Perfect Apple Pie
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Ready to bake the best apple pie ever? This step-by-step guide will help you create the ultimate pie with a buttery, flaky crust and a gooey, cider-flavored filling—an irresistible fall favorite!
As fall rolls in and apple season hits its peak, there’s no better time to bake a homemade apple pie—whether to use up your apples or as a special Thanksgiving dessert. I’ll be honest, all homemade fruit pies are a bit of a project (whoever coined the term “easy as pie” had clearly never made one from scratch!). But with a tried-and-true recipe like this one, you’ll have a perfect pie every time, and trust me, it’s totally worth it.
The key is starting with a foolproof all-butter pie crust and avoiding the usual apple pie pitfalls—a soupy filling and soggy crust—by cooking the apples before filling and baking the pie. This extra step thickens the juices, concentrating their flavor and ensuring a crisp, flaky crust with a gooey, cider-flavored filling. This, my friends, is the ultimate apple pie! 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.
“This pie turned out incredible! the crust is delicious and the filling juicy and full of flavor.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Pie
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the essential structure and stability needed for the crust. Additionally, it thickens the filling by absorbing the juices released during baking. Always measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off to ensure accuracy.
- Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the crust.
- Baking Powder: Helps to slightly leaven the crust.
- Butter: Creates flakiness and richness in the crust.
- Ice Cold Water: Binds the dough together. The temperature of the water helps keep the butter cold. This ensures the crust will come out flaky and tender.
- Baking Apples: For apple pie, use baking varietals such as Granny Smith apples, Honeycrisp apples, or Golden Delicious apples (or any combination); they hold their shape when cooked so you don’t end up with applesauce pie!
- Lemon Juice: Prevents the apples from browning and adds a hint of tartness.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Sweetens the filling and adds a rich, molasses-like flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice to the filling.
- Cornstarch: Works with the flour to thicken the filling, ensuring it isn’t runny.
- Beaten Egg/Cream/Milk: Brushed over the crust to give it a golden, glossy finish. Any of these 3 options will work nicely.
- Granulated or Turbinado Sugar: Sprinkled on top for added sweetness and a slight crunch.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: 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.
Make 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.
Step 2: Prepare the Apple Pie 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 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.)
Step 3: Prepare the Bottom Crust
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 a ceramic or glass pie dish 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.
Step 4: 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 egg wash, cream, or milk.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of granulated or turbinado sugar.
Cut four 3-inch (7½-cm) slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
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!
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Anytime you’re baking with apples whether it’s apple strudel or applesauce, it’s a good idea to use a blend of tart and sweet baking apples for the best flavor. Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious are all good options—try different varietals and see what combinations you like best.
Sure! The pie can be baked up to 1 day ahead of time and stored, loosely covered with foil, at room temperature. If you’d like to reheat it, place the pie on a baking sheet and loosely cover it with foil to protect the crust. Reheat it at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it’s warmed through. Just keep in mind that the filling may get a bit soupy when served warm.
Definitely, apple pie can 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).
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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.
Cook the Apples
- 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 & Bake 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.
- 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
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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I was trying to be productive and didn’t read thru the recipe🙄. I mixed in the flour and cornstarch with the other ingredients and mixed in the apples. Will it still make juice and is this ok?
Hi Kim, I think it should still work. Hope you enjoy!
If I could give Jenn 20 stars I would, this is the best apple pie I have ever tasted and I am not even a pie lover. It took me 3.5 hours to complete the entire process from making the dough to finishing baking and this was my first time making this recipe. I made sure to print out the recipe and read it a couple times before actually baking so I don’t miss a process. I didn’t feel like the process was too difficult or “not worth the time”. The recipe was extremely clear and I completely enjoyed making this pie. I stretched out the bottom crust half inch over the edge of the pie dish, and just cut out the extra before baking the full pie. The crust tasted so good I had to use all of my will power to not eat the bottom crust lol. I didn’t have crisco or food processor so I replaced the same amount with unsalted butter and used my kitchen aid stand mixer, everything worked out just fine. Thank you so so much Jenn for sharing your recipes, I can now finally make my own apple pie for the holidays and basically anytime I want to.
So glad it came out well!
I made this pie last year and it was such a hit! Best apple pie I’ve ever had! I have a question about the pie crust. Can I sub in some whole wheat pastry flour for some of the AP flour without changing how it turns out? Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Glad you liked it, Lorraine! Yes, I think you could use some whole wheat pastry flour successfully. Enjoy!
Hello! I just baked this pie and I am planning on freezing the whole thing. How do you recommend reheating it? And do I need to keep it wrapped in the foil that it was in while freezing? I can’t wait to try it! It smells so good! Thank you!
Hi Julie, I’d put in the oven (on a baking sheet) directly from the freezer and heat it at 300 degrees oven until the center is warm (I’m guesstimating it will take about 35 to 45 minutes.) Tent the pie with foil if the crust starts to get too brown. Just keep in mind that you don’t want to get it too hot right before serving as the filling will start to get soupy. Just a bit warm is what you’re aiming for. Hope you enjoy!
I haven’t tried the pie yet, but I have just spent nearly four hours going through all the hoops to make it and getting increasingly exasperated at how complicated making a simple apple pie is in this recipe. Baking blind twice, chilling, freezing, boiling, all before it goes in the oven… Hopefully it will live up to the hype or I won’t be making it again. It won’t be out of the oven for an hour and needs four hours to cool??? We will enjoy some cold apple pie tomorrow because it will be midnight before this labor of love is ready for eating. I printed the recipe based on the reviews. I hope this is the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted but I don’t have the time to devote several hours to making a pie I don’t even get to eat while it’s freshly warm from the oven. This is likely to be a one off. Please consider how labor intensive this recipe is and at least let people know it will be several hours before they get to sample any of their pies if they follow the recipe as printed.
Hi Melanie- I hope you loved your pie! In the future you can determine how long a recipe will take by reading the recipe through and adding up each of the times listed for baking and cooling before you print it. Then you can determine in advance whether it is worth your time or not.
Thanks for the recipe Jenn!
I plan to make this apple pie for Thanksgiving. My intention was to freeze the assembled pie and bake it that morning. The pre-baked bottom crust threw me. If I pre bake the bottom crust, how does the top crust attach and seal with the baked bottom crust? And then freeze the pre-baked bottom crust along with the raw pie? My inclination was to NOT pre bake the bottom crust and freeze totally raw.. What do you recommend? Any tips for how to do this?
Hi Marcy, I would blind bake the bottom crust as the recipe indicates even if you plan to assemble the pie and freeze it. And regarding sealing the top and bottom crust, after you remove the bottom crust from the oven, you’ll just press the top crust against the bottom crust (the heat will help it seal) and then crimp the top crust only. Just work quickly as you don’t want the dough to get too warm. Hope that helps!
Just perfect – best apple pie ever! Linda
I will preface this by saying that I am not a pie baker, but I am a bread baker. This is not a beginner apple pie and I think it takes some experience to pull this off. This pie wasn’t easy or quick or painless, BUT the end result was deemed the best apple pie that my family has ever tasted, with a beautiful, burnished-golden-brown flakey crust, and deep apple flavor.
The pastry was incredibly finicky. The raw bottom crust completely tore apart when I used my bench scraper to lift it from my granite countertop into the pie plate, even though I worked quickly to roll it out and it was still cold. I patched it as best I could with dough scraps. After I par-baked it I could see that cracks had developed where it had been patched, so I brushed beaten egg white with a pastry brush all over the interior crust and baked it another 10 minutes, which seemed to work to seal the cracks.
When it came to the top crust, I decided to roll it out on a sheet of floured parchment. After getting my 11″ circle I gently rolled the parchment with the crust into a tube shape to store in the fridge until I was ready to use it.
I used a mix of Jonagold, Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious. I added the zest of one whole lemon instead of just a teaspoon, along with an extra 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. That syrup reduction method is just ridiculously good.
I’ve seen recipes that use a reduction of boiled cider and this seems to be along the same lines. It really packed an intensity of apple flavor. My apples were mounded quite high and the top crust made it just to the edges – I didn’t have enough of a hangover to crimp it with my fingers so I just used the tines of a fork to press and seal it. I did end up with an air gap between the crust and the top of the filling after it had baked, so the one thing I would change next time is to sauté the apples before placing them into the par-baked shell. If the apples were already somewhat reduced and par-cooked before they went into the shell I think this would mitigate the air gap. I baked the pie for the amount of time in the instructions, but I then ended up reducing the heat to 350 and baked it for another 20 minutes since I could see though my glass pie plate that the bottom crust was not quite as brown as I wanted it. A lot of recipes indicate that the apples are cooked through when you see the juices start to bubble, but I’ve heard or read somewhere that for apples in a pie to be really properly cooked through and not still crispy, you need to see the juices bubble for a full 10 minutes, so that’s what I went with. This pie, for all the trouble I had with the crust, the extra step of reducing the syrup, and the undesired air-gap, was well worth it!
WOW. This pie is one of the best pies I’ve ever tasted, and I can’t believe I’m saying that because it’s the first time I’ve ever made pie in my life! That goes to show you what a good recipe this is. I followed it to a T, since I’m not really a baker and I realize how fragile baking recipes can be, I didn’t dare veer off in any way. The crust on top was the most difficult part of the recipe for me, I think since it stays refrigerated for longer than the bottom crust, it obviously comes out of the fridge a little harder and crumblier than the first one, and I think next time I will give it a moment to warm just a touch before I start kneading it. I started kneading straight away, which I think resulted in some tearing and crumbling throughout the rolling and draping process of the top crust, which gave me not the most picture perfect top. I was still proud of it though, especially it being my first pie. You’d never know I had any difficulty though when the pie came out of the oven, the top was golden and flaky and crisp and just perfect. The apples on the inside were perfectly cooked and had a wonderful amount of the syrupy gooey texture, not dry at all, but wasn’t so gooey that it had any effect on the bottom. The bottom lifted out of the pan just fine and stayed perfectly in tact and was a nice thickness. All in all this was a long recipe to make, but the directions were so easy to follow. I really enjoyed the process and it was so worth it in the end! A couple other notes, to be fair: I cooked down the juice/syrup from about 1c to 1/2 cup in a saucepan on the stove. It didn’t seem much thicker, but I went on anyway, mixed it with the apples and other dry ingredients as the recipe states, and then started pouring it into the pie crust and something just told me that the syrup wasn’t thick enough, as it was pooling at the bottom instead of coating the apples like a syrup should. I quickly put all the apples back in the mixing bowl and even poured the juice from the pie crust/plate back into the bowl as well, and then threw all of it (liquid and apples) into my dutch oven and heated it up for another few minutes, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid stopped pooling and thickened enough to coat the apples. This was a crucial thing that I’m glad I did (thanks to some of the reviews I read and Jenn’s answers to them). So, if it seems like the liquid is too liquidy, well it probably is, but it’s an easy fix! Also, while cooking, I did rotate the pie a couple of times and I also tented it when there was maybe 10 or 15 min left as at that time, the color was just about perfect. Oh, I also only used Granny Smith apples, because I hadn’t completely read through the notes and reviews before buying ingredients. I have no complaints AT ALL, but next time may try mixing up the different apple varieties because apparently somehow that will make this amazing pie even more amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe, I have a feeling I’ll be making it for years to come!
APPLE PIE WAS JUST OKAY & I FELT NOT WORTH THE EXTRA STEPS/TIME
Followed recipe exactly – even weighing my apples on a scale, measuring exact number of ounces of juice to microwave in half, measuring exactly pie dough size, used the 9″ pie plate, etc. This is the FIRST TIME I’ve tried a recipe from you, Jenn, that I didn’t give a perfect score – sorry….
Here’s why I am rating it a 3
#1 – FLAVOR was OK but not great- (unlike other readers’ comments – my local farm stand apples cooked through just fine, my crust never burned….the pie LOOKED beautiful!!!!)
#2 – PROPORTIONS are still off. I carefully placed the apples in the pie dish – as you advised, but it was hard to make it fit, I had way too much liquid even after reducing by 50%. (I had 1/2 cup of liquid, reduced to 1/4 cup, not quite sure that was syrupy enough?)
#3 – EXTRA STEPS DIDN’T PAY OFF AT END: So many extra steps (fridge/freezer/bake/change temp of oven/reduce the syrup) -I’ve been baking pies probably 40 years (OMG did I just write that?? but it’s true) and very comfortable with pies, dough, etc – but honestly – this felt like following a really complex route to get somewhere, and the end result wasn’t worth it, nor was the journey.
Sorry – but I will not make this one again….I hate to give a negative review, because I love your recipes so much!!!!