If you’re looking for the BEST apple pie, then this stunning deep-dish mile high apple pie is for you!

slice of mile high apple pie with ice cream on a plate

This is the apple pie to end all apple pies, and the only apple pie recipe you’ll never need. It’s simple and classic— just a pile of apples spiced with cinnamon, baked in homemade butter pie crust pastry.

However, there is one obvious thing that sets this “mile-high” apple pie apart from all the others. With nearly six pounds of apples inside, it’s sure to be the largest apple pie you’ll ever bake! It’s huge.

This means more apples, a taller pie, and bigger smiles when you make that first slice.

Why you’ll love this deep dish apple pie recipe

The combination of sweet and tender cinnamon apples with flaky pie dough is a cozy combo perfect for the fall and holiday season. Serving it with vanilla ice cream is optional, though always highly recommended.

This large deep dish pie is meant to feed a crowd, as you can easily get 12-16 tall slices out of it. It’s just begging to be on your seasonal menu!

Ingredients you’ll need

Let’s get baking, shall we? Here’s everything require to make this mile high apple pie (full recipe at the end of article):

mile high apple pie ingredients

The best apples for apple pie

The best apples to bake with are ones that are tart, firm, and won’t break down in the oven. Granny smith, jonagold, jonathan, gala, honeycrisp, and pink lady/cripps pink are all great varieties to choose from. Stick to one type of apple, or feel free to combine several varieties to get even bigger flavor.

This recipe is made with almost 6 lbs of apples. That’s so many apples! That ends up being about about 16 medium apples total.

apple pie filling in skillet
filling pie crust with apple pie filling

How to make this mile high apple pie

  1. Prepare crust. See my tutorial for foolproof flaky pie crust or use my shortcut method for making pie crust in a food processor. You can also use your own favorite pie crust recipe! As always, homemade pie crust is best. Give pie crust at least 2 hours to rest in the fridge before using.
  2. Cook apple filling on the stove. Combine sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Simmer mixture until apples are tender but hold their shape and juices have thickened, then set pot aside to cool slightly. Cooking the apples on the stove before adding the to the pie reduces them a bit so they will all fit, and also to prevent a gap from forming in the oven between the crust and filling.
  3. Add apple filling to pie crust. Roll out both pie crusts to about 13 inches and transfer one to a 9-inch pie plate (deep dish pie pan not necessary). Scoop filling into the pie crust and top with second pie crust.
  4. Crimp edges and add cinnamon-sugar. Pinch edges of both crusts together to seal, and crimp decoratively as desired. Brush the top crust all over with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. With a sharp knife, cut a few vents in the top for steam to escape.
  5. Bake pie. Place pie on a sheet pan to catch any juices and bake pie at 400°F for about 1 hour until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling out. It’s likely your crust will be done before filling is bubbly, so cover the pie with foil to prevent the crust from burning.
  6. Let it cool. This is such a hard, but crucial step. The pie is not completely set until it cools. If possible, let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
crimping pie crust, dusted with cinnamon sugar
baked mile high apple pie

Tips for making the best deep dish apple pie

  • For this recipe you’ll need about 16 (yes, 16!) medium apples to get to 5.5lbs.
  • This is how I peel and core apples for baking. It’s fast and easy!
  • You can use store-bought pie crust, but homemade is preferred! Feel free to use the recipe below (psst, it’s my favorite buttermilk pie crust) or substitute for your own homemade crust.
  • You do not need a “deep-dish” pie pan to make this pie. A standard 9-inch pie dish will work just fine. I prefer to use pyrex or ceramic pie dishes.
  • Don’t skip the egg wash! Without it your pie will be dull and colorless.
  • If the pie crust edges brown more quickly than the center, cover with a sheet of foil with an 8-inch circle cut out of the inside, or pie crust shield. When the pie crust is perfectly golden brown, cover the whole thing with foil to prevent it from burning while the filling finishes cooking.
  • To allow the apple pie filling to completely set up, let it rest at room temperature at least for 1 hour before slicing.
  • This pie is delicious both served warm or at room temperature. To reheat a cool pie, cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.
  • You can store this pie at room temperature for about 24 hours. Anything longer than that and I would recommend storing in the fridge to keep it fresh.
  • Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!
closeup of cut mile high apple pie in pan

More pie resources

  • Place your pie on a baking sheet pan to easily transfer it back and forth from the oven, and to catch any juices that bubble out.
  • For cleanest slices (as shown in these photos), let the pie cool completely to room temperature, which will take several hours. You can also let it chill in the fridge.
  • Looking to save some time? Learn how to make pie crust in the food processor.
  • If you’re interested in adding a lattice top to your pie, see my photo tutorial on how to make a lattice pie crust. 
  • If pies intimidate you or they just don’t seem to come out right, be sure to check out my best tips for making perfect pies. I share solutions for the most common pie baking problems like how to prevent a runny filling, cracked crust, soggy bottoms and more!
  • Here’s a list of my favorite pie tools.
slice of mile high apple pie on a plate with pie in background

More apple pie recipes

Shop tools for this recipe

This recipe was originally published in October 2012.

slice of mile high apple pie with ice cream on a plate
4.67 from 3 reviews

Mile High Apple Pie

Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
If you’re looking for the BEST apple pie, then this stunning deep-dish mile high apple pie is for you!
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Ingredients

Pie crust:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (300 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter , cold and cut into cubes (226 grams)
  • ½ cup cold buttermilk (118 ml)

Apple filling and assembly:

  • 5 ½ lbs apples , peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (2.6 kg, about 16 medium)
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice , fresh or bottled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (50 grams)
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon , divided
  • 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water , for egg wash
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar , for sprinkling

Instructions
 

To make the pie crust:

  • Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat.
  • Dump the mixture out onto a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll the butter into thin sheets, combining it with the flour. Use a bench scraper to scrape the rolling pin and bring the mixture back into a pile as necessary.
  • Continue until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour. Mixture will be very flaky.
  • Return mixture to the bowl and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill the butter.
  • Remove from freezer and add the cold buttermilk. Use a spoon and then your hands to stir the mixture until it comes together into a ball. If mixture is too dry, add additional buttermilk a teaspoon at a time.
  • Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.

To prepare the pie filling:

  • In a large skillet add the apple slices, lemon juice, 1 cup of the sugar, the flour and 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon. Set over medium high heat.
  • Stir frequently as the sugar dissolves and the apples soften. Simmer until apples are soft but still hold their shape and the juices have thickened, about 15 minutes. The whole mixture should appear to be reduced by a third. Set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.

To assemble the pie:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Let the dough rest at room temperature for five minutes. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rough 13-inch circle. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Transfer dough to 9-inch pie dish. Roll out the second disk of dough.
  • Dump the cooled apple pie filling into the bottom crust. Transfer the second crust to the top of the pie. Trim edges to about 1 inch.
  • Fold the edges of the top and bottom crusts together and use your index fingers and thumb to pinch into a pattern. Brush with egg wash. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the pie. Cut a few slits in the crust as vents for steam.
  • Place pie on a sheet pan to catch any filling that bubbles over. Bake pie until golden on top and filling bubbles through vents, about 1 hour. If crust browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
  • Let the baked pie come to room temperature on a wire rack for several hours before serving, to allow the filling to finish thickening.
  • Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes

NOTES

  • For more pie crust tips and step-by-step photos, check out my foolproof flaky pie crust tutorial.
  • This recipe was originally published in September 2012. Photos have been updated, and recipe method has been improved.
Calories: 663kcal, Carbohydrates: 109g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 322mg, Potassium: 447mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 63g, Vitamin A: 932IU, Vitamin C: 29mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 3mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.