Searching for the perfect apple pie recipe? Look no further! This Double Crust Apple Pie is the one you’ve been looking for. What sets it apart?

It’s just a simple, old-fashioned apple pie with no fancy ingredients, just like Grandma used to make. Our recipe uses tart and sweet apples, creating a perfectly balanced filling. And we have a secret ingredient that keeps the pie from being too juicy!

A slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top sits on a plate. An apple, cinnamon sticks, and a second pie are in the background.

This Double Crust Apple Pie isn’t just delicious — it’s foolproof. With easy-to-follow steps and common ingredients, even novice bakers can achieve pie perfection. The double crust provides that satisfying flaky texture on top and bottom, while the cinnamon-sugar glaze adds a touch of sparkle and extra sweetness.

Whether it’s for a holiday dinner, a potluck, or just because, our Double Crust Apple Pie is guaranteed to impress. Ready to bake the apple pie that’ll have everyone asking for your secret? Let’s get started!

A golden-brown baked pie with a crimped edge sits on a marble surface. Three forks, a pie server, and a napkin are to the left, with sliced green apples on a cutting board to the right.

For something that should be so simple, Apple Pie was the bane of my existence for several years. Every time I made one, it didn’t turn out quite like I wanted it to.

Meanwhile, all around me, people who are not food bloggers obsessing over every little detail — like grandmothers — those people were making these beautiful, perfectly imperfect apple pies that everyone devoured.

So I decided I was overthinking the process. And that’s what I do a lot of times when I’m cooking, especially when it’s for this blog. I’ll make a dish multiple times that I’ve been making for years and that my mother, sister, and grandmother have been making for years, and I’ll obsess over trying to tweak it or make it better.

And ultimately, I end up thinking to myself, “Ok, so people made this blank 100 years ago. And they didn’t have a fancy food processor or blender or whatever convenience product. They didn’t know all this scientific research that says you should do it such and such a way. THEY JUST MADE AN APPLE PIE.”

That’s where we are now. I read so many articles and tips for apple pie: Cook the apples first. Don’t cook the apples first. Use flour. Use minute tapioca. Cut the apples a certain way. Refrigerate the dough. Freeze the dough.

You can literally come up with a list of at least 100 different tips to make the best apple pie. I finally gave up. I couldn’t keep up with what tips had worked, what had not, and what was left to try.

I put the notes away and just made apple pie.

And whether you want a Double-Crust Apple Pie, a Lattice-Topped Apple Pie, or a Dutch Streusel Apple Pie, you can probably do the same. Don’t overthink it. It’s not rocket science. It’s just pie.

Person with shoulder-length blond hair and blue glasses smiling indoors in front of a red brick wall.

I hope you’ll make this pie for your family. I think you’ll love it!

Lucy

A slice of apple pie with a golden crust, filled with seasoned apple chunks, is served on a white plate next to a fork. In the background, there are green apples.

What you’ll need for apple pie

➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Keep scrolling below the recipe card to get detailed how-to steps with photos, common questions, and tips for success.

Ingredients for a baking recipe arranged on a marble surface, including green apples, dough, sugar, spices, flour, butter, lemon juice, and other measured ingredients in bowls and measuring cups.

Double crust apple pie ingredients

  • Pie crusts: my easy pie crust recipe is perfect for this pie
  • Apples: I use a mixture of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples
  • Lemon juice: a little fresh lemon juice
  • Minute tapioca: this is going to help absorb juice from the apples
  • Ground cinnamon: just a little for flavor
  • Nutmeg: freshly ground is best!
  • Salt: just a pinch
  • Light brown sugar: adding more flavor with brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar: regular white sugar
  • Graham cracker crumbs: the secret ingredient to help absorb juices
  • Butter: don’t you always need butter?
  • Flour: just a touch

Glaze

  • Milk: any kind of milk is fine
  • Sugar: regular granulated white sugar
  • Cinnamon: just a touch for flavor
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4.80 from 5 votes

Double-Crust Apple Pie

Double-crust apple pie with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg and sweet apple filling between two flaky layers of pie crust.
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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A slice of double crust apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, served on a white plate. An apple and a striped cloth are in the background.

Ingredients 

  • 2 pie crusts
  • 8 apples – 4 Granny Smith, 4 Golden Delicious
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons minute tapioca
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Glaze

  • 1/2-1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425° and place rack on lower third position in oven. Cover a baking sheet completely with foil.
  • Roll out pie crusts and place one in pie plate. Place the other on parchment paper and put both crusts in refrigerator.
  • Stir together 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon for the glaze and set aside.
  • Peel and thinly slice apples into a large bowl. Add lemon juice and gently stir. Add tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, brown and white sugars, and gently stir to mix. Set aside.
  • Remove pie plate from refrigerator. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs around the inside of the crust. Using a slotted spoon, place half the apples in the dish and dot with half the butter. Spoon remaining apples into dish and top with the rest of the butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour.
  • Place the top crust over the apples and trim 1/2-inch beyond the edge of the plate if needed. Fold the top crust over the edge of the bottom crust and seal together. Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Cut slits in the top for steam to escape. Brush the top crust with milk and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top.
  • Put the pie on the baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then turn heat down to 375° and bake another 30-40 minutes, until the pie is deep golden brown and the juice is bubbling through the slits. Let pie cool on wire rack until filling has set, at least two hours and preferably more. Serve at room temperature.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 8servings, Calories: 437kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 3g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 241mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 39g
Course: Pies
Cuisine: American
Calories: 437
Keyword: double crust apple pie
Love this recipe?Mention @southernfoodandfun or tag #southernfoodandfun!

Update Notes: This post was originally published September 9, 2017, and on July 30, 2024, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.

How to make double-crust apple pie

  1. Step one: Peel and slice apples. I like to start with a mix of tart and sweet apples, usually Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. I peel the apples and slice them thinly, then add a little lemon juice, minute tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. That’s it for the filling — nothing fancy at all!
  2. Step two: Place apples in the bottom crust. When I place the apples in the dish, I add some dots of butter, and I like to sprinkle graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of the dish to help absorb moisture. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the apples, place the top crust on, and bake. See? Easy peasy!
A round pie crust is neatly placed in a pie dish on a marble surface. Nearby are a rolling pin, a measuring cup with flour, and a ball of unused dough.
A bowl of seasoned apple slices with a wooden spoon, next to green apples and a pie crust on a marble countertop.
Overhead view of an unbaked pie crust filled with seasoned apple slices and dotted with small butter cubes. Green apples and a bowl of sliced apples are visible nearby on a marble surface.
Unbaked apple pie with vent slits on top covered in dough, surrounded by green apples, a bowl of sugar and cinnamon, a knife, a pastry brush, and a cloth on a marble surface.

Tip:

Be sure to cover a baking sheet with foil to bake this pie on because some juices will overflow, and that can make the biggest, stickiest mess.

I inevitably miss a spot when sealing my crust or break the crust somewhere and end up having juices flow like lava. And the pie is still ok.

Hands holding a freshly baked golden-brown apple pie on a white and red striped towel over a cooling rack.

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A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans, stands in a kitchen with a brick backsplash and stainless steel appliances. She is smiling and resting her hands on the counter.

About the author

Hi, I’m Lucy! I’m a home cook, writer, food and wine fanatic, and recipe developer. I’ve created and tested hundreds of recipes so that I can bring you the best tried and true favorites.

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4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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4 Comments

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Lucy! What a classic-apple pie and who knew that so many factors add up to make the perfect one! I’m with you, I love autumn, sweaters, football, first fires in the fireplace and leaves flying through the air!! Bring it in! Hope to see you soon?

    Reply