Our 20 Best Apple Pie Recipes
1 of 20
Spiced Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust
Chef Marcus Samuelsson updates the apple pie–cheddar combo by hiding the cheese in the flaky crust. The filling is tangy and assertively spiced; Samuelsson includes cardamom, a common sweet seasoning in his native Sweden. This recipe is adapted from the chef’s book Marcus Off Duty.
GO TO RECIPE1 of 20
2 of 20
Easy Apple Pie
Brown sugar gives this easy apple pie a touch of caramel flavor; Granny Smith apples add a nice tartness for balance.
GO TO RECIPE2 of 20
3 of 20
Double-Crust Apple Pie
Grace Parisi uses a mix of Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Golden Delicious apples for this iconic dessert.
GO TO RECIPE3 of 20
4 of 20
Granny Smith Apple and Brown Butter Custard Tart
Kate Neumann often showcases rich, nutty, fragrant browned butter in her desserts. Here, she adds it to a sweet custard loaded with caramelized apples and baked in a buttery tart shell.
GO TO RECIPE4 of 20
5 of 20
Lattice-Topped Apple Pie
Greg Patent likes to use an assortment of tart and sweet apples in this dense, apple-packed pie. Some varieties to look for are Greening, Cortland, Winesap, Braeburn, Jonamac and Granny Smith.
GO TO RECIPE5 of 20
6 of 20
Apple Pandowdy
This is a fuss-free riff on a classic double-crust apple pie.
GO TO RECIPE6 of 20
7 of 20
Apple Rye Turnovers with Celery Seeds
Jerry Traunfeld has been experimenting with rye flour for years; he loves the way it gives dough flavor and body. As these pastries illustrate, he has also been exploring ways to use celery seed in desserts. "It really complements the apple and rye," he says.
GO TO RECIPE7 of 20
8 of 20
Free-Form Apple Tart
Anne Walker usually makes this dessert with Arkansas Black apples—an heirloom variety—from Mogannam's parents' orchard near Sacramento. The dense, tart apples are harvested late in the season, making them a good Thanksgiving choice. Granny Smiths are an easier-to-find alternative.
GO TO RECIPE8 of 20
9 of 20
Puff Pastry Apple Pie
Cathal Armstrong tells of how a family friend came over for lunch one day and marveled at the apple pie his mother, Angela, had made. When her husband, Gerry, asserted that it must have been the apples he grew that made the pie taste so good, the friend said, "Angela, you tell him pastry like that doesn't grow on trees." Since puff pastry can be tricky to prepare, this version of Angela's pie uses a high-quality, store-bought puff pastry.
GO TO RECIPE9 of 20
10 of 20
Dutch Apple Pie
Grace Parisi finishes this perfect fall dessert with a delicious brown sugar streusel.
GO TO RECIPE10 of 20
11 of 20
Clay-Pot Tarte Tatin
Flameware is perfect for preparing this French tart, as an ordinary clay pot may not be able to withstand the high heat required to caramelize the apples.
GO TO RECIPE11 of 20
12 of 20
Apple Tart with Almond Cream
This thin, crisp pastry shell is filled with a layer of almond cream made from both finely ground and coarsely chopped nuts that give the tart layers of texture. The thinly sliced apples on top caramelize as the tart bakes.
GO TO RECIPE12 of 20
13 of 20
Apple Pie Sundaes with Cheddar Crust Shards
Using a slightly tart apple, like a Granny Smith or Pink Lady, is key to this frozen-yogurt sundae; sautéing brings out the fruit's sweetness. The crispy, salty cheddar crisps that accompany the sundaes are as good with cocktails as they are with desserts.
GO TO RECIPE13 of 20
14 of 20
Deep-Dish Apple Pie with a Cheddar Crust
The many layers of sweet apples contained in this pie are complemented by a savory, cheddar-enhanced crust.
GO TO RECIPE14 of 20
15 of 20
Apple Crostatas
This free-form tart is an easy, quick-to-prepare take on the iconic dessert.
GO TO RECIPE15 of 20
16 of 20
Fried Apple Pies
Fried apple pies have a filling of dried apples—you can add raisins if you like. The pies can be formed and refrigerated overnight, but fry them just before serving.
GO TO RECIPE16 of 20
17 of 20
Deep-Dish All-American Cinnamon Apple Pie
This pie—one of our 40 best recipes—gets its intensely apple-y flavor from macerating the apples in sugar for an hour. The liquid drained from the apples is simmered with a hit of butter until a syrup forms. That rich syrup is mixed with the apples, piled into the crust, and baked until tender and delicious. The pie is excellent the day it’s made, but even better the next day.
GO TO RECIPE17 of 20
18 of 20
Apple Pie à la Mode Ice Cream Sandwiches
Top Chef winner Kristen Kish designed this dessert to honor both of her grandmothers, one known for her apple pie and the other for her snickerdoodles. Kish folds spiced apple pie filling into vanilla ice cream, then sandwiches it between chewy snickerdoodle cookies.
GO TO RECIPE18 of 20
19 of 20
Deep-Dish Caramel Apple Pie
This mouthwatering deep-dish caramel apple pie from Kay Chun is drizzled with a luscious homemade caramel sauce and topped with a crunchy oat streusel.
GO TO RECIPE19 of 20
20 of 20
Apple Pie Filling
This super-easy filling is great for pie and turnovers. It also serves as a nice warm topping to spoon over vanilla or butter-pecan ice cream.
GO TO RECIPE