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Homemade Apple Pie Filling Recipe – this easy recipe takes just a few minutes and tastes so much better than canned pie filling! Keep it in your freezer for when you want pie filling ASAP!
You never need to buy the can of pie filling again – just whip up this easy recipe to use for your pies or an easy side dish.
Best Apple Pie Filling Recipe
I never buy canned apple pie filling unless it’s for a recipe, because in all honesty, I don’t really like canned pie filling very much. Sure, I use it, because it’s easy and makes things like dump cake or slab pie even easier than normal, and you all love easy recipes. But then I realized something: I can make my own apple pie filling. It will taste better, be fresher, and I can use it in so many recipes (like the best apple strudel recipe or apple crisp).
This easy recipe is a cooked easy apple pie filling, made on the stovetop, and is perfect to use immediately, eat over the week, or freeze for later. Normally we make crockpot applesauce after we go apple picking, but this year we’re also going to make more apple pie filling too – and I’m going to use it to make my classic apple pie recipe.
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients
- Apples: I used Granny Smith apples because the tart/sweet combination is great, plus they’re more sturdy and can hold up to cooking. You can also use honeycrisp if you want.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens the pie filling
- Sugar: Granulated, for sweetness – but you can swap brown sugar if you prefer in equal amounts.
- Water: Gives the liquid to the filling – you could substitute apple juice or apple cider, but you’d want to reduce the sugar.
- Lemon: Adds a brightness to the flavor
- Spices: Cinnamon and Nutmeg are perfect for apple pie, you can also use pumpkin pie spice!
How to make Apple Pie Filling
- Place apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice. I don’t peel my apples and I usually do bite size chunks instead of apple slices, but you can do what you prefer. If you’re going to peel your apples, use an apple peeler or a sharp knife.
- Place sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan or large pot. Stir to combine. This makes a sort of cornstarch slurry.
- Add water and stir, then bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- I like to cover the pot to help this process along.
- Once the mixture boils, boil it for two minutes.
- Add the apples, turn to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the apples soften, about 5-8 minutes.
- Pour into jars to cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
Best Crust to use with this recipe:
This recipe is perfect when baked into my All Butter Homemade Pie Crust. Or make a completely no-bake pie using my graham cracker crust!
FAQs
This apple pie filling recipe is designed to cook and cool, then use in a pie or in anything else, or eat alone as a side dish.
This recipe uses corn starch so it is gluten-free.
I do not recommend canning this recipe because it uses cornstarch. You should never can anything thickened with cornstarch. This recipe can be frozen for later thawing and use.
Freeze in airtight containers – I prefer using plastic – for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator.
Homemade Apple Pie Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups apples peeled, cored, and diced
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 3 cups (711ml) water
- 1 ⅓ cups (267g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (42g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Place apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.
- Place water, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine then bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Once the mixture boils, boil it for two minutes. Add the apples, turn to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the apples soften, about 5-8 minutes.
- Pour into jars to cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
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Last Updated on December 11, 2023
Would love some better insight, now I’m just guessing.
How many does this make normal or deep dish?
How long do I bake it? What temp?
If you’re using it for a pie, you can make any size – there may just be some leftover. You can fill it to the top of the crust, just make sure to put the pie plate on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over.
This Apple Pie Filing Recipe is my absolute go to!
This is very good and I didn’t even have the lemon juice!
Can the pie filling be canned in a hot water bath to keep longer?
I haven’t ever canned, but it can be done, I just can’t tell you how to do it. 🙂
are the apples soft when they are cooked .i don’t like to have an apple pie with hard apples thank you
Yes as long as you cut them small/thin they’ll be not firm.
Want to make this, but one jar for what size pie….9″??
Once recipe is about perfect for a 9-inch pie, you may have a bit left over.
I love this and other fruit hot and on top of ice Cream~
This was so sweet it was INEDIBLE! My husband and I both had a slice and couldn’t even eat it, it was so sweet. I will need to scrape the filling out and make a different recipe. Use half of the amount of sugar called for…
I made this and it was good but had a jello consistency. Did i cook it too long or should i use a little less cornstarch?
Thanks!
Most likely less cornstarch is needed – or more liquid. However, it does get pretty jello-like after chilling. But if you bake it or stir it up, it’ll smooth out.
Could you use Splenda in place of the sugar in your Homemade Apple Pie Filling recipe?
My husband loves apple pie but he is diabetic.
Thank you.
I haven’t tried it – I need to! but I am 95% sure it will work just fine. If you try it will you let me know how it works?
My grandpa was diabetic and loved pies/crisps, we always used a sugar substitute, it took me a minute to get the amount correct but once i did it was delicious. Before he passed away we were using Stevia but im sure any of them would be great.
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