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Homemade apple pie filling is simple and easy to whip up, and tastes thousands of times better than store bought filling! Use it in your holiday pies, on top of waffles and pancakes, add into cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, or as filling for cakes and cupcakes. It's so versatile.
My family and I went to a local apple orchard (can you simply feel the excitement? Y'all knew I was sick of Florida!) picked every apple tree clean and we ended up with an abundance of apples. A whole bushel! So you know what time it is: it's time to bring you the best homemade apple pie filling. And apple butter. And a Thanksgiving apple pie recipe or two. Y'all already know.
Having apple pie filling on hand will make your holiday season a breeze, and it's best to have a cooked filling because when you're making apple pies (or apple empanadas, chiiiiile those are good...) if you don't pre-cook the apple filling, you run the high risk of having watery, runny apple pie.
Besides a bland, dry turkey recipe (which I have the antidote for, btw. You should totally check out my Spatchocked Thanksgiving Turkey if you want a super juicy bird) I can't think of anything that'd ruin Thanksgiving more than sad dessert.
Cooking your apple pie filling ensures that your apple pies don't have that awful gap between the filling and the crust, and having it on hand will make your holiday season a breeze since it's already ready for a pie crust!
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Choosing the Right Apples for Apple Pie
Your filling needs the right apples, otherwise you'll end up with applesauce. Some varieties, like Gala, Macoun, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh, will break down in the pie and be more like apple sauce.
Which sometimes isn't a bad thing, that adds more pectin and whatnot, making for a thicker filling that helps the firm apples set. But that means you need the apples that will keep their shape and give you the best apple flavor.
You'll need a variety of apple types for a great blend of flavors. The favorite apples for apple pie are granny smith apples, but it has such a tart flavor so we want to mix in sweeter or even spicier apples.
A few of my favorite kind of apples for homemade pie filling are braeburn apples, Jonathan apples, honeycrisp apples, empire apples, and Fuji apples. They hold their shape, they have firm flesh, are sweet (in the case of the Jonathans, they're a little spicy!) and are perfect to showcase that glorious side shot of a classic apple pie with those lovely sliced apples.
How to Make Apple Pie Filling from Scratch
Let me be honest with you...store bought apple pie filling is trash. There, I said it! It's trash! It always tastes sour and chemical-ish. Homemade is so much better, you get to control what's in it, it tastes way, way, better...it's just hard facts.
And my apple pie filling? It's the best one you'll make. Absolutely simple, not-fussy, full of spices and flavor, can be canned and frozen, is useful in so many ways AND all done in less than 30 minutes.
I know, it's crazy. Now drop the grocery store can and let's get down to this easy apple pie filling recipe, honey.
Ingredients
Fresh apples. Peel and core your apples before cooking them down. I have an amazing apple peeler that also cores and slices at the same time. It's really cute, saves SO much time and makes me feel rustic AF. Fall vibes all day.
Brown Sugar. I like my own apple pie filling to be more 'caramel apple' in flavor, especially in the fall months, and the brown sugar definitely gives us that rich caramel flavor.
Lemon Juice. I also like including the lemon zest because 'hello, flavor!' but the lemon juice cuts all that sugary sweetness with some good acidity while the zest gives us some good lemony flavor.
Spices. It's not apple pie without warm spices, is it? Many an apple pie filling recipe just uses cinnamon, but I consider my perfect apple pie spice blend to be cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and just a dash of cardamom. Seriously, if you've never used cardamom in your fall baking, you need to try it now!
Apple Cider. This gives us that beautiful flavor it's known for, it also gives us more liquid for the filling instead of relying on the raw apples to give enough to make our filling nice and juicy (surprise, they won't!).
Also, for the love of all that is holy, please don't use apple cider vinegar. I'm not telling you to use apple cider vinegar I need you to go get the apple cider that's in a half gallon jug, probably in the refrigerated section. Again do not use apple cider vinegar. We want the 'juice', not a vinegar! If you can't find apple cider, apple juice will work as well.
Cornstarch. This is our thickening agent for our pie filling. It is basically guaranteed to work, unlike messing around with flour, and it gives us a clearer filling as well. No worries about clumps of dry flour, lumps hidden in the filling, nothing.
Vanilla Extract. Trust me, you'll taste the filling and say 'something is missing, it just doesn't taste right' without the vanilla extract. I use a whole tablespoon for this recipe, but just like with garlic in savory dishes you want to 'use your heart' here, honey.
Butter. I usually add this right at the very end, while it's cooling down, off the heat. Butter adds the luxuriousness, that richness we are looking for. If you want your own pie filling to be dairy free, omit the butter. It'll work just fine.
Instructions
Macerate the apple slices in a large bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and zest, and spices. To macerate means to soften and soak in sugar and liquid, but it also helps draw out some of the liquid in the raw apples slices and replace it with the flavors of the sugar and spices.
Next, cook the apples down in a large dutch oven (don't forget to scrape that bowl of all the liquid!) with the apple cider. You don't want to cook them all the way down if they're going right into a pie (because they'll finish in the oven), but if you're using this for something like a quick dessert, or an ice cream topping, cook them until tender.
Add in the cornstarch slurry. I use ¼ cup cornstarch and stir ¼ cup apple cider into it to make the slurry. This is how you ensure there are no lumps and the cornstarch completely incorporates into our filling. Give a good stir and watch the filling thicken up right before your eyes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Let cool slightly if canning or let cool completely before storing in other ways!
And yes, this recipe makes A LOT. It's enough filling for a deep dish apple pie, two apple crisps, a ton of apple hand pies, you name it. Half all the ingredients if you don't want literally 7 pints of apple pie filling.
Storing Homemade Filling
Apple pie filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, so it's great for your Thanksgiving Day game plan.
You can also freeze it in an airtight container, mason jar, or zip top freezer bag, just leave a half inch headspace (empty space) to allow for expanding when it freezes.
How to Can Apple Filling
- Prepare your water bath canner.
- Sterilize seven pint size mason jars or 4 quart size jars and lids in boiling water, then reduce to a simmer while you're making the pie filling.
- Ladle the hot apple pie filling, using a wide canning funnel, into the hot jars leaving about 1 inch headspace.
- Remove any air bubbles with a butter knife or tapping gently on a kitchen towel on the counter, then wipe any filling off the rim and the jar. If you don't, you'll end up messing with your seal.
- Center lid on the jar and screw on band until fit is fingertip tight. What's fingertip tight? It's basically as tight as you'd screw the lid back onto a jar of jam or mayo or something.
- Process the jars in your water bath canner for 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars and let them completely cool on a cooling rack for at least 24 hours.
- Check the lids for seal after 24 hours, they should not pop or flex when you push it.
Easy Homemade Apple Pie using your Pie Filling
After the pie filling has cooled, simply place an unbaked pie crust into the bottom of a pie plate. Pour the apple pie filling into the crust to the top of the pie plate and top with the second crust.
Crimp the edges, vent the top by making slits in the top crust, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 425°F. Let cool for about an hour before serving a slice topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This cooked apple pie filling is simple and absolutely delish and you know you're about to have two batches canned and waiting for the next holiday!
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Easy Homemade Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- 1 cup apple cider
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, apple slices, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg. Toss the apples thoroughly in the spiced sugar mixture until well-coated; let macerate in the bowl for 10 minutes.
- Dump the apples and the accumulated juices into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Pour in ¾ cup apple cider, and begin cooking the apples down until softened for 15 minutes.
- Once softened, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing together the cornstarch and remaining apple cider in a small bowl with a fork until smooth, stir into the apple mixture, and let thicken.
- Add the kosher salt and vanilla, stir, and turn off the heat. Stir in the unsalted butter, and let the apple pie filling cool for 5 minutes before canning, or let it cool completely before storing or using in a recipe. See notes for the different ways to store your apple pie filling.
Recipe Notes
How to Can Apple Pie Filling
- Prepare your water bath canner.
- Sterilize seven pint size mason jars or 4 quart size jars and lids in boiling water, then reduce to a simmer while you're making the pie filling.
- Ladle the hot apple pie filling, using a wide canning funnel, into the hot jars leaving about 1 inch headspace.
- Remove any air bubbles with a butter knife or tapping gently on a kitchen towel on the counter, then wipe any filling off the rim and the jar. If you don't, you'll end up messing with your seal.
- Center lid on the jar and screw on band until fit is fingertip tight. What's fingertip tight? It's basically as tight as you'd screw the lid back onto a jar of jam or mayo or something.
- Process the jars in your water bath canner for 25 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars and let them completely cool on a cooling rack.
- Check the lids for seal after 24 hours, they should not pop or flex when pushed.
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