Apple Pie Filling

This homemade apple pie filling is way better than any canned pie filling you could buy. Tart apples get tossed with brown sugar and warming spices before being lightly cooked. Perfect for pies, tarts, hand pies, or on its own with a scoop of ice cream!

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Are you team apple or team pumpkin?

They both hold a place near and dear to my heart, but I will say there’s nothing like a homemade apple pie.

Sure you can shortcut it and use a store bought crust and canned pie filling….

But fresh, homemade apple pie filling is just so much better.

It’s like comparing apples to…well…

Not as fresh apples?

Learning how to make apple pie filling is a game changer.

It will instantly make your pies so much better.

And if you’re not making a full on pie but still want that warm apple pie flavor, just serve this apple pie filling on its own or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies

Here’s what you need to make apple pie filling:

• Granny Smith Apples – Granny Smiths have a firm texture and tart flavor and are near perfection when it comes to baking apples. If you can’t find these, Cortlands or any other firm apple is a good choice for apple pie filling.
• Brown Sugar – The molasses in the brown sugar helps to give the pie filling its color and helps give it the gooey texture.
• Apple Pie Spice – If you don’t have this mixture (which can be hard to find sometimes) it is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. It is about 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1.5 teaspoons of nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of allspice.
• Cinnamon – For good measure, we throw in a little extra cinnamon outside of the apple pie spice blend.
• Cornstarch – This helps to thicken the pie filling.
• Water – Tap water or filtered water.
• Lemon Juice – You can use bottled or freshly squeezed, it does not make much of a difference in apple pie filling.

You don’t need any special equipment, but you will want:

• Apple Peeler
• Corer
• Large Skillet

How to Make Apple Pie Filling

1. Wash, peel, and core your apples.

Wash off your apples.

Use a peeler to remove the skins from the apples.

Use either a sharp knife or apple corer to remove the core and slice the apples into wedges.

We often slice larger apple wedges in half length-wise to make them a bit more uniform and thinner.

Remove any bruised or other bad areas of the apples.

2. Cook the apple pie filling.

Put the apples in a large bowl or in a large skillet not on heat.

Toss the apple slices with lemon juice to coat them.

Then sprinkle on the spices and brown sugar.

Put the skillet over medium-low to medium heat.

Cook the apples, stirring frequently, for no more than 5 minutes or until they just begin to soften and release their juices.

Especially when making pies, you want the apples to still retain their bite and snap.

3. Add thickener and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and corn starch.

Pour the cornstarch and water over the apples and mix to combine.

Immediately remove from heat and allow the apples to rest for a few minutes to cool before adding to apple pie, hand pies, or other bakery treats.

Serving

Apple pie filling goes directly in your favorite apple pie crust.

Traditionally, you use a flour and butter pie crust, but you could also use a graham cracker crust for apple pie the way I did for this pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust.

Though made for apple pie, you could add the apple pie filling to yogurt, oatmeal, or other recipes that call for cinnamon apples.

You could also eat them as is with a bit of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and caramel sauce or serve them as a side the way you would these easy fried apples.

If you do intend to eat them as is, you could cook them a bit longer because they will not get a second cook time in a pie or baked dish.

Storing

You can make apple pie filling about 3 to 5 days ahead of using it in apple pie.

To store, spoon cooled apple pie filling into an air tight container, seal it, and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tips and Tricks

• The key to apple pie filling is to not over-cook the apples. They will bake for about an hour, so they will soften and fully gain the sweet cinnamon flavor as it bakes.
• We use corn starch, but this can also work with equal parts flour and water as a thickener.
• Brown sugar is our preferred, but you could also use granulated sugar if you like or are in a pinch.
• Peeling apples is a traditional serving style, but you could skip peeling them if you prefer.
• You can use just about any firm apple. Avoid softer or mealier apples, like red or golden delcious when making apple pie filling.
• This recipe makes enough for one 9″ pie.

Other Apple Desserts to Try

Looking for other apple desserts? Try these:

• Baked Stuffed Apples
• Easy Apple Crumble Recipe
• Instant Pot Stuffed apples
• Apple Cider Donuts (with Cake Mix)
• Easy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Cider Bundt Cake

Did you make this? Let me know!

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