Mouth watering warm apple pie is a cinch with the best apple pie recipe.
This is my favorite recipe for apple pie and it isn’t fancy. Just plain apple goodness in a tasty crust.
Use your favorite cooking apple. MacIntosh apples are plentiful in the fall in my area and that’s my preferred pie baking apple. I like that the apples lose their shape a bit and get very soft and juicy.
I also love using Cortland and Spy apples. Traditional wisdom in my area says spy apples make the best apple pie recipe.
I like an apple pie made of apples that get very soft and lose their shape a bit. You may prefer an apple that holds its shape more and stays firmer when cooked. Choose your favorite.
In the Big Apple Pie Debate are you a cinnamon person or a nutmeg person?
I am a cinnamon person myself and have used just cinnamon in this recipe.
Because I know there are a lot of nutmeg lovers out there, I have adjusted the recipe to use either a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg or just nutmeg, for the real nutmeg fans.
Either way, there really is nothing quite like warm apple pie, fresh out of the oven is there?
The Best Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Lay 1/2 the pastry, rolled out to about 1/8" thickness, in the bottom of the pie pan and press it in gently to lay flat in the pan. Leave the excess crust hanging over the edges for now.
- Place peeled, sliced apples in a bowl. Mix together the sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Pour over sliced apples and mix. Fill the pie pan with the apples and pat down with a spoon. Dot the filling with pieces of butter.
- Moisten the lip of the pie pan with water. Place the top layer of rolled out crust over the filling, making sure crust reaches outer edges of the pie pan all around. Seal the edge and flute all around (see notes below for how to flute a pie edge).
- Take a fork and prick the pie top in several places to create vents for steam to escape. Bake for 50 minutes, until pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
- Let cool a bit before cutting to allow the filling to settle.
Nutrition
Makes 1 – 9″ pie.
Tips and Variations:
- If you think the best apple pie recipe just has to have nutmeg, replace 1/2 the cinnamon (or all of it) with nutmeg.
- To flute the edge of your pie: Place 2 fingers on the top edge of the pie dough with room between them. Place a finger from your other hand in this space and push. This makes the dough in between your fingers push up and create a fluted effect when repeated all around the pie and helps seal the pie edge.
- Some people add a bit of lemon juice to the apple filling if the apples are quite sweet.
- If you find the crust getting too dark, cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil. Watch your fingers!
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Look below for visitors comments and their own variations on apple pie.
If you want a great pie crust for what I think is the best apple pie recipe, you will find one here.
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I am an apple pie fan, and this pie is just what I was looking for. I didn’t try it this time, but I think that a little egg brushed on the crust before baking would be very good, also maybe a little powdered sugar sprinkled on the crust would be good.
Both good ideas. Glad you like it Dave.
Can this apple pie be frozen? I’d like to make it for Thanksgiving which is in a couple of weeks.
I always prefer pies freshly baked, but yes it certainly can be.
I just read that it’s best to freeze the pie before baking–the crust will survive the freezing way better if not baked first. Just add about 15 minutes to the baking time. I haven’t tried this but it came from a reputable source (NYT Cooking).
I agree Katherine. Freezing the pie before the crust is baked is a good idea.
i have a better pie recipes xD
Amanda Hale from Oshawa/whitby
to bad i cant tell you cause its a family secret, they would hunt me down and kill me … but 1 teaspoon of cinnamon is by far not enough. i think in total we add about 3 table spoons in one whole pie. but we add 1 third of everything at the bottom then add apples then another 1 third in the middle then more apples then the last third at the top. and ive never met anyone that doesnt like our pies only people who only like ours lol my dad hates pies but he loves my grandmothers on my moms side lol. took him 3 years to try it though then he got fat cause he loved it so much xD.
It’s a keeper for sure
by Zagloba
(Acton, Ontario, Canada)
My very first apple pie and it turned out great.
Used white tart winter apples growing on my land.
Very easy to make!
These comments have been transferred from the older version of our site:
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
by Si
(Windsor, ON)
I have never baked a pie in my life and had no idea how to do this. I followed your instructions for baking, but luckily I noticed after a very short time that the crust was getting way to dark too quickly. My sister told me that 425 degrees is only supposed to be for the first 10 minutes and then you turn your oven down. If I hadn’t spoken with her, my pie would have been burnt to a crisp on the outside and totally under done inside.
Sep 28, 2011
Rating: 5 stars
starstarstarstar Foil Trick
by: Anonymous
If that happens again, put a piece of foil over the pie. It will stop the crust from crisping and allow the middle to cook more thoroughly.
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applemeister
by warren keller
(burlington, on)
I have tried a few different types of apples and i cast my vote for spies. No contest for me. I have aso used granny smith. Yes, i know this may sound odd but they are tart and firm so they work well. I’ll add one mcintosh mainly to make sure i get small slivers of red peel into the mix for flavor and color.
Comment on lemon, yes, the lemon does add tartness but the reason for using it is two-fold. Lemon helps prevent oxidation of the sliced apples. Otherwise, they quickly turn brown. Add the lemon as you slice the apples making sure you mix the apples around to distribute the lemon juice.
Nutmeg vs cinnamon. To be honest, the answer is both. However, too much nutmeg tends to give the pie a soapy flavor. Maybe some people like that but for me, too much ruins the pie and makes it taste like most low budget store bought pies. Nonetheless, two or three sprinkles of nutmeg is absolutely essential to take your pie from excellent to stupendous!
One more suggestion is replace white sugar with golden brown. If you make two pies, try one with the golden brown sugar.
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Mark
by Mark
(Canada)
I just followed the direction and put 2 of them in the oven. You see I bought a apple pie at the super store and it wasn’t fit to eat and thru it away. I am betting the two in the oven will be fit to eat.
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Great Pie
by Nancy
(Niagara Falls, Canada)
This was my first pie I’ve ever made made …..it turned out a little ugly (because it’s my first ) and I’m not good at the crust yet, but it was the best pie I ever had and will definitely make it over again ! Thanks
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Absolutely Delicious
by Michelle
(Canada)
Excellent! One of the best apple pies I’ve made. Thanks for the great recipe.
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Great Recipe
by Amanda
(Ontario, Canada)
This was a super easy pie to make and turned out beautiful and delicious… it looked like it was right out of a magazine. I liked that it didn’t ask for too many ingredients….
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that is cool apple pie
by amber lynn
(ont)
the best pie recipe is good i really loved it.