Classic and cozy, my Apple Pie à la Mode features tender Golden Delicious apples tossed in cinnamon sugar, baked in a flaky crust, and topped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. Whether made with a lattice or solid top, it’s the kind of warm, spiced dessert that feels like home—especially with that melty ice cream on top.
From scratch homemade apple pie is the best dessert, especially when paired with my Crisco Pie Crust. This recipe even won me a family contest first-place championship!
What is Apple Pie a la Mode?
Apple Pie a la Mode is a classic dessert that consists of warm apple pie served with a scoop of ice cream. The combination of a warm pie with cool and creamy ice cream can't be beat. You can use your favorite flavor, but we recommend vanilla bean.
Jump to:
- What is Apple Pie a la Mode?
- Why You Will Love Apple Pie a la Mode
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How Can I Make The Perfect Homemade Apple Pie?
- More Recipes You Will Love
- How to Store Homemade Apple Pie
- What to Serve with Apple Pie a la Mode
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- More Recipes You Will Love
- Apple Pie a la Mode Recipe
If you haven't figured it out by now, I love making pies. Here are some other pies, savory and sweet, you might want to try: Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Leftover Turkey Pot Pie, Bacon and Spinach Quiche, Quiche Lorraine with Ham.
Why You Will Love Apple Pie a la Mode
- American Classic: Aside from cheddar cheese, what goes better with pie than ice cream?
- Simple: This recipe has the best apple pie filling, by just adding a few of the right ingredients together, it is so simple to make.
- Textures: A light and flaky crust with a soft, baked apple cinnamon inside is the perfect balance.
- Flavor: The strong cinnamon-sugar flavors, lightly crisp apples with some warm juices, balance with the buttery crust for an out of this world pie experience.
Ingredients
Take note of each ingredient listed in the recipe as we provide helpful tips on how to maximize their potential for the most delicious outcome.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- 9-inch Pie Crusts: Homemade or store-bought.
- Golden Delicious Apples: The balance of sweetness and acidity is perfect, but many varieties will work well.
- Granulated Sugar: White granulated sugar adds the sweetness without bringing in the molasses flavor of brown sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon: This intensifies the apple flavor while offering that warming spice effect.
- Sea Salt: Another flavor enhancer.
- Unsalted Butter: The butter enriches the flavor of the pie and crust.
- Whole Milk: Acts as a browning agent on the crust, similarly to an egg wash.
For this recipe, you'll want to have on hand a pie dish, mixing bowls, basting brush. I love my apple peeler and corer, but you can do it by hand.
Substitutions and Variations
While I understand that people love options, these are the ingredients that I have perfected for this recipe. I know this recipe works so I don’t recommend going too far off track, but if you want to use your favorite apple go for it!
How Can I Make The Perfect Homemade Apple Pie?
If I said that making this dish is as easy as pie would that be too cheesy? If you follow these simple instructions, you’ll be digging into the best apple pie filling sooner than you think, plus ice cream.
Preheat oven to 425F. If you are using our Crisco Pie Crust, follow instructions on the recipe card below. Combine the cinnamon sugar with apples, mix to coat evenly. Place the apples in the pie dish and arrange them with a slightly elevated peak in the centre. For a lattice top, roll out your second pie crust ⅛" thick, and cut 1" strips. Start by placing them in one direction (top to bottom), then as you work on the other direction (left to right), lift every other one to create the weave pattern. Repeat this until complete.
Pinch the edges together with the overhanging bottom crust and then crimp together with a fork. With a basting brush, brush the edges and top of the crust for a golden-brown pie, then place a few butter cubes between some of the lattice. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then lower to 375F for 40 minutes or until filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and let pie cool for 45-60 minutes before serving.
Hint: It can feel like a big task to take on a lattice crust. For a simpler version, lay your second pie crust on your top of your apples, and cut four 1-2 inch long slits in the centre. Pinch the edges together with the overhanging bottom crust and crimp together with a fork.
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How to Store Homemade Apple Pie
This dish will keep well in the fridge or freezer once baked.
- Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container and eat within 2-4 days.
- Freezer: Place in an airtight container and will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating: For best results, allow your slice to come to room temperature, place in the microwave and heat up incrementally.
- Make Ahead: You can prep some items in advance. The cinnamon sugar can be mixed and stored in a plastic container. The apples can be peeled and lightly drizzled with lemon juice, to prevent browning, the day before. If you use our Crisco Pie Crust you can see exactly how to prep your crust in advance too.
What to Serve with Apple Pie a la Mode
- Salted Caramel/ Butter Pecan Ice Cream: Mixing up the ice cream flavor to anything that you love pairing with apple sure puts a fun twist on this recipe.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzling some caramel sauce over top.
- Cheddar Cheese: This is probably the most common cheese to top with apple pie.
- Tea/Coffee: Serve with a hot chai tea or our Caramel Mocha Coffee recipe.
- Hot Chocolate: Try our Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate or Baileys and Hot Chocolate.
Top Tip
If you aren't in the mood to make a whole pie this Apple Pie Filling is fast to make and mouth-watering on its own!
FAQ
Cooling time is very important. When a pie comes out of the oven the filling will likely be bubbling and very hot. Cool time allows those ingredients to set up making for a firm filling that will stand up once cut, and keep your ice cream from melting too soon!
While we have never tried this ourselves, we recommend baking the pie in advance, as assembling the pie ahead of time without baking may lead to a soggy crust. Bake the pie, let it cool completely, and store covered in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. Alternatively, we have prepped the crust and the filling a day in advance and assembled and baked the day-of.
It’s best to choose crisp, firm apples that will hold their shape when baked. Our favorite apple to use is Golden Delicious, but you can use a mixture of tart and sweet apples, like Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp.
More Recipes You Will Love
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Apple Pie a la Mode Recipe
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- 9-inch Pie Dish
- Pizza Cutter/Sharp Knife
- Basting Brush
- Apple Corer and Peeler optional
Ingredients
- 2 9- inch pie crusts homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 cups of apples Golden Delicious (4-5 apples)
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cubed small (optional)
Instructions
- If using our homemade pie crust, lightly flour a surface and roll dough out ⅛” thick, and lay the dough into a 9-inch pie dish leaving about ¾” overhang (check out our Crisco Pie Crust recipe). Fold the overhang so the pie edge stands up, then crimp the edges. Add parchment paper, pie weights, and pre-bake for 15 minutes. If using store-bought crust, thaw crusts based on package instructions, and pre-bake the same way.
- In a small mixing bowl make your cinnamon sugar by combining sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- Peel apples and slice into ⅛” size pieces. Place into a large bowl, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and mix. Work in batches for more even mixing, if needed.
- Place the apples in the pie dish and arrange them with a slightly elevated peak in the center.
- For a lattice top, roll out your second pie crust ⅛” thick and cut 1” strips. Using a pizza cutter and rolling pin guides make this process very easy.
- Start by placing them in one direction (top to bottom), then as you start the other direction (left to right), lift every other one to create the weave pattern. Do this until complete.
- For a solid top, lay it over your apples, and cut 4 slits in the centre about 1-2 inches long.
- Pinch the edges together with the overhanging bottom crust and then crimp together with a fork.
- With a basting brush, brush the edges and top of the crust for a golden-brown pie, then place a few butter cubes between some of the lattice.
- Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then lower to 375F for 40 minutes or until filling is bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let pie sit for 45-60 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you cut the apples too soon, drizzle with lemon juice and water to avoid browning. However, if they are coated in the cinnamon sugar, this will help avoid browning also.
- If you do not have Golden Delicious apples on hand, feel free to use a combination of both tart and sweet apples like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
- Be sure to let your pie rest for at least one hour before cutting to allow the filling to set properly. Not waiting before cutting into the pie could result in the filling spilling out.
- For the full "a la mode" experience, don't forget to serve your pie warm to contrast perfectly with the cool ice cream. You can use your favorite ice cream flavor, but we recommend choosing a high-quality vanilla bean ice cream to complement the flavors of the apple pie.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
Eva Filer says
This is one of those recipes that I am asked to make year after year for family occasions and I am excited to do it! It looks like a lot of work, but it is quite easy to make and SO tasty!
Nicole says
Honestly, the first pie I have ever made where I could say I am proud of the crust, it’s apple pie no big deal, right? Wrong! It embraces the holiday season the aroma is reminiscent of family and memories and food doesn’t normally do that for me but this apple pie was fantastic and it prompted lots of conversation around the table and it made a new memory so thank you for that.!!!
Eva Filer says
Oh wow. Thank you so much for that Nicole. We are so happy to help bring additional memories to your family.
Emma says
I tried this recipe and it turned out amazing! The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and the result was delicious. This is definitely a recipe I’ll be making again.
Eva Filer says
We are so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, this is a to-go one in our house as well!
Jennifer says
Amazing!
Crust is perfection! Definitely my go to recipe for the next family function.
Eva Filer says
We love to hear that Jennifer, thanks for trying it!
Dan says
I used a homemade crust because it was easier for me but this was a great pie recipe, I'll definitely make it again.
Eva Filer says
Store-bought definitely works great! We are happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Lisa says
The best apple pie I've ever tasted!
Eva Filer says
That makes us so happy, thank you for sharing your experience with us!