This Dutch apple pie recipe is a tender and flaky crust filled with sweetened apples, then finished off with a brown sugar crumb topping. Serve your apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and watch the rave reviews come in!
When apples are in season, I make the most of them by whipping up all kinds of recipes including apple crisp, baked apples, apple cobbler, charoset, snicker apple salad and this decadent and delicious pie. It’s the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted!
Apple pie is a classic dessert recipe for good reason – that combination of sweet apples, cinnamon and pastry just can’t be beat. This Dutch apple pie is my all-time favorite pie. It also happens to be quite easy to make!
You can enjoy this apple pie as part of a fall themed dinner with cider glazed chicken, roasted acorn squash, and fennel salad with apples and pecans.
Table of Contents
Dutch Apple Pie Ingredients
To make this Dutch apple pie recipe, you will need apple pie filling, a pie crust, butter, flour and brown sugar. See the recipe card below for amounts and details.
- Apple Pie Filling: I recommend making your own homemade apple pie filling. You can make this filling by simmering sliced apples with two types of sugar, lemon juice, water, cornstarch, nutmeg, butter and cinnamon. The linked recipe makes a sweet and delicious filling with perfectly cooked apples. If you are low on time, you can use store bought apple pie filling.
- Pie Crust: You can make your own pie crust or purchase a pie crust from the store. If you buy a pie crust, try to find one made with butter for the best flavor.
- Brown sugar: For this recipe you will want to use light brown sugar not dark brown sugar.
How Do You Make Dutch Apple Pie?
Start this Dutch apple pie recipe by preheating your oven. Next, make your apple pie filling or open your store bought filling. Place the filling in your pie crust. Next, make the streusel topping that puts the “Dutch” in Dutch apple pie. Place cold cubes of butter butter, brown sugar and flour in a bowl. Use 2 forks or a pastry blender to cut or mix the butter into the flower and sugar. After a little while the mixture will look like the familiar crumb topping. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the pie, then the pie goes into the oven to bake to golden brown perfection.
Tips For Dutch Apple Pie
- This pie can be made up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. I recommend serving your pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
- When you are preparing your streusel topping, make sure the butter is cold and right out of the refrigerator. The cold butter helps create the little crumbles of streusel that make a good, even topping.
- Bake your pie on a sheet pan or baking sheet, this will catch any drips or overflow from the pie.
- Let the pie cool a little before you serve it. The longer the pie cools, the more the pie filling juices and topping will set up and give you nice slices of pie.
Quick Tip
Don’t have time to make your own apple pie filling? Store bought canned filling will also work.
Recipe FAQs
The best apples for an apple pie have a nice, slightly tart flavor and are firm enough to keep their shape when baked. I like to use Granny Smith apples for Dutch apple pies because they are firm and their tart flavor pairs nicely with the brown sugar streusel topping. If you prefer, you can use other firm apples such as Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples.
Apple pie stays good at room temperature for about 2 days. You can keep your pie fresh longer in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you are ready to store your pie in the fridge, make sure to wrap it in plastic wrap, foil or place it in an airtight container. The topping in the Dutch apple pie may start to soften over time.
You can freeze apple pie and have it stay fresh for 6 months. I recommend cutting individual slices and keeping those slices separately stored in an airtight container.
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Flavor Variations
This Dutch apple pie is sweet, tart and delicious. However, you can add other fun flavors to customize the recipe to your taste.
- Fruit: You can swap in one cup of fruit such as peaches, pears, blueberries or raspberries for one cup of the apples. You can also use cherry pie filling instead of apples.
- Cran-Apple: Try adding 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries. If you add cranberries, make sure to increase the sugar in the filling by 1/4 cup.
- Nuts: Feel free to add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the topping such as candied walnuts, almonds or candied pecans.
- Caramel Apple: Add 1/2 cup caramel sauce to the filling for a caramel apple pie.
- Toppings: Feel free to top the pie with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. You could even pace a thin slice of a fresh apple on top. Feel free to sprinkle a little apple pie spice or ground cinnamon over your ice cream or whipped cream for an amazing presentation.
This apple pie has a sweet, crisp and crumbly topping that highlights the tart and wonderful flavor of the apples. This classic pie is one of my favorites that I love to make for holidays or any time I feel like a treat.
More Great Apple Recipes
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Slow Cooker Apple Cider
2 hrs 5 mins
Caramel Apples
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Apple Fries
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Caramel Apple Dip
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Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust homemade or store bought
- 1 recipe apple pie filling
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
Instructions
- Prepare the apple pie filling according to recipe instructions. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place a 9 inch pie plate on a sheet pan. Fit the pie crust into the pan, fluting the edges of the crust. Alternatively, you can use a frozen pie crust that's already in a pan (no need to thaw it).
- Pour the pie filling into the crust.
- Place the butter, flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Use two forks or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and sugar until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the pie.
- Bake the pie for 45-50 minutes, or until crust and topping are deep golden brown. Cool for at least 20 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- This pie can be made up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. I recommend serving your pie with a scoop of ice cream on top.
- When you are making your streusel topping, make sure the butter is cold and right out of the refrigerator. The cold butter helps create the little crumbles of streusel that make a good, even topping.
The flaky crust sounds great—do you suggest adding a pinch of nutmeg to the apple filling?
Nutmeg would be a great addition!
I just made this pie and omg is it good! I added a little extra cinnamon sugar to my canned pie filling and some brown sugar. And the crumble topping just makes it all come together. So yummy. Thank you.
This was such an incredibly tasty recipe and I did your cranberry version.