Apple Slab Pie is a classic dessert fit for a crowd! Sweet and tangy cinnamon-spiced apples are baked into our flaky all-butter pie crust and each bite is divine! This easy apple slab dessert is traditional, meaning it’s baked in a standard-sized, baking pan, and results in a more shallow, rectangular pie that’s perfect for larger gatherings.
From the gooey apple filling to the buttery crust and sprinkle of sugar to top it all off (don’t forget the ice cream!), this pie is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
- What Is A Slab Pie?
- Why We Love This Apple Slab Pie
- Sheet Pan Apple Pie Ingredients
- How To Make This Slab Apple Pie Recipe
- Serving Suggestions
- Helpful Tools
- Other Apple Recipes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Storage Options
- Some Other Pie Recipes We Love
- Tips for the Best Apple Slab Pie
- More Customer Favorites
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A Slab Pie?
Slab pies are wonderful if you’re baking a pie for a larger crowd. Since they’re baked in a standard quarter baking pan, it makes them super easy to cut and serve.
The dimensions are 10x14x1-inch, which will give you a large, rectangular pie that’s more shallow. However, it is still the epitome of everything we love about this classic American dessert!
Why We Love This Apple Slab Pie
That flaky, buttery pie crust. The tender, sweet and tangy apples. Cinnamon and sugar and a gooey filling. It’s perfection in every way, and just as simple to put together as a traditional version. You will love that this apple dessert is:
- The perfect dessert for sharing with a crowd any time, but especially in the fall or at the holidays.
- Sweet and full of flavor (thank you, butter crust)! Choose a variety of pie apples for best flavor.
- Easy to slice and serve. You never have that ‘first slice’ fiasco, common with round deep dish pies!
- Simple to prep. No pre cooking the fruit, just slice, toss with sugar and spices, then heap on the pie dough!
It’s true, we are big fans of pies of all kinds, especially this slab apple recipe version, and sometimes it’s hard to choose which one to go with.
And while all our other apple pies are amazing in their own way, this unique version is another great one to add to the mix. It fits nearly any occasion with a large gathering – from holiday parties to summertime barbecues and everything in between.
Sheet Pan Apple Pie Ingredients
The pastry crust we use for this apple slab is a variation of our all-butter pie crust recipe. It makes enough for the bottom and top crust, and bakes into a beautifully golden, flaky and buttery pie crust
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pie (see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for all of the ingredient amounts):
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cold butter, cut into small bits (for the crust and the pie filling)
- Ice water
- Apples
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon
- Cornstarch
- Ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
- Egg white wash (optional)
- Course sugar (optional topping)
You will also need a quarter baking tray and rolling pin. We like to use a mixed variety of sweet and tart apples for the best flavor profile when making this recipe.
How To Make This Slab Apple Pie Recipe
This is an easy pie to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
Prepare The Apples and The Pie Crust
- Prepare the pastry crusts: We used a food processor to make our pie crusts, but you can mix it by hand also. You can also use store bought pie crusts.
- Make the filling: After you mix the filling ingredients, set it aside while you roll the dough.
- Roll the dough: Roll out one dough disk and transfer it to a 10×14-inch sheet pan, pressing it into the pan. Pour half of the apple mixture onto the bottom crust and spread it evenly. Dot the top with bits of butter. Add the rest of the filling and squeeze remaining lemon juice over the top. Roll out the other dough disk and lay it over the apple mixture. Trim and crimp the edges.
- Assemble and bake the pie: Combine one egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush the top pie crust. Cut a few venting slits on top of the pie crust and bake.
Pro Tip: When baking fruit pies lay an aluminum foil covered baking pan on the oven rack beneath to catch any juices that bubble over.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this sheet pan apple pie any time of year, but it is especially popular during the summer July outdoor gatherings and during the fall and winter months. The warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon and fall fruit are perfect for chilly days, as well as being synonymous with Independence day celebrations.
There you have it, an apple pie perfect for any occasion! In our opinion, it’s best served warm with a scoop of ice cream on top (but aren’t all pies?).
Helpful Tools
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Other Apple Recipes
- Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie (The Best Apple Pie Ever)
- Apple Pie with Einkorn Crust
- Applesauce Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
- Apple Empanadas
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few substitutions and variations when making this recipe:
- Pie crust: You can use a homemade pie crust or a store-bought pie crust. If you are using a store-bought pie crust, be sure to thaw it according to the package directions.
- Crust variations: For a crumble pie, simply omit the top crust and sprinkle a mixture of oats, brown sugar, and butter over the top of the pie filling before baking. Other top crust variations are a lattice pie top crust, or a top crust with cut out pie dough cookie cutter shapes.
- Sugar: You can use granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar in this pie.
- Butter: You can use coconut oil, dairy-free butter, or margarine in place of butter.
- Fruit: You can add other fruits to the apples in this pie, such as berries, pears, or peaches.
Storage Options
- Store leftover pie covered with aluminum foil at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- To freeze a baked pie: Wrap the cooled pie tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil. To defrost, set in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- To freeze an unbaked pie: Wrap tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then bake according to the instructions in the recipe.
Some Other Pie Recipes We Love
This Chicken Pot Pie is a new twist on a classic meal! Wild rice and mushrooms add a hearty, earthy flavor to the pot pie filling and we top it off with a rich white wine sauce.
Sweet and nutty, every bite of this French Coconut Pie has a bold coconut flavor! It’s a simple pie to make and is best served with a spoonful of Homemade Whipped Cream.
Our Unsweetened Applesauce is perfect to add to baked goods like Apple Muffins and our Salted Cramel Apple Cake.
Ohhhh the combination of peaches and brown butter and bourbon. It really comes together to make The BEST Peach Pie ever! Brown butter lends the perfect depth of flavor to the peaches, and the bourbon and brown sugar add a hint of sweet molasses.
Tips for the Best Apple Slab Pie
- Let the hot pie rest at room temperature to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
- If your food processor or mixing bowl is smaller than 14-cups, divide the pie dough ingredients and make two separate batches of the pie crust crust.
- Slice the apples to about 1/4-inch thickness. A mandoline is the best way to get the apples to a uniform size which is important so the filling bakes evenly.
- Once the pie is in the oven, check on it after 45 minutes. If it’s becoming darker than expected, drape the top with aluminum foil.
- Bake the pie until you see the juices bubble up.
More Customer Favorites
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best flavor, use a combination of apple varieties. We specifically like a combo of Granny Smith, Gala, and Cosmic Crisp apples.
You don’t need pre-cook the apples for this recipe. They will get soft and tender during the bake time.
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Apple Slab Pie
Ingredients
For the Pastry Crust:
- 5 cups 600 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups 4 sticks cold butter, cut into bits
- 1 cup ice water
For the Filling:
- 10 large apples of mixed variety peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 lemon divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cut into bits
Optional:
- Egg white wash
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
For the Pastry Crust:
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter bits and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- With the processor running, drizzle in the ice water, then begin pulsing until the dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed.
- Tip the mixture out onto a floured work surface and divide it into two portions. Shape each portion in a flat disk, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or the freezer for 20 minutes.
For the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- In a large bowl add the sliced apples, squeeze the juice of 1/2 of the lemon and toss with the apples.
- In a small bowl add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Whisk the mixture together until well combined.
- Toss the sugar mixture with the apples and set aside.
Roll and Fill the Pastry:
- On a lightly floured work surface, unwrap and roll out 1 pastry disk to a 12×16-inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to a 10×14-inch sheet pan, pressing to fit into the pan.
- Tip half of the apple mixture into the pastry spreading evenly and distribute the butter bits evenly on top. Add the remaining apple mixture and squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon over the apples.
- Roll out the remaining pastry disk to an 11×15-inch rectangle and transfer to the top of the apple mixture. Trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 1-1/2-inch overhang around the pie. Fold the overhanging dough under and crimp the edges.
- In a small dish whisk together one egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush on top of the pastry crust. Cut a few slit vents on the top of the crust.
- Place the pie in the oven bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling in the vents, about 55-65 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- If you are using a food processor that holds less than a 14-cup bowl you will need to divide the pastry ingredients and make two separate recipes of the pastry crust, shaping and wrapping each one as it is mixed. The best flavored apple pie will come from combining several varieties of firm apples. We used a combination of 10 large apples: Granny Smith, Gayla, and Cosmic Crisp apples.
- The apples can be peeled, pared and sliced while the pastry is resting.
- Lemon juice or a tablespoon of Fruit Fresh in a water bath with the apples will keep them from discoloring. Remove the apples from the water bath, drain on a kitchen towel before tossing with the sugar and spices.
- A mandoline set on a 1/4-inch thickness will slice the apples to a uniform size and the pie filling will bake evenly.
- Set your timer for 45 minutes, check pie and if it is becoming darker than expected, drape with a sheet of foil.
- When the pie is done, there will be juices bubbling up through the vents, about 55-60 minutes.
James
Sunday 6th of February 2022
This is just delicious. My mother always put a powdered sugar glaze on this and I did the same. Gilding the lily to a degree but nothing wrong with gilding a lily!
Pat Nyswonger
Sunday 6th of February 2022
That sounds delicious, James! So pleased that you enjoyed the pie, thank you so much for your feedback, I will 'gild the lily' on my next slab pie ?