Classic Apple Pie
Updated Oct. 5, 2023
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3½pounds firm, crisp apples (see Tip), peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch wedges (about 11 cups)
- ½cup/110 grams light brown sugar
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or a little more if your apples are very sweet
- ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
- All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
- Dough for a 9-inch double crust pie
- Heavy cream, milk or a beaten egg, for glazing (optional)
- Demerara sugar, for glazing (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
322 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 42 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 258 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat and add apples to the pan. Stir to coat with butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk together sugars, spices and salt. Sprinkle over the apples and toss to combine.
- Step 3
Lower heat to medium and cook until apples have softened completely but still hold their shape, about 17 to 25 minutes. (Some varieties cook more quickly than others.)
- Step 4
Sprinkle cornstarch evenly over the apples and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple mixture comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and stir in lemon juice and zest. Allow apples to cool completely (spreading them onto a rimmed baking sheet speeds this up). Apples can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated.
- Step 5
On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9- or 10-inch metal pie plate, trimming it to leave a ½-inch overhang. Place crust in the freezer for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Step 6
When ready to bake, place a rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 7
Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10- to 11-inch circle. Remove pie crust from freezer and add the cooled filling in an even layer. Cover apples with remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim the excess dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers or a press down with the tines of a fork. (Using a fork might be easier if the bottom crust is too cold to crimp.) Brush the top of the pie with cream, milk or some beaten egg, then sprinkle lightly with sugar if you like. Using a sharp knife, cut some steam vents in the top of the crust.
- Step 8
Place pie on the hot sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling bubbles in the steam vents, and the crust is golden brown. Transfer pie to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. The pie can be baked up to 24 hours ahead of serving; do not refrigerate before serving.
Tip
- Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith are good options, though you might want to increase the lemon juice if your apples are on the sweet side.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Lynette
A new approach (for me) to a classic pie! Not one to deviate from my tried and true procedure (minimal spice, glass dish, no stovetop cook of apples), I was quickly won over by Clark’s video introducing this pie and gave it a try this morning. Even with the stovetop work with the apples, it took me less time to get this pie in the oven and I like that I’m able to truly taste for sweetness and spice in the filling before baking. It baked up beautifully golden brown and bubbling. Delightful!
Lisa Anderson
Careful with your corn starch I am just at the step of off heat and am cooling the filling on the rimed baking sheet. I should have listened to my instincts about making a slurry with the corn starch. Now I have globular lumps and had to sieve the juices. I am a bit upset and Melissa should have suggested doing that. I sprinkled it on top evenly, like she said. I just hope that I was able to get all the starch clumps out of my filling. Other than that misdirection, it tastes delicious.
Brett
To those who want to crimp a par-baked pie crust: foil the edges and pre-bake just a little (10 minutes mac) on a preheated sheet pan. The bottom will crisp up and the edges will stay crimpable.
Peter
The problem I have with parbaking the bottom crust is that it is not then possible to tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the two together to make a good seal.
Lian
I'll try this method, though I don't love adding another step. My method kind of falls between cooked and raw apples. I slice, sugar, salt, and spice the apples the day before baking and leave them overnight to soften a bit, absorb the flavorings, and release some of their juices. When ready to bake, I boil down the juices into a syrup (as Rose Levy Beranbaum recommends) and pour them over the apples before adding the top crust. Saves time on baking day, and the pie turns out great.
Debbie
Sorry Melissa, all of your changes do not produce the perfect pie. Made the traditional way with raw apples arranged in the raw crust in concentric layers and mounded high in the center, you will get evenly baked filling and a beautiful crown. I found your method to produce a flat pie with a lemony flavor that does not belong in an apple pie. In addition, feel free to mix apple varieties including some of the older pie apples such as Empire, Rome, Stamen, and Jonathan.
Norman of BC
I have a revolutionary suggestion based on the extraordinary pies I grew up with cooked by a mother who couldn’t stand cinnamon: forget the spices (save them for upcoming pumpkin desserts). Leave them out and you’ll really taste the rich and subtle flavours of fall apples.
Stephanie S.
I made the pie twice, once with Granny SmithKs and once with HoneyCrisps. Definitely preferred the Honeycrisp version.. Be sure to cook the apples just until tender and no more. I dissolved the cornstarch in apple cider before adding and that eliminated the little clumps of cornstarch.
MR
How do you crimp the top crust if the bottom crust is parbaked? Would love to parbake my fruit pie crusts but have not been able to find a source who actually walks the reader/baker through this... thank you!
Maggie
For those who are asking about parbaking or blind baking the crust - you don’t! When you preheat the oven you put a baking sheet in the oven but not the bottom crust. The video goes into more detail on this.
Nela M
I usually put cinnamon with just a pinch of cardamom, about a tablespoon of sugar, and a spritz of lemon juice in apple pies. Gives an unexpected yet subtle zip to a timeless classic. However, haven’t tried one with ginger, and I have a huge knob of ginger as well as a bunch of beautiful apples from a friend’s orchard. I’ll be trying this with fresh ginger! As for pie crust, I love Bob’s Red Mill “Easy as Pie Crust (Gluten Free)” recipe using Miyoko’s vegan butter and water instead of milk.
YiaYia
An alternative to the stovetop method is to mix apples with cornstarch, spices & sugar & microwave in a covered container in 2-3 3 minute blasts (add butter for extra richness if desired). For busy holiday meals, I typically prep & refrigerate this the day before, along with the pie crust, & bake first thing the next morning for fresh pie.
MG
Why would you expect the same result when you use whole wheat pastry flour and she called for all-purpose? Two different products; two different results.
Judith Taub
I have found that it is not necessary to cook your apples ahead of time if you thoroughly mix them with your dry ingredients until the liquid starts to drain from the apples. Then make your pie crust and stir the apples well again before pouring everything into your bottom crust. I dot the top of the pie with 2 TBS butter before putting on the top crust. Your pie filling is not watery this way.
Ingridemma
Really helpful to watch Melissa's youtube instruction first. I used honeycrisp apples and followed the directions precisely, especially the metal pie pan. It was perfection.
Don
A keeper! I followed the recipe with a couple of slight alterations. I pre-cooked the apples for substantially less time than called for, and even at that I felt I had gone a bit too far. The pie came out great, nevertheless—good texture to the filling and no wateriness. My second change was to top the apple filling with a half pint of fresh blueberries before putting on the top crust. Magnificent!
Kristin
Nice filling. To avoid clumping of the cornstarch, dissolve it in a little bit of cold liquid, then stir it into the hot apple filling.
Greg
I love this recipe! It is my “go to” for apple pie. Like others, I suggest using 2-3 Tablespoons of tapioca ground up as fine as possible instead of cornstarch. Other than that, I make just as directed, and it always turns out fantastic! I suggest making the day before, and serving warm with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Irwin
You can substitute tapioca flour for corn starch. I suggest using an equivalent amount.
Fritz
never done the pre-cook method, but I will try at some point. However, tapioca instead of corn starch. And a wee of allspice. A wee bit of calavdos, or manzana verde and boiled cider for the cook. Crumble for the top, butter, walnuts, flour, brown sugar. 1:1:1:1
Sandra
Great pie, but it was too much cornstarch for my apples. Suggest making a cornstarch slurry…it clumped up on me.
James
This pie came out beautifully. Glazing the top with heavy cream made the pie be extra delicious. I did add a note to myself to make the bottom crust less thick next time, but other than that I can't wait to make this again. Getting really good apples from a farm probably helped, too, so I recommend that if you can get it.
Dan
Instead of the top half of the crust I used the topping from Whiskey-Apple Crumble Pie here: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018445-whiskey-apple-crumble-pie. Loved it. I used granny smiths, which did get a bit mushy with all the pre-cooking. Next time I'll go by the apple texture instead of the time in the recipe.
Sarah
I found I needed more dough than the recipe ingredients provide.
ali
Granny Smiths are good. Cosmic Crisp dissolved quickly in heat. The corn starch soaks up all the liquid, so there’s no need for blind baking—this came out with a deliciously cooked bottom crust when I baked it all on a preheated cookie sheet. Added vanilla and cardamom. Should have been lighter on the lemon. Will make again!
Mary Fran
Once I put the bottom crust in the freezer, it became impossible to crimp the edges after I put on the top crust. Does anyone have a suggestion? Other than that, the pie is delicious, though I will follow the suggestion of adding a touch of cardamon next time.
Lucila
I have no suggestions for you. Yup, that happens. I make a lattice strip top and have occasionally put the top in the refrigerator while I fill the pie. It helps a little but you’ll still have two different temperature crusts. It doesn’t seem to affect anything.
Leo
Re my earlier post: the varieties are Northern Spy and Cortland.
Leo
Living in Upstate NY, I prefer local apple varieties, usually Northern Sky and Cortland.
Sam
Agree that all the extra work does not confer any advantage. Just going to do it the way I always have.
Kris G
SKIP THE CORNSTARCH!!! I also recommend making the pie crust and the cooking the apples one day and then baking the pie the next ! I used jonagold, Rome beauty, and matsu apples. YUM!
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