Apple Pie Recipe (with a Cheddar Crust)

Name: Apple Pie Recipe (with a Cheddar Crust)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup cold unsalted butter, frozen and grated; 1 cup grated cheddar cheese ((about 4 ounces)); 4 tablespoons ice water; 4 granny smith apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced; 4 pink lady apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced; 1/2 lemon, juiced; 2/3 cup light brown sugar; 1/3 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons tapioca starch ((or corn strach)); 1/4 cup unsalted browned butter, melted and cooled; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 2 tablespoons water; 1 tablespoon white sanding sugar

by Jenny Park · Published: Sep 24, 2023

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Our delicious and easy Apple Pie Recipe is made with a Cheddar Crust, and we promise once you try it, you'll never want to make it any other way! Don't let the cheddar crust throw you, the cheddar gives the crust a slightly nutty flavor that pairs SO well with the brown butter apple filling. It's a truly great combo!

Brown butter apple pie recipe with a cheddar crust and a slice taken out.

We’ve finally updated our homemade Apple Pie Recipe and we couldn’t be more excited! Our recipe includes our super flaky, cheddar crust; if you’ve never had a cheddar crust you’re in for a real treat!

The cheddar crust adds a wonderfully nutty and slightly salty flavor that pairs incredibly well with the sweet apple filling recipe that also has a hint of nuttiness from the brown butter! We promise it’s not as strange a combination as it may sound! Although we think the pie itself is perfection, we love serving it with big scoops of vanilla ice cream or big dollops of whipped cream!

How to Make Our Easy Apple Pie Recipe

Cheddar Crust Ingredients

Process

Place flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add butter and gently incorporate into the flour mixture until a fine mealy texture forms.

Flour mixture with butter being cut in for apple pie.

Fold in cheese until just combined.
Stir in water. Turn mixture onto a clean, lightly floured surface and gently knead.

Form the mixture into a disc.
Cover dough disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Apple pie with a cheddar crust formed into a disc.

Cheddar crust wrapped in a plastic wrap.

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

Process

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and fold together until well combined. Set aside and allow mixture to sit for about 1 hour.

Apple pie filling mixed together in a bowl.

Crust Wash Ingredients

Process

Once crust has chilled, divide in 1/2. Cover 1/2 and set aside.
Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface and roll dough until about1/8 inch thick.

A cheddar crust rolled out on a surface.

Gently fold dough in half (or roll onto rolling pin) and carefully lift into a pie plate and unfold. Press dough into shell, cutting off any excess around the perimeter, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Crimp the edge using your fingers and knuckles.
Pour apple pie filling into pie shell, forming an even layer.

Pie crust with apple filling before it's baked.

Roll other half of dough until about 1/8” thick and cut into 10 strips of 3/4″x 11”. Gently lay 5 strips of dough across one direction of the pie, spacing them each even from one another.
Form a lattice by arranging the remaining strips through the first strips.

An apple pie on a baking dish pre baked.

Trim the edges and gently press the ends into the crust of the pie. Fold overhang of bottom crust over and create a scalloped edge with your fingers and knuckles.
Whisk together egg and water and brush egg wash over pie. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if using.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes before placing onto a baking sheet and baking for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375˚F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Remove apple pie from oven and cool for at least 1 hour. Slice and serve warm.

Apple pie with a cheddar crust freshly baked.

Why This is the BEST Apple Pie Recipe Ever!

We use a combination of granny smith and pink lady apple slices which give the apple pie filling a truly delicious flavor.
The brown butter adds a hint of nuttiness to the filling that compliments the apples very well.
The cheddar crust is the best homemade pie crust for this pie, hands down! It’s nutty, flaky, savory, slightly salty, and balances the filling out perfectly!

Best Apples for Apple Pie

There’s no question that granny smith apples tend to reign supreme when it comes to baking, especially with pies. We’re not here to argue that. Their firm texture allow them to hold up well when being cooked/baked, and their tart flavor also balances well with any added sugars, sweeteners and spices (such as cinnamon).

There are a few other apples though that we truly love to use when if comes to apple desserts, especially apple pie. Pink lady apples are next on our list of amazing apples to use in an apple pie recipe. (We use a mixture of 50/50 granny smith apples and pink lady apples in our apple pie recipe.) Pink lady apples are also very crisp and have a sweet-tart flavor that is absolutely delicious!

Golden delicious apples are next on our list of great apples to use in apple desserts. We love their crisp and crunchy texture with their sweet-tart flavor. The combination make them perfect for baked desserts as well!

A view into a slice of apple pie with cheddar crust.

Why We Use a Cheddar Pie Crust Recipe For Our Easy Apple Pie

Like we mentioned earlier our cheddar crust is unbelievably flaky and delicious. It has a really nice buttery flavor to it and the cheese only adds a subtle, but really nice nutty flavor. It matches incredibly well with our brown butter apple filling! This is seriously my favorite crust to use when making our easy apple pie recipe, and pretty much the only crust I use when making apple pie!

Storing, Freezing and Reheating Instructions

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Any leftover pie can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days. To reheat, either microwave slices of pie in 30 second intervals until heated through, or bake at 350˚F, covered with foil for 8 to 10 minutes.

Freezing and Reheating Baked Apple Pie

Once baked, our apple pie is best frozen whole or in individual slices. To freeze, cool pie completely (slice into individual pieces, unless keeping whole) then tightly wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap (wrap each slice individually), followed by a layer of foil for up to 1 month. When ready to thaw, transfer pie to refrigerator (still wrapped) and thaw overnight (about 8 hours). Preheat oven to 350˚F. Unwrap apple pie, loosely cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, if thawing single slices, thaw in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Unwrap apple pie, loosely cover with foil and bake for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Freezing and Reheating Unbaked Apple Pie

Place unbaked pie in the freezer until fully frozen, about 2 hours. Once frozen tightly double wrap in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, remove foil and plastic wrap, transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 400˚F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375˚F and continue to bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until pie is golden brown and fully heated through.