This flavorful, easy to make Apple Pie Filling recipe is a must have for the holiday season! Perfect for pies, cobblers, strudels, and more! Tastes SO much better than store bought!
Looking for more delicious apple recipes? Here are a few of our favorites: Apple Crumble, Caramel Apple Cupcakes and Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie.
Apple Pie Filling
Homemade apple pie filling is such a delicious and easy way to add a homey touch to all your baked goods this holiday season. This apple pie filling can be used right away, frozen or canned (see the recipe card at the end of this post for instructions.) It’s the perfect filling for apple pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, strudels, cobblers, crumbles… you name it!
This recipe calls for just six ingredients: apples, sugar, lemon juice, apple pie spice cornstarch and salt. It’s simple, quick to make and tastes sooo good! In fact, every time we make this apple pie filling recipe, we set aside a bit just to top a big scoop of vanilla ice cream with. Incredibly yummy and makes for a quick and easy dessert!
Making pie filling ahead of time as we approach the fall season ensures that I have what I need on hand throughout the holiday season. Apple pies are something we enjoy A LOT and make in abundance. Having the BEST homemade apple pie filling on hand makes my life so much easier!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Having apple pie filling on hand is a must!
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- Versatile. This recipe is obviously awesome for apple pies but also makes a delicious filling for crumbles and cobblers, strudels and cinnamon rolls and also serves as a delicious ice cream topping. Enjoy on pancakes, waffles, etc. You’ll find so many uses for this recipe!
- Make Ahead Magic. Whether you love canning apple pie filling or plan on freezing this recipe, it makes life so much easier when the holidays approach. Pulling out a jar whenever you need it is so great!
- Flavorful. A simple blend of spices using my homemade apple pie spice makes for a very flavorful and delicious apple pie filling.
What You’ll Need
Just six simple ingredients create the most fantastic apple pie filling! As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need…
- apples – I like to use a variety of apples when I make apple desserts. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Braeburn are all good options. You will need to peel and core the apples and then slice or cut into bite sized pieces.
- granulated sugar – The sugar adds the necessary sweetness to the apple pie filling. The amount can be increased or decrease depending on the sweetness of your apples.
- lemon juice – Adds freshness to the filling and reduces any browning that may occur.
- apple pie spice – You can use storebought apple pie spice or my Homemade Apple Pie Spice.
- cornstarch – This is added when you’re ready to make the pie. It creates a thicker filling that makes for nice and neat pie slices.
- salt – Enhances the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.
How to Make the BEST Apple Pie Filling
Peel, core, and slice apples. It’s a lot. Use one of these great apple corer and slicer tools to make this process go by quickly.
Now it’s time to cook the apples. You are going to want to use the largest stock pot that you have available. It’s going to seem like a crazy amount of apples, but bit by bit they cook down and look like this:
The fruit is brought to a boil and then simmers for just 5 minutes. Next it’s time to stir in the spices and lemon juice. To make things easy, I used my homemade apple pie spice. (If you’re not a fan of clove, I give measurements for using just cinnamon and nutmeg as well.)
The apples and juice are then ladled into hot jars (the jars are heating up in the canner while the apples are cooking)…
Once the lids are put on and the bands tightened, off to the canner they go. I am in LOVE with my Ball Electric Water Bath Canner – it’s seriously amazing!
The jars are processed for 30 minutes and then…
That’s it! The jars sit out overnight and then off to the pantry they go! Jars of the apple pie filling make excellent gifts! I used a cupcake liner, some twine, and a label to add a little pizazz. When this filling is made into an apple pie…whoah! My husband and kids both agree that this is the BEST APPLE PIE around!
What kind of apples should I use? Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Braeburn are all good options.
How thick should my slices be? 1/4 inch thick Apple slices for pie should be about 1/4-inch
Tips for the Best Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Use the right tools for the job. I think canning can be overwhelming the first, oh, ONE HUNDRED times you do it. But, if you have the right tools, canning can be fun and oh so rewarding. I’ve included lots of links to the tools I use in this post to help you out. This is also a great recipe to start with because it really is very simple.
- Read through the directions TWICE. Pull out all your tools and equipment before you get started. This will make the process more streamlined and easy to follow once you get going.
- I use my homemade apple pie spice to season this apple pie filling. Please, feel free to use your own blend of spices to get the flavor you want. Adding more or less of the apple pie spice is also okay.
- Using different varieties of apples can produce better flavor. I aim to have at least two varieties when I make the filling.
This recipe is very, very simple and I’ve provided what I hope to be detailed instructions on the canning process (which is easier than you might think!) but if this is your first time canning I highly recommend that you take a look at one or both of these Ball Canning Books: The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes and/or the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.
More Delicious Apple Recipes
The BEST Homemade Apple Pie Filling
The BEST Homemade Apple Pie Filling! Perfect for pies, cobblers, strudels, and more! Keep on hand for an easy holiday season! Makes a lovely gift too!
Course Dessert Cuisine American Keyword dessert Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour Servings 12 Calories 228kcalIngredients
- 6 lbs apples peeled cored, sliced (about 18 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Apple Pie Spice or 2 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Pie Assembly
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Fill your canner or stockpot halfway with water. Add cleaned jars to the water, filling the jars with water to make sure they don’t float. Heat water almost to a simmer.
The jars need to be hot when they are filled so just keep them in the hot water until they are needed.
Combine apples and sugar in the largest stock pot you have available.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and spices.
Using a funnel, fill the hot jars one a time. The jar and the apples will be hot so be careful.
Measure 1/2 – inch headspace (the space between the food and the top of the jar).
Remove any air bubbles by sliding a spatula between the jar and the apples. A bubble remover also works great.
Use a damp paper towel to clean the rim and threads of each jar.
Place the lid on the jar. Add the band and tighten.
Use a jar lifter to place each jar into the canner.
Water should cover the jars by one to two inches.
Place lid on the canner (or stockpot) and bring water to a full rolling boil.
Once at a full boil, set timer for 30 minutes.
Once the processing is finished, remove the lid and turn off the heat. Let the jars rest for 5 minutes before using a jar lifter to remove jars.
Place jars on a towel and let rest, undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Do not touch the lids or bands.
Check lids to make sure that they sealed properly. The center of the lid should not move up and down when pressed and the lid should not come off easily when you try to pull it off with your fingers.
Finally, remove the bands, add labels, and store in a cool, dry place. The apple pie filling is good for up to 1 year.
Pie Assembly
When you are ready to make a pie, drain about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of liquid from the filling into a large bowl. Whisk in corn starch and salt until nice and smooth. Add remaining apple pie filling to the bowl and and stir gently to combine.
Make pie according to directions.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 13.7mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Originally published August 27, 2016
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