Homemade Apple Pie Filling is the best fall dessert! Make apple pie filling from scratch for your next homemade pie! Delicious and easy.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy about affiliate links.
This Homemade Apple Pie Filling is so delicious and easy to make. Obviously it's indended to be used in pie, but you can use it for other recipes too. Sub the apples for peaches in this Peach Cobbler Recipe or substitute them in for the berries in these Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe!
I love to make a big batch of it and freeze it for my next few uses. It is a wonderful ingredient to always have on hand if you love to bake!
Apple Pie Filling from Scratch:
This tasty apple pie filling is perfect every time! Our homemade pie filling is generously flavored and much cheaper than store-bought filling.
Making your own apple pie filling ensures the ingredients are fresh, no added unnecessary ingredients and you can customize your recipe as you see fit.
why we love homemade apple pie filling
- Delicious: Some of the best recipes are simple and still have a ton of flavor. Even though this recipe is made with only a few ingredients it’s loaded with flavor.
- Quick: Don't be intimidated, this recipe comes together so quickly!
- Total Comfort Food: When you need something comforting, this is the ultimate recipe!
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients
To make homemade apple pie filling you'll need:
- Apples
- white sugar
- Water
- cornstarch
- butter
- Lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- sea salt
What kind of apples should you use for apple pie filling?
While choosing the perfect type of apple for pie filling may seem daunting, you should choose your favorite!
While some are better suited than others, here is a list of a few of the best apples for apple pie filling.
- Granny Smith Apples
- Honeycrisp
- Golden Delicious
- Jonathan
- Braeburn
The Best Way to Peel and Slice Apples for Pie Filling
First, wash and dry your apples.
With a sharp knife slice ¼ inch off the top and bottom of the apple
Next, using a vegetable peeler, peel the apples.
Cut the apple into 4 pieces to remove the core
Lastly, cut the apple into thin slices. Use any of these options.
- Mandolin - Be careful and use the hand guard. This will yield the thinnest slices.
- Apple cutter/corer - Cut into wedges, then cut the wedges into thinner slices.
- Knife - A sharp knife will make quick work on slicing apples as well.
How to Make Homemade Apple Pie Filling
Here's how to make homemade apple pie filling
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Toss the chopped apples with the lemon juice.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the apples to the saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add the apples and simmer until softened and thickened, about 20 minutes.
Storing Pre-Cooked Apple Pie Filling
Storing: Store cooked and cooled apple pie filling in an airtight container, Ziploc bag, or mason jar for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze apple pie filling?:
If you'd like to freeze the apple pie filling, whether you've made enough for one pie or two be sure to portion them out first.
Before freezing, allow the pie filling mixture to cool completely.
Store in a plastic freezer bag for 3-4 months.
Can you can apple pie filling?
Yes! If you have an abundance of apples you've picked with your family. Absolutely make loads of apple pie filling and can it.
While preparing the apple pie filling for canning may take a bit longer than you'd like to spend, it will cut down the time for making an apple pie in the future.
Make sure to follow an apple pie filling recipe that is meant for canning.
Substitutions for this Homemade Pie Filling Recipe:
Unsalted Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
White Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar unless you have to, but White sugar can be used interchangeably with brown sugar. You can add 1 teaspoon of molasses to white sugar to make brown sugar. Check out this post on Sugar Substitutes for Baking for other ideas.
Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Apples: Star of the show, we don't recommend substituting apples.
Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the filling, so it isn't liquidy.
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is essential in preventing oxidation of the apples, vinegar can do this as well as it is also tart and acidic.
Ground Cinnamon: Apple pie spice would be a tasty substitute or a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice.
Sea Salt: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Ways to Use Homemade Apple Pie Filling
Apple Pie Filling with Cornstarch FAQ
Slice your fruit and toss them in lemon juice. Add fruit, sugar, water, and thickener to a pan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and add your spices and extracts. Allow to cool. Then either use or store your pie filling.
The most common method is to pre-cook the apples. This ensures that the filling does not reduce in size during cooking and you end up having filling from bottom to top of the crust. Not pre-cooking the filling yields a slightly different pie. It is very important to vent the crust and really fill it up with apples to ensure that the pie is nice and full.
Adding lemon juice doesn't just brighten up the flavors, but it actually helps prevent the apples from turning brown. When apples sit out in the air they start to oxidate and using lemon juice or vinegar to coat them will protect them from the air by creating a barrier between the fruit and the air.
When baking your pie and it appears that its juices are bubbling out, that is a good sign that the filling is hot enough to boil. If you've used a thickener in your filling, boiling will activate the thickener. Be sure to leave the pie to cool for a couple of hours, this will allow the juices to settle and thicken further.
There are a lot of great ways to thicken up a pie filling. Flour and cornstarch are often the most common options for thickening agents where pie filling is concerned. You can also use xanthan gum or simply let the filling simmer, uncovered, for a longer period of time until the correct amount of liquid has evaporated from the mixture.
More Pie Filling Recipes You’ll Love
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Cranberry Pie Filling
- Apple Pie Filling
- Blueberry Pie Filling
- Homemade Peach Pie Filling
- Mini Cherry Pies
- Homemade Pie Crust
- Blueberry Bars
Homemade Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled + sliced apples
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Toss the chopped apples with the lemon juice.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the apples to the saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add the apples and simmer until softened and thickened, about 20 minutes.
Alexis
Awesome