apple pie in a cast iron skillet

Hands Down This is The Best Apple Pie in The Whole World

/Updated /29 Comments/in /by Mary Hunt
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Classic Apple Pie with a flaky crust, perfectly set filling, and just a hint of cinnamon—does anything shout Pi Day more than this?

apple pie in cast iron skillet

For a recipe that hits the mark while at the same time is simple to make, perfecting The Apple Pie has been irritatingly difficult.

I’m married to an incredibly discriminating apple pie connoisseur. Overpowering spice, an annoying hint of lemon, crust too soggy, “curdled” filling, overcooked, undercooked—I’ve battled every possible variation. I can confirm that this is The One. This is the recipe that makes all my husband’s Apple Pie dreams come true.

The Crust

(Full recipe and printable recipe card below; scroll down or click on Jump to Recipe button above)

Here’s what you need for the foolproof, perfect pie crust:

  • all-purpose flour
  • solid vegetable shortening
  • sugar
  • salt
  • egg
  • cold butter
  • vodka
  • ice-cold water

This recipe (see below) makes a perfectly flaky pie crust that can be sweet or savory (for savory simply omit the sugar). And I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking: Why vodka?

Here’s why vodka belongs in your pie crust: The vodka makes the crust flakier and lighter. It stops the gluten in the flour from developing, making the crust tender and super flaky. It will cook out, so no worries when it comes to serving this to your entire family! Just make sure you follow exactly including the “par-bake” step to make sure you avoid the heartbreak of a soggy bottom.

The Filling

The number of ingredients may come as a big surprise. What? No allspice, nutmeg, or cloves?! No tapioca, flour or corn starch? No lemon? Right!

This filling is all about the apples with no distractions. And it comes out perfectly set—not thick or lumpy. Just the clear, pure, uncluttered taste of apples.

  • Granny Smith apples (or your choice)
  • sugar
  • cinnamon
  • butter

That’s it! So pure, so right! And it’s important that you follow the steps exactly. Adding the sugar to the apples too soon will cause the apples to macerate making them too “saucy” and, you guessed it, soggy bottom!

The Pie Pan

This Apple Pie calls for a 9-inch pie pan. My favorite is quite deep, which takes 7 apples to abundantly fill, which is the way we like it. Quite often, I will use this recipe for two 6-inch cast-iron skillets, one is pictured below. It works really well!

apple pie in cast iron skillet

apple pie in cast iron skillet
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4.70 from 10 votes

Best Apple Pie in the World

I'm married to an incredibly discriminating apple pie connoisseur. Overpowering spice, an annoying blast of lemon, bottom crust too soggy, "curdled" filling, overcooked, undercooked—I've battled every possible variation. I can confirm that this is The One. This is the recipe that makes all my husband's Apple Pie dreams come true.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 451kcal

Ingredients

The Crust

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening NOTE 2
  • 1/2 cup butter, salted cold, and cut into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar (omit for a savory crust)
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1/2 tspn salt
  • 1 tbsp vodka NOTE 1
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • coarse sugar for top garnish optional

The Filling

  • 6 - 7 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut up thinly or other tart variety of apples
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar or substitute brown sugar
  • 1 tspn ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp butter, cut into slices

Instructions

Crust

  • Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Cut in shortening and butter using a pastry blender or fork, until it looks evenly lumpy, with lumps the size of a small pea.
  • In a separate bowl, mix egg, water, and vodka together until combined. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball.
  • Evenly divide into two pieces, form them into disks, wrap and seal in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least an hour, if not overnight. 
  • Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 450F.
  • Roll out one disk and press it into a pie pan (traditional glass, ceramic or cast iron skillet(s). Do not prick the bottom with a fork! You do not want to make holes in it. Place it into the 450F oven for just 5 - 7 minutes, or until the bottom just begins to puff up and form "bubbles" and hints at turning brown. Do not take your eyes off of it! This will happen quickly. Remove from oven and fill with apple filling (see below). NOTE 3.
  • Roll out the second disk, lay over top of the apples. Cut holes into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Fold edge to fit and press down gently. Don't worry if it does not fully seal, since the bottom crust has been par-baked. It will meld slightly as the pie bakes. Sprinkle the top with sugar, if desired.
  • Bake at 450F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375F and bake for another 35 minutes or until beautifully browned. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Yum!

Apple Filling

  • Peel, core and cut apples into medium-thin pieces
  • Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl or cup
  • Pile prepared apples into par-baked pie shell, distributing evenly.
  • Pour the sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over apples.
  • Lay butter slices over the top of the apples and sugar mixture.
  • Proceed to finish pie with the top crust (see above)

Notes

See Hands Down This is The Best Apple Pie in The Whole World for more specifics and photos for how to make the world's best apple pie!
1. Here's why vodka belongs in your pie crust: The vodka makes the crust flakier and lighter. It stops the gluten in the flour from developing, making the crust tender and super flaky. It will cook out, so no worries when it comes to serving this to your entire family! Just make sure you follow exactly including the "par-bake" step to make sure you avoid the heartbreak of a soggy bottom. You can substitute plain white vinegar for vodka, but with a slightly less tender outcome.
2. You can use all shortening (in place of half shortening/half butter, or conversely, all butter).
3. When making this pie in a cast-iron skillet, instead of par-baking in the oven, I set the skillet on a stovetop burner set to Low to Med-Low. Seriously! And I stand over it like a hovering mother bear. I wait until the pastry starts to turn white-ish and begins to puff. Also, my experience is that the bottom crust will not become “browner” or burnt during the baking process, even during the 15 mins. at 450F. That bottom pie crust is stubborn that way. Just make sure you don’t overdo it on the stovetop—but don't "under-do" it, either. You want to give it a really nice headstart.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 633IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
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29 replies
« Older Comments
  1. helen Le Sueur says:

    5 stars
    Sounds wonderful, but I can’t eat eggs (except a very small amount in, for example, biscuits or cake. Not scrambled or fried egg, etc., or where the egg is a major ingredient in a recipe. Could I use an egg replacer instead?

    Reply
  2. Sandra says:

    When I put the pie in the oven at 450° the top crust was brown in 5 minutes. I put a tent of foil over the entire pie for the rest of the bake time and when it finished it had a nice brown top with no burning.

    Reply
  3. Kate says:

    Ps…Add a tablespoon of flour to the sugar mixture with the apples helps thicken a tad. And with the oil crust you can roll out right away..no refrigeration necessary. With just the top crust…no precooking necessary.

    Reply
  5. Jane says:

    5 stars
    Well, after 45 years of baking apple pie I thought there was nothing left to learn. Wrong! This is hands down the best. Made early this am for dinner, but hubby HAD to have a slice sooner. Then I did. Then he had more. Can we eat a whole pie by bedtime? I sure hope not! The crust is perfect, and the filling sublime. Who but wise Mary knew that skillet trick? I only did two things differently — I subbed two sweet apples for two of the grannies (didn’t have enough) and reduced sugar just a tad. Maybe two tablespoons.
    I generally use all butter except for two tablespoons of vegetable shortening, but decided to make as written. We did not taste the vodka at all. I was worried that the crust would stick to the pan, but that did not happen. Just yummy!

    Reply
  6. Duck says:

    4 stars
    This recipe is almost identical to my Mom’s Apple Pie recipe. She does add a heaping tablespoon of flour to the sugar/cinnamon mixture to thicken the juices so it’s not too runny.

    Reply
  7. Carol says:

    5 stars
    I can attest that this is the best apple pie. My husband, who doesn’t really like apple pie went crazy for it. It’s very easy as well.

    Reply
  8. Kim says:

    While I think this recipe sounds delicious, we’ll have to agree to disagree on which one is the best. 😉 I found a recipe some years ago that beats every other apple pie in the universe. I always use the vodka pie crust recipe that I got from America’s Test Kitchen some years ago. I also make a little more of the sauce than the recipe calls for as I think it makes it even more amazing. It has a totally different process for the filling; “Sliced apples are mounded in a prepared pie shell, covered with a latticed crust, and just before slipping into the oven, doused with a sugary butter syrup.” I love apple pie, and making pie in cast iron does work amazingly well; I’ve tried it in the past with a recipe from ATK. I’ve thought about making my favorite apple pie in cast iron to see how it does, but totally forgot about that idea. I have some pie apples from our trees at home; I planned to make the pie when the weather cools off (below the 114 it’s supposed to hit this week!), but now that you’ve reminded me about cast iron, I think I’ll make it in that this time. Thanks!

    Reply
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