Homemade Apple Pie with Buttery Flaky Crust
This homemade apple pie pairs a made-from-scratch filling of cooked apples with my signature buttery, flaky crust.
- Prep
- 1 hr 35 mins
- Cook
- 50 mins
- Total
- 2 hrs 25 mins
- Makes
- 12 servings
This Easy Homemade Apple Pie pairs a from-scratch apple filling with my signature buttery, flaky crust. It tastes amazing and is just right for those crisp fall nights!
Apple pie is the first recipe that comes to mind for fall and Thanksgiving, besides my Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Cake Bars, Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Pie, and Homemade Cherry Pie recipes! This homemade apple pie will blow you away!
Every slice carries the warmth of the season, with apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg in each bite. It's a fall favorite for good reason. For the ultimate cozy treat, top your slice with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream!
If you're hunting for more apple-flavored favorites, try my Apple Coffee Cake and Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins!
Ingredients
The ingredients below go into this easy homemade apple pie. The items in the bullet list need a bit more explanation.
- Apples. For apple pie from scratch, I love Granny Smith, or a mix of Granny Smith with McIntosh or Gala. Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious work well too.
- Lemon Juice. Lemon juice keeps apples from oxidizing and turning brown. Bottled or fresh both work. Lime juice can stand in if needed.
- Light Brown Sugar. My favorite light brown sugar is from ALDI because it smells heavenly, but Trader Joe's is another good one to try!
- Cinnamon. I've been using Indonesian cinnamon from King Arthur Baking, and I love it. It's sweeter and milder, which suits baking in a recipe like this apple pie!
The quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
How to Make the Recipe
Here is a quick overview of how to make this homemade apple pie from scratch. For the full printable recipe, which works in US customary or metric measurements, see the recipe card below.
Recipe Tip: You can skip this part if you plan to use store-bought refrigerated pie crusts.
Step 1. Make the pie crusts. Use a pastry blender to mix the all-purpose flour, salt, cold cubed butter, and cold shortening until pea-sized pieces form (Images 1 and 2). Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together (Image 3). Double-wrap each crust disc in plastic wrap (Image 4) and chill it in the back of your refrigerator for at least one hour. Refrigerated crusts keep for 3-5 days.
Recipe Tip: If you're making crusts to have on hand for pie season, double-wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap, put them in a freezer bag, and freeze. They'll keep for up to a month.
Recipe Tip: Cooking the apple filling first isn't required, but it really helps produce the best apple pie!
Step 2. Pre-cook the apple pie filling. Whisk the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together (Image 5). In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the sliced apples and toss to coat (Image 6). Lower the heat and cook the apples for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. They'll also shrink a bit. Stir in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice until every apple slice is coated (Image 7). Move the filling to a large glass bowl to cool completely (Image 8) before it goes into the crust.
Recipe Tip: Preheat the oven with a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet on the rack. It helps the bottom crust start baking before the filling has a chance to make it soggy.
Step 3. Assemble the pie, then bake! Roll out your chilled crust to 12-14 inches across (Image 9). Add the apple filling to the crust, then place the top crust over it (Images 10 and 11). Crimp the edges, then brush the lattice top with egg wash (Image 12). Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF. Lower the heat to 350ºF and bake for another 30-35 minutes. With 15-20 minutes left, add a pie crust shield to keep the crust from over-browning.
Pre-Cooked Apple Pie Filling
Pre-cooking the filling isn't required for this homemade apple pie, but I strongly recommend it for these reasons:
Cuts Down on Pie Juices. It helps reduce the juices that bubble up and spill over the crust while baking. A well-vented top crust also helps with this.
Softens the Apples. Pre-cooking softens and settles the apples ahead of time, so you won't get crunchy spots or gaps. You want the apples tender, but not falling apart into mush.
Thicker Filling. It makes for a thicker, more solid pie. Apples shrink during baking, which can leave gaps between the filling and the crust. Pre-cooking lowers the chance of that.
Helpful Pie-Making Tips
- If arthritis makes hand work hard, as it does for me, you can make the pie dough in a food processor. I found it easier to move the dough to a large, lightly floured bowl to add the cold water before shaping the discs, but that's up to you. You may need a little less water when using the food processor.
- Chill the pie crust for at least 1 hour. Overnight is my preference!
- Roll out the bottom crust, shape the edge, and refrigerate it again.
Recipe FAQs
What cookie cutters did you use to make this pie crust top design?I used these 1-inch Ateco alphabet cutters to spell “APPLE PIE” on my top crust. I suggest chilled dough and a cookie cutter dipped in a little flour.
To help the dough release from the cutter, use a toothpick or paring knife. Patience helps too, especially with the 1-inch alphabet cutters.
For another top crust design, cut out a pattern with a cookie cutter (see my Homemade Cherry Pie recipe). You can also weave a lattice from overlapping strips of dough. Cutting a few slits into a rolled-out crust is the simplest route, though.
Can I use store-bought refrigerated pie crust for this recipe?Yes, absolutely! You'll need one pack of 2 pie crusts, which you'll find in the dairy aisle with cookie dough, yogurt, butter, and so on. Let the crust come to room temperature before unrolling it. You'll also need to roll the crusts out to about 12-14 inches across.
Can I make the apple pie filling a few days in advance?Yes! Once it has cooled, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How thin should I slice my apples for the pie filling?I prefer slicing the apples almost as thin as potato chips with a mandoline. Thin slices can turn to mush, so stir gently when you make the filling.
You can make the slices thicker, using a mandoline or a knife, if you prefer. If you use a mandoline, get a pair of cut-resistant gloves. I recently bought a pair, and they have really saved my fingertips!
If you tried this Homemade Apple Pie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and tell me what you thought in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!
Homemade Apple Pie with Buttery Flaky Crust
This homemade apple pie combines a from-scratch apple filling baked in my signature buttery, flaky crust. It tastes fantastic and is just right for those crisp fall nights!
- Prep
- 1 hr 35 mins
- Cook
- 50 mins
- Total
- 2 hrs 25 mins
- Makes
- 12 servings
Ingredients
Homemade Pie Crusts (makes 2, 9-inch pie crusts)
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening, cold and cut into cubes
- 4-6 tbsp Ice Cold Water
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 1/2 lbs Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Egg Wash
- 1 large Egg Yolk, lightly whisked (for pie crust shine)
- 1 tbsp Water
Method
- You can skip this part if you're buying store-bought refrigerated pie crusts.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a pastry blender (or two forks) to mix the all-purpose flour, salt, cold cubed butter, and cold vegetable shortening until you have small pea-size pieces. A few larger pieces are fine too!
- Add 1 tablespoon of the ice-cold water, then work it into the dough with a spatula or your hands. Keep adding ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together and is no longer crumbly. If there are crumbly bits, add the tiniest bit more cold water so they blend in.
- Form the dough into a ball, set it on a lightly floured clean surface, and divide it in half with a pastry cutter. Pat each half into a 1″- 1 1/2″ thick disc, double-wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the back) for a minimum of 1 hour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter, add the apple slices, and stir to coat. Then stir in the sugar mixture until combined.
- Lower the heat and cook the apples for about 5 minutes, stirring gently until they begin to soften. Don't overcook them, and avoid stirring too hard so the slices stay intact.
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice over the mixture and stir a few more times so every apple slice is fully coated.
- Take the filling off the heat and carefully spoon it into a large bowl to cool completely.
- While the filling cools, roll the first disc of dough out to about 11-12 inches across on a clean, lightly floured surface.
- Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, then trim the edges, leaving about 1/2 inch to fold under.
- Put the pie plate in the freezer (preferred) or the refrigerator to firm up the crust. Meanwhile, roll out the second disc, which will become the top crust.
- Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven, place the jelly roll pan or cookie sheet on it, 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.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top of the pie with egg wash. You won't need all of it, just enough for light coverage. Open the oven, set the pie on the preheated pan, and bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF.
- After 15 minutes, lower the oven to 350ºF and bake for another 30-35 minutes, until the top is a nice golden brown. At the 15 minute mark, add a pie crust shield or strips of aluminum foil around the edges so they don't burn. Wear oven mitts for this step so you don't burn your fingers!
- When the pie is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.
Baker’s notes
- Chill the pie crust for a minimum of 1 hour. Overnight is my preference!
- Roll out the bottom crust, shape the edge, and refrigerate it again.
- You can use store-bought crust instead of homemade. Let it come to room temperature before unrolling it, and roll the crusts out to about 12-14 inches across.
- I used these 1 inch Ateco alphabet cutters to spell “APPLE PIE” on my top crust. I suggest chilled dough and a cookie cutter dipped in a little flour.
- To help the dough release from the cookie cutter, use a toothpick or paring knife. Be patient too, especially with the 1 inch alphabet cutters.
- Once the pie has cooled, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
