Apple Pie Filling

Course Dessert, Fruit Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

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

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 189kcal

In a large 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.
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 brown. See my Apple Crumb Pie Recipe for reference here.

Apples - Granny Smith apples have a tart flavor and perfect texture for apple pie. You can use your favorite variety i.e. Braeburn, Mcintosh, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples, but please note each variety will cook differently and vary in sweetness, so you will need to make those adjustments accordingly.
Use Fresh Apples - Always choose apples that are firm with fresh stems and free of bruising or dark spots to make homemade apple filling.
Cube Versus Slicing the Apples - You can cube or slice the apples for this apple pie filling. When cubing as demonstrated in this recipe, think around 1/2-inch cubes. When slicing, around 1/4-inch thick apple slices. Slices are thinner and will cook more quickly than chunks.
Sugar - Using a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar will give the apples a more caramel color and flavor. You can omit the light brown sugar and use 1/2 cup total of granulated sugar (white sugar), if preferred.
Spice - Apple Pie Spice is a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger. You could adapt using ground cinnamon or make your own as see on this common Baking Ingredient Substitutions.
Flour -You can make a flour thickener instead of cornstarch. You'll need to dissolve it in cold water until completely smooth before adding it to the apples.