My mom's Easy Apple Pie is the dessert that I grew up on, and my own children now describe it as "perfect!" This simple, quick treat takes advantage of a shortcut store-bought crust -- and nobody will ever know! With plenty of fresh apples and warm spices in the filling, this is the best easy apple pie recipe you'll ever taste.
How to Make Easy Apple Pie | 1-Minute Video
Easy Apple Pie Recipe with Store Bought Crust
This is an easy homemade apple pie recipe for those days when you don't have time to whip up a buttery, flaky crust from scratch. The filling comes together in minutes with warm spices and loads of fresh apples, so it tastes like it came from Grandma's kitchen. The pie is fool-proof...and it comes out perfectly every single time!
Whether it was intentional or by observation, I learned just about everything that I know in the kitchen from my mom. She is an amazing home cook, and she has always used smart, simple shortcuts to create easy recipes with minimal effort.
When I moved into my first apartment as a 21-year-old who had just graduated from college, my mom gifted me this little journal that is full of her hand-written recipes from my childhood. She picked my favorites and she put them all in one place. How awesome is that?
I cook from my mom's recipes on a regular basis, and this easy apple pie is a consistent winner. I bring it to potlucks, share it at cookouts, and offer it as a dessert to finish off meals with friends and family. It's ideal for that dinner party that you're hosting because you can bake the pie in advance and leave it sitting on your countertop until you're ready to serve it. No last-minute hassle!
My mom made this pie so often when we were growing up that it kind of became her "signature" dessert. It was the treat that we eagerly expected -- especially in the fall -- whenever there was a special occasion. I have since learned that "Mom's" apple pie recipe is just slightly adapted from a Pillsbury recipe that she got many years ago -- but in my mind, Mom deserves all of the credit!
Ingredients for Apple Pie
This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you'll need for a classic apple pie recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Pie crust: your favorite pie crust will work, so feel free to make it from scratch if you like. My mom always uses a box of refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts, so that's what I've shown here.
- Apples: sweet-and-tart Granny Smith apples work best for the filling.
- Sugar: to sweeten the filling.
- All-purpose flour: to thicken the filling.
- Lemon juice: a bright, acidic touch. It balances the sweetness of the fruit and enhances the apples' natural flavors.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg and salt: spices that season the filling.
What are the best apples for apple pie?
This is important, friends! My mom insists that you only use Granny Smith apples for two main reasons:
- they offer a nice balance of sweet-and-tart flavors; and
- the Granny Smith apples have a firm flesh that doesn't break down and turn to mush as they bake.
Can you see the nice slices of apple in this pie? They're tender, but still in tact. Nobody wants applesauce in a pie! That said, if you're looking for a good substitute for the Granny Smith apples, I would suggest another similar variety with a firm flesh that won't break down too easily. Other good baking apples include:
- Honey Crisp
- Braeburn
- Winesap
- Pink Lady
- Jonagold
How many apples for apple pie?
The recipe calls for 6 cups of thinly sliced, peeled apples. The total number of apples will vary depending on the size of the fruit. In general, for this pie you will likely need about 6-8 medium-sized apples, or about 2 pounds of medium-sized apples.
Do you cook apples before making a pie?
No, you don't! Yet another reason this pie is so darn easy. You don't have to pre-bake the crust and you don't have to pre-cook the fruit. Both the crust and the filling bake together in the oven.
How to Make Quick and Easy Apple Pie
Bring the pie crust to room temperature before you get started so that it's easier to unroll without ripping.
- Press one pie crust into the pie plate. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Make the apple pie filling from scratch by stirring together the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and seasoning.
- Transfer the filling to the pie crust in the plate.
- Place the second pie crust on top of the fruit.
- Crimp the edges of the crust, then cut slits in the top to vent.
- Bake at 425° F for 40-45 minutes, until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown.
- Cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
Storage
This pie does not need to be refrigerated right away. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fruit pies made with sugar can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. We typically store the pie in the refrigerator after the first day, and then reheat individual slices in the microwave as necessary. The pie will keep for 3-4 days, but the crust tends to get soggy as it sits.
Can you freeze apple pie?
Yes! Wrapped tightly, the baked apple pie will last for up to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw the pie at room temperature, then reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 30 minutes).
Recipe Variations
- Make your own pie crust from scratch. This is my favorite all-butter recipe.
- Use a variety of apples for more complex flavor. Just make sure that you're picking firm apples that won't break down during baking. For instance, try a combination of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples.
- Add more warm spices like cloves, ginger and allspice.
Tips for the Best Apple Pie Recipe
- Let the pie crust come to room temperature before you try to unroll it. Otherwise the cold pastry may tear or crack.
- Once the dough is unrolled, I like to cover the dish and chill it in the refrigerator for about 10-20 minutes before I add the filling. This isn't necessary, but the cold pastry yields a flakier pie crust! You can do the same for the top layer -- unroll the dough at room temperature, then cover and chill the dough before topping the pie.
- Halfway through the baking time (after 15-20 minutes), I suggest that you lightly cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil. This will prevent the edges from burning or getting too dark while the rest of the pie bakes.
- Allow the pie to sit on the counter on a wire rack to cool for about 2 hours before slicing. This gives the filling a chance to set.
- Top each slice of pie with vanilla ice cream or freshly-whipped cream for a real treat!
This homemade easy apple pie recipe is the definition of All-American comfort food, and it certainly wins a blue ribbon in our minds. I hope that your family enjoys it as much as we do!
More Apple Recipes to Try
- Old-Fashioned Apple Cake
- Easy Apple Galette
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Apple Bread
- Homemade Applesauce
- Crock Pot Apple Butter
- Amish Baked Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon
- Spiced Apple Pear Jam
Mom's Easy Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 box (14.1 oz.) refrigerated pie crusts (I use Pillsbury brand, which has 2 crusts in each box)
For the Filling:
- 6 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples (about 6-8 medium apples)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional for serving: vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Bring refrigerated pie crusts to room temperature.
- Unroll 1 pie crust and press it into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Cover and chill the crust for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the filling (the cold pastry will yield an even flakier crust).
- In a large bowl, toss together all of the filling ingredients.
- Transfer filling to the pie plate. Unroll the second pie crust and place it on top of the apples.
- Tuck the extra top crust under the bottom crust edge, pinching together with your fingers to seal.
- Cut slits in the top of the pie (to allow steam to vent).
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. About halfway through the baking time, cover the edge of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent the edges from becoming too dark.
- Cool pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Let the pie crust come to room temperature before you try to unroll it. Otherwise the cold pastry may tear or crack.
- Once the dough is unrolled, I like to cover the dish and chill it in the refrigerator for about 10-20 minutes before I add the filling. This isn't necessary, but the cold pastry yields a flakier pie crust! You can do the same for the top layer -- unroll the dough at room temperature, then cover and chill the dough before topping the pie.
- Halfway through the baking time (after 15-20 minutes), I suggest that you lightly cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil. This will prevent the edges from burning or getting too dark while the rest of the pie bakes.
- Allow the pie to sit on the counter on a wire rack to cool for about 2 hours before you slice it and serve it. This gives the filling a chance to set.
- Top each slice of pie with vanilla ice cream or freshly-whipped cream for a real treat!
Nutrition
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Hi, you mention vanilla ice cream as a topping, would whipping cream be as good ?
Sure! Either will be great!
I tripled the recipe and split it between two deep dish pie crusts. I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees and cooked it for an hour to allow the apples to fully cook. Now I just have to wait for the results! Thanks for the recipe. Oh, and I just had to add 1/4 tsp of cloves per recipe for my personal taste.
Sounds delicious. Let me know how that works out, Jeffrey! 🙂
Hi Blair, excited to make your apple pie recipe for a dinner party tomorrow night... U mentioned to preheat oven at 425 degrees, at what temperature do I bake it? Thank you so much!!!!
Hi, Sula! The pie bakes in the 425 degree F oven. Enjoy!
Fantastic, easy, delicious recipe.... It is the perfect combo of sweet & tart. I have made this numerous times since I first found it (I have it memorized now 😉 ) and everybody loves it! My family thinks I'm a genius xoxo
Thanks, Annemarie! That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to leave a note!
First time ever baking an apple pie. Recipe seems easy enough- pie in oven, can't wait to taste it! Looks delicious! Thanks!
Wonderful! Hope you enjoyed it, Martha!
Would i leave some filling out if i use a 8 3/4 in pie dish?
Hi, Andres! Nope, that should work fine. Enjoy!
I’m gonna try to bake your apple pie receipt but I don’t have lemon juice or nutmeg can I substitute allspice for the nutmeg n will store bought pie crust be fine bc I don’t think I can make pie crust from scratch n it’s my first time making an apple pie n I have 8 apples to do this with omg I hope I can pull your receipt off just let me know if that is ok to leave out the lemon juice substitute the allspice for the nutmeg I have everything else thanks Rose
Hi, Rose! I think those changes will be fine. Enjoy!
I haven't cooked this recipe yet, browsing. I don't have store crust, I wish u slipped in the alternative 'home made' crust also lol. My 1st apple pie was at 11 yrs old- 40 yrs ago!!! Can I shave walnuts in? Oatmeal crisp pie? I have 8 bags of apples lol.
Hi! Yes, you can definitely use a homemade crust -- any that you prefer. I don't have a favorite crust recipe to recommend. Definitely try the walnuts, too. I'm sure they would be delicious!
I did this this morning. This was the first time I’ve ever done a homemade pie. I’m in my 40s and I just don’t cook or bake. My mom took my girls Apple picking last weekend so I needed to do something. I found your recipe and “easy” caught my eye. I didn’t peel the apples cause well, lazy and didn’t have any nutmeg. So I was a bit nervous to try. This came out amazing and I’m so impressed with myself! Thank you!
That's amazing! I'm so glad that you gave it a shot and that it worked out well! 🙂
Boy I hope that these 2 apple pies come out good I tried to double your recipe but I don’t think it’s right bc there’s a lot of of cinnamon lol but I hope it’ will be ok this my 3rd time making your recipe lol I still don’t have nutmeg yet n I’m still using the all spice in it n it don’t seem to make a difference I guess but everyone loves it so we will see on these 2 pies how well they go over n if they don’t go over well I know not to try to double it next time thanks Rose
Hi, Rose! Glad that it's worked for you in the past. Hope your double recipe turned out well, too. 🙂
This pie was fantastic! This was the first pie I ever made , it was super easy! I can’t wait to try your apple cranberry crisp. I froze one of the pies before I baked it. When I bake it do I have to thaw the pie first? Or can I bake it frozen?
Hi, Lisa! I would bake the pie directly from the freezer -- don't thaw first. You'll need to increase the baking time, so cover loosely with foil when it starts to get dark on top. Hope you love that apple cranberry crisp. It's one of my favorite fall desserts!!
Well my apple pies are in the oven as we speak n they are smelling good n last night I went ahead n mixed the dry ingredients up so it would save me me some time bc it takes me forever to peel apples n core them to n all that said n I hope that didn’t mess up anything by doing that bc when I mixed up the apples together with the ingredients it’ was kinda syrupy but I made sure everything was mixed very well n the crust looks amazing right now so I will let you know how it taste when it’s ready n my mom can’t wait until it’s time for her to dig in lol bc she loves it when I bake them n her bday is on Wednesday so this is her birthday gift from me Rose
That's great, Rose! Baking for my friends and family is my favorite way to show love. Such a lovely gift for your mom. 🙂
Made this for Thanksgiving! It was simple and DELICIOUS!
Thank you!!!
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know. Happy holidays!
Just popped one in the oven, but I’m trying it with Autumn Glory apples this time. While it cooks, I’m prepping for a blackberry cobbler, per your recipe. Made one Thursday morning & was gone by Friday morning, had the last little bit for breakfast! I must say, I’ve tried a few different recipes, but yours comes the closet to the homemade blackberry cobblers I grew up enjoying along the banks of the Shenandoah river as a child, Thank you!
That's wonderful to hear, Kathryn! Thank you so much for your kind note!
This apple pie was a hit, delicious!!
I made a little change, I used gala apples because that is all I had. I added about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. Gala apples are sweet so next time I am
going to reduce white sugar to half a cup.
Sounds great! Thank you, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
My daughter and I made this and it is yummy! Wanted a simple recipe and this was perfect! We will make 2 next time! Thank you for posting!!!!
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know!
Since quarantine of course I have to cook/bake more. This is actually my first apple pie, the recipe was super easy. I used brown sugar instead. Looks good can't wait to taste it, waiting for it to cool. I will have my daughter do it with me next time.This is going to be the longest 2 hours. Thanks for making my first pie experience quite simple.
Wonderful! I'm so glad that it worked well for you. I agree -- it's a perfect recipe to start with. Enjoy the pie!
Can I use Fuji apples instead?
Hi, Nikki! Yes -- fuji are a nice firm apple, so they should work well here. They're just sweeter than the Granny Smith so the pie won't have that slightly tart taste. Totally a matter of personal preference, so use whichever you prefer (or a mix of the two). 🙂
When I set out my pie shells should I wait until I’m about done cutting my apples before I do that bc the last 2 pies crust was kinda hard n got kinda got scorch in some places on the bottom n the only way to keep them from being so hard was to heat them up little bit n maybe I should’ve left them out of the fridge to right huh
Yes, in general it's best to keep pie crust (and any pastry) cold until the last minute. 🙂
Can you use frozen pie crust? Do I thaw pie crust first?
Hi, Julie! Yes, you can use a frozen pie crust too. I would thaw it in the fridge first. Enjoy!