Homemade Apple Pie
This homemade apple pie recipe features a flaky, buttery crust and a perfectly spiced apple pie filling that is simple to make and tastes like a warm hug from grandma's kitchen.
The Easiest Apple Pie Recipe You Will Ever Bake
There is a reason homemade apple pie has been a dessert table classic for generations. That first slice, with its flaky golden crust and warm, cinnamon-spiced apple pie filling, just feels like home. This is a truly simple apple pie recipe, no fancy techniques required, just good apples, a buttery crust, and a little patience while it bakes.
Whether you are searching for a fresh apple pie recipe for Sunday dinner or a foolproof dessert for Thanksgiving, this one delivers every time. It is a perfectly simple apple pie, built on classic technique but written so anyone, even first time bakers, can follow along with confidence.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A good pastry cutter keeps your butter cold and your crust flaky, and a sturdy glass pie dish helps the bottom crust bake through evenly instead of turning soggy. These are the products that genuinely help this recipe shine:
Choosing the Best Apples for Pie
Not all apples behave the same way in the oven. For the best apple pie recipe filling, you want a mix of tart and sweet varieties that hold their shape.
- Granny Smith: Tart and firm, holds its structure beautifully
- Honeycrisp: Sweet, juicy, and adds great texture
- Braeburn or Jonagold: Good backup options if the above are unavailable
Using a blend rather than a single variety gives you the most balanced, flavorful filling, avoiding a pie that is either too tart or overly sweet.
Chef's Tip: Slice your apples to a consistent thickness, about a quarter inch, so they cook evenly and you avoid any raw, crunchy bites in the finished pie.
The Secret to a Flaky, Not Soggy, Crust
A soggy bottom crust is the number one complaint people have when they make a homemade apple pie, but it is easy to avoid. Keeping your butter and water ice cold is essential, since warm butter melts into the flour instead of creating those flaky little pockets of steam that give pie crust its signature texture.
Baking at a high temperature for the first 20 minutes also helps set the bottom crust quickly, and placing a baking sheet on the rack below the pie catches any bubbling juices while helping the bottom brown properly.
This method also works beautifully as a base for an easy apple pie recipe with canned filling, if you are ever pressed for time. The homemade crust is really the star here, so it is worth the extra few minutes either way.
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 and a perfectly spiced apple pie filling that is simple to make and tastes like a warm hug from grandma's kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar, for the crust
- 1 tsp salt, divided between crust and filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 6 tbsp ice water, 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
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, helps thicken the filling
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional
Instruction
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
Drizzle in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing gently with a fork until the dough just comes together. Divide the dough in half, shape into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until evenly coated. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack to catch drips.
Roll out one disc of dough 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 edge.
Pour the apple filling into the crust, mounding it slightly in the center, along with any juices that have collected.
Roll out the second disc of dough and place it over the filling, or cut it into strips for a lattice top. Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges to seal.
Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut a few small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape if using a full top crust.
Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
If the edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil or a pie crust shield.
Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing, so the filling has time to set.
Equipment
- 9-inch pie dish
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Rolling pin
- Large mixing bowls
- Baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
- Pastry brush
Notes
Serving and Storing Your Apple Pie
Let the pie cool fully before slicing. I know it is tempting to cut in right away, but giving it two to three hours allows the cornstarch in the filling to properly thicken, so your slices hold together instead of spilling apples everywhere.
Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or at room temperature with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Leftovers keep well loosely covered on the counter for a couple of days, or in the fridge if you want them to last a bit longer.
A Few Easy Variations
- Add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins for extra texture
- Swap the top crust for a crumb topping made with oats, flour, and butter
- Add a splash of bourbon or apple brandy to the filling for a grown up twist
However you serve it, this homemade apple pie recipe is proof that some of the best desserts are also the simplest. Once you get the technique down, you will find yourself reaching for this recipe every fall, and honestly, any time apples are in season.
