This apple pie recipe is the best pie I’ve ever eaten. It’s easy to make, with a sweet, cinnamon-spiced apple filling and a flaky, all-butter pie crust. I first shared this recipe over five years ago and it’s since become a trusted reader favorite!

Slice of apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Only Apple Pie Recipe You Need

I am so excited for you to try my apple pie recipe! This is hands-down my all-time favorite pie. I’ve made it for countless family gatherings, including Thanksgiving, 4th of July and Sunday dinners.

If you’ve ever felt intimidated at the thought of making an apple pie from scratch, this is the recipe you need. Every step of this recipe is easy, from preparing the filling to making the crust. My pie crust recipe is so simple and foolproof, it’s perfect for beginners.

As I was testing this apple pie recipe, my whole family kept raving that it’s the best apple pie they’ve ever eaten. I’m confident that you’ll agree! I’ll walk you through each of the steps so that you can make an exceptionally delicious apple pie from scratch.

I am so glad I chose your recipe for my first attempt at a homemade apple pie. Your instructions are perfect!! It’s delicious!!!

Tracy

Apple pie in pie dish with a slice cut.

Best Apples for Apple Pie

The best apple pie starts with good baking apples. You want to use apples that are firm enough to hold up to the heat of baking, so that they don’t cook down into mush.

I like to use a mixture of sweet and tart apples in apple pie for the best flavor and texture. My favorite is a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples. The Granny Smiths add tartness, and the Honeycrisps are on the sweeter side, so you get the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors.

  • Tart varieties of apples that are best for pie include Granny Smith, Northern Spy and Cripps Pink.
  • Sweeter varieties of apples that are best for pie include Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Crispin (Mutsu), Jazz and Fuji.

Perfect Pie Crust

Another key to the best apple pie is a buttery, flaky pie crust. We’ll be using my easy all-butter pie crust. You don’t have to chill the dough before rolling it out, and it rolls out like a dream. The trick to the best flaky pie crust is to use very cold butter and ice-cold water, and to work quickly to keep the butter cold. But don’t stress! You really can’t mess up this pie crust.

Ingredients for apple pie recipe with labels.

How to Make Apple Pie

Here’s an overview of the simple steps to making this apple pie. Or, jump straight to the full apple pie recipe.

Make the Apple Pie Filling

First, peel and slice the apples into 1/4-inch thick slices. You’ll need about 8 cups of sliced apples (6-8 apples) to fill a deep dish pie dish.

Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the rest of the apple pie filling ingredients:

  • Vanilla Extract: A little bit of vanilla extract adds sweetness and flavor to the pie.
  • All-Purpose Flour: The flour helps to thicken the pie filling.
  • Granulated Sugar: You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of your apples and how sweet you like your pie.
  • Brown Sugar: I like to use brown sugar as well as granulated sugar because it adds a richer flavor with notes of caramel.
  • Cinnamon: A little bit of cinnamon is essential for the best apple pie filling!
  • Nutmeg: I add just 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, for flavor.
  • Salt: Salt is essential in baking to balance out the sweetness. It enhances all of the flavors!
Flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt added to sliced apples in mixing bowl.
Apple pie filling in a glass mixing bowl.

Stir to combine the ingredients. Then let the filling sit at room temperature while you make the pie crust. As the filling rests, the sugar will start to bring out the juices from the apples. You’ll stir the filling again before pouring it into the pie crust to make sure everything is well combined.

Make the Pie Crust

I like to make pie dough in my food processor, because it is quick and easy. You can also make the pie crust by hand, using a pastry blender.

  1. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, granulated sugar and salt.
  2. Cut in the butter: Make sure to use butter that is cold, straight from the refrigerator. Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor. Pulse about 10 times, until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas.
  3. Add ice-cold water: Pulse until the dough begins to come together.
Pie dough in food processor.

Assemble the Pie

The pie crust recipe makes enough dough for a top and bottom pie crust. You’ll cut the dough in half and shape it into two disks. Refrigerate one disk for the top crust, and roll out the other for the bottom crust. Gently fit the bottom crust into your pie dish.

Rolling out pie crust.

Give the apple filling a stir and transfer it to the bottom crust in the pie dish. If it seems like your apples won’t fit, use your fingers to arrange them a bit and help them better fill the space.

Apple pie filling added to bottom pie crust in dish.

Roll out the second pie crust for the top of the pie. You can place it on the pie whole, you can make a lattice pie crust (see below for step by step photos), or you can use a cookie cutter to cut out leaves or other shapes and arrange the dough shapes on top of the pie filling. If placing the dough round on the pie whole, be sure to cut a few slits in the top dough so that steam can escape as the pie bakes.

Lightly brush the top crust with milk. This helps the crust to brown nicely. If desired, sprinkle some coarse (turbinado) sugar over the pie.

Bake. While the oven preheats, chill the pie in the refrigerator to make sure the crust is cold. Bake the apple pie for 20 minutes at 400° F and then another 40-50 minutes at 350° F. Check on the pie after it has baked for about 30-40 minutes total, and cover it loosely with foil to prevent the crust from browning too much. The pie is done when the filling is bubbly.

Whole baked apple pie with one slice removed and one slice cut in pie dish.

How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust

A lattice-top pie crust is the name for the woven crust that you see on the top of this apple pie. Here’s how to make it:

Roll out the dough for the top of the pie into a 12-inch diameter circle. Use a sharp knife, pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut the dough circle into ½-inch strips.

Rolled out pie crust circle cut into strips.

Using every other strip from the circle, arrange half of the dough strips going one direction across the pie. Leave a little bit of space in between each strip.

Dough strips arranged on pie in one direction.
Half of dough strips folded back and one dough strip placed in the other direction.

Weave the other half of the dough strips through the first set, over and under, pulling back the first set of strips as needed to weave. I find it easiest to start in the center of the pie when weaving, and pull back every other of the first set of dough strips.

All dough strips replaced to flat with one dough strip placed in perpendicular direction.
Weaving a second dough strip into the lattice.

Once you finish weaving in strips on one side of the pie, begin weaving the remaining strips of dough on the other side of the pie.

One half of pie crust woven into lattice.
Finishing weaving dough strips on the other side of the pie.

When you are finished weaving, trim off any excess dough from around the edges of the pie. Fold the edges under and crimp or flute as desired.

The finished lattice pie crust.

Make Ahead Instructions

If you want to make this apple pie ahead for a holiday meal, I recommend baking it the day before, letting it cool completely, and then storing it at room temperature, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap. To make two days ahead, cool completely, wrap tightly, and store in the refrigerator. Take the pie out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours before serving to let it come to room temperature.

  • To store apple pie: You can store the baked apple pie at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
  • To freeze baked apple pie: Let the pie cool completely and then wrap it tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
  • Pie dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before using). Wrap the dough disks tightly with plastic wrap before storing.

Apple Pie Recipe Tips

  • This recipe makes enough filling for a deep dish apple pie. If your pie plate is small, consider reducing the number of apples.
  • You can use a store bought pie crust instead of homemade to save time.
  • You can adjust the amount of sugar in the pie filling depending on how sweet your apples are and how sweet you like your pie.
  • I like to sprinkle some coarse turbinado sugar on the top crust because it adds a pretty sparkle and a delicious sweet crunch to the top crust. Sprinkle it on after brushing with milk, before baking.
  • Check on the pie partway through the baking time and cover it with foil to keep the crust from over-browning.
  • Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before serving. As the pie cools, the filling will thicken up, making it easier to serve.
Slice of apple pie with a bite on a fork and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

More Favorite Pie Recipes

Looking for more apple desserts? Try my Apple Crisp, Apple Cake or Apple Cobbler next!

Slice of apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
5 from 53 ratings

Best Apple Pie Recipe

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chilling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
This is my very favorite apple pie recipe! It has a delicious apple pie filling spiced with cinnamon and a flaky, all-butter pie crust. Easy to make, this apple pie is perfect for the holidays or a weekend dessert any time of year!
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Ingredients

For the Apple Filling

  • 8 cups peeled apples, sliced ¼-inch thick, 6-8 apples, 3.5 pounds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup to ½ cup granulated sugar, amount depending on how sweet you want your pie, see note
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Pie Crust

  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, (16 tablespoons), cut into small cubes
  • 7 tablespoons ice-cold water

Remaining Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • coarse turbinado sugar, optional

Instructions
 

Make the Apple Filling

  • Place the peeled, sliced apples in a large bowl.
  • Add the vanilla, ¼ cup flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar to the bowl with the apples. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt over the apples. Stir to combine. Set aside while you make the pie crust.

Make the Pie Crust

  • Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. (Alternatively, the pie crust dough can be made by hand in a large bowl using a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut in the butter.)
  • Pulse to combine the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse about 10 times, until the largest butter pieces are the size of small peas.
  • Add the ice-cold water and pulse just until the dough comes together.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and shape each half into a round disk. Wrap one of the disks in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.
  • On a lightly floured work surface, roll the second disk out to a 12-inch round and transfer it to a deep-dish pie pan. (This is easily done by wrapping the dough round around your rolling pin to help move it.) Loosely fit the dough into the shape of the pie dish, but do not press it down firmly. (To keep it from sticking to the dish.)

Assemble the Pie

  • By this time, the apples should have released some of their juices. Stir the apple mixture to make sure everything is well combined and then pour the apples and their juices into the pie crust.
  • Roll out the second pie dough disk to a 12-inch round. You can place the dough round on top of the pie as is, or you can make a lattice-top pie crust. If putting the full dough round on top of the pie, cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
  • To make a lattice top pie crust (see step-by-step photos in the post above): Cut the second dough round into ½-inch strips. Place the longest strip down the center of the pie. Reserving every other dough strip to go in the other direction on the pie, lay strips across the pie with just a little bit of space between. Then weave in strips going the opposite direction on the pie.
  • Trim the edges of the pie crust so that there is a ½-inch overhang over the edge of the pie dish. Fold the overhang under itself and flute/crimp the edges of the crust as desired.
  • Brush the pie crust with milk (to help with browning and to help the coarse sugar stick) and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
  • Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes before baking.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
  • Bake the pie at 400° for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Continue baking the pie for 40-50 minutes more, until the filling is bubbly. Check on the pie partway through the baking time and tent it with foil as needed to prevent the crust from over-browning (to tent with foil means to loosely cover the pie by laying a sheet of foil over the top).
  • Let the pie cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the filling to thicken.
  • Store pie at room temperature for up to one day, or in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 4-5 days. Pie can also be frozen, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • I find that this pie is plenty sweet when made with 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup brown sugar. Depending on the sweetness of your apples and how sweet you like your pie, you can adjust the amount of sugar.
  • This recipe makes enough filling for a deep dish apple pie. If your pie dish is small, consider reducing the number of apples.
  • Pie dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before using). Wrap the dough disks tightly with plastic wrap before storing.
Serving: 1/8 pie, Calories: 470kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 226mg, Potassium: 187mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 777IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

I first shared this apple pie recipe in August 2019. I have since updated the post with new photos, a recipe video and more baking tips.

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