This Easy Homemade Apple Pie recipe combines a made from scratch apple pie filling that's baked in my signature buttery, flaky pie crust. It tastes fantastic and absolutely perfect for those crisp fall nights!
Table of Contents
What Are the Best Apples to Use for Apple Pie?
My favorite apples to use when making homemade apple pie are Granny Smith apples or a combination of Granny Smith with McIntosh or Gala apples. You can also use Honeycrisp apples or Golden Delicious as well.
Why Do You Precook Apple Pie Filling?
While it is not a requirement for making apple pies, I do highly recommend precooking your apple pie filling for the following reasons:
Eliminates pie juices. It can help eliminate some of the pie juices that tend to bubble up and run over the pie crust while baking. It's worth noting that having a well-vented pie crust top can help with this part as well.
Softens the apples. Precooking the filling will soften and settle the apples ahead of time so you're not left with any potential crunchiness or gaps. And, you want the apples softened, but not to the point where they fall apart into a mushy mess.
Thicker pie filling. It can produce a thicker, more solid pie. Apples lose volume during the baking process which can open up gaps within the filling and crust. Precooking the apple pie filling reduces the chance of this happening.
How Thin Should I Slice My Apples for the Apple Pie Filling?
My personal preference is to slice them almost as thin as potato chips using a mandoline slicer. With thin slices of apples, you will want to make sure they don't turn into a mushy mess. Be gentle when stirring them as you make the apple pie filling.
You can of course, make the slices thicker using a mandoline slicer or by hand, if you prefer. If you use the mandoline slicer I recommend getting yourself a pair of cut resistant gloves. I just recently bought a pair and they have definitely helped saved my finger tips!
How to Make Homemade Apple Pie from Scratch
Below is a helpful outline on how to make this homemade apple pie recipe.
Make the pie crusts first. This will save you quite a bit of time later! Double wrap each pie crust disc in plastic wrap and place it in the back of your refrigerator (the coldest part). Refrigerated pie crusts will last between 3-5 days.
If you are making the pie crusts with the intent of having them on hand for pie season, I recommend tightly double wrapping the discs with plastic wrap, place them into a freezer bag, and into the freezer. They will be good for up to a month.
Precook the apple pie filling. As I previously noted, this isn't a requirement, but it really does help produce the best apple pie! It's good to make this 1-2 hours before to give it time to cool slightly before you add it to the pie crust.
Be mindful of your time as you cook the apple filling. You want to cook them for about 5 minutes until they just soften. You'll notice that they'll start to reduce in size as well. You definitely don't want to cook them to the point where they turn into a mushy blob.
One other important tip, don't let the apple pie filling sit in the skillet to cool after making it—carefully transfer it to a glass mixing bowl.
Assemble the pie then bake! Preheat the oven with a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet on the rack. Take out your chilled pie crust and roll it out to 12-14 inches in diameter. Or if you already did this, pull the chilled plated pie crust out of the refrigerator.
Add the filling to the pie crust, then add your top crust. If you're doing a top crust that is much more involved, I recommend doing this before you add the pie filling.
Brush the pie crust edges with an egg wash, then bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF. Reduce to 350ºF and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. With 15-20 minutes remaining, add a pie crust shield to prevent your crust from over-browning.
Quick Tips for Making Homemade Pie Crust
- If you deal with arthritis in your hands like I do, you can use a food processor to make the pie dough. I did find it easier though to move the dough to a large lightly floured mixing bowl to add in the cold water before forming the discs, but that's up to you. You may find you use a little less water when adding it in the food processor.
- Chill the pie crust for a minimum of 1 hour. Overnight is my preference!
- Roll out your bottom pie crust, create your pie crust edge and refrigerate again.
Recommended Baking Tools
Recipe FAQs
I used these 1 inch Ateco alphabet cutters to spell out "APPLE PIE" for my top pie crust design. I recommend using chilled pie crust dough and cookie cutter dipped in a little flour.
To help release the dough from the cutter, you can use a toothpick or pairing knife. I also recommend having a little patience, especially when using the 1 inch alphabet cookie cutters.
For another top pie crust design, you can easily create a cut-out pattern using a cookie cutter (see my Homemade Cherry Pie recipe). You can also create a lattice top with overlapping rows of the pie dough. Cutting slits into a rolled out pie crust is the simplest way to go though.
Yes, absolutely! You will need one pack of 2 pie crusts, which can found in the dairy aisle along with cookie dough, yogurt, butter, etc. I recommend letting the pie crust come to room temperature before you try to unroll it. You will also need to roll out the pie crusts to about 12-14 inches in diameter.
Yes! Once cooled, you can refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Enjoy More Pie Recipes from Beyond the Butter!
For all Beyond the Butter pie recipes, check out the pie section over in the recipe box!
Easy Homemade Apple Pie
Author:
Ingredients
homemade pie crusts (makes 2, 9 inch pie crusts)
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into cubes
- ½ cup Vegetable Shortening, cold and cut into cubes
- 4-6 tablespoon Ice Cold Water
apple pie filling
- 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 2 ½ lbs Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
egg wash
- 1 large Egg Yolk, lightly whisked (for pie crust shine)
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
homemade pie crust - part 1
- You can skip this part if buying store-bought refrigerated pie crusts.
- In a large mixing bowl and using a pastry blender (or two forks), mix together the all-purpose flour, salt, cold cubed butter, and cold vegetable shortening until you have small pea-size pieces. Some larger pea-size pieces are fine too!2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, 6 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, ½ cup Vegetable Shortening
- Add in 1 tablespoon of the ice cold water, then (using a spatula or with your hands) work it into the pie dough mixture. Continue to add the ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pie dough forms and it is no longer crumbly. If there are any crumbly bits, just add the teeny tiniest bit of cold water so they blend in with the rest of the dough.4-6 tablespoon Ice Cold Water
- After forming the ball of pie dough, place it on a lightly-floured, clean surface and divide it in half using a pastry cutter. Pat each half into a 1″- 1 ½″ thick disc, then double wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place them in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the back) for a minimum of 1 hour.
apple pie filling
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.½ cup Light Brown Sugar, ¼ cup Granulated Sugar, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter then add in the apple slices and stir to coat. Add in the whisked mixture, stirring to combine.2 ½ lbs Apples, 3 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the apples for about 5 minutes, gently stirring them until they begin to soften. Be careful not to over cook them or stir the filling too aggressively to avoid breaking the apple slices apart.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice over the mixture and stir just a few more times to make sure the sliced apples are full coated.2 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour, 1 tablespoon Cornstarch, 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Remove the apple pie filling from the heat and carefully spoon it into a large bowl to cool completely.
homemade pie crust - part 2
- While the apple pie filling cools, roll out the first pie dough disc to about 11-12 inches in diameter onto a clean and lightly floured surface.
- Place into the 9 inch pie plate, then trim the edges, leaving about ½ inch to fold under.
- Place the pie plate with the pie dough into either the freezer (preferred) or the refrigerator to allow the pie crust to firm, then roll out the second disc of pie dough which will be for the top pie crust.
assembling the apple pie
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle of your oven, set the jelly roll pan or cookie sheet on the rack, and preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Remove the pie plate from the freezer or refrigerator, gently scoop and arrange the apple pie filling into the crust, then top with the 2nd layer of pie crust. Press the two pie crust edges together then trim to cut off any excess. Crimp the edges using your fingers or a fork dipped in a little flour (so it doesn't stick to the pie dough), then cut a few slits across the top of the pie.
- With a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the pie. You won’t need to use all of this on the pie—just a little coverage will be good. Open the oven, place the pie on top of the preheated jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF.1 large Egg Yolk, 1 tablespoon Water
- After 15 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top of the pie is a nice golden brown. At the 15 minute mark, it would be a good idea to add a pie crust shield to avoid burning your pie crust edges. You can use something like the one I have or you can simply use pieces of aluminum foil to place around the edges. I would suggest wearing some oven mitts for this part so you don't accidentally burn your fingers!
- Once the apple pie is done, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely.
Katerina says
I just loooove the presentation - those letters make it perfect for a special occasion (as well as a cozy weekend in). Thanks for sharing, gorgeous photography!
Jennifer says
Thank you so much! I'm so happy with how well it came out!
melanie says
Making it tonight!
Jennifer says
Yay! This makes me super happy! I hope you love it as much as my husband and I did!
Sarah says
In the words of my 11-year-old cousin who is extremely passionate about his apple pie:
“this is the best apple pie ever!” ~ Elliott
I personally though it was delicious as well! I also had some fun playing around with the top crust design 😉
Great recipe Jennifer!
Jennifer says
Aw, this made my day reading this comment—thank you! I'm glad you had fun playing around with the top crust design too!