Homemade Apple Pie with a Golden Lattice Crust
This homemade apple pie leans classic: tender apples, a lightly spiced filling, and a flaky lattice top that bakes up deeply golden. It’s a dependable dessert for holidays, potlucks, or any weekend when you want the kitchen to smell like cinnamon and butter.
Recipe at a glance
- Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie, 8 servings
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Chill time: 30 minutes
- Bake time: 55 to 70 minutes
- Cool time: at least 2 hours
- Total time: about 3 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
- 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 7 to 8 cups)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional
Instructions
- Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces remaining.
- Add the water: Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork until the dough starts to clump. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, only if needed. Divide the dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Mix the filling: In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss until the apples are evenly coated.
- Roll the bottom crust: On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough disk into a 12-inch circle. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess hang over the edge.
- Add the filling: Spoon the apple mixture into the crust and mound it slightly in the center. Dot the top with the small pieces of butter.
- Top with a lattice: Roll the second dough disk into a 12-inch circle and cut it into strips about 3/4 inch wide. Arrange the strips over the filling in a lattice pattern, then trim and crimp the edges to seal.
- Chill briefly: Place the assembled pie in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F. This helps the crust keep its shape.
- Bake: Brush the lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 35 to 50 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling in the center.
- Check for doneness: If the edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil during the last part of baking. The pie is ready when the apples feel tender when pierced through a vent and the juices are thick and bubbling, not watery.
- Cool: Let the pie cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing so the filling can set.
Tips, serving ideas, and storage
For the best texture, use a mix of tart and sweet apples so the filling tastes lively and holds its shape. If you want a slightly softer filling, bake the pie until the bubbling juices are active across the center, not just the edges.
Serve warm slices with vanilla ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or a slice of sharp cheddar for a classic sweet-salty pairing. Leftovers keep covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat slices in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warm.
Make-ahead: The dough can be made and chilled up to 2 days ahead, or frozen for up to 1 month. You can also assemble the pie and freeze it unbaked; bake from frozen, adding 15 to 20 minutes to the total bake time.
Easy variation: For a crumb-top version, skip the lattice and sprinkle the pie with a mixture of 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons cold butter cut into crumbs.
