Believe it! This is the best classic apple pie with a perfectly sweet, perfectly thick filling and tender, delicious apples. It’s so good!

Taking notes from some very popular apple pie recipes, I’ve finally found the ultimate best apple pie recipe ever.

There’s no secrets. No gimmicks. No special ingredients. It’s straightforward and simple. And it’s bound to become a tried-and-true favorite.

Slice taken out of apple pie in glass pie pan.

How to Get the Best Apple Pie

I have a lot of variations of apple pie on my website. And one or two classic apple pie recipes.

However when I was introduced to this apple cranberry pie, my life changed forever. It is one of my favorite pies EVER ever ever. And I knew I wanted to get a perfect apple pie using the same method (i.e. cooking a thick buttery sweet sauce and pouring it over the apples prior to baking).

This isn’t a new concept when it comes to apple pies. It’s very popular in apple pie recipes, but many of the basic recipes I tried left me with soupy pies and soggy crusts.

After playing around with it for a while (and in the process, eating my body weight in apple pie, def not unhappy about that), I finally found the perfect ratio of apples to sauce to pie crust to pie plate to everything.

No offense to this really good blue ribbon apple pie, but I also knew I wanted a go-to apple pie recipe that didn’t require pre-cooking the apples before baking the pie. The less work the better when it comes to apple pie!

Slice of apple pie with lattice crust on white plate.

The Famed Apple Pie Sauce

The sauce for this apple pie is the key to all successful deliciousness.

Butter and flour are cooked together in a simple roux before adding:

  • water
  • brown sugar
  • granulated sugar

As it simmers for just a minute or so longer, it forms a magical, caramel sauce that not only sweetens the pie, but thickens it perfectly while baking.

Making sauce for apple pie, cooking butter and flour, adding water, adding sugar, simmering until thick.

The Best Apples for Apple Pie

The sweet buttery sauce is poured over the mass of thinly sliced apples.

I know the million dollar question is always: what kind of apples are best for apple pie?

For this pie, I almost always use a combination of Honeycrisp (or Envy) apples and Granny Smith apples. I love the pop of tartness the Granny Smith apples add.

You can definitely use all of one or the other – or use a different variety entirely, but stick with apples that are crisp and sweet-tart.

Adding brown sugar sauce to sliced apples.

What to do with that top crust

While a top crust is necessary for the success of this apple pie, HOW you choose to employ the top crust is entirely up to you.

I love a classic lattice top even though I never get it quite right. I end up googling “lattice pie crust” tutorials and then give up halfway and do my own thing.

Here’s a lattice top hack: don’t interlace the strips at all. Just lay all the horizontal strips spaced out on the pie…and then top with the vertical strips without weaving together.

Honestly, once the pie is baked, most people will be none the wiser that it’s a faux-lattice top instead of an anxiety-inducing lattice top pie crust (like the one pictured below).

Putting apples in pie crust, crimping edges of pie crust, brushing pie crust with egg yolk, baked apple pie.

Or, you can ditch the lattice top altogether and go for a full top crust. Just remember to cut at least four slits with a sharp paring knife so the steam can escape.

Unbaked apple cranberry pie with top crust and slits in the top.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

You guys know by now that I’m going to assure you there is absolutely no shame in the game of storebought pie crust. None at all.

But if you are looking for a stellar pie crust recipe and have the time to go the homemade route, here are two of my favorite pie crust recipes that can’t be beat:

Both of these recipes are buttery, flaky and amazing.

Piece of the best apple pie in glass pie pan.

The key to perfect apple pie

One tip for success is to make sure and bake the pie for long enough. If you cut short the baking time, the filling won’t be set up. Equally important is to let the pie cool completely.

I know this might seem an impossible request given the fact that WARM APPLE PIE IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS. I get it. I do. But I promise if you let the pie cool completely and then lightly and briefly warm individual slices up, as needed, the pie will not be soupy or soggy.

Instead, it will set up with the most deliciously sweet and perfectly thick apple pie filling, the likes of which will inspire eternities of ballads and poetry dedicated to apple pie.

In a lineup of epic holiday pies, I am powerless to resist the wiles of apple pie. And I am ecstatic that this apple pie is my new go-to for a classic, best-ever apple pie. Stop overthinking apple pie and make this one! You won’t be disappointed.

Top down view of best apple pie on white plate with vanilla ice cream.

One Year Ago: Slow Cooker Smothered Beef Tips 
Two Years Ago: Pressure Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder {Slow Cooker Directions Included}
Three Years Ago: Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping 
Four Years Ago: Easy Pumpkin Bars with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Five Years Ago: Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
Six Years Ago: Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Seven Years Ago: The Perfect Cinnamon Rolls {Gloria’s Famous Recipe}
Eight Years Ago: Soft Pretzel Rolls
Nine Years Ago: Glazed Chocolate Chip Scones
Ten Years Ago: Mediterranean Pork with Couscous {Slow Cooker}

slice of apple pie on white plate with vanilla ice cream

The Best Classic Apple Pie

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
5 stars (15 ratings)
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Ingredients

Pie:

  • 1 double pie crust
  • 6 large apples, about 2 1/2 pounds/1134 grams, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/8-inch thick for about 7 cups total (I use half Honeycrisp, half Granny Smith)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)

Sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle or lower middle position of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • For the sauce: in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk constantly until smooth and well-combined. Cook for a minute or two. Add the water, granulated sugar and brown sugar and cook at a simmer, whisking or stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
  • Immediately pour the mixture over the apples. Toss to combine. The sauce mixture may clump up a bit but it will thin out the more it is stirred together (or the longer it sits). It doesn't have to be perfect.
  • Roll out bottom crust and place evenly in a 9.5-inch deep pie plate (see note). (The filling might be too much for a regular 9-inch pie plate). Trim the crust, leaving a 1- or 2-inch border all the way around the pie plate.
  • Scrape the apple filling evenly into the pie plate (get all of the caramel mixture!).
  • Roll out the top crust. You can either cut strips and arrange it in a lattice crust OR place the entire crust over the filling and cut four slits in the top with a sharp paring knife.
  • Trim the top crust evenly with the bottom crust (leaving about 1/2-inch overhang all the way around). Fold the bottom crust up and over evenly with edge of pie plate and press/pinch to seal. Flute the edges of the pie crust.
  • Optional: whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash. Brush over the top crust. (Using an egg wash can help the crust develop a golden shine while baking.)
  • Place the pie on the foil-lined baking sheet (important! the filling may bubble over a bit) and bake for 65-75 minutes until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling (tent the top of the pie with foil if it is browning too much partway through baking). If you are using a glass pie plate, the bottom crust should be lightly browned.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely. This is important so the pie isn't soupy. If you like warm pie, individual pieces can be warmed in the microwave or the pie can be served warm, the filling just might be less set up.

Notes

Pie Plate: this is the 9.5-inch pie plate I use {aff. link}. It is about 1.75-inches deep. 
Apples: as noted above in the ingredients, I usually use half Honeycrisp and half Granny Smith apples. You can use a different variety of apples; this pie works best with crisp, sweet-tart apples. If using all Granny Smith apples, you might want to increase the sugars just a bit.
Author: Mel
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 111mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 23g

Recommended Products

9.5-inch Pie Plate
Pie Server
Wire Whisk

Recipe Source: inspired by this apple pie recipe as well as this one

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