Best Apple Streusel Pie
on Nov 08, 2021, Updated Nov 15, 2024
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Sliced apples are blanketed with a custardy filling and a thick layer of sweet, crumbly streusel topping in our favorite apple pie recipe.
I know the title is braggy, and I’m sorry, but this Streusel Apple Pie recipe deserves as much hyperbolic praise as it can get. The apples are blanketed and bound up with a custardy coating, and a thick layer of sweet, crumbly streusel topping makes this like an amazing apple crisp in a pie crust. It’s the best apple pie topping ever (says me). Also, streusel is a highly enjoyable word to say.
This is the ultimate Thanksgiving apple pie, and I make 2 or 3 every year, along with a pumpkin pie. But it’s so delicious you won’t be able to make it just once a year. It’s a treat on a random autumn day, maybe made with apples you picked yourself or got from a farm stand. A big dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (homemade or storebought) would be perfect.
Table of Contents
In this Streusel Apple Pie recipe, the apples are blanketed and bound up with a custardy coating, with a thick layer of sweet, crumbly streusel topping.
Ingredients
This apple crumble pie recipe calls for mostly pantry ingredients for the streusel topping, then you might just have to grab a few things from the store for the filling:
For the Streusel Topping:
- Granulated and brown sugar – A mix of two types of sugar gives this streusel a tender yet crunchy topping. The molasses in the brown sugar provides softness and a caramel-y flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Gives structure to this topping.
- Ground cinnamon and ginger – Adds a little bit of warmth that brings out the sweetness.
- Salt – Just like in a savory recipe, salt is important here to bring out the flavor of everything else.
- Unsalted butter – The butter gets blended into the dry ingredients to make a crumbly, short streusel.
For the Filling:
- Apples – I recommend using a mix of Granny Smith and another kind of sweeter, firmer baking apple — see below for suggestions!
- Pie shell – Buy an unbaked, 9-inch deep-dish pie shell at the store, either fresh or frozen. You can also use rolled refrigerated pie dough — just unroll it and place it gently in a pie pan. If you want to make your own crust, go right ahead.
- Granulated sugar – Amplifies the natural sweetness of the apples.
- All-purpose flour – Helps to thicken the custard filling that envelopes the apples.
- Ground cinnamon and cloves – Add a deep warmth to this filling.
- Egg – The egg is mixed into a creamy filling, which cooks and thickens into a custard texture in the oven.
- Heavy whipping cream – Makes the filling super creamy and rich.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla if possible.
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream – What is apple pie without ice cream or whipped cream to serve it with?
How to Make Apple Streusel Pie
- Make the streusel topping: Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt to your food processor and pulse to mix. Add in the butter and pulse until crumbly, then set aside.
- Prepare the pie: Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place the sliced apples in the pie crust. There’s no need to arrange them in any fancy way; just throw them in!
- Make the custard: Mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cloves. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the cream and vanilla. Then, add the sugar mixture to the egg and cream.
- Fill the pie: Pour the custard into the pie shell over the apples.
- Bake: Bake the pie for 20 minutes in a 350-degree preheated oven. Crumble the streusel topping evenly over the partially baked filling and bake for about 50 minutes longer. The top should be browned, and the apples should be cooked through.
- Cool and serve: Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and enjoy!
Streusel Topping for Apple Pie
You can make the streusel topping in a number of ways: you can use your fingers to cut in the cold butter or two knives, but the easiest way I know, especially if you are making a sizable amount, is to use the food processor. See How to Make Great Streusel Topping in the Food Processor — a perfect crumb topping recipe for apple pie or just about any other fruit pie you can think of.
How Long to Bake Apple Pie
Apple pie needs to bake long enough so the apples become fork-tender but do not turn to mush. It also needs to bake long enough for the crust to cook through and not remain doughy, even on the bottom.
This apple pie recipe bakes for a total of about 70 minutes. For the first 20 minutes, the pie bakes with just the apple filling in the crust, then it bakes for another 50 minutes or so after the streusel topping has been added.
FAQs
This type of apple pie , with its streusel topping, is also known as Dutch apple pie. The streusel, a combination of sugar, flour, and butter, and in this case, cinnamon and ginger, is what makes it “Dutch” versus regular apple pie, which involves a pastry top.
Dutch apple pie recipes sometimes involve a binder or custard filling along with the apples, as does this pie.
Unless you have an apple that really loses its texture quickly when it is cooked, most apples are pretty great for apple pies. I like to use a combination. I always have some slightly tart Granny Smiths as part of the mix. Some other apples that make great apple pies are:
– Honeycrisp
– Golden Delicious
– Rome
– Jonathan or Jonagold Apples
– Braeburn
– Northern Spy
– McIntosh
– Pink lady
– Gala
I can’t think of a pie, or many desserts for that matter, that streusel topping will not improve. That lovely, crumbly, sweet topping is really just pure joy. Streusel is a combination of butter, flour, and sugar, sometimes with other ingredients added in, such as oats, nuts, and spices, particularly cinnamon. Sometimes, it’s called a crumble topping.
Pro Cooking Tips
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the streusel topping by using your fingers to rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the topping is fairly uniform and crumbly.
- It is a good idea to put a baking sheet under the pie pan as it bakes (you can put it right under the pie pan or on a rack below if you have the oven space), as the streusel topping can tend to bubble over the side a bit. Trust me when I tell you that your kitchen will get more than a little bit smoky if that happens.
- Make sure the pie cools on a wire rack until it is either just barely warm or comes to room temperature. The juices and custard in the apple pie filling will then have a chance to firm up. If you cut the pie while it is still too warm, the filling will be loose and not hold together into slices.
- Slice the pie with a sharp knife to get the neatest pieces.
Leftovers and Storage
Leftover apple pie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover it with plastic wrap.
What to Serve With Apple Streusel Pie
More Apple Dessert Recipes
- Favorite Streusel Apple Crisp
- Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
- Dutch Baby Pancake with Sautéed Apples
- Apple Coffee Cake
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Best Apple Streusel Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
For the Pie Filling:
- 6 large Granny Smith apples (or a mixture of Granny Smith and any other firm baking apple; peeled, cored, and sliced about 1/2-inch thick)
- 1 unbaked (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional, but well worth it; for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Make the streusel topping: Combine the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, the ginger, and salt in a food processor and give it a good whirl. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Do not overprocess; you don’t want a paste. Set the streusel topping aside.
- Make the pie: Put the apples in the pie shell.
- Combine the 1 cup of granulated sugar, the 3 tablespoons of flour, the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the cloves in a small bowl.
- Beat the egg in a large bowl, then add the cream and vanilla and blend well. Add the sugar mixture to the egg mixture and stir to blend. Pour the custard mixture over the apples; if the mixture comes more than three-quarters of the way up the side of the crust, stop pouring so it won’t bubble up and overflow.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the pie from the oven, making sure the custard mixture doesn’t pour over the side. Evenly and carefully (take your time), distribute the streusel topping over the top of the pie. Carefully (again) return it to the oven and bake until the top is browned and a knife inserted into the pie ensures that the apples are cooked through, about 50 minutes longer.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes until room temp or barely warm, then serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired (and who wouldn’t desire that?).
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the streusel topping by using your fingers to rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the topping is fairly uniform and crumbly.
- It is a good idea to put a baking sheet under the pie pan as it bakes (you can put it right under the pie pan or on a rack below if you have the oven space), as the streusel topping can tend to bubble over the side a bit. Trust me when I tell you that your kitchen will get more than a little bit smoky if that happens.
- Make sure the pie cools on a wire rack until it is either just barely warm or comes to room temperature. The custard will then have a chance to firm up. If you cut the pie while it is still too warm the filling will be loose and not hold together into slices.
- Slice the pie with a sharp knife to get the neatest pieces.
Don’t want to be cooking on Christmas Day. Can I make a day ahead?
yes! keep it in the fridge after cooling, and bring to room temper or warm before serving!
I’ve made this pie soooo many times over the last 5 or so years and it’s always a huge hit!! I’ll never use another apple pie recipe. :)
Love to hear this, Leah!
So delicious! I sliced 4 more apples, a handful of blueberries and made 2 pies! Thank you!
I just made this beautiful pie. Someone gifted me with a dozen small apples and I found your recipe and it went together perfectly. I used my deep glass pie plate. My son came over for dinner and ended up eating almost 1/3 himself, and he is not fond of apple pie. The occasional pop of a salt crystal in the topping is delightful contrast. This is a keeper!