This Puff Pastry Apple Pie swaps homemade dough for a ready-rolled sheet, so you get a buttery, flaky crust with none of the fuss. The soft, juicy apples are warmed with cinnamon and nutmeg for a cozy, spiced filling. It's the easiest apple pie you'll ever make.
This dessert is perfect for cold winter days, served with a dollop of homemade vanilla custard and/or a scoop of ice cream.
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Puff Pastry Apple Pie is super easy to make with ready-made pastry sheets and is best when served fresh out of the oven. The apple filling is flavored with butter and warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. And the puff pastry is super flaky and melts in the mouth.
Why This Recipe Works?
- Ready-made puff pastry means a buttery, flaky crust with none of the effort of homemade pastry dough.
- Pre-cooking the apples with butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg gives you a soft, syrupy filling with no risk of a watery or soggy pie.
- It's easy to make ahead. Prepare the apple filling up to 2 days in advance, or freeze the whole assembled pie unbaked for up to 3 months.
- It's endlessly versatile. Add caramel, pears, crushed nuts, or a layer of frangipane for a completely different pie each time.
- This Puff Pastry Apple Pie is a family favorite loved by adults and kids alike.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Best Apples For Pie
I usually add more than one variety of apples to my pie for the best apple flavor and different textures.
You can choose from cooking apples such as Braeburn, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Bramley, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Jazz, and Cox's which are best for desserts and pie. I sometimes use Gala apples for extra sweetness and some texture.
It is totally up to you what apples you want to use depending on how sweet or sour you want your pie. Other ingredients you will need are:
- Puff pastry - I used 2 rolled-up all-butter store-bought puff pastry sheets, sizes of 14"x9" (35 cm x 23 cm) and 11 ⅓ oz (320 grams) each. You can buy them fresh or frozen from supermarkets. If using frozen pastries, let them thaw before using them and bring them to room temperature.
- Sugar - I use caster sugar but granulated or brown sugar would be great too. The amount of sugar given in the recipe works perfectly for the apples I used in this recipe. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and the apples you use.
- Demerara sugar - Optional, I sprinkle some demerara sugar on top of the pastry for extra crunch.
- Butter - Unsalted butter adds extra richness to apple pie filling.
- Spices - I love the warmth that cinnamon and nutmeg are adding to apples. You can omit or adjust the amount to your liking.
How to Make Puff Pastry Apple Pie
Cook The Apples
Preheat the oven to 356° F - 180° C (fan oven) and then prepare the apples. Peel and core the apples using an apple corer, which makes life much easier! Cut them in half, then slice into roughly ¼ inch (½ cm) thick pieces. Not too thin, or they'll turn mushy once baked.
Melt the butter in a large pan and add the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Give it a good stir, making sure all apples are evenly covered with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Cook it on medium heat until the apples are slightly softened and the juice from the apples is reduced to a syrup consistency.
Remove the pan from the heat, and let the apple mixture cool down for 10 minutes while preparing the puff pastry crust.
Prepare the Puff Pastry Crust
Unfold one of the puff pastries and roll it on a lightly floured surface 2" (5cm) larger than the pie dish.
Lift the pastry over the rolling pin and gently transfer it into the pie dish. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and gently press to tuck the piece of puff pastry into the cavity of the pie dish.
Fill the pastry shell with the spiced apple filling and spread it evenly.
Roll out the other puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and place it on top of the apple filling. Crimp or pinch the outer edge to seal the top and bottom crusts together.
Bake the Pie
Cut some decorations from the leftovers and place them on top (optional). Egg wash the pastry using a pastry brush and sprinkle on the demerara sugar.
Place the pie dish in a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Check the pie and cover the top with tin foil if it is browning too quickly. Bake it for another 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling away.
Let the pie rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- The type of apple you use for the pie filling is the key to how your pie will taste like. Use a variety of cooking and eating apples for two different textures. Apples that are sweet and sour at the same time are the best options. Make sure you adjust the amount of sugar given in the recipe to your taste. Not all apples taste the same!
- If using frozen pastries, let them thaw before using them and bring them to room temperature.
- To make things even easier and quicker, you can prepare the filling a couple of days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to bake your pie.
- If your Apple Pie is getting brown too quickly, cover the crust with tin foil to slow down the browning and avoid the crust burning.
- Cool the apple filling completely before adding it to the pastry. A warm filling will make the bottom crust soggy.
- Chill the assembled pie in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. Cold puff pastry rises higher and bakes up flakier.
- Place the pie dish on a baking sheet before it goes in the oven, in case the filling bubbles over.
What to Serve with Puff Pastry Apple Pie
This Puff Pastry Apple Pie is extremely delicious on its own. And it is even better when served with warm homemade custard, whipped cream, a scoop of Homemade Turkish Ice Cream, or a drizzle of caramel or salted caramel sauce.
It is best when served warm out of the oven but I also happily eat it cold out of the fridge or at room temperature for breakfast!
Recipe Variations
- Drizzle caramel sauce over the sliced apples before sealing the puff pastry. This adds a rich and gooey layer of sweetness.
- Combine sliced apples with pears for a unique blend of flavors. Toss in a touch of ginger or cardamom for an exotic twist.
- Sprinkle crushed nuts (such as walnuts or pecans) over the apples for added texture and nutty flavor.
- Spread a layer of almond cream (frangipane) on the puff pastry before adding the apples for a nutty and creamy deliciousness.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
To store the leftovers, keep them at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 hours after baking. After that, cover them with cling film or place them in an airtight container and refrigerate.
If you want to keep them longer, tightly cover them with cling film or place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate them for up to 5 days or keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This delicious dessert is perfect when served at room temperature. If you prefer it warm, you can gently reheat it in a preheated oven for a few minutes.
To reheat, preheat the oven to 320° F - 160° C (fan oven). Place the leftovers in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until they are thoroughly warmed and crisped up.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it is a good idea to cook the apples before baking.
Firstly, you can adjust the sweetness of your filling.
Secondly, you can avoid a watery pie filling which is a nightmare when you make a fruit-based pie.
And lastly, you can have perfect consistency, with no gaps between the filling and the crust!
I personally don't like the peelings in my Apple Pie and I don't mind the extra few minutes that add up to my prep time. However, it is a personal choice and this Easy Puff Pastry Apple Pie would taste still amazing if you cook the apples with their skin on. Simply wash your apples thoroughly before slicing them.
Yes, once assembled, wrap the unbaked apple pie in a cling film.
Place it in a container suitable for freezing and store for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place it directly from the freezer into the oven, adding an extra 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Make sure the apple filling is completely cool before you add it to the pastry shell, since a warm filling releases steam that softens the crust. Chilling the assembled pie in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before baking also helps, as colder pastry holds its structure better in a hot oven.
Related Recipes
For more delicious apple dessert recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Easy Puff Pastry Apple Pie as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Puff Pastry Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb peeled, cored and sliced apples (1 ½ kg)
- ½ cup caster sugar (100 grams)
- 1 ½ tbsps unsalted butter (20 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ready rolled puff pastries (11 ⅓ oz/320 g each)
- 1 teaspoon demerara sugar
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
Cooke the Apples
- Preheat the oven to 356° F - 180° C (fan oven) and then prepare the apples.
- Peel and core the apples using an apple corer which makes life much easier! Cut them in halves, then slice into roughly ¼ inch (½ cm) thick pieces. Not too thin, or they'll turn mushy once baked.
- Melt the butter in a large pan and add the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Give it a good stir, making sure all apples are evenly covered with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.
- Cook it on medium heat until the apples are slightly softened and the juice from the apples is reduced to a syrup consistency.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and let the apple mixture cool down for 10 minutes while preparing the puff pastry crust.
Prepare the Puff Pastry Crust
- Unfold one of the puff pastries and roll it on a lightly floured surface 2" (5 cm) larger than the pie dish.
- Lift the pastry over the rolling pin and gently transfer it into the pie dish.
- Trim the edges and gently press to tuck the pastry into the cavity of the pie dish.
- Fill the pastry shell with the spiced apple filling and spread it evenly.
- Roll out the other puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and place it on top of the apple filling. Crimp or pinch the outer edge to seal the top and bottom crusts together.
Bake the Pie
- Eggwash the pastry and sprinkle on the demerara sugar.
- Place the pie in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Check the pie and cover the top with tin foil if it is already brown and bake it for another 15 minutes or until the filling is bubbling away.
Notes
- The type of apple you use for the pie filling is the key to how your pie will taste like. Use a variety of cooking and eating apples for two different textures. Apples that are sweet and sour at the same time are the best options. Make sure you adjust the amount of sugar given in the recipe to your taste. Not all apples taste the same!
- If using frozen pastries, let them thaw before using them and bring them to room temperature.
- To make things even easier and quicker, you can prepare the filling a couple of days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to bake your pie.
- If your Apple Pie is getting brown too quickly, cover the crust with tin foil to slow down the browning and avoid the crust burning.
- Cool the apple filling completely before adding it to the pastry shell. A warm filling releases steam that can make the bottom crust soggy.
- Chill the assembled pie in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. Cold puff pastry rises higher and bakes up flakier.
- Place the pie dish on a baking sheet before it goes in the oven, in case the filling bubbles over.
Eren says
Perfectly crispy pastry and delicious apple filling! Both tasted great. I did use extra apples, but that’s a personal preference.