Easy Homemade Apple Pie Recipe

This Apple Pie Recipe comes out perfect every time and is a true classic dessert. Caramelized apples sweetened with cinnamon sugar make an easy apple pie filling that’s loaded into a thick, buttery pie crust. Hands down, this is the best apple pie recipe!

Homemade Apple Pie

Can you even believe that I have been blogging for almost 11 years and I have never shared my favorite homemade apple pie recipe with you? It’s pretty rude if you ask me! I guess it’s just one of those recipes that (in my mind) flies under the radar, or I just assume that everyone already HAS an apple pie recipe, OR that it’s just kind of boring.

But Apple Pie is CLASSIC, not boring! AND you might have an apple pie recipe, but you don’t have MY apple pie recipe. I hope we’ve built a level of trust over these past 11 years and you’ll give this apple pie a try!

What I Love About this Recipe

Is it wrong to say that one of my most favorite things about this recipe is how easy it is to make? I’m all about big results with minimal effort.

On top of that, this pie is loaded with apples. My “secret” touch is that I caramelize the apples before baking…which sounds like a whole thing, but it’s incredibly simple and FAST! It adds incredible flavor to the pie too.

This recipe also uses my classic All Butter Pie Crust, which is the starting point for so many pie recipes on my site! There’s nothing quite like making a buttery, flaky pie crust and then filling it with caramelized apples.

So are you ready to make this apple pie? Domestic Badass Level 10! Let’s go!

What You’ll Need

Here’s what in this pie. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the specific ingredient amounts.

• Homemade Pie Crust
• Granny Smith Apples – I love using these apples! The slight tartness of a Granny Smith pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of the other filling ingredients.
• Sugar & Cinnamon – This is what you’ll be using to flavor your pie! You can also use brown sugar to create a more butterscotch filling, or you can add a pinch of nutmeg for a little more spice! I know they sell “Apple Pie Spice” and you can certainly use a little of that too!
• Butter – This is what you will be frying the apples in. The butter, paired with the apples and cinnamon sugar creates a silky caramel sauce as you’re cooking the apples!
• Egg & Water – For the egg wash that gives your crust a golden color.

What Are the Best Apples For Apple Pie?

I always use Granny Smith because I like the texture and tartness, however you can absolutely use another variety of apple. Just try and choose an apple with a firmer texture that has a slight tartness. I find this pairs best with the natural sweetness of the apple, along with the cinnamon sugar you’ll be adding!

• Braeburn Apples – These have a nice balance between sweet and tart.
• Cortland Apples – If it bothers you when your apples brown, this variety doesn’t brown as easily as other kinds of apples.
• McIntosh – This is the classic red apple you see everywhere so if you can’t find any of the others this ones are a pretty sure pick!

If you want to get a fancy you can even combined different kinds of apples in your filling.

How To Make Apple Pie

Here’s the thing…I actually don’t love making pie. I know, I know, I talk about how EASY it is, how SIMPLE, how QUICK…but it just isn’t my first love in the kitchen. But I will say, that every time I make a pie, I always think…how EASY, how QUICK, how SIMPLE! So I am planning on making more pie. My jeans aren’t happy, but they never are.

1. Make the Pie Crust

I know making pie crust from scratch can sound super intimidating. But TRUST ME, my pie crust recipe is super doable. So the first step is to make your pie crust. Then, divide it in half. Wrap one portion in saran wrap and place it in the fridge. You’ll use this later to make your lattice topping.

Roll out the other piece of crust to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and press gently to fit. Use a butter knife to cut the overhanging edges of dough off the sides of the pie plate. Then crump the edges with your fingers and put the pie plate into the fridge to chill.

2. Make the Apple Pie Filling

The key to apple pie is the filling. I mean duh, right! BUT the thing about apple pie filling is since it’s kinda-sorta the most important part, it can make or break your pie!

If it’s too watery, or liquidy it’s not good, if it’s too dry, it’s also not ideal. Or if it’s lacking flavor that’s probably the WORST. So I’ve created a very simple filling recipe that is packed with as much flavor as possible. Here’s how to make it:

• Combine apples and cinnamon sugar. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this on top of the apples, tossing to coat.
• Cook apple pie filling: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt half of the butter in the pan. Pour half of the apples into the hot skillet and fry for 6-7 minutes until they are slightly softened and caramelized at the edges. Remove the apples and sauce created from the skillet onto a large baking sheet to cool completely. Repeat with remaining butter and apples.

Do You Have To Cook Apples For the Pie Filling?

The secret to my apple pie is caramelizing the apples! I like to add as much flavor as I can to my apple pie and by frying the apples in a little butter, you get a golden sear on the apples, all while creating a beautiful silky caramel sauce.

But, no, you don’t HAVE to cook the apples. There are plenty of apple pie recipes that call for adding raw apples right into the crust, although with those recipes you will need to use a bit of flour to help thicken up the juices the apples make while they’re baking. Caramelizing them prior to adding them into the crust omits this step.

3. Pour Filling into Pie Pan

Add the cooked apples into the pie pan with your previously rolled out crust. Now you have two options for how to shape your top crust:

TWO Ways to Make the Top Crust For Pie

Here’s the deal, don’t stress about making your pie “pretty”. Unless you’re entering a pie contest, rustic is ALWAYS best! Here are two easy ways to do a top crust for your apple pie:

Double Layer Crust

Roll out dough for your top crust into a circle that will fit over the center of your pie pan.

Gently lift the dough and lay it on top of your filled pie crust. Using the tines of a fork, gently press the crust down onto the pan’s rim all the way around. Cut a few slits into the dough to create vents that will allow steam to escape as your apple pie bakes.

This simple double crust method is usually the way I go! It’s the easiest way to add a top crust, and once you slice your pie it doesn’t matter what the top crust looked like anyway. I just think that once you top your slice with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream it won’t make a difference what’s underneath!

Lattice Crust

A lattice crust, like I pictured above is about as fancy as I get. I’ve seen all those braided crusts, with fancy pie decorations and gorgeous, crimped edges. That’s just not not how I do pie. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just don’t have the patience. I give it up to those of you who love pie art!

To make a lattice top for your apple pie, roll out your dough same as with a double layer crust. Cut the dough into even strips about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch wide using a sharp knife or pastry/pizza wheel.

Lay several strips down across the top of your pie. To create the woven effect, fold back every other strip of dough, then lay another strip perpendicular to the strips in that first layer you put down. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Repeat the process until you have a cross hatch pattern for your entire top crust.

Bake!

Now it’s time to bake your apple pie. This pie will bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes just until golden. If you find that your pie is browning too quickly, you can use a pie shield or a piece of aluminum foil gently placed on top of the baking crust to prevent it from burning.

Allow your pie to cool for at least one hour before serving. Letting it cool off will help the filling stay together when you remove slices.

Does Apple Pie Need to Be Refrigerated?

It depends on how long you want to store it. You can safely store your apple pie at room temperature for up to 2 days. Longer than this and it should be stored in the fridge, where you can store it in the pie pan wrapped in plastic saran wrap for up to 5 days.

When you’re ready for another slice, just cut out the amount you want to eat and heat it in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds for warm apple pie.

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Looking for More Apple Desserts?

• Dutch Apple Pie
• Apple Fritter Bread
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
• Skillet Apple Biscuits
• Apple Crisp