigh 13 oz (368 g) and the other 11.5 oz (326 g). Shape into two balls of dough and pat each one into a 5-inch (13-cm) disc. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days to rest.
- Prepare the Filling: In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, mix the apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour, and cornstarch. Stir until thoroughly combined and both the flour and cornstarch are dissolved. Place the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the apples soften and the juices thicken, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer the apples and their juices to a baking sheet, spreading them out evenly. Allow them to cool completely.
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set an oven rack in the lower third position. Place a baking sheet on this rack to preheat as well. (This acts like a pizza stone, providing a hot surface to help the bottom crust of the pie crisp up effectively.)
- Assemble the Pie: Remove the larger disc of dough from the refrigerator. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and place the dough on it; sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough as well. Gently knead the dough with your hands just until it becomes soft and malleable (avoid overworking it—you want it just supple enough to roll out). Roll the dough out into a 13-inch (33-cm) circle, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Carefully lift the dough by draping it over your rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch by 1½-inch (23-cm by 3.75-cm) deep pie pan, preferably metal (as metal conducts heat more effectively, helping the bottom crust crisp up) but ceramic or glass will work too. Gently press the dough into the pan, making sure to ease it into place without stretching. Trim the edges of the dough to extend about ½ inch (1.25 cm) beyond the pie pan's lip.Transfer the cooled apples and their juices into the crust; refrigerate while you prepare the top crust.Remove the second disc of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into an 11-inch (28-cm) circle, following the same process described above. Retrieve the filled pie from the refrigerator and carefully drape the rolled dough over the top. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute them with your fingers to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Work quickly and dust your fingers with flour as needed to prevent the dough from becoming too warm. Brush the top crust with beaten egg, cream, or milk, and evenly sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of granulated or turbinado sugar. Cut four 3-inch (7.5-cm) slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
- Bake and Cool: Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, at least 4 hours. Resist the temptation to cut into the pie while it’s warm, or you may end up with apple soup!
Notes
- Be sure to use baking apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. And use a mix of different varietals for the best flavor.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pie can be baked up to 1 day ahead of time and stored, loosely covered with foil, at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months before or after baking it. (If freezing it unbaked, hold off on brushing the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkling it with sugar; you can do that right before baking.) If baked, let it cool completely and place it in the freezer uncovered. When fully frozen, wrap the pie securely in foil and freeze. If the pie is unbaked, wrap it securely in foil and freeze. When ready to serve, proceed with baking instructions above (the pie is likely to take 10 to 15 minutes longer to bake).
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Try as I might, I cannot acheive a pie crust that even remotely resembles yours. I carefully measure the ingredients and chill it – usually overnight. The dough wants to crumble and fall apart as I attempt to roll it out. I just do a patch job as much as possible. My husbands loves the pie as the best ever so I’d really love to have it looking like yours. Any thoughts?
PW
Hi Phyllis, are you kneading the dough just a touch after you remove it from the fridge? (You don’t want to overwork it, but just want to make it a bit more pliable before rolling it out.)
Hi Jenn,
Can I take the dough once I make it and freeze for a week?
Sure, Karen, that’s fine I see the instructions at the bottom of my pie crust recipe for specific freezing guidance.
Do you ever consider blind baking the bottom crust to ensure the crust is thoroughly baked?? I sort of have to use a family heirloom glass pie plate and have had a soggy bottom crust in the past.
Thank you and happy holidays
I updated this recipe about a year ago and the old recipe called for blind baking the crust. I found it to be very fussy because it’s hard to attach the top crust to the par baked bottom. I don’t think blind baking it is necessary now because I tweaked the filling to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy. It also gets placed on a preheated baking sheet which helps. Have you made this one yet? If not, I think you’ll be pleased by how the crust comes out without blind baking.
Hi Jenn. Can you prepare the filling a day in advance and put the pie together the next morning? I have made this pie before and it is delicious. Thanks
Definitely (and glad you like it)!
Hi,
I’m looking forward to making this. Was wondering if you had a dutch apple pie version with crumb topping instead?
Hi Sara, I don’t have a Dutch apple pie, but the topping that goes on my apple crisp would work nicely here. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Hi jenn..
I’ve been following this recipe for a few years now for different occasions..I made it just recently for the Thanksgiving holiday and took it over to my sisters house…and right away my brother in law asked my if I cooked the apples before putting them in the pie crust..he could taste the different from the original recipe…thanks jenn..the updated recipe is better and easier to make…love it ..thanks again..I’ll be making a few more over the holiday also..
I made this recipe exactly according to the instructions. The filling was delicious but the bottom crust was even soggier than when I make my own pie my way. I tried this recipe hoping I could eimnate the soggy crust but just didnt do it.
Hi Jenn. If I make the pie a day ahead , should I keep it in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter until the next day?
Hi Karen, I’d store it, loosely covered with foil, at room temperature. Enjoy!
My favourite pie crust recipe is on the TENDERFLAKE package.
I followed the recipe for the pie filling and it was excellent!!!! No runny pie filling when we cut into it.