A timeless Double-Crust Apple Pie made with Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom & clove, in a flaky all-butter crust. Video.
There's something magical about a golden, flaky apple pie baking in the oven-the scent of apples and warm spices wafting through the kitchen feels like a gentle hug from autumn itself! As a chef, I love how a well-made pie combines the simplest of ingredients to create something comforting, nostalgic, and utterly irresistible. Save this for a slow, cozy fall weekend where you have time to enjoy the process.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie Recipe
Using a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples gives the filling the perfect balance of sweet and tart, a tip I learned from a friend ages ago.
The golden, all-butter crust cradles each tender slice; the texture is just heavenly. And of course, you can always use store-bought crust in a pinch, no judgment.
The combination of spices is subtle and irresistible, letting the apples’ flavor shine.
Ingredients
- Apples: Use a combination of Granny Smith apples and Honey Crisp apples for the right balance of sweet and tart.
- Pie crusts: Make our pie dough recipe or use store-bought.
- Sugar: You’ll use both cane sugar and brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour: Helps bind and thicken the apple filling.
- Lemon juice: Balances sweetness, enhances flavor, and prevents the apples from browning.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ground clove, and a pinch of salt.
- Egg wash: Make an egg wash for the crust with an egg and either water or milk.
- Coarse sugar: Use coarse Demerara sugar for sprinkling over the top.
Best Apples for Apple Pie
For the best flavor and texture, pick 2-3 varieties, always including Granny Smith apples.
- Granny Smith - tart, firm. Holds shape well, adds brightness and tang to balance sugar. Can be very tart on its own; best combined with sweeter apples.
- Honeycrisp - sweet-tart, crisp. Maintains texture in the oven; adds aromatic sweetness. Can be pricey; not as uniformly firm as Granny Smith.
- Golden Delicious - sweet, mellow. Softens nicely while keeping shape; balances tart apples. Softer, so if overbaked, it may get a bit mushy.
- Braeburn - sweet-tart, firm. Great baking apple; keeps shape, adds complex flavor.
- Jonathan or Jonagold - tart-sweet, aromatic. Adds depth and classic apple pie flavor. Can soften faster, so slice thicker.
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan (2 inches deep)
- Rolling pin
- Pie shield
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheet
How to Make Classic Apple Pie
1. Prepare the pie dough. Follow our recipe for homemade pie crust to prepare two pie doughs. Let them chill in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. It’s best to do this step the day before.
2. Preheat the oven. Place your oven rack in the lower third position and preheat to 400°F.
3. Place the bottom crust. Remove one of your pie crusts from the fridge and use a rolling pin and roll it out 12 inches wide over a lightly floured surface. Carefully place it in a 9-inch pie pan, allowing the edges to hang over. Place the pan in the fridge.
4. Filling. Peel and core the apples, then cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place the apple slices in a large bowl along with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, spices, and salt. Mix, then let sit for 10 minutes.
5. Pre-cook the filling. Bring a large skillet to medium heat. Add the apple mixture and stir for 5 minutes until just softened.
6. Assemble the pie. Remove the second pie crust and the pie pan from the fridge. Roll out the second pie crust to 12 inches wide. Transfer the pie filling to the pie pan and shake the pan to help the filling spread evenly. Place the top pie crust over the top. Use a sharp knife (or scissors) to trim the excess dough around the edges, then fold the edges under and press to seal, rotating as you go and crimping with your fingers. Then, with your knife, slice 5 vents into the pie, from the middle outward like a star.
7. Brush with an egg wash. Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water or milk. Brush it over the top of the crust and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
8. Bake. Place the pie in the center of the oven over a sheet pan, with a pie shield or tented foil. Bake 25 minutes. Lower the heat to 375°F, remove the shield, and bake for 35-50 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200°F and the pastry top is golden brown. If the top is browning too quickly, place tented foil over the top.
9. Cool. When done, transfer the apple pie to a wire cooling rack for 2-3 hours before slicing. This allows the juices to set.
Chef’s Tips
- Use a mix of apples.
Combine tart and sweet varieties-like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp-for balance and texture. - Pre-cook the filling slightly.
Toss the apples with sugar, flour, and spices, then par-cook them in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, just until softened and syrupy. This reduces excess liquid that can make your all-butter crust soggy. - Start hot, finish moderate.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes to set the crust, then lower the temperature to 375°F, and cook for 30-40 minutes to cook through. - Use a pie shield or foil.
If the edges brown too quickly, cover them mid-bake. - Bake on a lower rack.
This ensures the bottom crust gets crisp instead of soggy, and the top browns less quickly. - Cool completely before slicing.
Wait at least 2-3 hours. This allows the filling to set, giving you clean, picture-perfect slices.
How to Prevent a Soggy Crust
To prevent a soggy crust on the bottom of your apple pie:
- Add flour to the apple filling. The all-purpose flour helps thicken the apple mixture and prevents it from getting watery.
- Bake on a low rack. Before preheating the oven, place the oven rack in a lower third position. This allows the bottom crust to crisp up more easily.
- Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. While the oven preheats, place a sheet pan in the oven, then place the pie pan directly onto the sheet pan while it bakes.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with ice cream: Nothing beats a warm slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Make our Homemade Ice Cream or Dairy-Free Ice Cream.
- Beverage pairings: Chai Tea, London Fog Latte, Maple Ginger Hot Toddy, Old Fashioned
- Toppings: Whipped cream, caramel sauce or salted caramel drizzle, or Greek yogurt
Storage
- Room temperature: The pie can be stored at room temperature (below 70°F), covered, for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: You can also store apple pie in the fridge for up to a week.
- To reheat: Reheat the pie in a 350°F oven.
- Freezer: Wrap the pie tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
FAQs
Using the right apples! While there are other essential tips-like par-cooking the apple filling and baking the pie on a lower oven rack-the choice of apples is integral to the overall flavor of the pie. Choose a combination of two apples to master the balance of sweet and tart. I love using Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.
You’ll need two pie crusts, apples, flour, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, and salt to make this double-crust pie. You’ll also need an egg and water or milk for the egg wash, along with coarse sugar for topping.
Yes, the apple filling is pre-cooked on the stove just until tender before baking. Be careful not to overcook the apples so they don’t turn mushy.
Avoid Red Delicious, McIntosh, and Fuji apple varieties. These tend to be softer and more mealy, resulting in a watery filling with mushy apples. They also lack the tart flavor needed to balance the sugar in the pie.
Warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and clove are best for enhancing the classic apple pie flavor.
This is truly my favorite apple pie recipe, with its flaky pie crust and tender, spiced apple filling. It’s the perfect apple pie for Thanksgiving! Enjoy!
More recipes You might Like!
Watch How to make Apple Pie
After you try this Classic Apple Pie recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Category: Pies, Desserts, Fall Dessert, Apple Recipes, thanksgiving, Holiday, Fall,
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American, dessert, fall desser
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 2 x 9-inch pie crusts (use this pie dough recipe) or use store-bought
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4 large Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch ground clove
- pinch salt
- One egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon of water or milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse demerara sugar
Instructions
- Pie dough. Make the two pie doughs and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes- best made a day ahead.
- Oven. Preheat oven to 400°F and set rack to lower third.
- Bottom crust. Roll out the bottom crust to 12 inches wide and place it in a 9-inch pie pan (2 inches deep), letting the edges hang over, and place it back in the fridge.
- Filling. Place the apples in a large bowl, sprinkle with sugar, flour, lemon juice, spices, and salt, and mix to combine, let stand 10 minutes.
- Par cook the apples. Pour the apples into an extra-large skillet and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, and let the apples soften just a bit. Turn off the heat and let cool.
- Top crust. Roll out the second pie crust to 12 inches wide.
- Assemble. Pull the pie pan out of the fridge, tip the apples into the crust, and give it a good shake so they flatten a bit- tucking in any apples that need help. Top with the second crust. Trim any excess dough from around the edge of the pie plate with a sharp knife. Pull the top and bottom pie crusts up, away from the edge of the pie dish, and fold the edges under, and press to seal. Rotate the pie and repeat until the edges are tucked in neatly. Crimp with your fingers. Using a knife, cut 5 vents into the pie- from the middle outward like a star.
- Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake. Use a pie shield or tent the edges with foil. Bake at 400°F in the middle of the oven, over a sheet pan with the pie shield on for 25 minutes. Lower the heat to 375°F and remove the shield. Bake for an additional 35-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F, tenting with foil if needed.
- Let cool on a cooling rack for 2-3 hours before cutting, allowing the juices to set.
Notes
Storage: Store the pie, covered, at room temperature (below 70°F) for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Reheat at 350°F to crisp up the crust before serving. The apple pie can also be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10th of a pie
- Calories: 432
- Sugar: 33.2 g
- Sodium: 356.3 mg
- Fat: 19.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.3 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 48.8 mg
I am not a baker. Made this for the holiday (not the crust). Race reviews by all. Added some pomegranate which didn’t really impact the flavor.
Love the pomegranate. Glad everyone was happy!
I have been making pies for a long time and this apple pie is by far my favorite. The release of flavor by par cooking the apples first was sublime
Glad you gave it a try Mindy!
This is the most delicious apple pie recipe out there – no need to look further!
Great to hear Heather!
This was superb! I wasn’t sure all the apples would fit, but it worked perfectly.
Wonderful! Happy it worked out.
Unsalted or regular butter?
All I can say is WOW. I’ve made pies before, but this is probably the best pie I’ve ever made. I tested it for our Thanksgiving gathering, and can’t say enough good things about it. The all butter crust is perfection. The flavor is spectacular. The whole process was enjoyable- so many great tips. I’m excited to make this again.
Wonder Joy! Appreciate your review.
I can not seem to get all my apples to lay flat like your’s in the picture. They tend to stick out in a less organized pattern and to loose their shape when done baking. Maybe I should talk to them more gently and then listen to them more carefully!!
Haha you made me laugh! Shake the pan a few times and tap it down on the counter. I’ll add a few more recipe notes.
How do you think frozen apples will affect the final product of this recipe? I need more apples than I have on hand and have some lovely apples sliced and ready to use in the freezer.
Also, about how many cups of apples is equivalent to the 8 large apples your recipe calls for?
I am making two of these pies for our Thanksgiving gathering tomorrow. I’ve made many apple pies over the years, often just going by feel instead of adhering to a recipe, but nevertheless always find your recipes excellent so here I go!
Thank you
I actually don’t know Lynne- I have never made an apple pie with frozen apples. I bet you would know better- just trust your intuition. Happy thanksgiving!
I made two pies; one following your recipe exactly. The apples came to 16 cups and the pie was superb! For the second pie I used your recipe but substituted sliced braeburn apples from my freezer. It was a tasty pie and I was pleased to serve it but the apples you reccomended were fantastic in comparison. Thank you for a recipe which guarantees excellence!
Thanks so much for letting us know Lynne- helpful feedback with frozen apples too.
I’m looking forward to making this! Quick question and I apologize if I’m overlooking it in the recipe. The ingredients regarding the apples mention “+ 2 extra for styling”. Is that 2 slices and, if so, when do they enter the preparation? Thank you!
Hi Sherie, sorry about that, please disregard, that was a typo! All fixed now.