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This Deep Dish Apple Pie is the ideal fall dessert! It’s a buttery, flaky homemade pie crust piled high with tender, cinnamon-spiced apples, then baked to golden brown perfection. Here are all my tips to ensure a perfect deep dish apple pie every time.
Apple pie is probably the most classic fall dessert. But do you know what’s better than apple pie? DEEP DISH apple pie!
It’s a flaky, buttery crust piled impressively high with a sweet cinnamon-apple filling, then topped with a second crust.
Although all pie is delicious in my book, there is a special case for deep dish apple pie.
First, it is stunningly tall and golden, which always impresses guests. But more importantly, deep dish pie means, well… more pie! There is more crust and filling to go around for everyone. Plus, the crust to apple ratio is absolutely perfect.
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour – AP flour creates a tender, yet sturdy crust. Perfect for pie.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Shortening – Vegetable shortening has a higher melting point than butter, so it is easier to incorporate into your crust. Plus it helps the crust hold it’s shape.
- Butter – Butter is what gives the crust the best flavor! Make sure it is super cold before starting.
- Ice cold water – The colder the better. This is the key to flaky pie crust.
- Granny smith apples – These apples are a little tart, which balances out with the sugar in the filling. They hold up really well when baked.
- Honeycrisp apples – These apples are sweet and juicy, contrasted to the Granny Smith, but still hold up well when baked.
- Light brown sugar
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Cinnamon .
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground allspice
How to Make Deep Dish Apple Pie – Step by Step
Make the crust. In a food processor or by hand with a pastry cutter, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the cold shortening and pulse for a few seconds or incorporate with the pastry cutter. Then sprinkle very cold butter over the top and pulse or cut the butter with the pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed. Add in the ice water a little at a time, mixing gently until the dough is shaggy, but sticks together when you squeeze it. Divide the dough and pat into two equal discs, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the crust. Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll the dough around a rolling pin and gently unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough onto plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Roll other disc of dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter, then transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet; cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make apple filling. Toss apples, sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together in dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are tender when poked with a fork but still hold their shape, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool the filling. Spread apples and juices on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool completely about 30 minutes. This will help prevent it from overcooking of making a soggy crust.
Finish the filling. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Drain cooled apples thoroughly in colander set over bowl, reserving ¼ cup juice. Stir lemon juice into reserved juice.
Fill the pie. Spread apples into dough-lined plate mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with lemon juice mixture. Loosely roll remaining dough around rolling pin and gently roll onto filing.
Trim and crimp the crust. Trim overhang to ½-inch beyond lip of plate. Pinch edges of top and bottom dough firmly together. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate.Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Cut four 2-inch slits in top of dough. Brush surface with egg wash and sprinkle with additional sugar (up to 1 tablespoon).
Bake and cool. Place pie on aluminum-foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotate sheet, and continue to bake until juices are bubbling, and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Let pie cool on wire rack until filling has set, about 4 hours. Serve.
Recipe Tips
- Do Not Overwork Your Dough. You can make your dough by hand (in fact, you’re less likely to overwork it if you do). You can also use a food processor. Just be sure when using the food processor to pulse the dough together. If you just let it run for too long it can result in overworking the dough, which gives you a tough crust.
- Use shortening and butter. This pie uses my double pie crust recipe. By using a mixture of shortening and butter, it makes the crust both tender and flaky, yet also sturdy enough to hold lots of apple filling. A just butter crust will not be sturdy enough to hold its shape in such a deep pie.
- Use very, very cold shortening and butter. When butter and shortening melt, they interact with the flour in a particular way that results in a more bread-like dough. To prevent that, keep these ingredients as cold as possible.
- Use ICE cold water. Sensing a theme here? Pie crust is all about the COLD. If the water is too warm it will melt the butter and shortening. So ice cold water! I like to put a few ice cubes in my water and chill it down. Just don’t add the ice 😉
- For a thorough list on all my pie crust tips, check out this post: 20 Pie Crust Tips. You can also make a lattice top instead of a full crust. Here is a tutorial for How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust.
Tips for Making Deep Dish Apple Pie
- Cut the apples into uniform size pieces. Too thin and they will turn to mush, too thick and they won’t get tender. I cut my apples into ¼ inch thick pieces to get the perfect tender-crisp texture.
- Layer the apples in tightly. Sometimes it’s best to dump a little filling at a time, then use a spatula to arrange it so that there are as few air pockets as possible. Then repeat with the rest of the filling.
- Pile the apples high! If you’ve never made a deep dish pie, you may think this is too much filling. I promise it isn’t! Pile it all in there and be amazed at the final result.
- Use a pie plate that is at least 2 inches deep. If it is a very shallow plate, it will not hold all of the filling.
Recipe FAQs
You want to use apples that don’t disintegrate when baked. I also like to combine a tart and sweet apple, so I used Granny Smith and honeycrisp apples in this recipe. My other go to apple for pies are Cortland apples, and Golden Delicious would also be great. For other good apple options, read my post on all The Best Apples for Baking.
You could definitely skip making the pie dough part if you are short on time or just want something simpler. Use a store-bought pie crust and this pie is ready in no time.
Yes, apple pie filling freezes nicely. I suggest cooking the filling, then cooling thoroughly without draining it. Then freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before you need it. Before baking, drain the filling and reserve 1/4 cup of liquid, exactly as called for in the recipe.
Oh yes! It’s one of my secret to getting ahead of the Thanksgiving cooking craziness.
If you want to get a jumpstart on your holiday baking, then freezing your pie is your best bet. After you assemble your pie, you want to freeze the pie uncovered until it’s frozen. It’s best to freeze in a metal or ceramic pie plate. A glass pie plate may break going from freezer to oven.
One frozen, wrap in 3 layers of plastic wrap and then in a final layer of tin-foil. Be sure to label the pie with what it is, date frozen, and baking instructions. When you are ready to bake, you do not need to thaw it. Un-wrap the pie and bake straight from the freezer according to the instructions. You may need to add a few additional minutes of baking time at the end for the pie to bake through completely.
More Recipes to Try
Also check out –> 15+ Apple Recipes To Make This Fall
Deep Dish Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for double-crust pie dough
- 2½ pounds Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2½ pounds honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling on top
- ¼ cup (54 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- â…› teaspoon ground all-spice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the crust according to the directions here.
- Roll out 1 portion of dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter. Transfer pie dough to a 9-inch pie plate. I like to do this by rolling the pie crust over my rolling pin and then rolling out over the pie plate. Gently press crust into bottom and up the sides, letting excess dough hang over edge of the pie plate. I Loosely cover pie crust with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the apple pie filling.
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, stir together sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Allow apple mixture to cool completely, about 30 minutes. You can speed up this process by spreading the apple mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. set a colander over a mixing bowl. Drain the apple mixture into the colander. Save ¼ cup of the drained juice. Stir lemon juice into reserved juice.
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet onto the lowest rack, to heat while you finish preparing the pie.
- Spread apples into pie plate, mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with reserve apple juice mixture. Roll out second portion of dough into a 12-inch circle and place over the apple filling.
- Trim excess pie crust to 1/2-inch excess overhang. Fold the top crust edges underneath the bottom crust edges. Crimp edges with fingers, or with a fork to seal. Cut 3-4 slits into top of dough. Brush surface with egg wash and sprinkle with additional sugar.
- Place pie onto the heated baking sheet and bake at the 425°F for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F, and continue to bake until filling is bubbling, and crust is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. If pie crust edges are getting too brown, cover with foil or a pie shield. Let pie cool on wire rack until filling has set, about 4 hours, before serving.
Notes
- Do Not Overwork Your Dough. You can make your dough by hand (in fact, you’re less likely to overwork it if you do). You can also use a food processor. Just be sure when using the food processor to pulse the dough together. If you just let it run for too long it can result in overworking the dough, which gives you a tough crust.Â
- Use shortening and butter. This pie uses my double pie crust recipe. By using a mixture of shortening and butter, it makes the crust both tender and flaky, yet also sturdy enough to hold lots of apple filling. A just butter crust will not be sturdy enough to hold its shape in such a deep pie.Â
- Use very, very cold shortening and butter. When butter and shortening melt, they interact with the flour in a particular way that results in a more bread-like dough. To prevent that, keep these ingredients as cold as possible.
- Use ICE cold water. Sensing a theme here? Pie crust is all about the COLD. If the water is too warm it will melt the butter and shortening. So ice cold water! I like to put a few ice cubes in my water and chill it down. Just don’t add the ice 😉
- Cut the apples into uniform size pieces. Too thin and they will turn to mush, too thick and they won’t get tender. I cut my apples into ¼ inch thick pieces to get the perfect tender-crisp texture.Â
- Layer the apples in tightly. Sometimes it’s best to dump a little filling at a time, then use a spatula to arrange it so that there are as few air pockets as possible. Then repeat with the rest of the filling.Â
- Pile the apples high! If you’ve never made a deep dish pie, you may think this is too much filling. I promise it isn’t! Pile it all in there and be amazed at the final result.Â
- Use a pie plate that is at least 2 inches deep. If it is a very shallow plate, it will not hold all of the filling.
Anna says
We made it yesterday and it was HIT! I love how much filling there is in this pie, it was a perfect ratio of pie crust and apples! Your instructions are so helpful and easy to follow, thanks so much for this recipe!
Heather says
Glad you found it helpful, and so glad it was a HIT! 🙂 Yes so much filling, but so delicious!
Kushigalu says
Apple pie is my all time favorite. This looks so delicious and the crust looks so flaky. Thanks for sharing
Heather says
Thank you for the lovely comment…you’re welcome 🙂
Linda says
This apple pie is all I need especially that crust! So flaky and perfect for this pie
Heather says
Thank you Linda!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
Looks so good that I am drooling at your images and cant stop gazing at it. Definitely on my to do list.
Heather says
aw thank you Gunjan!
AISilva says
This pie was so deep and full of apple and apple flavour, it was amazing! My whole family loved it and I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you!
Heather says
Music to my ear AlSilva! I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Amanda Dixon says
This is the perfect apple pie! The crust was so buttery and flaky, and I love how the apple filling had just the right spice kick.
Heather says
aw thank you for the kind words Amanda! I’m so glad you loved this pie as much as we did!
Leslie says
Just look at those LAYERS of apples in this deep dish pie recipe! This is perfect in every way!
Heather says
Thank you Leslie 🙂 Yes it’s alll about the layers!
Allyssa says
Taste really amazing! Will have this again! Thank you so much for sharing this apple pie recipe! Really helpful and easy to make!
Heather says
You’re welcome Allyssa, I’m so glad it turned out amazing for you!
Bobbie Jo Shockley says
We made this and it was awesome!!!
Heather says
Aw I’m so glad you loved it Bobbie Jo!
Christine Price says
By far the best apple pie I have ever made! All the helpful information and tips helped guide me throughout the process, and clearly the daily email focus was exactly what I needed. I even managed to end up with my first beautifully done lattice work crust. My guests thought I had picked it up from the bakery!
Heather says
Oh that makes me so happy to hear Christine! Your photos you sent me were beautiful, I can see why the thought it was from a bakery! And I’m so glad you liked the e-mail series too!!
Farrukh Aziz says
This the right time I see your apple pie, and indeed nothing is better than the buttery crumbly homemade pie. I made it and it turned out super duper good, just that, as I love the lattice top, I went with that for the top crust. Thank you so much for sharing this Heather ! 🙂
Heather says
Thanks Farrukh! I’m so glad you loved the pie!! And good for you for tackling the lattice crust 🙂
Amanda says
This is the best apple pie! The filling had the perfect spice kick, and I love how impressive all those layers looked. It’s a stunner and so, so delicious!
Heather says
Thank you Amanda! So glad you loved the pie!
Marisa F. Stewart says
When I saw the deep dish pie with that amazing crust I knew what I’d do with the apples I had sitting on the counter. I can honestly say that the crust was a dream come true and the filling had just the right amount of sweetness and spice. I’ll be making it again for Thanksgiving. This was just a trial run and we’ve already eaten the pie.
Heather says
Aw that’s awesome to hear Marisa! So glad you loved the pie!
Tammy says
My goodness what a gorgeous pie! I love deep dish pies…this is a perfect recipe for the holidays. Mmm now I’m craving apple pie ^_^
Heather says
Thanks Tammy!! Yes this is a perfect holiday pie 🙂
Anna says
It doesn’t get much tastier than this homemade apple pie! I’ve tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out utterly delicious! The crust is so perfectly crumbly and buttery, and the filling is full of warming and fragrant flavours! Thank you for sharing this recipe, definitely making it again soon!
Heather says
Aw thanks Anna!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Marta says
I love apple pie and LOVE deep dish apple pie even more. You made the recipe easy to follow and satisfying, It was even better for breakfast with my coffee. Thanks
Heather says
Glad you liked the pie Marta! I’m glad I’m not the only one who eats pie for breakfast LOL. 🙂
Valerie Skinner says
One of my biggest complaints about apple pie is that there’s never enough filling! This completely solves that problem and I can’t wait to make it for the holidays. Thanks for a great recipe!
Heather says
I agree Valerie! The more the better 🙂 You’re welcome!
Kathryn Donangelo says
This is the best deep dish apple pie I have made, the crust was so delicious and buttery and the apples had the perfect amount of spice! It was a great way to use my leftover apples and I’m so happy I am going to make this for the holidays!
Heather says
Aw I’m so glad you loved the pie Kathryn! It’s a great way to use up those apples for sure!
dishnthekitchen says
Now that’s a great looking classic Apple Pie. Once I started making my pastry in a food processor, I never looked back. An informative and useful post for aspiring pie bakers!
Heather says
Thank you! Yes the food processor makes the crust process SO wonderfully fast 🙂
Colleen says
Great step by step pie making instructions! This pie looks perfect. The crust is so flaky and tender. Delicious!
Heather says
Thanks Colleen!