Homemade Apple Pie Filling

Homemade apple pie filling is perfect for all your fall baking this year! Great for pies, crisps, cakes and more. This delicious recipe is one of my favorite holiday staples!

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Filling

This flavorful filling can be used for so many different apple desserts. It has amazing flavor and tastes so much better than the jarred stuff. I even love to serve it over pancakes, vanilla ice cream or as a filling for crepes.

There’s nothing I love more than a warm slice of apple pie with homemade pie crust this time of year. Especially when it’s made with homemade apple pie filling. It tastes 100x better than the store bought canned pie filling in my opinion. I have to admit, I do use the canned stuff occasionally because sometimes convenience is needed. But if you have a little extra time, I promise the homemade version is worth the extra effort to make!

Recipe Ingredients

Just a few of the best ingredients to create an apple pie filling you can keep on hand.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Apples: Choose your favorite apple and away you go.
• Lemon: The acidity helps brighten the fruit.
• Sugar: Brown and granulated sugars are used to balance the tartness of the apples.
• Cornstarch: This helps thicken the filling and give it a bit of richness.
• Spice: Cinnamon and nutmeg add depth to the tart and sweetness of the filling.
• Salt: Just a pinch elevates the apple flavor.

Favorite Ways to Use it

• Pies: Use as a filling in my easy brown bag apple pie, Dutch apple pie recipe or apple cheesecake pie. This is also the perfect filling for hand pies.
• Crisps + Cobblers: Craving pie but don’t want to do all the work? Try making an apple crisp, apple cobbler or easy apple dump cake instead.
• Bars: One of my family’s favorites desserts are these apple pie bars drizzled with caramel sauce.
• Cupcakes: This is the perfect filling for cupcakes, especially these delicious apple pie cupcakes.
• Bread: This apple pull apart bread topped with a caramel glaze is what dreams are made of!
• Breakfast: It makes a delicious topping for apple crepes or apple cinnamon pancakes.

Best Apples for Pie Filling

I used a variation of apples we picked at the orchard, but below are my favorites to use when making this recipe. I’m usually too lazy to peel off the apple skins (ha), but feel free to peel them if you’d like before cooking them. I also like to dice my apples pretty small, but feel free to cut them into bigger chunks or slices.

• granny smith
• honeycrisp
• jonathans
• melrose

How to Make Apple Pie Filling

It doesn’t take long to create a great tasting filling.

1. SLICE. Cut the apples and then drizzle with fresh lemon juice.
2. MIX. Stir together the sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk in the water until everything has dissolved.
3. BOIL. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the apples and increase the heat to medium-high heat to bring the mixture to a full boil again.
4. SIMMER. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes.
5. COOL. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator to thicken.

Cooking Tips

• Feel free to cut the apples into slices if preferred.
• Don’t skip out on the cornstarch. It gives it that thick and gooey consistency.
• You can adjust the spices to your preference. I always add a little extra cinnamon for good measure. :)
• The longer you refrigerate the filling, the thicker it will be. I’d recommend refrigerating it overnight before using.

Storing + Freezing

I love to freeze this, along with my peach pie filling. Pour the filling into an airtight jar or container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 12 months.

More Apple Desserts to Try

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