Caramel Apple Pie
This Caramel Apple Pie is an amazing apple pie combo to bake this fall. Not only is it caramel and apple, but this pie is actually a less sweet apple pie because I only use Homemade True Caramel Sauce, and no added sugar in the filling!
If you're looking for more apple pie recipes, try Vanilla Bean Apple Pie, Honey Lemon Apple Pie, Brown Sugar Honey Apple Pie, Apple Berry Pie, or Brown Butter Apple Pie Without Eggs.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Caramel Apple Pie
- Ready In: 7 hours 35 minutes
- Makes: 9-inch pie
- Main Ingredients: butter, all purpose flour, apples, caramel sauce
- Flavor Profile: buttery flaky pie crust with rich caramel and tart apples
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Medium
- Why You’ll Love It: intentionally less sweet by relying on the apples’ natural tartness and the sweetness of homemade caramel
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Less Sweet: This classic apple pie is actually a less sweet apple pie with a complex flavor, if you can believe it or not. I don’t use any additional sugar in this pie, just caramel sauce. And while caramel is mostly sugar, it still uses less sugar than all of my other apple pies on my site! So, if you are looking for a less sweet apple pie this fall or Thanksgiving, then this is the apple pie for you.
- Easy As Pie: It’s very simple to make as there are less ingredients in the apple pie filling compared to traditional recipes – making it really easy to put together.
- Caramel Apple: Everyone loves caramel and apple together. If you are looking for a sweeter Caramel Apple Pie, all you have to do is add a dollop of homemade true caramel sauce on top of the pie before serving. This makes this apple pie a great option for Thanksgiving, as someone at your table might be looking for a less sweet apple pie, and someone else might want the extra caramel added. And, if you love caramel, also try Homemade Chewy Coffee Caramel Candies too!
- 7 Ingredients: This simple Caramel Apple Pie is a must bake this fall, with only 7 ingredients in this pie (and that includes if you make your own Homemade True Caramel Sauce!). It really comes together quite easily. This impressive Caramel Apple Pie will be a hit at your Thanksgiving table this year.
Ingredients
- Butter: I use organic salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine as well, just add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough. Be sure your butter is cold, right from the fridge. Cold butter will create the best flaky pie crust. Be sure to check out my post Best Salted Butter for Baking for my top picks for pie crust.
- Caramel Sauce: I use my homemade true caramel sauce, which is only made up of cane sugar, butter and cream (that you already need for the pie). I highly recommend making for this! Be sure to make caramel sauce ahead of time, you can do this the day before when you make the pie crust, which is what I usually do. You can also use store bought if you prefer. You can even use my Gingerbread Caramel Sauce for a fun holiday twist on this pie!
- Apples: I use organic Granny Smith apples, which I don't usually prefer in pies but with the caramel sauce this tart apples is the best choice! I use large apples, so if yours are smaller, you may need an extra! Also, you can use any kind of apple variety you like, they all work here.
- Cornstarch: I use organic cornstarch to help solidify the fruit juices and sugar as this organic pie bakes in the oven. This helps prevent the crust from getting soggy as well as prevents fruit juices from running out when sliced.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I use organic heavy whipping cream as a pie wash. This makes this pie naturally eggless while still creating a golden brown pie crust. You'll also need this to make the caramel sauce.
- Turbinado Sugar: I top this pie with organic turbinado sugar, which gives it the best texture! This coarse sugar is what makes this pie sparkle.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- If you are new to making pie crust, check out How to Make Pie Crust in a Mixer for a full tutorial and video for making pie crust.
- Make the Homemade True Caramel Sauce the day before you plan to make the pie so it has time to cool. You can make this with the pie crust.
- You can make this pie in advance, the day before is fine. Just store in a cool, dry place, out on the counter is the best.
- I put a classic top on this pie, but if you want to a lattice top you can do that instead. Check out my tutorial How to Lattice a Pie Crust.
- You can reheat this pie in the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 15 minutes or until it's warm if you want to serve a warm pie.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, or until lightly brown. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
How to Make Caramel Apple Pie
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and cane sugar. Turn the mixer on low for two to three rotations to combine the dry ingredients. Remove the butter from the fridge and chop into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust. Cut the stick of butter into four and then chop into small cubes from there. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Measure out the cold water and have it ready.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly start to incorporate the ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer to medium speed. Once the butter mixture looks like wet sand, immediately add in all the water. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Divide the dough into two portions, one should be almost double the size of the other. I prefer to weigh them, the large one should weigh 312 grams and the small should weigh 170 grams.
- Form them both into disks and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the filling: Add the caramel sauce and cornstarch to a medium bowl and mix together. Add the sliced apples and toss to coat completely. Set aside. To make the topping: Add the heavy whipping cream into a small dish, set aside.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. First, roll out the large disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter.
- Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top. Roll out the smaller disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 9-inches in diameter. Set aside.
- Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly.
- Place the smaller pie dough on top.
- Crimp and fold over the edges of the dough to seal the top and bottom together.
- Flute the edges.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the cream topping.
- Sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar. Then make 4 vent holes in the top.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until golden brown to your liking. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
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Caramel Apple Pie FAQ's
Yes! I was honestly unsure about this at first, because I though the caramel sauce could get too gooey in the pie or it would ooze out. So, if you are wondering can you add caramel to apple pie, you definitely can!
There are a couple tricks I used in order to add caramel to apple pie. The first was I mixed in some cornstarch into the caramel sauce. This will help it not run out of the pie as it melts, just like when you add cornstarch to fruit pies for the fruit juices.
The second thing I did was I didn’t add any sugar to this apple pie. Caramel sauce is just sugar, with the addition of butter and cream. So, it’s plenty sweet. I added enough caramel sauce to sweeten the apples, so I didn’t need additional sugar. This makes this Caramel Apple Pie super easy to make! Plus, it was honestly less sweet than a traditional pie. So, if you are looking for a less sweet apple pie or a low sugar apple pie, then this is it! You can add a dollop of caramel sauce on top of the pie slice before serving if you want more caramel flavor or a little extra sweetness! So, be sure to keep that extra caramel sauce for serving.
I don't use sugar in the apple pie filling here because we're using caramel sauce. Caramel is made up of mostly sugar, so it brings sweetness to this pie, but with the added richness of caramel.
Yes, if you are feeling lazy you can use store bought caramel sauce in place of my Homemade True Caramel Sauce. I recommend using King’s Cupboard Organic Caramel Sauce if you are going to buy it.
The cornstarch helps thicken the caramel and apple juices so the filling does not run out when the pie is sliced.
Traditional caramel apples are made with Granny Smith Apples. These are the caramel apples you’ll find at the grocery store and the pumpkin patch this time of year. And most commonly, they will have peanuts coating them. So, I use Granny Smith Apples in this Caramel Apple Pie to be reminiscent of these nostalgic caramel apples.
You can use any kind of apples you like here. While I'm using Granny Smith, you can use a sweet variety as well such as Braeburn, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. I always say the best apples for apple pie are your favorite kind.
No, you don't need to peel the apples. The apples bake for so long in the oven and the skins soften, so there's no need to peel them. This saves time and makes it easier.
I use heavy whipping cream in place of egg wash on this pie. This is a great egg substitute that also creates a really golden brown pie crust. It's also much easier!
When the pie crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling inside the vent, then you know it's done.
If you skipped the cornstarch in the filling then it will be runny, this is an important ingredient as it helps solidify the fruit filling and sugars. Also, if you slice the pie when it's still hot or too warm, then the filling will run out anyways. Let the pie cool completely before slicing.
You need to let pie cool completely before slicing. This can take up to a couple hours.
Yes, you can bake the pie a day in advance if needed.
Thanksgiving Dinner Menu Inspiration
If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, try out this simple menu that is sure to impress! These dishes all compliment this Caramel Apple Pie beautifully so you can celebrate this holiday organically.
- Appetizer: Serve simple Organic Dill Dip With Sour Cream on a charcuterie board for an easy appetizer that everyone will love.
- Cocktail: Make Sparkling Apple Cider Bourbon the signature cocktail of the day and enjoy seasonal sparkling apple cider (as it also makes a great mocktail on its own!).
- Turkey: If you have an intimate Thanksgiving planned, try Slow Cooker Turkey. Or, if you're serving a crowd, Roasted Herb Butter Turkey is always a hit!
- Sides: Make comforting side dishes that everyone loves like Easy Stuffing Recipe and mix in more mindful dishes like Bone Broth Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes With Pecans.
- Dessert: While this pie will be a show stopping centerpiece, make sure to have Homemade Organic Whipped Cream and Salted Caramel No Churn Ice Cream for extra toppings. If you have a larger crowd, add in some Frosted Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies or if you have gluten free guests, The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are always a hit!
More Fall Apple Recipes
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Caramel Apple Pie
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- 9-Inch Pie Pan
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Crust
- 226 grams all purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 170 grams salted butter (cold)
- 7 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 113 grams Caramel Sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 large Granny Smith Apples (sliced)
Topping
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Turbinado sugar (optional)
Instructions
- To make the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour and cane sugar. Turn the mixer on low for two to three rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Remove the butter from the fridge and chop into small cubes. The smaller the cubes, the flakier the crust. Cut the stick of butter into four and then chop into small cubes from there. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Measure out the cold water and have it ready.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly start to incorporate the ingredients. Gradually turn the mixer to medium speed. Once the butter mixture looks like wet sand, immediately add in all the water. As soon as the dough comes together, stop the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Divide the dough into two portions, one should be almost double the size of the other. I prefer to weigh them, the large one should weigh 312 grams and the small should weigh 170 grams. Form them both into disks and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the filling: Add the caramel sauce and cornstarch to a medium bowl and mix together. Add the sliced apples and toss to coat completely. Set aside.
- To make the topping: Add the heavy whipping cream into a small dish, set aside.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan well with butter. Remove the pie dough from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and place on a floured surface. First, roll out the large disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 11-inches in diameter. Place the pie dough into the pie pan, and press lightly to form against the pan. It should be large enough that the dough folds right over the top.
- Roll out the smaller disk to ¼-inch thick, it should be about 9-inches in diameter. Set aside.
- Add the filling into the pie pan and spread evenly.
- Place the smaller pie dough on top, crimp and fold over the edges of the dough to seal the top and bottom together. Flute the edges.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the cream topping. Sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar. Make 4 vent holes in the top of the pie.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- If you are new to making pie crust, check out How to Make Pie Crust in a Mixer for a full tutorial and video for making pie crust.
- Make the Homemade True Caramel Sauce the day before you plan to make the pie so it has time to cool. You can make this with the pie crust.
- You can make this pie in advance, the day before is fine. Just store in a cool, dry place, out on the counter is the best.
- I put a classic top on this pie, but if you want to a lattice top you can do that instead. Check out my tutorial How to Lattice a Pie Crust.
- You can reheat this pie in the oven at 350°F for about 10 to 15 minutes or until it's warm if you want to serve a warm pie.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, or until lightly brown. Turn up the oven to 400°F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown to your liking.
Nutrition
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