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Home » Pies, Crisps, and Tarts

Best Apple Pie Recipe From Scratch

Last updated on December 1, 2021Originally published November 14, 20196 CommentsSabine

Jump to Recipe

This apple pie is sweet and flavorful. All you need is 8 ingredients to make this delicious pie. It's the perfect Thanksgiving pie after a festive dinner with lots of turkey meat and apple sausage stuffing. By the way, if you love apple desserts, don't forget to try my apple cobbler and caramel apple cake.

apple pie from scratch sitting on counter

Why this recipe pie works:

  • It is the perfect addition to your holiday dessert table.
  • This recipe is great for all occasions.
  • The apple filling is sweet and delicious.
  • You can't find a more flakey and buttery crust.
  • All you need is 8-ingredients!

Jump to:
  • Instructions
  • Top tips
  • Substitutions
  • FAQ's
  • Storage
  • Freezing
  • Related recipes
  • Recipe

Instructions

Start by making the double crust. Use your food processor and place the flour, salt, sugar, and cold butter in the food processor. Pulse for 4-5 times until you see pea-sized flakes. Slowly add one tablespoon of water and pulse again. Continue doing this until it forms into a dough.

Note: A food processor isn't required. If you don't have one, you can always use a pastry cutter or by using 2 forks. If you choose this method, begin by adding the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then you will need to add the butter. It should resemble a coarse texture with pea-sized flakes. You will need to add a little bit of water at a time until it has become clumpy.

pie crust dough in food processor

Separate dough into two even halves and form each dough ball into a disc that is 1 - 1.5-inch thick without kneading. Cover each disc tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. It can stay in the fridge for 2 hours all the way up to 2 days.

pie crust balls sitting on counter

Preheated the oven to 375°F (190°C). Add diced apples, sugar, flour, and lemon juice to a bowl and give it a quick stir. Pour in vanilla and sprinkle with cinnamon. Allow the apple mixture to stand for 15 minutes.

diced apples in glass bowl

Roll one dough disc out onto a lightly floured surface. You want it to end up a 12-inch circle. Carefully, transfer the crust to a 9-inch pie pan. It's normal and supposed to for the edges to hang over the pie dish.

pie crust in baking dish

Drain the apples and discard any excess liquid. Then transfer the drained filling to the crust.

diced up apples in pie crust

Now it's time to roll out the second dough that will be used as your top crust. After it's rolled out, cut slits in the top crust because that will allow the steam to escape.

You can also cut the dough into strips as I did in the photo below. All the strips are between 0.5-2 inches wide. Form them into a grid going over and under until you have all the pieces in place.

pie crust rolled out and cut

You can use your imagination and decorate the crust to your preference. Then seal and flute the edges.

Mix together egg and water in a small bowl and brush on top of the crust. Then give a sprinkle of sugar and bake for 45 minutes. It's best to cover it for the last 10 minutes of baking, so it doesn't become too brown on top.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Place it in the refrigerator for 4 hours then serve.

designed homemade apple pie on counter

Top tips

  • Be sure to use very cold butter for the crust. This allows you to create the flakiest crust.
  • Stop processing the dough when pea-sized butter flakes are still visible.
  • Drain off excess liquid from apples, so the filling isn't too wet.
  • If it browns too fast, cover it for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Substitutions

Egg wash

If you can't or don't want to consume eggs take replace with vegetable or canola oil or melted butter. Then you sprinkle with sugar, and it will still look and taste fabulous.

Gluten-free

You can replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour instead. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour works fine with this recipe.

Dairy-free

Thankfully, there are several different dairy-free alternatives if you can't or don't want to have butter. Keep in mind if you use a substitute, the texture and flavor may be slightly different than this recipe. The crust will be less flaky.

You can simply replace the butter with vegan butter, shortening, lard, or coconut oil. If you go with coconut oil, always choose refined, so it doesn't make the pie taste like coconut. Also, it's a good idea to refrigerate the coconut oil, so it doesn't get too warm too quickly when you are mixing it up.

slice taken out of an apple pie

FAQ's

Why is my crust soggy?

If your crust is soggy, it's probably because the juice that was with the apples ended up in the pie. The excess liquid makes the crust soggy. I recommend placing the apples in a mesh strainer to let any excess liquid drip off before putting it in the crust. Then discard the excess liquid.

What apples should I use?

For this recipe, I prefer to use sweet apples because they give such a lovely flavor. The sweetest apples are Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp. You can go for an apple that is more sour than sweet like Granny Smith if you would rather, it's totally up to you.

Do I eat it warm or cold?

You can actually eat it warm or cold depending on how you like it. When you eat it warm, it tastes amazing with some ice cream on top or a little bit of whipped cream. It's delicious both ways so just go with your favorite.

piece of apple pie on a white plate

Storage

Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing

For freezing, wrap it with plastic wrap or tin foil tightly. Then put it inside of an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. To defrost, place it in the refrigerator overnight and serve when thawed.

Related recipes

If you are on the hunt for more apple recipes, you will love these recipes as well:

  • Apple Cakes
  • Moist Cinnamon Apple Bread
  • Apple Walnut Pie
  • Apple Pecan Bars
  • Apple Sausage Stuffing
  • Caramel Apple Cake

Recipe

apple pie with slice taken out and sitting on table

Best Apple Pie Recipe From Scratch

5 from 8 votes
Author Sabine Venier
Calories: 327kcal
Servings: 12 servings
Prep 45 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Chill 2 hours
Total 3 hours 30 minutes
Print Pin Rate
This apple pie is sweet and flavorful, and it can be made just using 8 ingredients!

Ingredients
 
 

crust

  • 2 â…“ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted cold butter, cut into a few pieces
  • 6-8 tablespoon cold water

filling

  • 2.5 lbs sweet baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼ inch slices (about 10-12 cups)
  • ½ cup granulated white sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

brushing + sprinkling

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Instructions

  • Make the crust with a food processor: Place flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse 4-5 times. Pea-sized butter flakes should still be visible. Add one tablespoon water at the time and pulse 1-2 times after every tablespoon. Stop adding water when the dough starts to clump.
  • If you don't have a food processor, then make the crust with a pastry cutter or two forks instead: In this case mix together flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then add butter and cut it into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal with pea-sized butter flakes. Then add water little by little until the texture starts to clump.
  • Divide the crust in half and form 1- 1.5 inch thick discs without kneading. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. 
  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • In a large bowl stir apple, sugar, flour, and lemon juice to combine. Also, add vanilla and cinnamon if using. Let stand 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the first dough disc into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. The edges of the crust should hang out of the baking form. Spoon the filling into the crust without any excess liquid. Discard any excess liquid. 
  • Roll out second dough disc and place on top of the filling. Cut slits on top that the steam can escape, or cut the second dough disc into 1-2 inch strips and arrange in a grid on top of your filling by laying over and under one another carefully. Decorate pie crust to your preference. Seal and flute the edges. 
  • In a small bowl stir together egg and water and brush on top of the crust and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the last 10 minutes with parchment paper to prevent it from browning too much if necessary. Let cool to room temperature and chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Top tips
  • Be sure to use very cold butter for the crust. This allows you to create the flakiest crust.
  • Stop processing the dough when pea-sized butter flakes are still visible.
  • Drain off excess liquid from apples, so the filling isn't too wet. 
  • If it browns too fast, cover it for the last 10 minutes of baking. 

Egg wash
If you can't or don't want to consume eggs take replace with vegetable or canola oil or melted butter. Then you sprinkle with sugar, and it will still look and taste fabulous. 

Gluten-free
You can replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour instead. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour works fine with this recipe.

Dairy-free
Thankfully, there are several different dairy-free alternatives if you can't or don't want to have butter. Keep in mind if you use a substitute, the texture and flavor may be slightly different than this recipe. The crust will be less flaky.
You can simply replace the butter with vegan butter, shortening, lard, or coconut oil. If you go with coconut oil, always choose refined, so it doesn't make the pie taste like coconut. Also, it's a good idea to refrigerate the coconut oil, so it doesn't get too warm too quickly when you are mixing it up. 

Video

You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 138mgFiber: 3gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 550IUVitamin C: 4.9mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 1.4mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple pie recipe, best apple pie recipe from scratch, how to make apple pie
Did you make this recipe?Leave a feedback and rate this recipe!
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The Best Homemade Chocolate Rolls Recipe »

About Sabine

I'm a passionate baker, cookbook author, and award-winning food photographer. You find here kitchen-tested quality baking recipes everyone will love.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maria J

    November 26, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    Truly delicious!
    This last minute decision to bake Apple Pie for Thanksgiving turned out great success.
    I didn't have round pie dish , so I opted for 9x12 in baking tray. Used 1,5 times the proportions and baked for 1 hour at 375F, let rest for 1 hour before serving. Crust was well baked and flaky.
    I also added 1/2 cur raisins soaked for 1+ hour with 15 ml of my husband whiskey. 🙂 No vanilla
    Thank you Sabine, this goes to the 'proven and favorite recipe book'!

    Reply
  2. Kimberly Stevens

    July 18, 2020 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing turnout!

    Reply
  3. Karina ilya

    November 22, 2019 at 12:23 am

    Hi! Just wanted to know the measurements if I were to swap out the butter and use coconut oil or shortening instead ? First time making pie and found your recipe! Looks and sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Sabine

      November 26, 2019 at 4:23 am

      You can substitute the butter for coconut oil or shortening 1:1. That shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure either of these subs are solid and cold when you add them to the flour and do not overblend.

      Reply
  4. Jennifer

    June 01, 2019 at 6:49 am

    5 stars
    I added vanilla extract and used brown instead of white sugar and it was so good. It's a delicious recipe.

    Reply
    • Sabine

      June 03, 2019 at 7:21 am

      That sounds super delicious! Will try your changes the next time.

      Reply

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Hi, my name is Sabine Venier! I’m a cookbook author and the food blogger behind Also The Crumbs Please. Here you will find trusted and easy recipes for every occasion. I'm here to teach you how to make delicious food and give you the confidence to bake and cook from scratch.

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