Easy Apple Pie Recipe (Using Fresh Apples)
on Oct 03, 2021, Updated Sep 27, 2023
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Your go-to Apple Pie Recipe using fresh apples in a homemade crust with very little added sugar.
This recipe is so simple that even the most basic cook can master this recipe the firs time. You can use any fresh apples you have and any crust you like. It’s so easy you’ll be making it every night for dinner.
Table of Contents
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
A basic apple pie recipe is simple and the end results are just plain tasty. It’s a recipe that everyone should have in their collection. This apple pie doesn’t use a lot of added sugar and you don’t have to cook the apples before adding them to the crust.
This pie has about an inch or inch-and-a-half of sliced apples inside the crust, which I think is a nice amount. I think apple pies that are 3 or 4 inches high and stuffed with apples are gorgeous, but I like a more even crust-to-apple ratio myself. When you don’t have that many apples in the crust, you don’t have to precook the apples because there are a lot less in there to shrink and put out extra liquid.
Need a crust recipe to make your apple pie? I got you covered!
I wrote a huge post all about pie crust! This basic apple pie recipe is a staple in our house and I hope you love it. You can find this recipe plus SEVEN other pie recipes in one post if you are looking around for something that looks perfect for your Thanksgiving table.
There’s something magical about pulling a pie made from scratch out of the oven. It seems to take you back to a time when life was simpler and homemade pie was standard fare in American kitchens.
Plan to take an afternoon to bake and you just might love how grounding the whole process is for you. And you’ll have a beautiful pie to enjoy after dinner or to share with friends, and that’s a pretty great reward, too.
How many apples do you need for apple pie?
You need 10 medium sized apples to make this apple pie. It has a great apple pie filling to crust ratio (not too many apples but not too few at the same time). You’ll need about 5 cups of apples total once they are sliced.
What are the best apples to use for pies?
Try to find a firm apple to use in this recipe. I like a mix between sweet and sour apples. You can use Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Winesap, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Gala, or Rome Beauty. I used a mix between Golden Delicious and some kind of tart firm apples from our trees for this pie, and it was great. It’s very forgiving, so experiment!
- Granny Smith – Tart, green, flavorful, and perfect for apple pie
- Jonathan – red on yellow, bright flavor, and juicy
- Golden Delicious – Softer, sweet, and yellow in color
- Gala – light red, crispy, and mildly sweet
Should I let the apple pie cool before I serve it?
If you want this pie to slice nicely (and not have some of the fruit ooze out onto the pie plate after you remove a slice), then let it cool to room temperature before serving. Hot apple pie is delicious but the apples will slice and stay inside your pie if you wait. It’s up to you. Sometimes I cut into hot pie and just scoop some of the apples out of the pie plate, and sometimes I wait. It’s up to you.
Can I use a store bought pie crust?
If you don’t want to make a Perfect Pie Crust at home, a packaged pie crust will work just fine. Just brush the top with one egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of water and give it a little sprinkle of sugar (extra chubby or sparkling sugar is really fun if you have it!)
Ingredients in apple pie:
- granulated sugar, only 3 tablespoons for the whole pie!
- thinly sliced apples, it’ll take about 8-10 medium apples and you can use whatever you like or have on hand! Granny Smith apples are always a popular choice and I have wonderful Golden Delicious apples in my orchard I always use
- just a bit of butter and cinnamon
- Double pie crust
- granulated or chubby sparkling sugar if you want the top to be extra pretty
How to make an apple pie from scratch:
- Mix first 5 ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Roll out and place an uncooked pie crust in the bottom of a deep 9-inch pie plate.
- Place the apple mixture in the uncooked pie shell. Place small pieces of butter on top of apple mixture.
- Top with second pie crust, crimp the edges, and then cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
- Mix the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl and then brush the top with water and sprinkle with sugar before baking.
- Bake at 450 for the first 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and continue cooking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Storing Leftovers:
If you have leftovers you can store them covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. The crust gets a little soft when it sits but I like to heat up a slice in the microwave before eating it. And my kids LOVE apple pie for breakfast so if I don’t have too much leftover I’ll just store it covered on the counter to be eaten the next morning for breakfast, sugar is a great preservative, I have no issues leaving it out overnight.
More Pie Recipes:
- How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust
- Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Easy Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe
- Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie
- North Carolina Lemon Pie
If you’ve tried this homemade apple pie recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.
Here’s a video on how to make apple pie from scratch:
Basic Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- about 5 cups thinly sliced apples, peeled and cored, 8-10 medium apples
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- Double pie crust
- 1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water
- granulated or chubby sparkling sugar, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the sliced apples. Sprinkle with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt and toss gently to combine well.
- Roll out and place an uncooked pie crust in the bottom of a deep 9-inch pie plate.
- Place the apple mixture in the uncooked pie shell. Place the small pieces of butter on top of apple mixture.
- Top with second pie crust, crimp the edges, and then cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
- Mix the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl and then brush the top with water and sprinkle with sugar before baking.
- Bake at 450 degrees F. for the first 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue cooking for an additional 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- If the edge of the crust starts to brown more quickly than the center, carefully cover the edge with foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning.
- Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before serving. Can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- You’ll want to cut these apples about 1/4 inch thick.
- Want to make a pretty lattice pie crust? Here’s how to do that!
- Try to find a firm apple to use in this recipe. I like a mix between a sweet and sour apple. You can use Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Winesap, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Gala, or Rome Beauty. I used Golden Delicious from our trees for this pie and it was great.
- In the world of pies, this one has a very low amount of added sugar. If you are using tart apples you might need to double the amount of sugar. Just taste and see. Feel free to add up to 1/3 cup of sugar to this recipe.
- You can use apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon if you’d like.
Nutrition
If you love apple pie, you might also like these recipes:
- 4 Recipes for a Perfect Pie Crust (my guide on all things pie crust!)
- Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie
- The Best Pecan Pie Recipe
- Easy Chicken Pumpkin Pot Pie (spoiler alert – it uses pre-made puff pastry instead of a pie crust!)
- The Best Easy Apple Cake
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
- Blueberry Pie Cookie Bars
- Dutch Apple Pie Recipe
- Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
- North Carolina Lemon Pie
- America’s Test Kitchen’s Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Caramel Apple Dip
Nothing says welcome home like a fresh pie on the counter, and this Apple Pie Recipe is just the one to try! You are going to love how easy it is to customize and how quickly it comes together. Happy pie making, friends, from my kitchen to yours!
Just made it with my daughters. Excited to try it! They thought it was easy to prepare and it was something we all could work on together 🙂 thanks for sharing!
I love that, it’s often a group project here too! I’ll make the crust and roll it out, my kids will peel and prep apple, my oldest daughter will assemble the pie and make it pretty. It’s so fun to eat it together when everyone worked together!
We’ve used this pie recipe many times and LOVE the simplicity of it. We made it for Thanksgiving & used a variety of apples, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, & Honey Crisp. It turned out perfect as usual. Served hot with good quality vanilla ice cream. Bless This Mess, you’ve done it again! Thank you!
I have never made a better and easier apple pie. This has been my go to for the past 4 years or so. Never fails, comes out perfect every time. I use HoneyCrisp apples. I also use the refrigerator crusts pre-made, and you would never know. The butter under the crust and the little bit of sugar on top is the perfect finish. Have the T-Day pie in the oven, right now!
Best apple pie I used fuji apples and whole family loved it will make again.
Thank you for your recipe omg I made this and it’s so delicious !!! Just awesome !!! It’s the only recipe I’ll ever use ! My family just loved it ! In one week I made three just amazing !!! And so easy ! Thank you ! Your the best !!!
How long does it last in the fridge?
I think it’s best day of, leftovers make a nice breakfast, and the crust starts to get soggy after a day in the fridge. So it’ll last 4-5 days but the quality goes way down.
First time making a pie. The recipe is so simple yet so perfect!
We all loved it.
My daughter wanted to weave the top layer, so we gave it a try.
And yes, sliced the apples, Gordon Ramsey’s way.
Thank you for doing all the research on this recipe. I made it using all butter and white all purpose flour and red delicious apples.
Thank you!
Congratulations on your first pie, and a lattice top too! That’s impressive!
Delicious pie with the perfect amount of sweetness! I was worried it wouldn’t be sweet enough but it was perfect using gala apples! This was my first time making a pie and it turned out amazing!
Victoria
I made this pie and its in the oven. My house smells like Heaven!! Im very excited to eat every last crumb.
I hope you have some ice cream on hand!
Hello. I asked a buddy for a basic apple pie recipe. He sent this one. I love the recipe, it’s simplicity and low sugar….
But I have one comment that may be fixable…
I followed the recipe from the top and made sure I had all the ingredients listed. I did and proceeded with directions.they said combine first 5 ingredients…. I went back to list and only counted 4 (apples,sugar,cinnamon,butter) I remember wondering about 4 vs 5 but continued on….after I put the apples,sugar,cinnamon and butter in pie shell 1 and covered and crimped pie shell 2…. I got to bottom of recipe and realized 5 ingredient (missing from first iteration of recipe was 3 tbs of flour.. I called my pieman friend and we discussed omission and decided not to remove crust top,scoop out apples and add flour. Then reverse…..
The pie came out beautifully …it is cooling and then we will cut it….
The pie is delicious….I’m wondering what we missed out leaving the flour out…?
Sending this in case you could update first ingredient list to include flour….I love the recipe!! And it stays in my recipe list…thanks
Best pie I have made in ages. Pastry fantastic and rolled out so easy. Will use it for my mince pies but instead of ice water may use iced fresh orange juice. Tomorrow will make apple and mincemeat pie and give it a test drive.