This easy to make and delicious apple pie recipe has a flakey butter crust and tender apple filling that’s bursting with flavor and perfectly sweet!
This ICONIC American dessert is so good when done right. Tender apples bursting with flavor get brightened up with a hit of lemon and are the perfect contrast to that crisp flakey butter crust.
Instead of adding lots of flour or cornstarch to thicken the filling I cook the juices down into an apple caramel, which holds all those apple pieced together and really amps up the flavor.
Steps To Make Pie Crust
How Do You Make Pie Crust?
Just a heads up, you will want to make this pastry crust at least 30 minutes in advance. If you’re a pie making novice, OR want to know how to make it without a food processor head over to my Pie Crust Recipe post. It has a full how to video on making the PERFECT pie crust every time.
It’s best to make two separate batches of dough. One for the bottom and one for the lattice. Most processors aren’t big enough for a giant batch and when making it by hand it’s more manageable to have a smaller batch.
- Start off by adding the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Give it a few pulses before adding the butter.
- Cut the COLD butter up into tablespoon sized pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps. In a small bowl mix together the ice water and vodka. Drizzle the mixture into the processor while pulsing. If you can squeeze the dough into a clump that stays together it’s done. If not, add in another tablespoon of ice water. P.S. The vodka will bake off so don’t worry about adding it in!
- Transfer the dough onto a pastry mat or another floured surface and knead 2 to 3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten the dough into a one-inch thick disk and cover it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag, then place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.
How To Make Apple Pie
- Peel and cut the apples’ flesh away from the core. Dice into piece an inch or less in size.
- Transfer diced apples into a large bowl and pour fresh squeezed lemon juice over them.
What are the best apples for apple pie?
Apples with a nice balance of acid and sweetness are best for baking pies. Honey crisps, granny smith, braeburn, golden delicious, and cortlans apples are all great choices. Use your favorite and enjoy! Never use red delicious…
- Toss the apples with sugar and cinnamon.
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and cook until the apples soften a bit. While the apples are softening you can mix the corn starch in.
- Pour the mixture into a strainer over a bowl to separate the juices out. Pour the juice back into the pan and place the softened apples into a bowl.
- Cook the apple juices down until bubbly and thickened. It will become a delicious caramel with lots of apple and lemon flavor. Once thickened pour onto the apples and mix well to combine. Set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.
- Roll out your chilled pie crust into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick.
- Add the apple filling into the pie shell and smooth the top. Any crevices can lead to pastry on top sagging.
- Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete.
- Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough, pinch together to bind the layers together.
- Brush the lattice THOROUGHLY with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350f until golden brown in the center, about 45-50 minutes. I ALWAYS tent my pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!
How do you make soft apples for apple pie?
- Peel, core and slice your apples and place them in a large bowl.
- Use a strainer to pour the lemon juice on top of the apple slices and give them a toss.
- Once the apples are coated with the lemon juice, pour the sugar on them as well.
- Give the apples a toss to make sure everything is evenly coated. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat and add the apples. Cook them, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the apples soften. About 7 minutes.
PRO TIPS for making Apple Pie
- Adding vodka to your ice water will help bring the dough together but won’t toughen your crust by activating the gluten. The alchohol baked off so there’s no need to worry about taste being impacted.
- Try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You’ll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
- Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
- You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
- This recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8″ dish. If you’re using a deep dish or slightly larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
- TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn’t burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this apple pie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Apple Pie Recipe
The best apple pie recipe with a crisp butter crust surrounding a perfectly sweet, tender cinnamon apple filling busting with flavor.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 10 Slices
Calories 715kcal
Equipment
- 8 inch pie dish
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 lbs apples Honey crisp, Cortland, or Mitsu
- 2/3 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling on the pie
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp corn starch
For the Pie Crust:
- 2 cups unsalted butter Very cold, 452g
- 5 cups all-purpose flour 600g
- 1/2 cup sugar 100g
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 6 tbsp ice water
For the Assembly
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp cream
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the Pie Dough
- It's easiest to make the pie dough in two batches. You can halve the ingredients above or head over to my pie crust recipe and make it twice. Allow at least 30 minutes of chill time for the dough.
- Add the 2 1/2 cups pastry flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt into a food processor. Give it a few pulses.
- Cut 1 cup of COLD butter into tbsp size pieces. Transfer to food processor and pulse until the butter is cut into small lentil-sized clumps.
- Mix 3 tbsp ice water and 2 tbsp vodka together in a small cup and slowly drizzle into processor while pulsing. If the mixture doesn't hold together when you squeezer a clump in your hand then add a bit more water and pulse.
- Transfer dough onto a pastry mat or sheet of plastic wrap and knead 2-3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten into a one inch-thick disk, and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Repeat above steps for second batch.
For the Filling
- Peel, core and slice your apples, then toss with the lemon juice.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg then toss to combine evenly.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes. While the apples are cooking down you can mix in the corn starch.
- Pour the apples into a strainer set over a large bowl. Set the apples aside and pour juice back into the pan. Cook at medium-high heat stirring frequently until the liquid bubbles vigorously and thickens.
- In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely.
- Roll out your both of your chilled pie dough batches into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick.
- Add your filling to the dish. smooth out surface with a spatula. Any voids can cause the lattice top to sag.
- Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete.
- Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough. pinch together to bind the layers together.
- In a small bowl add one egg and a tablespoon of cream or milk. Mix very well together. Brush the lattice THOROUGHLY with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350f until golden brown in the center, about 45-50 minutes. I ALWAYS tent my pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!
Video
Notes
- Adding vodka to your ice water will help bring the dough together but won't toughen your crust by activating the gluten. The alchohol baked off so there's no need to worry about taste being impacted.
- Try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You'll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
- Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
- You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
- This recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8" dish. If you're using a deep dish or slightly larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
- TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn't burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.
Nutrition
Serving: 125g | Calories: 715kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 1395IU | Vitamin C: 6.3mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 3.2mg
SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE IT 😀
I made this last night and substituted gluten free flour and it was amazing!!! The pastry was so flaky! I didn’t have any vodka so I tried using rum instead and the flavour completely evaporated while cooking. Such a great tip using alcohol, I’d never heard of that before. Thank you for a great recipe! I could watch your videos all day 🙂
Perfection 😉
I want to make this but im worried i wont make it right, Is this hard to make because im 13 and what can I substitute for Vodka.
Hi Abby! Just use a bit more water with a squeeze of lemon juice in place of the vodka.
Hi there, just wondering if it needs to be blind baked first? Some recipes will ask for this, just seeing why this one doesn’t?
Cheers
Jess
Nope 🙂
Hi there my sweet, I made your pie and it was awesome, our daughter is always on prep as she does competition, and she tried a little bit, and after one bite, that was it , she had two big slices, she loved it so thank you John for that, love watching you cook, you do put a smile on my face,
From grandma in England xxxx
Hello Heather! I’m sooo happy you and your daughter enjoyed the recipe!
J
Hello, with regards to the vodka are there any possible substitutes without alcohol? (I understand the alcohol will cook off but I would prefer to not cook with something with alcohol in the first place so if you could help I would really appreciate it) Love your recipes!
Sure! use a tablespoon of lemon juice and a bit more ice water.
Ive never made a pie before and I watched your video on piecrust and this recipe and made this pie. It was so easy to follow along and beyond delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
Made my first lattice pie with the apple recipe above . It was awesome, totally understand your saying about brushing the nooks of the pastry properly with egg wash. Mine was great would be perfect if I’d taken time to brush properly. Thank you for a great recipe, first apple recipe I’ve made with apples being cooked first and the caramel sauce…heavenly. Btw didn’t have a deep dish and I think I was an apple and half more than the plate. I just thicken up the lattice and it held beautifully.
Hi John!
It’s Thanksgiving today so I’m gonna try your pie filling. Just bought a ready made crust, I know it will be different but one of the days I’ll try to make the dough too.
And by watching your videos, you really made up my mind to pursue baking. God bless!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi. You are the best I make it it’s very delicious. I love you and your recipes.
Thank you so much!!
Hi John,
If I wanted to store buy the pastry, how much and which one should I get? I’ve got two little ones and haven’t got tome to make pastry form scarce unfortunately:-(
Two sheets should be fine 🙂
Hi!
If I don’t want yo use vodka just water, how much of water do I need?
Just drizzle in enough water for the dough to come together, usually an equal amount to the vodka.
Hi! I made this pie and it was delicious!!! However, my crust was soggy in some spots. I even left it in the oven a few extra minutes. Any tips or recommendations to prevent a soggy crust?
Yes! So that step where I cooke the juices down is really important, it removes lots of water and creates almost a caramel for the apples to float in. Try reducing the liquid a bit more next time and happy baking!
I have never made a pie before, nor have I baked anything other than those premake cookies you can buy at the store, and I found this recipe to be super easy to follow, and I had a lot of fun making it. I substituted vodka for just more water cause I’m too young for alcohol, and it still turned out super great! Also, I highly recommend blushing golden apples for this, cause they’re super good! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Hi Lee! I’m so happy you enjoyed baking this recipe! Hope the is the first recipe of many to come.
I am making this recipe for the first time and I have one question for you. When you say cream for the egg wash on this and other recipes, do you mean heavy cream? Looking forward to trying this for the holidays
You can use any cream or even milk 🙂
Simply amazing! So delicious, everyone loved it!
So happy it was a hit!
HI i read the comment of replacing Vodka with water and a little lemon juice. I am not sure how much more water to add I know i need A tablespoon of lemon. also should the lemon juice be fresh squeezed? I want to make sure i make it right. It looks divine.
I would add maybe 2 tsp of lemon juice to the ice water and sub out the same amount of water/lemon and vodka.
Hi. Can you bake the filling the night before?
yup!
I loved your pie recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! Quick question John! Do you reckon I could bake this pie the day before thanksgiving? I am trying to do as much the day before as possible! How would I store it? Thanks!!
I say yes, warm in oven before serving. the bottom will not be crisp but still delicious!!
Best Apple Pie ever, and your instructions for making the buttery crust are so helpful! This is a no-fail recipe to enjoy often!
This is the ONLY way to make an apple pie. I’ve tried many other recipes and getting the filling right was always a crap shoot. Here, you know what you have when it goes into the oven! First time making a lattice crust and it was easier than it looks. Love this recipe so my search for the best apple pie is FINALLY over! Thank you!! (Thanksgiving 2019)
I made this for thanksgiving! It was delicious. My first apple pie, I can’t believe it actually worked. Thank you! Only one problem. When cut, the pie pieces pretty much fell apart. It wasn’t watery at all but it didn’t stay in tact. No one minded, the entire thing was eaten but it would have been prettier… any tips?
Use a VERY sharp knife and then pull the first piece out as you support it with a cake knife or other tool.
Absolutely delicious recipe. Nice and easy. Definitely took me a bit longer than an hour and half. I didn’t use vodka but easily substituted it with more water and some lemon juice. Would definitely recommend. Wish I could post a picture because it came out beautiful. And I have dough left over to make strudels!!
At the end of the recipe it says for a deeper dish to DOUBLE the recipe. I think the recipe in the description IS the doubled version, asking for 5 cups of flower (600 grams). 300 g is 1 1/4 cup, not 2.5. 2.5 cups is exactly what you want for 2 standard crust layers.