Easy Apple Pie With the Best Filling
Add Preferred SourceApple pie is the one dessert people assume you bought, right until they taste it. I carried store pies to the table for years before I started making my own, and the difference is not small.
This apple pie keeps things easy with store-bought crust dough, tart green Granny Smith apples that hold their shape in the oven, and pantry spices you already have. When apples are in season I bake two at once and freeze the second, which brings the cost of each pie down.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, I earn a small commission. Thank you!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Green Granny Smith apples hold their shape as they bake, so the filling keeps some bite instead of collapsing into sauce.
- Store-bought crust dough skips the fussiest part, so your hands-on time is only about twenty minutes.
- Tossing the apples with flour and draining off the extra juice is what keeps the bottom crust from turning soggy.
- It runs on common apples and pantry spices, with no specialty ingredients and no special shopping trip.
- A whole baked pie freezes well, so a second one keeps for months when you have the oven going anyway.
- The egg-washed top bakes up golden and glossy, and the pie slices cleanly once it has cooled.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what’s worth noting before you start. The printable card below has the full list with quantities.
- Pie crust dough: You need enough store-bought dough for a top and bottom crust, about 14.1 ounces. Keep it cold right up until it goes in the oven, since cold dough is what bakes up flaky. If you would rather make your own, this pie crust recipe works here too.
- Granny Smith apples: These tart green apples hold their shape in a hot oven, so the filling doesn’t slump. You need about seven cups, peeled and thinly sliced. Honeycrisp works if that’s what you have. Skip a soft variety like McIntosh, which shrinks as it bakes and can leave a gap under the top crust.
- All-purpose flour: Tossed with the apples, it thickens the juices so the filling sets instead of running out when you cut it.
- Granulated and brown sugar: The recipe uses both. The brown sugar adds a little molasses depth alongside the plain sweetness.
- Lemon juice: Keeps the apples bright and balances the sugar so the filling isn’t flat.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Standard pantry spices. Taste the apples and adjust, since some batches are sweeter or more tart than others.
- Butter: Dotted over the filling before the top crust goes on.
- Egg: Beaten for the egg wash, which gives the top its golden color and helps any sugar on top stick.
- Turbinado sugar: Optional, sprinkled on top for a little crunch and sparkle.
How to Make Apple Pie Step by Step
The recipe card below contains a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
Here’s how it comes together, in six short stages.
Chill the bottom crust
Heat your oven to 375°F. Roll half the dough into an 8-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Slide the plate into the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
Make the apple filling
Stir the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice, then add the flour mixture and toss again to coat.
Layer the apples into the chilled crust and leave the pooled juices behind in the bowl, then dot the top with butter. Leaving those juices out is the step that keeps the filling from going watery.
Add the top crust and vent it
Roll the rest of the dough into another 8-inch circle and lay it over the filling to cover it completely. Trim the excess, press the edges to seal, and flute them with your fingers.
Cut four slits in the top to let steam escape, then set the pie on a baking sheet.
Egg wash and shield the edges
Brush the top with the beaten egg, and sprinkle on turbinado sugar and cinnamon if you like.
Cover just the edges with a pie shield or a ring of foil so they don’t brown too fast in the first part of the bake.
Bake
Bake for 25 minutes with the edges shielded. Remove the shield, then bake for about 35 more minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling bubbles through the vents.
Cool before slicing
Move the pie to a wire rack and let it cool for at least two hours. It may look done before then, but the filling is still liquid when it comes out of the oven.
It needs that time to set, and cutting early gives you a runny slice.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter in the dough and a chilled work surface give you the flakiest crust, so don’t let the dough sit out and go soft.
- Don’t skip discarding the juices. Those pooled juices are mostly water and sugar, and tipping them into the crust is the fastest way to a soggy bottom.
- Use a glass or ceramic pie dish if you have one. It heats more evenly than a thin metal pan, so the bottom crust bakes through.
- Shield first, then uncover. The edges cook faster than the center, so covering them for the first 25 minutes keeps them from burning before the middle is done.
- Give it the full two hours to cool. The filling sets as it cools, and that rest is the difference between a clean slice and a puddle.
Recipe Variations
- Swap to Honeycrisp. Granny Smith is my default for the tartness, but I’ve tested this with firm Honeycrisp too and it holds up well, just a touch sweeter.
- Warm up the spice. A pinch of allspice or ground cloves alongside the cinnamon and nutmeg deepens the flavor, and since it doesn’t change any amounts or timing, it’s a low-risk, well-supported tweak.
- For a crumble instead of a top crust, know that it’s a different build rather than a swap here, so I haven’t tested it in this pie. Our apple crisp gives you the same spiced apples under an oat topping instead.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover apple pie loosely covered, and refrigerate it to keep it fresh for several days. A fruit pie like this one holds up better than a cream or custard pie, so it doesn’t have to go straight into the fridge, but chilling it is what buys you those extra days.
To get ahead, bake the pie, let it cool completely, then wrap it well and freeze it. A baked fruit pie freezes well for months, which is how I make two in apple season and keep one back for later. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before the day you plan to serve it.
To serve leftovers warm, heat slices in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes to restore the crust’s crunch. The microwave is quicker but leaves the crust soft.
What to Serve With Apple Pie
Apple pie barely needs anything alongside it, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into a warm slice is the classic move. Whipped cream does the same job if you’d rather keep it light, and a thin slice of sharp cheddar is a New England habit worth trying at least once.
When I want it to feel more special, I add a drizzle of caramel, and I like a cup of coffee alongside to balance all that sugar. If you’re serving it after a big holiday meal, small slices go further than you’d think.
FAQs
You want tart green apples that hold their shape, and Granny Smith is the standard for that reason. Honeycrisp is a good second choice. Soft varieties like McIntosh cook down too far and turn the filling to mush.
No. This recipe skips pre-cooking. Tossing the raw apples with flour and leaving the pooled juices behind does the same job, thickening the filling as it bakes so it sets without a separate step on the stove.
The usual cause is cutting it too soon. The filling is liquid when the pie comes out of the oven and only sets as it cools, so give it the full two hours. Tipping the apple juices into the crust instead of discarding them will also leave it watery.
Yes, and this recipe serves one. Store-bought dough is the shortcut that makes this an easy bake. If you prefer to make your own, keep it cold and roll it to about an eighth of an inch, the same thickness as the packaged kind.
More Sweet Recipes to Bake Next
If the pie went well, here are a few more bakes worth lining up.
- Pecan Pie Bars, for when the holiday table needs a pie but you’d rather cut squares than slice and serve.
- Best No-Bake Million Dollar Pie, for a night when you want dessert without turning the oven on at all.
- Easy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Frosting, the fall bake I make once the apples are gone.
- Best Banana Bread, a good landing spot for the bananas going brown on the counter.
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, for when you want something sweet done in under thirty minutes.
Equipment
- 9 Inch pie plate
Ingredients
- 14.1 ounces pie crust dough
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 7 cups Granny Smith apples peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cubed
- 1 egg beaten
- Turbinado sugar and cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll half of the dough into a ⅛ inch thick circle. Then transfer the dough to a 9 inch pie plate. Place the plate in the fridge to chill while you prepare the apple filling14.1 ounces pie crust dough
- Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside. Then, in a large bowl add apples, lemon juice, and toss. Now, add the flour mixture and toss to coat evenly. Add the filling to the pie crust in layers, discarding any juices, and evenly dot the apple mixture with butter¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup sugar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 7 cups Granny Smith apples, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Now, roll out the remaining crust dough into a ⅛ inch thick circle and place it on over the filling, ensuring that it covers the filling completely. Using a sharp knife, trim off any excess dough, seal the dough, and flute it using your fingers. Now, cut 4 slits on the top of the pie to allow the steam to vent, and place the pie on a baking sheet
- Brush the surface of your apple pie with egg wash. Optional, sprinkle turbinado sugar and cinnamon on top of the pie. Using either a pie shield or kitchen foil, cover the edges of the pie to prevent them from browning in the first 25 minutes of cooking1 egg, Turbinado sugar and cinnamon
- Bake for 25 minutes and then remove from the oven and discard the shield or kitchen foil, then cook for a further 35 minutes until the top of the pie is golden brown and the filling is bubbling
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours
Notes
- Not all apples suit a pie; use tart ones that hold their shape, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, so the filling keeps its texture.
- Keep the dough cold until it goes in the oven for the flakiest crust.
- Toss the apples with the flour, then leave the pooled juices behind when you fill the crust to avoid a soggy bottom.
- Shield the pie edges for the first 25 minutes, then uncover so they don’t burn before the center bakes.
- Cool the pie for at least two hours so the filling sets and slices cleanly.
- Store leftover apple pie loosely covered, and refrigerate it to keep it fresh for several days.
