Homemade Apple Pie
This homemade apple pie recipe features a flaky, buttery crust wrapped around a warmly spiced, tender apple filling. It's a simple apple pie recipe that turns everyday ingredients into the coziest dessert on your table.
The Coziest Homemade Apple Pie You'll Ever Bake
There's a reason homemade apple pie has stuck around as the ultimate comfort dessert for generations. It's warm, it's spiced just right, and that first bite of flaky crust giving way to tender, cinnamon-kissed apples is simply unbeatable. This is my go to apple pie recipe filling homemade from scratch, no shortcuts needed, though I'll share a few if you're in a pinch.
If you've been searching for a simple apple pie recipe that actually delivers bakery quality results, you're in the right place. This isn't a fussy, complicated process. It's a perfectly simple apple pie built on good technique and honest ingredients.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A sturdy pie dish, a reliable rolling pin, and good quality butter are what separate a soggy, sad pie from one with a shatteringly flaky crust. Here are a few things that genuinely help this recipe shine:
Choosing the Best Apples for Pie
Not all apples are created equal when it comes to baking. You want a mix of tart and sweet, and firm enough to hold their shape in the oven.
- Granny Smith: tart, firm, and holds its structure beautifully
- Honeycrisp: naturally sweet with great texture
- Braeburn or Jonagold: good backup options if the above aren't available
Using a blend of two varieties gives you the most complex, well rounded flavor in your fresh apple pie recipe easy enough for a weeknight, yet impressive enough for a holiday table.
Chef's Tip: Slice your apples to a uniform thickness, about a quarter inch. Uneven slices mean some pieces turn mushy while others stay crunchy.
The Secret to a Flaky, Not Soggy, Crust
The number one thing that trips people up with how to make a apple pie from scratch is the crust. The secret is temperature. Cold butter, cold water, and a dough that never sits out too long on the counter.
When you cut the butter into the flour, you want to stop while there are still small, pea sized chunks visible. Those little pockets of butter are what melt in the oven and create steam, which is exactly what puffs up those beautiful flaky layers.
Another trick for avoiding a soggy bottom is letting your sliced apples sit with the sugar and spices for about 15 minutes before filling the pie. This draws out excess liquid, which you can drain off slightly if it seems like a lot, keeping your apple pie recipe easy canned filling style bottom crust nice and crisp.
Getting the Filling Just Right
A great apple pie recipe filling comes down to balance. Too much sugar and it turns syrupy. Too little thickener and it turns watery. This recipe uses a combination of granulated and brown sugar for depth, warm cinnamon and just a touch of nutmeg, and cornstarch to bind everything into a glossy, sliceable filling rather than a soupy mess.
Chef's Tip: A splash of fresh lemon juice isn't just for flavor. It also helps prevent the apples from browning and brightens up all that warm spice.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step-by-step recipe:
Homemade Apple Pie
This homemade apple pie recipe features a flaky, buttery crust wrapped around a warmly spiced, tender apple filling. It's a simple apple pie recipe that turns everyday ingredients into the coziest dessert on your table.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 tsp granulated sugar, for the crust
- 1 tsp salt, divided between crust and filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- 7 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, for the filling
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed, for depth of flavor
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, to thicken the filling
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional
Instruction
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and half the salt. Cut in the cold, cubed butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until the dough just comes together. Divide the dough in half, shape into two discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, cornstarch, and remaining salt until evenly coated. Let sit for 15 minutes so the apples release their juices.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out one dough disc on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle and fit it into a 9 inch pie dish, letting the excess hang over the edges.
Pour the apple filling into the crust, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot with a little extra butter if desired.
Roll out the second dough disc and place it over the filling, or cut it into strips for a lattice top. Trim and crimp the edges to seal.
Brush the top crust with the beaten egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut a few small slits in the top if using a solid crust to allow steam to escape.
Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips, then bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before slicing to allow the filling to set.
Equipment
- 9 inch pie dish
- Rolling pin
- Pastry cutter
- Large mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Notes
Serving, Storing, and Make-Ahead Tips
This pie is made for a la mode. A warm slice topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is hard to beat, but it's just as good on its own with a cup of coffee the next morning.
To store leftovers, keep the pie loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to five. When you're ready for more, a quick reheat in the oven brings the crust right back to life.
If you want to get ahead of the game, this pie freezes wonderfully both baked and unbaked. An unbaked, fully assembled pie can go straight from the freezer to the oven, just add about 20 extra minutes to the bake time and tent the edges with foil if they start browning too fast.
However you slice it, this homeade apple pie filling and buttery crust combination is the kind of dessert that turns any ordinary day into something worth celebrating.
