Homemade Apple Pie with Lattice Crust

Two hours total. Seven apples. One crust that might crack and one that might not. Worth it anyway.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie

Takes 2 hours 20 minutes but most of that’s waiting around. Forty-five minutes if you don’t count the sit time. Granny Smiths and Honeycrisps work because one’s tart and one’s sweet — tried it with just Grannys once and it tasted like a lesson. The lattice looks complicated. It’s not — just strips woven over, takes five minutes if you move steady. Cinnamon spice all through it, not just on top. Cornstarch keeps the filling thick instead of a soup puddle that ruins the bottom crust. Cold butter dotted on top means the crust actually gets flaky and crispy, not just brown on the outside. Works fine with vanilla ice cream, works fine alone. Fall thing, but honestly it’s good any time. Nobody talks about how good day-old apple pie is cold at 6 AM standing in your kitchen. Better than fresh.

What You Need for Cinnamon Apple Pie

Four Granny Smiths. Peel them, core them, slice thin — quarter inch — then halve each slice so it’s not too big. Three Honeycrisps. Same treatment. Grannys are sharp. Honeycrisps are sweet. Together they stop it from being one note.

Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar and regular sugar. Sounds fussy. Isn’t. The mix gives depth instead of one flat sweet. Apple pie spice — that’s cinnamon mostly, plus allspice and nutmeg already blended. Lemon juice. Not optional. Cuts through the sugar like you’d expect lemon to.

Salt. Cornstarch. The cornstarch sits in the juice and thickens it while it bakes instead of letting it run everywhere. Unsalted butter in small cubes, cold. Matters more than you’d think.

Two pie crusts. Store-bought is fine. Let them thaw a bit before using or they tear. Egg wash — one egg beaten with water. Makes it golden and gives the sanding sugar something to stick to. Coarse sugar on top. Optional except it’s really not.

How to Make Homemade Lattice Apple Pie

Peel the apples. Core them. Slice thin, quarter inch exactly — too thick and they won’t cook through, too thin and they disappear. Halve each slice. This takes a while. Worth doing right.

Throw them all in a big bowl. Both brown sugars, the granulated sugar, apple pie spice, salt, lemon juice. Mix it so everything gets coated. It looks dry. Leave it alone for an hour uncovered. That’s when the juice pools out — don’t drain it, that juice is part of the filling.

Preheat to 410. Put the pie plate on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Saves your oven when juice bubbles over, which it will. Let the crusts come up to room temperature while the oven heats. Cold crust snaps. You want it pliable.

Unroll the first crust into the pie plate. Ease it to the edges but don’t stretch it or it shrinks back during baking and pulls away from the rim. Use a slotted spoon to move the apples into the crust — this leaves most of the juice behind. Layer them even, don’t pack tight. They’ll release more liquid as they bake.

How to Get Lattice Crust Apple Pie Crispy and Properly Thickened

Pour that leftover juice into a bowl. Add the cornstarch, whisk until smooth — no lumps or gritty bits. Pour it over the apples. The cornstarch absorbs the liquid and thickens it as the pie bakes instead of everything being runny.

Dot cold butter cubes all over the top. Six tablespoons, random placement. Cold butter means the crust underneath gets crispy instead of soggy. Warm butter just disappears.

Roll the second crust out flat. Cut it into strips maybe 1.5 inches wide with a sharp knife. Weave them over the apples in a lattice — one direction, then the other, alternating. Keep the spacing even. Crimp the edges where the lattice meets the rim, seal it tight but don’t squeeze the dough or it gets tough.

Brush egg wash over everything — the lattice, the crimped edges, all of it. Generous brush. Sprinkle sanding sugar on top while it’s still wet. It’ll stick.

Bake at 410 for 28 to 32 minutes. Watch for juice bubbling through the lattice openings. If the crust edges go too dark before the filling bubbles, cover with foil. Foil’s your friend here.

Drop the temperature to 360. Bake another 18 to 22 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the filling thickened. Jiggle it gently — if the filling wobbles like water, it needs longer. Should barely move.

Cool it completely. At least three hours. It’ll look soft when it’s hot. It firms up as it cools. Use a serrated knife to slice cleanly.

Cinnamon Spiced Apple Pie Tips and Mistakes

Don’t skip the hour sit time. That’s when the apples break down and release juice that’ll actually cook into filling instead of staying apple chunks in sugar.

The lattice doesn’t have to be perfect. Uneven strips look better than trying to make it geometric. Just make sure it’s woven tight enough that it doesn’t collapse when you move it.

Cornstarch over flour. Flour makes it murky. Cornstarch is invisible and actually works.

Egg wash needs to be brushed on, not dabbed. Dabbing leaves it patchy. You want an even coat so it browns evenly.

If the edges brown too fast, tent with foil. Don’t just lay it on top — shape it loosely so it’s not touching the sugar. Sugar burns under direct contact.

Cool the whole thing completely before slicing. Warm pie falls apart. Room temperature or cold, it holds its shape.

Honeycrisps soften faster than Grannys. This is fine. Mix them and they cook at slightly different rates, which actually helps — you get some tender pieces and some that still have snap.

Homemade Apple Pie with Lattice Crust

By Emma

Prep:

85 min

Cook:

55 min

Total:

2h 20min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 Granny Smith apples peeled cored thinly sliced quarter inch then halved
• 3 Honeycrisp apples peeled cored thinly sliced quarter inch then halved
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple pie spice replace with pumpkin pie spice for twist
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled cut in small cubes
• 2 unrolled 9-inch pie crusts allow to thaw slightly
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
• 2 teaspoons coarse sanding sugar

Method

1. 1 Peel core slice Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples thinly quarter inch. Then halve each slice for bite-sized pieces. Place all in a large bowl.
2. 2 Mix both brown sugars, granulated sugar, apple pie spice blend, salt, lemon juice into apples. Stir thoroughly, coat every slice evenly. Set aside uncovered 1 hour. Juice will pool—do not discard.
3. 3 Preheat oven to 410°F. Place 9-inch pie plate on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Saves oven chaos if juices bubble out.
4. 4 Unroll and let pie crusts come to room temp while oven heats. Flaky crust needs gentle handling, too cold snaps or rips easily.
5. 5 Line pie plate with first crust, gently ease to edges but avoid stretching.
6. 6 Use slotted spoon to transfer apples to crust. Layer evenly, resist packing them tightly—they shrink releasing liquid more.
7. 7 Add cornstarch to leftover juice, whisk till smooth no lumps or gritty bits. Pour slurry over apples in crust, helps thicken that bubbling syrup later.
8. 8 Dot butter cubes randomly on top of apples. Use cold butter or crust won’t crisp well.
9. 9 Cut second crust into 1.5-inch strips with sharp knife. Weave lattice pattern carefully, keeping spacing even. Crimp edges firmly to seal juices in but don’t compress dough too much.
10. 10 Whisk egg and water for egg wash. Brush generously over lattice for golden sheen and sticky surface for sanding sugar.
11. 11 Sprinkle sanding sugar over egg wash. Optional but adds crunch and sparkle. Watch it closely during baking—it can burn fast with sugar topping.
12. 12 Bake at 410°F for 28-32 minutes. Look for bubbling juices peeking through lattice. If crust edges brown too fast, tent with foil carefully to prevent bitter burnt spots.
13. 13 Lower oven to 360°F and bake additional 18-22 minutes until crust deep golden and filling thickened. Jiggle pie gently to feel if filling wobbles excessively—needs longer if so.
14. 14 Cool fully at least 3 hours. Hot pie will seem runny but firm up as cools. Slice clean with serrated knife.
15. 15 Serve slightly warm or room temp. Optional: dollop cinnamon whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for contrast.

Nutritional information

Calories

310

Protein

2g

Carbs

58g

Fat

8g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Lattice Pie

Can I use all Granny Smith apples instead? Yeah. Tastes sharper, more tart. The Honeycrisps balance it out. Tried it without them. Different pie, not worse, just not this one.

Do I have to make the lattice or can I do a top crust instead? Top crust works. Lattice just looks better and lets steam escape so the filling thickens instead of getting steamy and weird. Plus the bottom gets crispier with lattice because heat circulates underneath it.

What if my crust tears while I’m putting it in the pan? Patch it. Pinch the edges together. Pie doesn’t care. Nobody sees the bottom anyway.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of apple pie spice? Yeah. Actually changes it enough that it’s different. Pumpkin spice has more clove. Tastes warmer, spicier. Not bad, just needs to be on purpose.

How long does apple pie with cornstarch keep? Three days covered at room temperature. Gets softer but doesn’t go bad. Refrigerate after that but the crust gets tough so room temp is better if you can do it.

Do I need sanding sugar or is it really optional? It’s optional but it adds crunch that regular crust doesn’t have. Makes the top not just glossy but textured. Worth the extra step if you have it.

Why does the filling bubble up and sometimes leak? Because seven apples release a lot of juice. That’s why the baking sheet under the pie plate matters. Don’t skip it or your oven smells like burnt caramel for two weeks.

Can I make this the day before? Assemble it the day before, don’t bake. Keep it in the fridge covered. Bake it cold from the fridge — might add five minutes to the bake time. Never had issues with it.