This Dutch Apple Pie is an apple lover’s dream, y’all. The three main elements here are pie crust, a swoon-worthy, luscious apple filling, and a buttery streusel crumb topping. The apple center is laced with heaps of warmly spiced apples that are nestled in a rich and decadent, caramel-like sauce. Don’t fret, this homemade apple pie recipe is so easy to make and the perfect nostalgic treat for any occasion!
Y’all remember the boxed dutch apple pie that was in the frozen food area in the grocery store? Listen, I grew up on those pies. We would usually grab one near the weekend and bake it up and serve it with ice cream, man, what a treat. My mom was not a baker at all, so I sure as heck don’t have those memories that others may have about their mom baking a fresh pie from scratch, ha.
The Best Dutch Apple Pie Recipe! 🍎🍏
I used to be so intimidated when it came to making a pie from scratch, and now, they’re one of my favorite bakes to make. If you’ve never made a dutch apple pie before, please let this scratch-made version be your very first. This pie has three main components: a pie crust base, apple filling, and a crumble topping- it’s so easy and straightforward, too! The apple filling is beaming with fresh apples coated in warm, fragrant spices and a caramel-like gooeyness that’ll make ya holla! It’s the perfect pie for holiday festivities, entertaining, or a weekend dessert to enjoy with your feet up on the couch!
⇢ Whether it’s my Southern Sweet Potato Pie, this gooey Bourbon Pecan Pie, or this Lemon Meringue Pie…I love myself a scrumptious pie!
Dutch Apple Pie Recipe Ingredients:
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)
- Pie crust: Feel free to use a homemade recipe or a store-bought crust.
- Butter: Just a little to sauté the apples.
- Apples: We can’t make dutch apple pie without them apples! I use a mixture of honeycrisp apples + granny smith apples for the perfect balance of flavor.
- Sugar: Both brown sugar and granulated sugar for some sweetness.
- Warm spices: We’re using a variety of warm, earthy, and fragrant spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger. These spices add so much depth and flair that you will love, swoon-worthy indeed.
- Bourbon: This ingredient adds a level of complexity and richness.
- Vanilla: I swear by vanilla bean paste, but extract will do the trick!
- Apple cider vinegar: The acidity balances the flavors, lemon juice also works.
- Flour & cornstarch: Both help to thicken the filling.
- & For the crumble topping: Butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. This crumble topping is what a dutch apple pie is known for!
How To Make A Dutch Apple Pie:
(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)
- Prep the apples & pie crust. Core, peel, and thinly slice the apples. If you’re making a homemade pie crust, go ahead and make the pie dough. Then chill the dough, roll it out, and shape the crust into a pie plate. Keep the shaped pie crust stored inside the fridge until you’re ready to use. Alternatively, if going the store-bought crust route, keep the shell in the freezer.
- Make the apple pie filling. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apples into the skillet and toss well to coat them in the butter. Then sprinkle in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger, and stir/gently toss to fully combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the apple mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring the apples every so often, until the apples are a bit tender and the mixture is fragrant. Next, stir in the bourbon, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and apple cider vinegar. Lastly, sprinkle in the flour and cornstarch, and toss well to coat. Continue cooking the apple filling for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens some and develops into a caramel-like consistency.
- Let the filling cool down. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside for the apple pie filling to cool down to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir the mixture together until it looks like wet sand crumbles. Cover and set aside.
- Assemble the dutch apple pie. Grab your shaped pie crust from the fridge/freezer and place it onto a large foil-lined baking sheet. Then carefully pour the apple filling into the crust, and evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the apple filling.
- Bake the pie for 55-65 minutes or until the crumble and pie crust edges are lightly golden brown. At the 35-minute mark, cover the pie edges with foil or one of those pie shields if you have them.
- Let the baked pie cool down. Place the pie onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 6 hours. This time allows for the pie filling to set.
- Serve dutch apple pie. Slice the pie into wedges and serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (if desired) for the most EPIC dessert, ever.
The Difference Between Classic Apple Pie & Dutch Apple Pie (Apple Crumb Pie)
Sometimes pies can be confusing, I get it. A classic apple pie is a pie that typically has an apple filling and pie crust on the bottom *and* the top (like a lattice crust or regular crust). In contrast, a dutch apple pie (aka apple crumb pie) has an apple filling and pie crust only on the bottom with a buttery, streusel crumb topping on top. It’s like a cross between a traditional apple pie and an apple crisp, that crumb topping adds texture and crunch. While both versions are delicious, ain’t nothing at all like a dutch apple pie, friends! 😛
Best Apples For Apple Pie
Ooohhh, let’s discuss! So, I use a mixture of both fresh, firm Honeycrisp apples and Granny Smith apples- a mixture of apples allows for contrast/depth in overall pie flavor with tart and sweet notes as opposed to using only one variety. As such, I recommend mixing apple varieties for this reason.
Tips + Tricks & Recipe Notes
Here are some extra bits + notes for you to have the best dutch apple pie:
- Tools for apple pie: I use an apple corer and a vegetable peeler to get the apples all nice and ready to go for making the filling.
- Don’t skip sautéing the apple mixture: Some folks toss raw apples with spices and just dump them into the pie crust to bake, I don’t recommend that. Why? Sautéing the apples does two things: caramelizes the apples and ensures their moisture is released. Pre-cooking the apples helps to prevent a soggy pie or watery pie because apples release moisture as they cook. Without cooking them down first, your apple pie might have a soggier center.
- Let the filling cool down: After sautéing, the filling needs time to cool down before emptying it into the pie crust. Why is that? Pouring hot/warm filling into the pie crust will yield a soggy bottom. Plus, it gives the apples more time to soak up the spices and all the flavors as it sits. Feel free to put the filling into the fridge/freezer for a bit if you wanna speed things up.
- Let the pie rest! I know, it’s tempting to want to dive on in after baking, but don’t. Place the pie onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 6 hours. This time allows for the pie to settle and for the filling to set. If you cut into it too early, the pie will likely fall apart, I’d hate that for you. So, let the pie rest!
Make-Ahead Dutch Apple Pie
This pie is perfect for making ahead of time if you’re prepping for holiday entertaining or any other occasion! Simply follow the recipe card, below, to make the pie and it will keep on the counter (covered well) at room temperature for 1-2 days. Otherwise, cover it tightly with foil and it will keep in the fridge for 3 days. I love making this pie the night before that way it has time to rest overnight and it’s good to slice into the next day 👌🏾.
Storing & Freezing Apple Pie
To store in the fridge: Make sure the pie has cooled down to room temperature. Then cover it tightly with foil (or keep it in one of those pie containers). This dutch apple pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat straight from the fridge or gently reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
To store in the freezer: Make sure the pie has cooled down to room temperature. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and then cover it with foil as a double measure for optimal freshness. You can also put the wrapped pie into a large plastic bag/grocery bag for another good measure! It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months (probably a little longer). Simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat slices in the microwave until warmed through or in the oven at 325°F for 30 minutes or until warmed through.
Oh my, this Dutch Apple Pie recipe is so dang good, peeps. This pie always takes me back to my childhood, so cozy. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾
More desserts & sweets on the site:
- Double Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Caramel-Stuffed Chai Cookies
- Brown Butter Caramel Cake
- Funfetti Pudding Cookies
- Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake
The Only Dutch Apple Pie Recipe You’ll Ever Need
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 3 reviews
- Author: Quin Liburd
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Desserts & Sweets
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Dutch Apple Pie is an apple lover’s dream, y’all. The three main elements here are pie crust, a swoon-worthy, luscious apple filling, and a buttery streusel crumb topping. The apple center is laced with heaps of warmly spiced apples that are nestled in a rich and decadent, caramel-like sauce. Don’t fret, this homemade apple pie recipe is so easy to make and the perfect nostalgic treat for any occasion!
Ingredients
Scale
For the pie crust:
- Homemade pie crust or 1 store-bought pie crust shell
For the apple filling:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 lbs apples (about 6 large apples)- cored, peeled & thinly sliced (see notes)
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (we love Uncle Nearest!)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the crumble topping:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For serving dutch apple pie:
- Vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream- optional
Instructions
- Prep the pie crust. If you’re making a homemade pie crust, go ahead and make the pie dough. Then chill the dough, roll it out, and shape the crust into a pie plate. Keep the shaped pie crust stored inside the fridge until you’re ready to add in the apple filling. Alternatively, if going the store-bought crust route, keep the shell in the freezer.
- Make the apple pie filling. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apples into the skillet and toss well to coat them in the butter. Then sprinkle in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger, and stir/gently toss to fully combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the apple mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring the apples every so often, until the apples are a bit tender and the mixture is fragrant. Next, stir in the bourbon, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and apple cider vinegar. Lastly, sprinkle in the flour and cornstarch, and toss well to coat. Continue cooking the apple filling for another 3-4 minutes until the flour/cornstarch dissipates, and the sauce thickens some and develops into a caramel-like consistency that coats the apples.
- Let the filling cool down. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside for the apple pie filling to cool down to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven. Position an oven rack in the center position, and then preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to stir the mixture together until it looks like wet sand crumbles. Cover the bowl and set aside until ready to assemble the pie.
- Assemble the dutch apple pie. Grab your shaped pie crust from the fridge/freezer and place it onto a large foil-lined baking sheet. *This step is a good measure just in case any of the filling bubbles over and there is spillage. Then carefully pour the apple filling (be sure to scrape in all that brown sugar gooeyness, too!) into the crust, and use a rubber spatula to pack the apples into the crust. Then evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the apple filling.
- Bake the pie for 55-65 minutes or until the crumble and pie crust edges are lightly golden brown. At the 35-minute mark, cover the pie edges with foil or one of those pie shields if you have them. This will allow for the pie to continue cooking, but prevent the crust from browning too quickly and burning.
- Let the baked pie cool down. I know, it’s tempting to want to dive on in after baking, but don’t. Place the pie onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 6 hours. This time allows for the pie to settle and for the filling to set beautifully. If you cut into it too early, the pie will be runny and likely fall apart, I’d hate that for you. So, let the pie rest!
- Serve dutch apple pie. When ready, slice the pie into wedges and serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (if desired) for the most delicious treat you’ll ever have, whew. Enjoy, y’all!
Notes
- Apple note: I use a mixture of both Honeycrisp apples and Granny Smith apples- a mixture of apples allows for contrast/depth in overall pie flavor with tart and sweet notes as opposed to using only one variety. As such, I recommend mixing apple varieties for this reason.
- Gluten-free needs? Swap the all-purpose flour for any gluten-free flour as a 1:1 ratio (we love Bob’s Red Mill gf flour!).
- Storing at room temperature: This pie can be kept on the kitchen counter (covered well) at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- Storing in the fridge: Make sure the pie has cooled down to room temperature. Then cover it tightly with foil (or keep it in one of those pie containers). This dutch apple pie will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Storing in the freezer: Make sure the pie has cooled down to room temperature. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and then cover it with foil as a double measure for optimal freshness. It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months (probably a little longer). Simply thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat slices in the microwave until warmed through or in the oven at 325°F for 30 minutes or until warmed through.
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.
