Best-Ever Apple Pie

Our ultimate double-crust apple pie recipe checks every box: a shatteringly flaky pie crust, no soggy bottom, and a filling of thinly sliced apples enveloped in a glossy, spiced cider glaze, piled high in a deep dish pie plate.

Choose sweet-tart, firm baking apples, such as Pink Ladies, our favorites for this pie. Can’t find them? Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Granny Smith apples are all fine alternatives—and using a mix of apple varieties will only make the flavor more dynamic. If you know you love the texture of the peel in your apple pie filling, feel free to leave the skins on.

To amp up the flavor of this homemade apple pie, you’ll reduce fresh cider with the juices released from the sugared and spiced apples. A vanilla bean brings an intoxicating aroma to the sauce, but if you prefer using vanilla extract, add 1 Tbsp. after removing the cider mixture from the heat. For a starry finish, you’ll shower the top of the pie with demerara sugar for sparkle and crunch.

As recipe developer and cookbook author Claire Saffitz notes, this pie is “something you can’t rush.” It needs time to chill, bake, and rest—so plan ahead, especially if it’s for Thanksgiving. The good news: like pumpkin or pecan pie, it can be in advance.

Craving more apple desserts? Try our apple crumb pie with a cinnamon-sugar streusel, Dutch apple pie with a nubby topping, or a cheesy apple pie with cheddar crust from ‘Gourmet.’