Last Updated January 4th, 2024 at 11:10 pm by Lisa
An easy Apple Pie Recipe Filling using crisp fresh apples and warm spices that is make ahead and freezer-friendly. A Classic apple pie recipe is one of the most popular American dishes of all time.
To prevent soggy bottom pie crusts, you need a good filling to bake up the best apple pie recipes and apple desserts. Get all my secrets that work every time with rich apple flavor in every bite...
How To Make Apple Pie Recipe Filling
Are you ready to make the most delicious desserts you've ever tasted? And be sure to make extra so you can freeze it for later. I'll tell you how to do that too! There is a full recipe video in the printable recipe card below.
Pie Filling Ingredients
- 6 large Granny Smith apples
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Prepare The Apples And Thickener
- Wash the apples, peel, core, and cut into ½ pieces in a large bowl with lemon juice. You can use a Chef's Knife with a good quality Non-Slip Cutting Board, an old fashioned apple peeler corer slicer, or Apple Corer/Slicer as well, you will get thinner slices and have to cook the filling less time at medium heat or they might overcook.
- Squeeze ¼ cup fresh lemon juice using a Lemon Lime Juicer, and whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside. This is your amazing magical thickener.
Cooking The Filling Instructions
- In a large skillet, cast iron pan, or large pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook the cut apples for about 5 minutes
- Pour the lemon juice and cornstarch mixture (a thickener) over the cut pieces and stir until well combined for a couple of minutes.
- Add the brown and white sugar over the cut apples, and just one teaspoons salt. Stir until well combined.
- Remove from the heat and add the teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg off the heat. The reason you do this is to keep the flavor of the spices!
- Let the mixture cool completely so it thickens. Once the filling is cool, use it in a recipe, store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in a Mason jar, or freeze it in zip-top bags.
Top Apple Filling Tips
Once you know the secrets I am about to share with you, you will make your own filling again and again and skip that canned apple pie filling in the stores!
- One challenge of fruit pies is the filling can ruin the crust. When you bake with an uncooked filling, it releases the apple juice into your crust. And that is why the crust never bakes and gets soggy. So the best way to prevent this issue is to make your apple mixture filling ahead and not bake with raw apples!
- By pre-cooking the filling, and freezing it, you can bake desserts quickly anytime, and it is a better way to cook.
- The taste of homemade pie filling is amazing, you can control the warm spices, levels of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg if you like more/less/none.
- You can pull back on the sweetness with less sugar, and make a more tart flavor by choosing tart fruit like Granny Smith.
- I found while testing this homemade apple pie filling many times over decades, that combining the lemon juice and cornstarch makes an ideal thicker filling.
- Adding the cinnamon and nutmeg after cooking the tender apples gives this recipe outstanding flavor as you don't cook off the spice flavor in the heat of cooking. Win-win!
What are the best apples for apple pie?
I personally love the "gold standard" for apple filling, of tart Granny Smith. But there are so many apples that work just fine! One of the best things to do in Fall is head out to your local apple orchard. Pick your own crisp apples, and sip apple cider afterward... it's heaven!
Then come home to your kitchen and make all your favorite apple recipes! Good choices are, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Granny Smith apples, Golden Delicious, and Jonathan/Jonagold apples. These are all good firm varieties that will give you the best results.
And receive a free Cookout Planner as our thank you!
Avoid using Red Delicious, Fuji, or Gala apples, they just don't hold up to the heat of cooking and baking.
More Creative Recipes For Apple Pie Filling
- make apple turnovers using puff pastry
- put it over waffles and pancakes with caramel syrup for breakfast!
- mix into a French toast casserole
- dollop on top of baked brie and serve with crackers
- bake into an apple cake with frosting
- bake it into apple bread pudding
- make some muffins
- use a muffin tin for mini fruit pies
How To Make Freezer Apple Pie Filling
Simply measure out the portions you want into a freezer bag. Press the air out, label it with the date and measurement, contents, and freeze.
To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and use in recipes.
Frozen apple pie filling is perfect for pies, tarts, Apple Crisp, Apple Crumbles (with that amazing crumb topping), and so many other desserts!
A 9-inch pie-pan = needs 4 cups of filling - this is a standard dish size
A 7-inch pan = needs 2 cups apples filling
A 5-inch pan = needs ¾ cup of filling
A deep-dish = needs 5-6 cups of filling
PRO TIP: Lay the filled ziplock bag flat on a small cookie tray, freeze, and they will stack neatly in your freezer!
Apple Pie Top Baking Top Tips
- Before baking, line your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper in case the filling bubbles over for easy clean-up.
- You can make a flaky pie crust in a pastry blender or food processor, then wrap the disk of dough in plastic wrap and chill your homemade pie dough 30 minutes before baking for a flaky crust.
- Once you roll out the bottom crust, carefully roll it around a rolling pin, then gently lay it in the pan or plate.
- Add some lemon zest with your filling to add some great flavor, then put on the top of the crust, and brush with an egg wash to make it golden brown.
- Be sure to use a sharp knife to cut slits into the middle of the pie to let the steam out as it bakes a perfect pie crust.
- Use small seasonal-shaped cookie cutters to decorate the top of your own pie crust! For fall use leaves, for Christmas use trees or stars, or use a small apple shape cutters anytime.
- Always put the oven rack in the lowest position to bake pies. This way the dessert is baking near the heating elements of the oven and will give you a nice golden brown perfect pie crust. Underbaked pies are typically soggy and the crust is doughy.
- If you let the it cool, it is easier to slice and serve!
- The helpful chart below shows you sizes for this recipe that fit into a 9" plate.
More Apple Recipes
Caramel Apple Crisp is an easy Fall dessert that tastes just like caramel apples! It is made with just 7 ingredients, and has a golden brown crisp topping and crust, sweet apples, and melted gooey caramel candy.
Bake an Apple Crisp dessert with a sweet crust, caramelized apples, and a streusel topping. Serve this dessert with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce then dig in!
Dutch Apple Pie is baked with a homemade filling, a golden-brown crust with a foolproof flaky crust, and a crumble topping on top.
This easy recipe for Caramel Apple Dip has crisp sliced apples, salted caramel sauce, and crushed Health bars. A great recipe and pot-luck party crowd hit for Thanksgiving, Halloween, and all through Autumn.
Need a fast easy appetizer for Halloween or Thanksgiving? Caramel Apple Brie Appetizers come together in minutes. They are always wildly popular at Fall parties and taste like caramel apples!
CRAVING MORE?
Did you love this recipe? We would love to hear from you! If you make this recipe and love it, give it a 5-star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ with a comment. THANK YOU!! Follow Delicious Table with my free newsletter and share this recipe with your friends on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Apple Pie Recipe Filling ~ Make Ahead & Freezer Friendly!
Ingredients
- 6 large Granny Smith apples
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
prepare apples and thickener
- Wash the apples in cold water, peel, core (use apple corer/slicer), and cut into ½ pieces. Place into a large bowl with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Squeeze ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, and whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside. This is your pie filling thickener.
cook the apples
- In a large dutch oven, large skillet or cast iron pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook the cut apples for about 5 minutes over medium heat but don't let it boil. Stir every minute until they just turn soft. I like them with a little firmness, so taste them and cook them to the firmness you prefer.
- Next, pour the lemon juice and cornstarch mixture over the apples and stir until well combined for a couple of minutes.
- Sprinkle ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup white sugar over the apple slices, and the sea salt. Stir until well combined.
- Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon and nutmeg off heat. The reason you do this is to keep the flavor of the spices!
- Let the apple mixture cool completely so it thickens. Once the apple filling is cool, use it in a recipe, store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in a Mason jar, or freeze in zip-top bags or an airtight container.
Notes
pie dish/cups filling amount
pie filling quantities
This recipe makes approximately 3 ½-4 cups of pie filling (depending on their size) and will make 1 standard 9" pie. PRO TIP If you are ever short on pie filling, simply peel and slice up another apple or two and add them right into your filling uncooked. It adds a nice texture!freeze filling
Yes! you can put pie portions in zip-top bags, date, and freeze each one ready for pies, hand-pies, tarts, crumbles, and other desserts.PRO TIP Lay the filled ziplock bag flat on a small cookie tray, they will stack neatly in your freezer!
Top Apple Pie Filling Tips
- One challenge of fruit pies is the filling can ruin the crust. Pies baked with an uncooked filling release the juice into your pie crust. And that is why the pie crust never bakes, and the crust gets soggy. So the best way to prevent this issue is to make your filling mixture ahead and not bake with raw apples.
- By pre-cooking the apple pie filling, and freezing it, you can make pies and desserts quickly anytime, and it is a better way to bake.
- The taste of homemade pie filling is amazing, you can control the warm spices, levels of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg if you like more/less/none.
- You can pull back on the sweetness with less sugar, and make a more tart flavor by choosing tart varieties like Granny Smith.
- I found while testing this homemade apple pie filling many times over decades, that combining the lemon juice and cornstarch makes an ideal thicker in pie filling that bakes well in the flaky pie crust.
- Adding the cinnamon and nutmeg after cooking the tender apples gives this filling recipe outstanding flavor as you don't cook off the spice flavor in the heat of cooking. Win-win!
What is the best kind of apple for pie filling?
I personally love the "gold standard" for apple filling, a tart Granny Smith. Good choices are, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Jonathan/Jonagold apples. These are all good firm fruit that will give you the best results. Avoid using Red Delicious, Fuji, or Gala apples, they just don't hold up to the heat of cooking and baking.leftover extra filling ideas
- make turnovers using puff pastry
- put it over waffles and pancakes with caramel syrup for breakfast!
- mix into an French toast casserole
- dollop on top of baked brie and serve with crackers
- bake it into bread pudding
- make some muffins
- use a muffin tin for mini hand pies
I'm so excited to try this out! I told my son I'd make him an apple pie as a reward for helping my husband take a bunch of stuff to our dumpster rental. It's been a LONG time since I've made an apple pie, so I've been looking around for good recipes and this filling looks like it's really good! Thank you for sharing it!
You are so welcome Jeanie! One of my original recipes is apple pie, so the filling is really the star of the show and I worked on this recipe for years....hope you love it as much as I do! Happy Baking....
can we can this recipe?
Hey Vickie! Not sure what your question is, if you need the recipe its at the bottom of the post.
Hi! I tried commenting on your apple crisp recipe post and I also tried posting a separate comment below but keep getting error messages (spam deleted or network connection lost). But I have a question about your caramelized apple crisp filling! I’m hoping if I post a reply off your comment it will post my question!
Hi! I have a bunch of apples leftover from caramel apples I made for my sisters baby shower. I found your recipe about premade apple pie filling that can be frozen. I was wondering if I could make your caramelized apple crisp filling ahead of time and freeze it the same way? Or should i just stick to the apple pie filling for the freezer? Thanks for your help!
Hey Patricia! So sorry...sometimes the system has a few glitches. So to answer your question, I have never made the apple crisp (apple) filling and frozen it. It should work, but I test all my recipes before publishing, and not sure how that apple crisp caramelized apples will freeze. It's up to you if you want to try it, I know the apple filling holds well in freezing, as it has a thickener in that recipe. Hope this helps answer your question! And Happy Thanksgiving....
Hi,
I’ve got loads of apples, if I watch to make multiple batches at once, how much should I multiple the other ingredients by (butter/sugar/lemon/starch/spices) ? Thank you x
Hi Kate, Just follow the recipe proportions, and adjust the slider in the recipe card for your apple quantities.
I just made my first batch with Honeycrisp apples. It’s cooling … notice lots of liquid!! I do hope it thickens before I put the filling into a freezer Ziolock! Smells devine.
I was just wondering if we are to use sea salt or table salt? Does it make a difference? Ingredients say one thing and steps read the other.
Hey Karen, I cook with sea salt all the time and that is how the recipe was tested. Regular table salt can be used, just use a bit less as it is actually saltier due to the size of the grains of salt. Hope that helps!
I just made this filling. It's for dessert on Friday. I'll make and put the pie together tomorrow. But I can tell you already that the flavor is perfect-amundo!!! So delicious!!! Your tips are great. When I placed the apples into my 12" pan I thought there's no way it'll cook in 5 minutes. But that is exactly what happened! Looking forward to Friday and dessert. Thank you... YUMMO😋
Oh Terri I have tears in my eyes reading this comment. Thank you. Honestly, this is one of the first recipes I ever developed, and worked on it for years. I made an apple crisp with this apple filling just today! So thrilled you tried the recipe, I know your pie will be perfect. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Hi! Exited to try this recipe. In your instructions you say to cover the cut apples with lemon juice to prevent browning but in a later step you say to mix the lemon juice with cornstarch. Do I remove the apples from the lemon juice and make the slurry once the apples are cooking? A little clarification would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Hi Den, you do both! Yes, the lemon juice on the apples will prevent browning in the bowl. In the meantime, you will mix additional lemon juice and cornstarch for your thickener. You don't have to use a lot of lemon juice over the apples, just a few squeezes, and a quick toss. I am using my apple pie filling to make a fast apple crisp tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!
It would be nice if people would leave comments about how the flavor, and how good or not good so good the pie taste instead of all questions and how good it looks. Don't get me wrong, there's is nothing wrong with asking questions but it's frustration when someone like me would like to try this pie but decided not to bc no comments about how the pie taste. So many people say the same thing so they go to a different recipe. I will however try this pie and leave a comment for others to know how it tastes. It sounds good so wish me luck.
Nana, here is a comment I just received on my Apple Crumble Pie recipe which uses the same apple filling. This is one of my most cherished and oldest recipes I have made for decades. I am sure you will love it as much as this reader did!My first homemade apple pie and it turned out beautifully! This was the best apple crumb pie I've ever tasted...
"I can't believe how perfect it is! I looked at so many recipes but kept coming back to yours because it just made the most sense, plus you're the only one that uses diced apples which I prefer over sliced apples. Thank you!!"
Recipe Rating
Apple Crumble Pie
5 stars
Can I freeze this in mason jars? I’m wondering if the filling will expand when frozen so I can leave space in the jars for that.
Hey Alisha, I would not. Two reasons. One, yes it will expand, and two the icy glass jars are liable to slip out of your hand. Ziptop bags or freezer containers are the way to go!
In the video you added 1/4 cup each of white sugar and brown. But I your written recipe you have 1/2 cup each of white sugar and brown . A total of a cup. What is the correct amount?
Julie, I just reviewed the video and you are correct! In the video, I say 1/4 cup, but it is 1/2 cup of each. I will fix the video and reupload it! I am so sorry for the confusion.
What would be the best way to add fresh blueberries to this? Thanks 🙂
Hey Jo! I am not sure how the blueberries will do in the apple pie filling as I haven't tested that, try it out and let us all know. That is exactly how I test recipes...
Why do you "remove the drips" from thawed filling instead of including it to bake? How much liquid drains out?
Shelia, when the frozen bag of apple pie filling defrosts in the refrigerator it drips a little on the outside of the bag, I just keep it in a small container to keep the shelf clean..that's all. Nothing to do with the filling itself dripping. Happy Cooking!
How long do I need to defrost the frozen pie filling? 1 day or longer?
Hi Bonnie, I usually put mine in the refrigerator in a small container to catch the drips for about 24 hours. Hope that helps!
Looks delicious! If you make a crumb top for this Apple Pie, do you still bake it at 350 for 30-45 minutes, even when adding an extra fresh apple or two? Will the crust be cooked?
Yes Linda, good question, but I often add extra apple when making a deeper dish apple pie and it works! I typically use a ceramic dish. All our ovens and pans can bake differently, so just know that. Slide a knife under the crust to peek if its golden brown, then you know it's baked. Happy Thanksgiving!
I assume you thaw the frozen filling when ready to add to the pie crust. Is this correct?
Mary! Yes please thaw the filling before baking. Happy Baking...
People keep mentioning water but no where in the recipe do I see instructions to add water.
Hello Annie! I improved the recipe significantly and removed the water entirely. It's an all-new recipe, enjoy!
This sounds amazing! Can you tell me how long to cook the pie if the filling is precooked?
Aleta, for a 9-10" apple pie, and bake it 350 degrees for 45 minutes, check on it at 30 minutes. One thing I like to do is add a little more fresh-cut apple into my pie if the filling I have is not quite enough. It adds nice texture. You can also use a couple of different apple varieties to mix up the filling. All our ovens bake differently, and the amount of filling and even the type of pie dish all affect baking times. I y mostly use ceramic pie dishes, which hold the heat nicely and brown evenly, metal pie tins work just fine as well. Hope this helps!
Wow, that is helpful info about the soggy crust and how to avoid it. I made this hoping to try a pie armed with this new knowledge but it was so good I warmed it up and served it over ice cream before I even got the crust! Needless to say, I will be making it again. Hopefully, next time it will make it to the pie stage! LOL!