Our Caramel Apple Pie recipe is apple pie extraordinaire. We’ve created the ultimate caramel apple pie with a few specific techniques to get the best flavor and texture! We’re talking extra caramel, intense apple flavor, and no soggy bottom crust.
You’ll get a caramel apple pie with sweet, tender apples and a flakey, all-butter pie crust.
Oh, and let’s talk about that caramel! There’s a layer of our homemade salted caramel sauce inside the pie, plus a drizzle (more like a very hefty pour) of caramel on top. It’s holiday dessert perfection in every way.
This easy caramel apple pie is unlike any apple pie recipe we’ve shared. Yes, we still love our Apple Pie with Einkorn Crust and our Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel. But if you love caramel and apples, this sweet and indulgent spin on apple pie is hard to beat!
Why you will love our Caramel Apple Pie
To get the very best texture, in both the crust and filling, we have a few tricks up our sleeves that we’re happy to divulge! They’ll give you amazing results.
Our caramel apple pie is:
- packed with flavor from the sweet apples and salted caramel sauce
- buttery and flaky, made with our all-butter pie crust that turns a beautiful, golden color
- an impressive dessert for your holiday table that everyone will love!
Top this caramel apple pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, more salted caramel sauce, and the holidays just got a whole lot merrier.
For more delicious fall baking, try our caramel apple cake, apple ginger muffins, or my favorite pear cake.
The Ingredients
If you’re a novice at homemade apple pie, don’t worry. While there are a few steps involved, it’s overall an easy caramel apple pie recipe that makes a fun baking project.
You will need:
- Caramel sauce, either store-bought or homemade*
- Double crust pie crust
- Apples
- Lemon juice
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground allspice
- Salt
- Cornstarch or instant Clearjel
- Granulated sugar
- Egg or cream and turbinado sugar (optional finishing touches for the pie)
*If making caramel sauce sounds too technical, you can make our butterscotch sauce. It is basically caramel sauce made with brown sugar but the acidity in the brown sugar makes it so much easier to make than regular caramel sauce.
How to make Caramel Apple Pie
When it comes to the caramel, there are a couple of ways to go about this, and both work out great! You can choose to use our homemade salted caramel sauce or go with a store-bought caramel to simplify the process.
If making homemade caramel, prepare the sauce ahead of time or you can make it right before you start on the caramel apple pie.
Here is a quick overview so you can get an idea of the process. Scroll down to our printable recipe card for all the details.
- Prepare the apples. Let them sit in the sugar mixture for 30-40 minutes so their juices pool at the bottom of the bowl.
- Concentrate the juices. Drain the juices into a saucepan and simmer until it has reduced by half and slightly thickened. Pour it back in with the apples. Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch (or clearjel) and sugar in a small dish, then add it to the apples and toss to evenly coat them in the thickener.
- Assemble the pie. Roll out the bottom pie crust dough and place it in the pie dish. Pour the apple mixture in and drizzle 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the apples. Place the top crust over the filling. Trim and crimp the edges of the pie crust. Brush the top with egg or cream and sprinkle on sugar.
- Bake the pie. Bake at a high temperature for the first 20 minutes to set the bottom of the pie crust then reduce the temperture. Let the pie cool completely before slicing (about 4 hours or overnight). Serve each slice with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- Using cornstarch or clearjel as the thickener doesn’t muddle the flavor of the apples like flour can.
- Place the pie dish on a baking sheet to catch the juices if they bubble up and spill out of the pie dish.
- How do you keep the bottom crust of apple pie from getting soggy? To prevent the soggy pie bottom, bake the pie in the lower third of the oven. This helps the bottom crust get crisp. We also increase the oven temperature for the first 20 minutes.
- Do you cook applies before putting the in a pie? No, there is no need to cook the apples before baking the pie. The bake time will cook the apples thoroughly!
- To prevent a watery pie, make sure the pie cooks until the juices bubble up for at least 10 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before slicing it as the juices will thicken more as it cools. Apples naturally have a lot of pectin that will thicken the pie, but the pectin needs to get hot enough to activate and cool completely to thicken.
- What are the best apples for apple pie? Any variety of apple will work in our caramel apple pie recipe. Some of our favorites include Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Gala, and Pink Lady apples.
- How to store apple pie: You can keep the apple pie at room temperature for a couple of days or store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Each slice of this easy caramel apple pie is dreamy, and this pie makes the perfect dessert for any holiday gathering! Don’t forget the ice cream if you like apple pie a la mode. In our opinion, ice cream is a must! Especially when there’s extra caramel sauce involved.
Happy baking and enjoy!
Helpful Tools
Some of the following are affiliate links. If you click on these links and purchase something, we may receive a small commission. You don’t pay any extra but it will help us keep the lights on.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
We use puff pastry for these apple ginger hand pies which simplifies the process! They are sweet, delicious, and tender and best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This rich Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie is incredible in every way! Thick, soft, and gooey, the creamy butterscotch filling makes an indulgent treat. And our turtle pie is just as decadent.
Skip the store-bought stuff and make your own Homemade Whipped Cream! Our fool-proof recipe results in a fluffy, creamy and rich whipped cream that holds its shape.
This all-purpose, everyday chocolate cake recipe will become your go-to! It’s tender, moist, and indulgent, with a light chocolate buttercream that tops it all off perfectly.
Connect With Savor the Best:
Please follow us on our social media accounts
Facebook * Instagram * Pinterest * Youtube * Twitter
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below.
Caramel Apple Pie
For the ultimate caramel apple pie, we incorporated several techniques. First, we let the juices from the apples accumulate in the bowl then concentrated them in a saucepan. The concentrated juices gave the apples an extra layer of caramelized flavor AND prevented the bottom crust from getting soggy.
Next, we drizzled caramel syrup over the apples prior to baking the pie then served the pie with extra caramel sauce.
Finally, we found that using cornstarch or clearjel as the thickener let the apple flavor shine and didn’t muddle the flavor like flour often can.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups caramel sauce, homemade or storebought
- 1 double crust pie crust recipe
- 7 to 8 large apples
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 teaspoons cornstarch or instant clearjel
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Finishing touches:
- 1 egg, whisked or 2 tablespoons cream
- 2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar
Instructions
If you are using homemade caramel sauce, make the sauce before you begin with the pie recipe. Set the caramel sauce aside while you prepare the pie. We used our salted caramel sauce but storebought sauce also works great.
Prep the apples:
- Peel core, and slice the apples. You should have about 8 to 9 cups of sliced apples.
- Add the apples to a large bowl and toss them with the lemon juice.
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add the sugar mixture to the apples and toss to coat them in the sugar. Let the apples sit for 30 to 40 minutes until there is a pool of juices on the bottom of the bowl.
Preheat the oven:
- Spray a pie dish with nonstick spray. Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Concentrate the juices:
- Drain the juices from the apples into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half. It should look slightly thickened but still have a runny consistency and be able to drizzle off a spoon easily.
- Add the juices back to the apples and stir to combine.
Add the thickener:
- Combine cornstarch (or clearjel), and granulated sugar in a small dish, then toss into the apples. Stir until the apples are completely coated in the thickener.
Assemble the pie:
- Roll out the dough for the bottom pie crust and place it in the pie dish.
- Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust, mounding them slightly in the middle.
- Drizzle 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the apples. Save the rest of the caramel sauce to serve with the baked pie.
- Roll out the dough for the top crust and place it on top of the apple filling (or cut strips and create a lattice top). Trim and crimp the edges of the pie crust.
- Brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg or cream and sprinkle sugar on top. Cut several vent holes into the top crust if you do not have a lattice top.
Bake the pie:
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 450°F. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 50 to 75 minutes or until you see the juices bubble for about 10 minutes. If the crust starts to get too brown before the pie is finished baking, cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Let the pie cool completely before slicing (about 4 hours or overnight).
- Serve with additional caramel sauce.
Notes
- Bake the pie in the bottom third of the oven to help the bottom crust get crisp.
- To prevent a watery pie, make sure the pie cooks until the juices bubble up for at least 10 minutes then let the pie cool completely before you slice it. Apples have a lot of pectin that will thicken the pie, however, the pectin needs to get hot enough to activate, then cool completely in order to thicken.
- Don’t place the pie in the fridge to cool down. Cooling the pie in the fridge will create moisture and soften the crust.
- If you reduce the juices too much it will seize up when you add it back to the apples. If that happens, don’t worry, the clumps of caramelized juices will dissolve into the apples.
- Combining the cornstarch (or clearjel) with a little sugar will help it distribute into the apples evenly without clumps.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Anderson’s Easy No-Mess Pie Crust Maker Bag, 14-Inches, Clear -
Adjustable Pie Crust Shield -
OXO Steel Pie Server -
Farberware Classic Wood Rolling Pin, 17.75-Inch, Natural -
Johnny Apple Peeler by VICTORIO VKP1010, Cast Iron, Suction Base -
Mixing Bowls with Airtight Lids, 6 piece Stainless Steel Bowls -
Emile Henry 366121 Modern Classics Pie Dish, 9", Rouge Red
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 490Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 453mgCarbohydrates: 109gFiber: 6gSugar: 88gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is a guideline only, is calculated automatically by third-party software, and absolute accuracy is not guaranteed.
angiesrecipes
Monday 18th of October 2021
This is for sure one of the best Fall desserts!
Dahn Boquist
Monday 18th of October 2021
I agree, thanks Angie.