Easy Homemade Apple Pie Filling Recipe

Sara Williams9 March 2026

4 minutes read

This homemade apple pie filling is cooked briefly on the stovetop so the apples shrink before they go into the crust. That means no gap under the top crust, a thick, glossy sauce instead of a watery puddle, and slices that hold together. Exact cup and gram measurements, pie baking temperatures in °F and °C and storage times are below.

Thick homemade apple pie filling with cinnamon-coated apple slices in a pot

Recipe at a Glance

Yield: about 6 cups, enough for one 9-inch deep-dish double-crust pie (8 slices)
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 10–12 minutes on the stovetop
Cooling time: about 1 hour (30 minutes if spread on a sheet pan)
Pie oven: 425°F (220°C), then 375°F (190°C)

Ingredients

3 lb (1.35 kg) firm apples, about 6–7 large (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold or a mix), giving about 9 cups sliced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons (24 g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt
½ cup (120 ml) water or apple cider
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Slice the apples

Peel and core the apples and cut them into ¼-inch (6 mm) slices. Toss them with the lemon juice in a large bowl as you go to keep them from browning.

2. Cook the sauce

In a large pot or Dutch oven (off the heat), whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the water or cider until no lumps remain. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture bubbles and turns thick and glossy.

3. Simmer the apples

Add the apples with any lemon juice from the bowl and stir to coat. Cover and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the slices are just pliable but still hold their shape with a slight bite. Uncover and simmer 1 minute more if the sauce looks thin.

4. Finish and cool

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Spread the filling on a rimmed baking sheet to cool faster, then let it cool to room temperature before filling a pie crust. Warm filling melts the butter in raw dough and leads to a soggy bottom.

5. Bake it in a pie

Spoon the cooled filling into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate lined with chilled bottom crust, add the top crust, crimp and cut 4–5 vents. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake on a rimmed sheet in the lower third of the oven at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes, then lower to 375°F (190°C) and bake 30–40 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and thick juices bubble through the vents. Cool at least 3 hours before slicing. For a crumb-topped (Dutch apple) pie, use a single crust and our streusel topping.

Best Apples for Pie Filling

Granny Smith: tart and very firm; the most reliable choice.
Honeycrisp: sweet, juicy and holds its shape well.
Braeburn, Jonagold, Pink Lady: balanced sweet-tart flavor and good structure.
Avoid alone: McIntosh and Red Delicious turn soft and mealy; mix no more than one-third of a soft variety with firm apples.

Troubleshooting

Watery filling: the sauce did not boil, so the cornstarch never thickened. Make sure it bubbles in step 2, and bake the pie until juices bubble through the vents.
Mushy apples: they were cooked too long or a soft variety was used. Stop when the slices bend but don’t break; they finish in the oven.
Gap under the top crust: raw apples shrink as they bake. Pre-cooking, as here, prevents it.
Cloudy or gummy sauce: too much cornstarch or cornstarch added without enough liquid. Measure by weight and whisk it into the sugar before the water.
Too tart or too sweet: taste a slice after step 3 and stir in up to 2 tablespoons (25 g) more sugar, or another teaspoon of lemon juice.

Storage and Freezing

Refrigerator: airtight, up to 5 days.
Freezer: cool completely, pack into freezer bags (lay them flat and press out the air) and freeze up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir before using.
Canning: this cornstarch-thickened version is meant for refrigerating or freezing, not for water-bath canning. Tested canning recipes use a modified starch called ClearJel and different proportions.

Other ways to use it: spoon it warm over vanilla ice cream or pancakes, layer it in a baking dish under the oat topping from our apple crisp with oats, or top it with a simple fruit crumble topping.

FAQs

How do I keep apple pie filling from being runny?

Bring the cornstarch sauce to a full bubble before adding the apples, pre-cook the apples so they release juice in the pot, and let the baked pie cool at least 3 hours so the juices set.

Can I use flour instead of cornstarch?

Yes. Use ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour in place of the cornstarch. The sauce will be slightly cloudy and less glossy, but it thickens well.

How many apples do I need for a 9-inch pie?

About 3 lb (1.35 kg), or 6–7 large apples, for a deep-dish pie. A standard (not deep-dish) 9-inch pie needs about 2¼ lb (1 kg); scale the other ingredients by three-quarters.