Apple Pie Recipe

This Homemade Apple Pie recipe is filled to the brim with juicy, buttery, cinnamon-spiced apples all baked into a tender, flaky pie crust.  Follow these step-by-step instructions and you will be making the best apple pie from scratch in no time!

Below you will find tips, tricks, and even a few recipe variations. If you’re looking for more apple recipes, you can also try our Apple Crisp, Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread, or this Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole.

Perfect Homemade Apple Pie Recipe

If you have ever been intimidated by homemade pie, never fear!  This recipe includes an easy apple pie filling and our favorite flakey apple pie crust, both of which are beginner friendly.

During the fall, I love to mix and match different apples that we have gotten from apple picking.  You can combine sweet and tart apples, and each apple has a different texture once baked. My favorites are very tart apples that hold up well to baking, like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples.

Serve warm with ice cream at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a cozy weekend at home. It also tastes great with a huge dollop of Homemade Whipped Cream.

Ingredients You Will Need

Pie Crust

• Flour – you can use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Salt – any kind of sea salt or finely ground salt will work.
• Crisco – crisco works great because it doesn’t melt as easily as butter.  But, you can absolutely substitute cold butter if you’d prefer.
• Water – use super cold water to keep the dough as cool as possible.  You can even add ice cubes to the water (just don’t add the ice cubes into the dough).
• Egg Wash – applying an egg wash to pie crust gives it a little shine and keeps the crust nice and crisp.  You don’t need to make much—just an egg and a tablespoon of water.
• Cinnamon Sugar – sprinkling this over the top of the pie crust just before baking gives it this amazing glaze that tastes great and makes the top nice and shiny.

Apple Pie Filling

• Apples – our favorite apples to use include Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Fuji, Cortland and of course Honey Crisp. Use one type or mix and match.
• Lemon Juice – fresh lemon juice is best.
• Sugar – we like using regular white granulated sugar for the pie filling.  
• Brown Sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
• Cornstarch – this helps to thicken the pie filling as it cooks, keeping it from getting soggy.
• Apple Pie Spices – we love the classic combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger.
• Butter – use cold, unsalted butter for the pie filling.

How to Make Apple Pie from Scratch

1. Make the pie dough.  See our post on Homemade Flaky Pie Crust for detailed instructions on how to mix, roll and shape your own dough.  For this Apple Pie, you will want to double the recipe so you have enough for the lattice top.
2. Make the Apple Pie filling.  In a large bowl, combine the apple slices and lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, add the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and whisk together.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the sliced apples and gently toss until coated.  Transfer the apple pie filling to the prepared pie crust, then sprinkle the cold cubed butter evenly over the top of the pie filling.
3. Add a lattice top crust.  Use the remaining pie crust to create a lattice crust on top of the pie with the reserved dough strips.  Cut excess pie crust off, fold the edges under and pinch the edges together.
4. Brush with egg wash.  To make egg wash for pie, whisk together 1 whole egg with 1 tablespoon of water, then use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash over the entire crust.  Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of sugar and a couple pinches of ground cinnamon just before baking.
5. Bake.  Place the pie pan onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 45 minutes—1 hour, or until the filling is bubbling and thickened and the crust is golden brown.
6. Cool and serve.  Once the pie has finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving with a scoop of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• When it comes to making flakey pie dough, remember to keep your ingredients cold, cold, cold!  Using cold butter or Crisco and ice water will help immensely. 
• It’s a good idea to chill your pie dough if you have the time, but if you are in a rush you can skip it.  This recipe still rolls out nicely without chilling.
• If you have never made a lattice top for a pie and want to see some good visual instructions, check out this lattice-top pie recipe.
• To achieve interesting flavors and textures, try mixing and matching different apple varieties within the same pie.

Recipe Variations

• Dutch Apple Pie: sprinkle a buttery oat streusel topping over the top instead of a second crust.
• Caramel Apple Pie: After adding the apple pie filling to the bottom crust, drizzle with caramel sauce.
• Apple Cranberry Pie: add cranberries, orange zest, and orange juice to the apple mixture.
• Apple Pear Pie: try using half apples and half pears for the filling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and Freezing Instructions

• Room Temperature: store your Apple Pie covered in plastic wrap or aluminum foil at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator: if you find you want to store it for longer, it will last covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: you can freeze a baked or an unbaked Apple Pie, wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for about 1 month.  To bake an unbaked frozen pie, just remove all wrapping and bake as directed, adding about 15 minutes onto the total time.   To reheat a frozen baked pie, warm in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through.

More of the Best Pie Recipes

• Best Razzleberry Pie
• Best Flaky Pie Crust
• Blackberry Pie
• Fresh Peach Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Banana Cream Pie
• Cherry Pie
• More Pie Recipes
• More Dessert Recipes

More Cinnamon Recipes

• Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Cinnamon Twist Recipe
• Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole
• Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread
• Apple Crisp

Follow these step-by-step classic Apple Pie recipe instructions to make the absolute best homemade apple pie. It’s filled with juicy cinnamon-flavored apples, all baked into a tender and flaky homemade pie crust.