These simple apple pies are a great way to enjoy Fall flavors and use up leftover apples. You only need 3 ingredients to make them. The filling is sweet and tart and can be customized to suit your personal preferences.
I don’t usually make a lot of pies, but I like to make these apple pies during this time of year. I love how easy they are to customize and the cute individual size makes them perfect for bringing to an event or if you just want to make a small amount of pie.
Ingredients
- Apples
- Sugar
- Pie crust
Apples: I recommend using a sweet apple variety because the pie filling doesn’t have a lot of sugar. I like using Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji or Cosmic Crisp. The apples are cut into very small pieces so that they cook faster. You can peel the skin or leave it on. I prefer to leave it if I am using apples with a deep red color because I love the color it adds to the filling.
Sugar: I use regular granulated white sugar. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar in these pies you can actually leave out the sugar completely. I do toss the apples in a little bit of sugar because it helps release the juices from the apples so that they bubble and cook better as they bake.
Pie Crust: To make these pies very easy, I start with pre-made refrigerated pie crust. This is the kind that is sold rolled up so that you can roll out the dough and cut circles and other shapes.
While spices like nutmeg and cinnamon are often found in apple pie, they are not essential. Many apple pie recipes shared with me over the years don’t contain any spices. If you do want to add spices, you can definitely add them, along with other customizations.
Customizations
- You can toss the apple pieces in apple spice, nutmeg or cinnamon before adding them to the pie crust.
- If you don’t want to do a lattice crust, you can do other shapes, designs, or leave the top open. Keep in mind though, if you don’t have any sort of top crust layer, the pies will be more like tarts because the filling doesn’t get as cooked and doesn’t stay as moist without another layer of crust on top.
- You can add a little more sugar if you want a sweeter filling. You can also add a little butter to make the filling richer.
- The pies tops can be brushed with egg wash. This will give the pies a little bit of a glossy finish. The pie crust will still brown without the egg wash.
- You can also sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the pies. This will give them a little extra sweetness and crunch.
How to Make Easy Apple Pies
- The pie crust dough is rolled out and 3.5 inch circles are cut out of it. The remaining pie scraps are re-rolled to make the lattice crust on top.
- Press the cut-out circles into the cavities of a nonstick muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, add apple pieces and toss them in sugar and any optional spices you may want to add. Scoop 3 tbsp of filling into each pie.
- Re-roll the remaining pie scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. Use them to make a lattice crust on top of each pie.
More Pie Recipes
3 Ingredient Apple Pies
Ingredients
- 1 (7.5 oz/213 g) refrigerated pie crust see note
- 1 1/3 cups (152 g) chopped apples (cut into small pieces about 1/4 inch by 1/2 inch)
- 1 1/2 tbsp granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Set aside a nonstick muffin pan. If you are using nonstick you don't need to grease it. If you are not using nonstick, grease the muffin pan with cooking oil spray.
- Let pie crust soften to room temperature. Roll out pie crust on a pastry board or large cutting board. Use a 3.5 inch round cookie cutter to cut 7 rounds out of the pie crust.
- Press each round into one of the cavities of the muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, add apples and sugar. If adding any spices, add them in now. Toss until the sugar is evenly combined with the apples.
- Using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop the filling and release into each of the pies.
- Roll out the remaining pie scraps. Cut into strips that are 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Add 3 strips vertically and 3 strips horizontally to the top of each pie. Weave the strips to create a lattice pattern and then tuck the ends into bottom pie crust. You can also trim the ends as needed. See note section for an alternative way to make the lattice crust.
- If desired, brush the tops of the crust with egg wash and sprinkle some turbinado sugar. This is completely optional. Bake pies for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Notes
- I used Amazon Fresh (15 oz box) refrigerated pie crust. There are 2 pie crusts in each box each weighing about 7.5 oz. This recipe only requires you to use one but you can also use both to either make double the amount of pies or to make the lattice crust.
- An alternate way to make the lattice crust: roll out the second unused pie crust. Cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. Then weave the long strips to create one very large lattice pattern. Measure the width of one of the muffin cavities (it is usually about 2.75 to 3 inches wide on top but may vary depending on the brand). Use a round cookie cutter that matches the width of the individual muffin pan cavity and cut lattice rounds. Place them on top of each pie and tuck in the ends into the bottom crust as needed.
- If you want to add spice, we recommend adding 1/2 tsp of apple spice or 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
- We recommend making this as individual pies rather than one whole pie because the filling doesn't contain cornstarch to bind it together so it is a looser pie filling.
- We share several variations and customization ideas in the post section.
- As discussed in more detail in the post, this is a very simple apple pie recipe that can be customized to suit personal preferences. The filling is meant to be less sweet but you can add more sugar if you prefer sweeter. You can also leave out the sugar but the filling will be a little bit drier and won't really bubble much when it is cooking.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
