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It’s pie season which means you need a really good homemade apple pie recipe! I’ve got simple step-by-step photos to help you through the entire process. Get ready to learn how to make the best apple pie of your life.

Easy Homemade Apple Pie

If you’ve never made an apple pie from scratch, it’s time you give it a try! My recipe is totally manageable for any level of baker. Apple pie is perfect for Fall Baking, Thanksgiving, Christmas and 4th of July celebrations!

This recipe uses my all-butter pie crust recipe, which makes a tender, totally perfect pie crust that’s easy to roll out and work with. For this pie, we’ll be filling that pie crust with cinnamon sugar spiced apples. You won’t believe how easy it is to make apple pie with this recipe!

Try my Caramel Apple Pie Biscuit Bites too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

What You’ll Need

Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make homemade apple pie.

Granny Smith Apples – You can also use other kinds of apples (see my list below).
Lemon juice – This will help prevent the apples from browning and adds a bit of flavor to boot.
Granulated sugar– This fine sugar brings sweetness to the pie filling and top of pie crust.
Ground cinnamon– Ground cinnamon pairs so perfectly with apple desserts.
Kosher salt– Just a pinch of salt is all you need. Kosher salt is a more coarse salt.
All-purpose flour – Used for the pie crust and also the apple pie filling. The flour will help the pie filling thicken so that it isn’t too juicy.
Unsalted butter– You can use unsalted or salted butter for this pie recipe.
Egg whites– Egg whites will be brushed on top of pie crust before baking to give a nice shine and texture.

What Kinds of Apples to Use

I used Granny Smith for my pie today, but below, are other varieties that make a perfect apple pie!

Granny Smith
Esopus Spitzenburg
Northern Spy
Idared
Pink Pearl
Ginger Gold
Golden Delicious
Jazz
Jonagold
Pink Lady

How To Make Homemade Apple Pie

Alright, let’s start making our apple pie! There are three steps. First we will make our pie crust, then we’ll make the apple pie filling, and lastly we’ll put it all together and bake our pie.

Make the Pie Crust

Combine The Flour and Butter. Add the flour, sugar and salt to a stand mixer with paddle attachment or whisk attachment. Beat on low to combine. Add cold butter, beat until most of the butter is the size of small peas with the flour mixture.
Add Water. With the mixer on, slowly add the ice water until dough forms and is combined.
Knead Dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured countertop, kneading a couple times to combine. Divide dough in half, flatten slightly and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. When ready to use, roll out round large enough to fit your pie plate. Transfer to pie dish and crimp the edges as desired.
Bake Pie Crust. Poke holes at the bottom of pie. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes until baked through and slightly golden. Remove and let cool before filling.
Store dough wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.

Make the Apple Pie Filling

Mix Apple Filling. To make apple pie filling add the apples to a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.

Easy right?

Assemble Your Pie

Transfer filling to partially cooked crust. Roll out second pie crust and transfer to top of pie.
Trim edges, fold under and crimp edges. Cut a few slits on top of pie crust for ventilation.

Prepare Egg Wash. Place egg whites and water in small bowl, whisk to combine and brush over top of pie crust.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping. For the topping, place sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl, stirring to combine. Sprinkle over top of pie crust.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown. I always peek at the pie around 45 minutes then check every 10 minutes after that for doneness.
Remove and let cool for an hour before slicing into wedges.

How Long Do You Bake Apple Pie?

Generally, you bake an apple pie for about an hour. The crust should be nice and golden. Every oven will be different, so check starting at 45 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked around the edges.

TIP: If your pie is browning too fast, you can loosely cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil to let the insides keep cooking while preventing the crust from continuing to brown too much. You can also add a rim that goes around the pie plate edges to prevent over-browning. You can find this at kitchen stores.

How To Serve

This pie is an absolute delight! I love the cinnamon sugar topping. Let the pie cool for a good hour before slicing into it. Serve with a dollop of fresh sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I have included instructions for how to make whipped cream in the recipe card below, but you can also use the canned variety if that is your preference.

How To Store Pie

My preference is to store pie in the fridge, but you can also store it on the counter if you are baking for a holiday and fridge space is tight. In both cases, let your pie cool completely, then cover it with saran wrap. It will keep on the counter for 1-2 days and in the fridge for 3 days.

If you want to reheat your extras, I recommend cutting a slice of pie and then zapping it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds until it is as warm as you want it to be. Add your toppings and then dig in!

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