Apple Pie Filling

Course Dessert, Fruit Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple-pie-filling-recipe, easy-apple-pie-filling

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 189kcal

Ingredients

6 large Granny Smith apples (or 8 medium) peeled and cored, 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar *See Cook's Note
3 Tbsp apple juice or water
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp apple pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water for slurry additional as needed
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium bowl, toss cubed apples with lemon juice.
In a large pot or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. To the pan add apples, granulated sugar, water, cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt. Mix well.
Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes just until the apples are fork tender but still firm.
To Thicken: In a small bowl whisk together 2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp cold water. Whisk into the apples along with the vanilla extract.
Continue to cook over medium, until thickened. Repeat 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water at a time to thicken further.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or cool and freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

*Light brown sugar will give the pie filling a more caramel taste and flavor. You can replace it with granulated sugar using 1/2 cup total for the recipe.

To turn this into an easy Apple Crumb Pie or Dutch Apple Pie:

Make the pie filling per the recipe and cool completely. (Prepare a day ahead for a timesaver.)
Fit a 9 inch deep dish pie dish with a homemade or refrigerated pie crust and dock the bottom with a fork.
Cover with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake in a 375 °F oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and fill with apple pie filling and top with a crumb topping.
Lower oven to 350°F then bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the top is golden.
See my Apple Crumb Pie Recipe for reference here.

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