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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.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
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Last Updated on December 11, 2023
Great recipe. Made it with my boys. We added a tsp of nutmeg and 1/2 stick of unsalted butter. We removed 4 tbs of water. Also, we used tapioca instead of cornstarch. The flavor is great and you get a little puckery kick in the jaw area.
What a great recipe!!! I hated making apple pies, (my families favorite) until now. Thank you, Thank you for sharing your ideas!!
I am a bachelor, and love making jams, cobbler, strudel, and pie. I hate using recipes but love the ideas I get from reading them. I have been very successful using my own unconventional ideas. I never have very much to work with so I fly by the seat of my pants. I have got a really nice idea from this apple pie filling. I will be making two home made Dutch apple pies with my favorite Gala apples. The granny smith apple is something I will try sometime at about 10 percent. Thank you for helping me make my weekend baking much more fun. I love the late summer and harvest fall for jams and strudel. Cheers.
Can you can this recipe? I use Macintosh apples for my Apple Pie. But, they are only in AZ for a very short time. I was hoping I might be able to can them. Will you please let me know? Thank you.
Question, instead of the water and spices, could I get away with using Apple Cider? I have a bag of apples I wanted to use and excuse to make my favorite cider mix…Â
I just tried this today, and it’s literally sitting in my fridge now. Didn’t have time to go to the store, so I went into my pantry and improvised! Used cloves instead of nutmeg. That’s what I get for using it all in my most recent pumpkin pie, haha. Flour worked nicely still, as I was also out of cornstarch.
I tried it while it was warm and it was so divine and delicious. I can’t wait to make a pie with this apple filling. I think my boyfriend is going to LOVE it. Thanks so much Dorothy for this wonderful recipe! I will have to get my nutmeg and cornstarch for next time.
After you freeze it how do you cook it in the pie crust? Do you thaw it out first?
So easy and so good!
This recipe is on point!. Love it. It was easy to make. My family enjoyed it. Makes for a wonderful pie. Ummm good!
I absolutely love how this recipe came out! We needed to get rid of a bunch of apples and I figured a pie would be a good way. This recipe is simple and very easy to make yielding great results. Seriously, a bite of the filling and I’m debating whether it’s actually going to make it to the pie.Â
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