I promise that no one will ever know this is the cheater version of apple pie. Read on for tips and instructions about how to make easy apple pie without sacrificing flavor!

Original post: October 2017 | Updated: September 2020
Why This Recipe Works
Confession: I say A LOT of bad things about pies in my cookbook Cookie Remix. Please accept my apology, dear Easy Apple Pie, because I almost-kind-of-maybe want to retract my negative statements regarding your “kind” after experiencing you.
There has never been an easier Apple Pie to make and I promise that 98.8% of the population will never know that you cheated if you make this delicious recipe. When you baked the pie, you knew it was going to be good.
I really wish I’d taken a photo of the scene that took place at my counter after this baby came out of the oven. It was a total cows-at-the-trough moment.
So here’s the deal. When you make your own pie crust, pies are not super easy to make. When you purchase a pre-made pie crust, pies are super easy to make.
Some argue that you will miss out on some flakiness and flavor, but I will argue back that convenience wins over effort and often tastes just as good.
Recipe Ingredients
Apples – Use medium baking apples such as honeycrisp, gala, golden delicious, jonagold or granny smith.
Spice Mixture – Feel free to add nutmeg and cinnamon to your apples for a little more complex taste. Just a little goes a long way.
Refrigerated Pie Crusts – Using a 9 inch pie crust that’s pre-made is a great way to start enjoying pie making.
How To Make Apple Pie The Easy Way
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Fill a large bowl halfway with water. Add the lemon juice. Add the apples to the lemon water as they are being cut to avoid browning. Drain completely.
Step 2
To make the filling ingredients of your pie, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Mix well and add to the apples. Stir until apples are coated completely.
Step 3
Unroll the pie crusts. Place one into the prepared pie plate and press firmly into the seams. Let excess dough hang over the edges. Use a fork to poke small holes into the bottom crust. Fill with apple mixture, packing them in tight with as few gaps as possible.
Top with the remaining crust, be sure to cover the edges well, then seal both crusts by tucking them under around the edge and creating a ripple at the seams using your fingers.
Step 4
Brush the egg yolk over the surface of the top crust and cut slits. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to avoid dripping and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Decrease temp to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 50 minutes, until the crust is golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely (at least 30 minutes) before cutting and serving! Cover loosely with plastic wrap before placing in the fridge!
Recipe Notes
- Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
- Drizzle a little salted caramel sauce that you can make at home!
- Substitute brown sugar for white sugar, yum!
- Here is a great gluten-free pie crust recipe from my friend Melissa from Mama Gourmand. She’s knows it’s not always easy to find a gluten-free version at the store. Try hers!
How To Keep Apples From Turning Brown
When chopping and peeling the apples, fill a large bowl about half with cool water and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon into it. The lemon juice will keep your apples from getting brown while you get them prepped for the recipe.
Use an apple corer/peeler if you have one because they will make this process go super fast. If you don’t have one, use a potato peeler and a knife to get the job done. You’ll need to peel, core and chop the apples. Place them into the water-lemon juice mixture as you work.
What Apples Are Best For Baking?
I recommend using a variety of apples and at the very least, use two kinds: one sweet and one tart. My favorite combo is Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples.
Sweet/Softer Apple Brands
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
- Red Delicious
- Golden Delicious
- Cortland
- Gala
Tart (or a little Sour) Apple Brands
- Granny Smith
- McIntosh
- Ida Red
- Braeburn
- Empire
- Jonathan
FAQ About Apples
Good news! Apples are very good for you! Apples are high in dietary fiber and pectin found in the peels of the apples.
Dogs can eat apples, as they are a nutritious snack for dogs. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, helping immunity and providing other benefits.
Apples do not align with a keto diet. One medium apple contains more than 20 g of carbs, making it too carb-heavy for this low-carb eating plan.
Apples can be frozen! They can be frozen whole for up to 9 months, or prepare applesauce, pie filling or entire pies and freeze them that way instead.
The recommendation is that you enjoy an apple in the morning hours of each day. This will help you avoid poor digestion at night. The fruit can help your stomach to empty more slowly, helping you to stay feeling full longer and not prone to snack/eat between meals.
Fall Apple Recipes
- Appledoodles are a fun twist on the classic snickerdoodles! Great way to use up apples in the fall!
- Easy Homemade Crockpot Applesauce is fun to prepare because it’s so easy to make. Use an assortment of green and red apples and you’ll have a flavorful snack you can enjoy; better than the store stuff!
- Apple Pie Jam tastes just like apple pie because it’s similar to pie filling. So get ready to be addicted. Put it on your English muffins, pancakes or with peanut butter!
- Homemade Apple Cider in your slow cooker is delicious! It’s a must have fall drink and tastes so much better when you make it yourself. Such a great way to use up apples in the fall.
- This is the best Apple Coffee Cake recipe you’ll find. Enjoy as an indulgent breakfast treat or an any-time snack or dessert!
- Salted Chocolate Caramel Apples – sprinkling of sea salt and a bit of chocolate turns Caramel Apples into an extravagant dessert.. Salted Chocolate Caramel Apples!
- Apple Carrot Cake Muffins – Apples and carrots create the most delicious little muffin you could ever imagine. These babies are moist and yummy and will not last long in your kitchen.
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If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!
How To Make Easy Apple Pie
Ingredients
- Juice from half of a lemon
- 10 apples peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (use a variety of sweet and tart apples for a more complex flavor)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts 9-inch
- 1 egg yolk beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Fill a large bowl halfway with water. Add the lemon juice. Add the apples to the lemon water as they are being cut to avoid browning. Drain completely.
- In a medium bowl, combing the sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Mix well and add to the apples. Stir until apples are coated completely.
- Unroll the pie crusts. Place one into the prepared pie plate and press into the seams. Let excess dough hang over the edges. Layer the apples in the crust, packing them in tight with as few gaps as possible. Top with the remaining crust and seal both crusts by tucking them under around the edge and creating a ripple at the seams using your fingers.
- Brush the egg yolk over the surface of the top crust and cut slits. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to avoid dripping and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Decrease temp to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Notes
- Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
- Drizzle a little salted caramel sauce that you can make at home!
- Substitute brown sugar for white sugar, yum!
- Here is a great gluten-free pie crust recipe from my friend Melissa from Mama Gourmand. She’s knows it’s not always easy to find a gluten-free version at the store. Try hers!
hello! i’m sorry i never comment; it’s not my thing to do. i’ve been reading ever since there was still a pip AND ebby. 🙂 i was completely hooked during your family road trip and i love that your Christian values show through your posts.
Lucy! You just made my day! WOW, you’ve been reading for a while. Thank you for sticking around for so long. I appreciate you being here and THANK YOU for commenting. I’m so glad you liked the road trip posts and also that Jesus shines through in some of what I say. 🙂 Have a great day!
Megan
As requested – I am still here! I’ve been reading faithfully ever since I stumbled upon your blog through FoodGawker a number of years ago. I love your recipes but more than that I feel like I know YOU, as a person, and I love that. Thank you for your non-apologetic Christian viewpoints, and I agree wholeheartedly with what you said the other week about our Enemy. I am still aiming to learn to make pie crust from scratch, but until then, maybe I will try your method 😉
Lauren! I appreciate this comment SO MUCH! First of all, thank you for sticking with me all these years. I love hearing when people read faithfully year after year and it feels nice to know that some can relate to some of the things I write about. I’m with you on the pie crust situation. Maybe we can learn together! For now, I love the cheater way. 🙂 Thank you, Lauren! ?
Megan