Dutch Apple Pie Recipe
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Sep. 2, 2026
If you love pie but dread rolling out a top crust, you’re in luck. This Dutch Apple Pie Recipe is simply delicious with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. The brown sugar and cinnamon crumble topping creates a delicious crust that perfectly pairs with the tender apples. Plus, your kitchen will smell amazing while it’s baking.
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Amy’s Notes
If you love apple pie but dread rolling out a top crust, you are in luck. This recipe gives you all the cozy, spiced fruit filling you want, covered in a crunchy pecan-streusel topping that takes zero effort to pull off. I love this Dutch apple pie with some vanilla bean ice cream. Here’s what else I love:
- Better than double crust: The buttery brown sugar streusel adds the best texture, as it’s extra crisp and there’s no lattice top to deal with.
- Freezer friendly: Freeze the unbaked pie or baked slice for easy holiday prep.
- Under 10 main ingredients: Simple pantry staples working together, no fancy ingredients.
Serve it alongside our Homemade Whipped Cream for a fun, flavorful addition.
Key Recipe Ingredients
Grab these items to make delicious, homemade apple pie:
- Honeycrisp Apples: Juicy, sweet, and firm enough to hold their shape during baking without turning to mush.
- Fresh Cranberries (Optional): Adds a tart pop of flavor and festive holiday color to balance the sweet fruit filling.
- Pecans: Adds a rich, nutty crunch to the brown sugar and cinnamon crumble topping.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens the filling and keeps the sliced apples from browning while you prep.
Substitutions & Variations
- Apples: Granny Smith, Fuji, or Braeburn work great if Honeycrisp isn’t available. Try a 50/50 mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
- Nut-Free: Omit pecans from the crumble and add 1/4 cup rolled oats for extra texture.
- Gluten-Free: Swap standard flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour in both dough and topping.
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
- Combine the ingredients to make the homemade crust.
- Add the butter and pecans. Stir to combine.
- Combine the flour mixture with the sliced apples and other filling ingredients.
- Roll out the pie crust and add it to a pie plate. Fill the crust with the apple mixture.
- While baking, sprinkle the crumble topping on top to brown. Let cool once done baking, and serve.
→ For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How to Prep Ahead
- Make the dough ahead: Wrap the raw dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to 2 days before rolling out.
- Prep the streusel: Mix the pecan crumble topping a day early and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freeze unbaked: Assemble the entire pie (without baking), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and heavy aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 15-20 extra minutes to the bake time.
Watch Us Make This Recipe
Dutch Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough (single crust):
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup butter, chilled and diced
- ¼ cup very cold ice water
For crumble topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
For the Filling:
- 2 ½ lbs honeycrisp apples*, about 7, peeled/thinly sliced
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Equipment: a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate, 6-cup capacity
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, just until there remains small pea-sized butter chunks in the dough.
- Gently stir in 1 TB of ice cold water at a time, until mixture starts to hold together. It should be pliable enough to stick together when pinched, but not sticky. Work the dough sparingly, using either pastry cutter or cold fingers. The key is not to overwork the dough (avoid using food processor.) The little chunks of butter should still be visible. Gently form dough ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight.)
- Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until large clumps form, then stir in pecans. Chill until ready to use.
- Stir together apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round, then fit into pie plate.
- Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Transfer fruit filling to pie shell and dot with butter. Loosely cover with foil and bake until apples droop slightly, about 30 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake, uncovered, until crumble is browned, filling is bubbling, and apples are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. If crumble starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil. Allow pie to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- You can also use half granny smith apples and half honeycrisp apples for a bit of tartness.
- If desired, substitute 2/3 cup apples for fresh cranberries during holiday season.
- Cook time refers to hands-on prep time; does not include passive chill time.
- See this brown sugar cookies recipe for how to accurately measure flour using the scoop/level method. Accurate flour measurement is important for dough.
- For Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten free baking flour in place of regular flour.
- This recipe is part of our dessert recipes collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
What to Serve With Dutch Apple Pie
Ice Cream
- This Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream adds a nice sweet kick to the apple pie. Who doesn’t love caramel and apple together?
- It’ll be hard not to let this Strawberry Ice Cream steal the spotlight. It’s so rich and creamy.
Whipped Cream
- This 1-Ingredient Coconut Whipped Cream (Dairy-Free) is a quick topping for anyone who can’t eat dairy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course, homemade dough will always taste best. However, if you’re in a pinch for time, a store bought pie dough can be used for bottom crust.
There are tons of different apples to choose from, but we like Honeycrisp best. Other popular options include Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or Gala. The important thing is to pick a type of baking apple as they hold their structure best.
Yes, once cooled, your pie can be covered in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Pie is best reheated in oven or toaster oven to regain a crisp topping.
When mixed into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, chilled butter will bake in layers and spread throughout the dough. This results in a decadently flaky crust.
Don’t overwork the dough. You want the ingredients to be just combined and the chunks of butter to still be visible. Otherwise, your crust will turn out hard and tough instead of soft and tender.
Don’t stress. All you have to do is cover the crumble with foil. If the crumble topping begins to brown too early, take your pie out of the oven. Then, loosely cover it with foil, and continue to bake.
I know it’s nearly impossible not to dive right in while it’s hot, but you’ve got to let it cool completely. As the pie cools, the juices thicken up into that silky fruit filling. If you cut it piping hot, the filling will slice right out into a puddle.
More to Cook and Eat
- Blueberry Pie – made with a golden all-butter crust, every bite of this blueberry pie is unforgettable.
- Sweet Cherry Pie Recipe – we absolutely adore this vibrant, sweet, fruit pie; a winning summer dessert.
- Fresh Peach Pie with Flaky Butter Crust – the best way to use up your summer produce, this recipe is sure to become your new favorite peach pie.
- Streusel Pumpkin Pie Recipe – this pumpkin pie is so tasty it’ll have you in the mood for pumpkin all year long.
- Dutch Sweet Potato Pie Recipe – silky, rich, and creamy, this is the perfect treat for every holiday; try it and see if you agree.