The Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie
Every year around the 4th of July, I find myself thinking about apple pie (who doesn’t?). You know the one I’m talking about—the deep dish, mile-high, buttery-crusted, slice-of-Americana that shows up in movies and somehow never actually exists at the potluck. So I decided to make it myself. Not just a decent pie. The ultimate deep dish apple pie. The kind that makes you lean back in your chair after the first bite and say, “Okay yeah… that’s it.”
This pie is everything I imagined it should be. The crust is tender, golden, and flaky with that perfect hit of salt to balance the sweet. The filling is loaded with apples—twelve to be exact—because this is not the time for restraint. You get a sweet-tart blend from Granny Smiths and Honeycrisps, just enough cinnamon to remind you it’s homemade.
It’s got a few steps, but I promise it’s all doable, even if you’re not a “pie person.” The crust comes together with a mix of butter and shortening for that soft-flaky balance, and I walk you through exactly how much water to add so you don’t end up with a soggy mess. The apples are cooked just slightly on the stove to help everything bake evenly—and no, you don’t need to worry about a runny filling. This one holds its shape.
Honestly, even if your crust cracks or your crimping looks like a toddler did it blindfolded, people will still go back for seconds. And thirds. So tie on an apron, grab a mountain of apples, and get ready to feel weirdly proud of yourself. If anyone asks why you’re crying a little while slicing it, just tell them it’s the onions. (Or the beauty of American pie perfection.)
Ingredients Needed to Bake Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie:
All-purpose flour
Butter (room temperature)
Vegetable shortening
Salt
Iced water
White vinegar
Granny Smith apples
Honeycrisp apples
Granulated sugar
Cinnamon
Ingredient Substitutions:
Butter: You can use all shortening if needed, though you’ll lose a bit of that buttery flavor in the crust.
Vegetable Shortening: Swap with more butter if you don’t have shortening, but your crust may be slightly less tender.
Granny Smith Apples: Other tart apples like Braeburn or Pink Lady work well if Granny Smiths aren’t available.
White Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will do the job in a pinch.
What Tools Do You Need to Bake Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie?
Plastic wrap
Oven
Step-by-Step Instructions for Baking Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie:
First, you’ll start with the crust. Mix your flour and salt in a big bowl, then work in the shortening by hand until it has that crumbly, sandy texture with pea-sized pieces. Slowly add your iced water and vinegar mix, just a tablespoon or two at a time, until it comes together into a dough that holds but isn’t sticky. Divide it into three portions, roll two of them out, and save the third for later in the freezer.
The filling is simple: slice up all twelve apples and heat them gently on the stovetop just until they begin to soften. You’re not cooking them all the way—just warming them up. Once they’re ready, stir in your sugar, flour, and cinnamon right into the warm apples.
To assemble, lay your bottom crust into the pie dish, mound in all of your apple filling (yes, it’ll look like too much!), then place your top crust over it—either as a full crust or in a lattice if you’re feeling fancy. Brush the top with melted butter and give it a little cinnamon-sugar sprinkle. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and keep baking until golden and bubbling. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes so the filling sets. That’s the hard part—waiting.
How to Slice the Perfect Piece of Deep Dish Apple Pie:
Let the pie rest for 30–60 minutes before slicing to give the filling time to settle. Use a sharp serrated knife and a pie server to lift each piece cleanly. Wiping your knife between slices can help keep everything neat and tidy.
How to Prevent a Soggy Bottom Crust:
Make sure your apples are only slightly cooked before baking—they should still have a little bite to them. That, combined with the flour in the filling and starting with a hot oven (425°F), helps keep the bottom crust crisp. A glass pie dish also allows you to monitor browning.
How to Freeze or Store Deep Dish Apple Pie:
To Store: Keep leftover pie loosely covered on the counter for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5.
To Freeze (Unbaked): Assemble the pie fully, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 15–20 minutes to the total bake time.
To Freeze (Baked): Let the pie cool completely, then wrap and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat at 325°F until warmed through.
Recipe for The Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie:
The Ultimate Deep Dish Apple Pie
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small measuring cup, mix your iced water and vinegar.
- In a large mixing bowl, place flour and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add shortening, and using your hands, cut shortening into the flour. (Use your fingers to rub through the flour and shortening, combining it until it becomes a sandy-textured mixture with small pea-sized lumps of shortening throughout. You do not want to over-mix, and want to make sure there are still some lumps of shortening to make the crust flaky and tender).
- Once the flour and shortening are combined, begin adding water mixed with vinegar 1-2 Tablespoons at a time. You DO NOT want to add all of the water at once. You only want to add as much water as it takes to get the dough to begin forming into a ball that will hold together when rolled out. I would recommend using your hands to mix in the water so you can feel the texture of the dough as you go, making sure not to over-saturate it. (The dough should feel slightly less pliable than play-dough)
- Divide your dough into three equal balls. Take the first ball of dough, and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness on a well-floured surface. Fold the dough in half, pick it up, and gently place it in the bottom of your pie pan, making sure not to rip the dough. (If there are holes or rips in your dough, do your best to patch them before adding your filling)
- Once the bottom crust has been placed in the pan, take your second ball of dough and repeat the rolling process. Once it has been rolled, you can either fold it in half and set it aside, or you can cut it into 7 equal-width strips for a lattice top, and set them aside.
- Take the third ball of dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer to use at a later date. Proceed to make your filling.
- Place the apple slices into a large pot. Cook the apples on the stovetop over medium heat just until the apples have gotten warm and are beginning to cook down slightly. You do not want to overcook them. You just want them to slightly begin to soften.
- Remove the apples from the heat.
- Into the pot of warm apples, add your sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
- Set the filling aside to continue assembling your pie.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and grab your glass 10-inch deep dish pie pan.
- Pour the apple filling into your bottom crust, making sure it’s evenly mounded (it’ll look like too much, but it bakes down—trust the process).
- Take the second half of your rolled out dough (the top pie crust) and place it over the filling, making sure to cover the entire surface of the filling.
- Brush the top pie crust with melted butter until it is thinly coated, and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar.
- Place the pie into your pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is perfectly golden and the filling is bubbling throughout.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow the filling to set. Slice, serve, and enjoy!