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+ servings
A large jar filled with apple pie filling with a lid and bow.
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5 from 2 votes

Apple Pie Recipe Filling ~ Make Ahead & Freezer Friendly!

An easy Apple Pie Filling using crisp fresh apples and warm spices that can be made ahead and is freezer-friendly. And to prevent soggy bottom crusts, you need a really good filling to bake up the best apple desserts. Get all the secrets to a thicker pie filling with the best apple flavor in every bite.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Desserts & Sweets
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple pie filling, apple pie filling recipe, apple recipe, pie filling
Servings: 6
Calories: 163kcal

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.

Video

Notes

pie dish/cups filling amount

9-inch pie = needs 4 cups of filling - this is a standard pie dish size
7-inch pie = needs 2 cups of filling
5-inch pie = needs ¾ cup of filling
deep-dish pie = needs 5-6 cups of filling

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
 

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg