This classic apple pie is a homemade apple pie recipe with tender cinnamon-spiced Fuji apples baked inside a flaky all-butter double crust.
This easy apple pie uses simple pantry ingredients, and the filling comes together in one bowl while you roll out the crust. An apple slicer makes quick work of coring and cutting the apples, so the prep goes much faster than slicing every apple by hand. The pie is delicious because the sweet Fuji apples hold their shape and bake up tender in a lightly spiced filling under a crisp, sugar-topped crust.
To prep the apples, I use an apple slicer to core and cut each apple into wedges, remove the peel from each wedge, and then slice each wedge lengthwise into 3 thinner pieces. This process is even faster if you have an Apple Peeler Corer Slicer.
The apple slices get tossed with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then packed into a pie crust and dotted with butter. After the top crust goes on, I brush the crust with melted butter and sprinkle it with coarse sanding sugar. The pie bakes at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, then I cover the crust edges with foil, lower the oven to 400°F, and finish baking until the crust is golden brown.
Apple Pie Recipe Variations
Caramel Apple Pie: Drizzle 1/4 cup caramel sauce over the apples before adding the top crust. Serve the pie with extra caramel sauce on the side.
Apple Cranberry Pie: Add 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries to the apple filling for a tart, festive twist.
Apple Pie Substitutions
Fuji apples: Use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Granny Smith apples, or a mix of sweet and tart apples. Granny Smith apples make a tangier pie.
Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg: Use 1 1/8 teaspoons Homemade Apple Pie Spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Coarse sanding sugar: Sprinkle the crust with granulated sugar or turbinado sugar if you don’t have sanding sugar.
Prep-Ahead Pie Tips
Pie crust: The dough for pie crust takes at least an hour to make with the chilling time, so it makes sense to make the dough ahead of time. Make the pie crust dough up to 3 days ahead and keep the dough discs wrapped in the refrigerator. You can also use a store bought pie crust instead of making it from scratch if you are short on time.
Baked pie: Bake the apple pie a day ahead. The pie slices more neatly if it has cooled completely. You can always reheat the pie in the oven before serving.
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
This old-fashioned apple pie recipe bakes cinnamon-spiced Fuji apples in a double pie crust topped with sparkling sanding sugar.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds Fuji apples (about 6 to 8 apples), cored, peeled, and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 double pie crust, such as my Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Tools:
- Apple slicer
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- 9 – 10 inch glass pie plate (I use a 9.5 inch Pyrex pie plate)
- Pastry brush
- Sharp knife
- Aluminum foil or a pie crust shield
- Baking sheet (optional)
- Wire rack
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Core and cut 3 pounds Fuji apples into wedges with an apple slicer. Remove the peel from each apple wedge, then slice each wedge lengthwise into 3 pieces.
- Add the sliced apples, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to coat the apple slices, then set the bowl aside while you prepare the crust.
- Roll out the bottom pie crust and place the crust in a pie plate, making sure the edges of the dough extend beyond the rim of the pie plate.
- Spoon the apple filling into the crust. Gently press the apples down into the pie plate with the back of a spoon.
- Slice 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and place the butter slices on top of the apples.
- Roll out the top pie crust and place the top crust over the apples. Trim the edge of the dough, leaving 1/2 inch of overhang. Shape the edge of the crust and gently press the top and bottom crusts together to seal.
- Cut decorations or slits into the top crust to release steam. At the very least, cut a few slits.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter over the top crust, then sprinkle the crust with coarse sanding sugar.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the pie at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.
- Remove the pie from the oven and cover the crust edges with strips of foil or a pie crust shield.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Return the pie to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the slits.
- Remove the pie from the oven and discard the foil. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until warm or room temperature before slicing and serving.
How to Store Leftover Apple Pie
Cover the cooled apple pie with plastic wrap or foil, or place the pie in a sealed container. Store the pie at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze Leftover Apple Pie
Let the baked pie cool completely. Wrap the whole pie or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Thaw Frozen Apple Pie
Thaw the frozen apple pie overnight in the refrigerator. Let the pie come to room temperature before serving, or warm the pie in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Printable Recipe for Classic Apple Pie
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Apple slicer
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- 9 - 10 inch glass pie plate (I use a 9.5 inch Pyrex pie plate)
- Pastry brush
- Sharp knife
- Aluminum foil or a pie crust shield
- Baking sheet (optional)
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Fuji apples about 6 to 8 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 double pie crust
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Coarse sanding sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Core and cut 3 pounds Fuji apples into wedges with an apple slicer. Remove the peel from each apple wedge, then slice each wedge lengthwise into 3 pieces.
- Add the sliced apples, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to coat the apple slices, then set the bowl aside while you prepare the crust.
- Roll out the bottom pie crust and place the crust in a pie plate, making sure the edges of the dough extend beyond the rim of the pie plate.
- Spoon the apple filling into the crust. Gently press the apples down into the pie plate with the back of a spoon.
- Slice 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and place the butter slices on top of the apples.
- Roll out the top pie crust and place the top crust over the apples. Trim the edge of the dough, leaving 1/2 inch of overhang. Shape the edge of the crust and gently press the top and bottom crusts together to seal.
- Cut decorations or slits into the top crust to release steam. At the very least, cut a few slits.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter over the top crust, then sprinkle the crust with coarse sanding sugar.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake the pie at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.
- Remove the pie from the oven and cover the crust edges with strips of foil or a pie crust shield.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Return the pie to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the slits.
- Remove the pie from the oven and discard the foil. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until warm or room temperature before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
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