Classic, American, old fashioned, easy apple pie recipe from scratch, homemade with simple ingredients. It has a flaky butter pie crust and a homemade cinnamon spiced pie filling.
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Thanksgiving just won't be the same without this old fashioned pie! It's truly a classic just like this Easy Pecan Pie or this Easy French Silk Pie. If you have ever been scared of making your own homemade version, you can be at ease now with these instructions.
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Key ingredients
- Brown sugar- Similar to granulated sugar but with added molasses.
- Flour- Use simple all-purpose flour.
- Cinnamon- Adds a pleasant aroma and flavor.
- Nutmeg- Warm and sweet with a hint of nuttiness.
- Lemon juice- Balances the sweetness and helps apples from browning.
- Apples- The crispy ones are best, like Granny Smith, Gala, or Honeycrisp.
- Butter- Be sure it is unsalted and room temperature.
- Egg- Use large ones at room temperature.
- Salt- Even in a sweet dish, this is an essential ingredient.
How to make easy homemade apple pie recipe?
- Prepare crust- And spread it in a pie dish.
- Fill it- With an apple mixture composed of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch.
- Top it off- With cubed butter.
- Cover- With pie crust and trim and crimp the edges.
- Bake- Let it cool down completely and you are done.
Variations
- Design the top- You can do a lattice top or any other design on top of the pie with pie crust. I did not do that since I was going for a classic appearance.
- Instead of a top crust- Add a crumb topping like I did in this Crumble Pie. This is made by combining together flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon and some nuts into a crumbly mixture. It's spread on top of the pie, prior to baking instead of a pie crust to create a delicious topping.
- Make mini pies- By using mini pie pans OR you can make the pies in mason jar lids.
- Make a slab pie- By using a shallow pan like a cookie tray.
- Pair with caramel- By either drizzling Caramel Sauce on top once it cools completely or serve with a dollop of Caramel Frosting. Another option is to simply make this No Bake Pie With Caramel.
- Use other spices- In the filling like allspice, cloves, ginger, star anise, cardamom. You can even use extracts like vanilla, coconut, maple, almond.
- Dutch style- This is different than the classic version because it has a crust base that's filled with an apple filling and topped off with a crumbly streusel topping instead of a classic crust.
- Bars- Make this pie in an oven-safe rectangle dish and when it cools down, cut it into bars.
- Add cranberries- About ⅓ cup fresh cranberries is sufficient in this recipe to give it a little tartness and use 6 apples instead of 7.
- Serve with frosting- Such as SHomemade
Tips and techniques
- Use glass pie pans or dull metal pie pans- Because dark pans absorb a lot of heat while baking and lead to too much browning. I usually use foil trays because they are easier to take over to family and friends.
- Prevent the crust from burning or over-browning- By covering the edges with strips of aluminum foil halfway through baking.
- Brush the crust with egg wash- Before baking and this will ensure that nice deep golden-brown color.
- Use unsalted butter- To prevent the pie from becoming too salty.
- Store-bought crust or homemade crust can be used- I used store-bought pie crust today because it's just so much easier but this is my family's recipe for Flaky Butter Pie Crust. Here are instructions on How to Blind Bake Pie Crust if you want to try that.
- Cut slits- On top of the pie crust to vent the steam.
Recipe FAQs
What are the best apples for making pie?
Use firm apples. Make sure they are ripe. Also, use a variety for best flavor profile like Granny Smith, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Gala.
Why is my pie watery and soggy?
It wasn't baked long enough to allow the excess liquid to evaporate. Another reason could be that there is too much liquid in the filling.
What is the difference between American pie and Dutch pie?
Dutch pies have a crumbly topping while traditional American ones have a pie crust topping.
Storage
- Room temperature- It can be left out for about 3-4 hours.
- Make ahead- This can be made 1-2 days before and placed in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Refrigerate- Tastes best when served fresh but leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freeze- Cover cooled pie in multiple layers of saran wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, thaw overnight in the fridge. Be aware that after being in the freezer, it can sometimes become soggy.
More pie recipes
- Easy Pumpkin Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
- Easy Chocolate Cream Pie
- Easy Banana Cream Pie
- Easy Sweet Potato Pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
More apple desserts
- Easy Apple Cake Recipe with Cake Mix
- Chocolate Caramel Apples
- Easy Applesauce Cake
- Mini Apple Strudel
Recipe
Easy Apple Pie Recipe
Classic, old fashioned, easy apple pie recipe from scratch, requiring simple ingredients. It has a perfect flaky pie crust and a homemade apple pie filling.
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Ingredients
Pie Filling
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger powder Optional
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 7 medium Apples Washed, Cored, Peeled, Sliced
- 3 tablespoon Butter Unsalted, Cut into small cubes
- 1 Egg Large, Beaten for egg wash
- OR USE MY HOMEMADE APPLE PIE FILLING
- OR USE STORE-BOUGHT PIE FILLING
Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- ¾ cup Butter Unsalted, Cold, Cut into small cubes,
- 6-9 tablespoon Water Ice cold
- OR USE STORE-BOUGHT PIE CRUST Two, 9 inch, Unbaked
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Add flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg in a food processor and pulse to mix everything together.
- Add butter in the food processor and pulse a few times until pieces of butter are very small (almost the size of a pea).
- Add 6 tablespoon of very cold water and pulse again. Add additional 1 tablespoon water at a time, if necessary, until dough just begins to hold together and is not too sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a table and use your hands to form it into a ball. Don't over-mix or else the dough will become tough! You should be able to still see pieces of butter in the dough. That's normal and you need that!
- Divide the ball into 2 portions and shape each portion into a flat disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.
Pie Filling
- In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, lemon juice, apples and mix until fully coated. Keep aside.
Assembling
- Remove your dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so that it becomes a bit soft and easy to roll.
- Roll dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. If dough is sticking to the table or rolling pin, sprinkle some flour to make it easier.
- Roll the crust on the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie dish. Spread it out and press it firmly along the sides of and bottom. Trim off excess dough from sides.
- Spread the apple mixture on top of this crust.
- Place cubed butter on top of the apples.
- Roll out the second pie crust over the filling. Trim off excess and and press/crimp all around the edges to seal the crust.
- Make a few slits on top to vent the steam, while baking.
- Brush with egg wash to ensure a wonderful golden brown color.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for for about 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender and filling is bubbly.
- Tip: Cover edge of the crust with strips of aluminum foil after the first 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.
- Allow the pie to cool down completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use glass pans or dull metal pans because dark pans absorb a lot of heat while baking and lead to too much browning.
- To prevent the crust from burning or over-browning, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil halfway through baking.
- You must cut slits on top of the pie crust to vent the steam.
- Read additional tips and variations my tips above.
- Tastes best when served fresh but leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 201mgPotassium: 219mgFiber: 4gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 220IUVitamin C: 6.8mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1.5mg
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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