Puff pastry apple pie is a warm and gooey apple pie made with buttery and flaky puff pastry instead of classic pie dough. Once baked until golden brown, top this puff pastry apple slab pie with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel for a perfectly easy to make apple dessert.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
I adore making desserts and breakfast treats with puff pastry. After making my Nutella Croissants, Apple Danish, Strawberry Danish, Cherry Danish, Blueberry Turnovers and Cherry Turnovers I just knew I needed to make more recipes using puff pastry. I am so excited to add this apple puff pastry pie to the blog. I know you’ll love it because:
- You need a quick, but impressive and easy apple dessert. Making a pie completely from scratch can be time consuming and a little labor intensive. Skip the traditional pie crust, use puff pastry and make a most delicious apple slab pie using puff pastry. The entire apple dessert can be made, baked and cooled in a little over an hour.
- Easy to make with layers of flavor. This apple pie with puff pastry uses just a handful of simple ingredients to make. All you have to do is assemble, bake and enjoy. This is the easiest apple pie recipe ever.
Ingredients
These easy and delicious apple pie with puff pastry requires only a handful of ingredients to make. Here’s what you need.
- Apple Filling: Gather fresh apples, butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and vanilla extract.
- Puff Pastry: Gather store bought or homemade puff pastry sheets, an egg and water.
Substitutions
These puff pastry apple pie is meant to be quick, easy and delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions for this apple slab pie recipe if you need them.
- Apples: The best apple for these apple tarts are tart with a hint of sweetness. Basically the same apples you would use to make an apple pie are the same ones that work well for this recipe. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Fuji, Pink Lady and Cosmic are all good choices.
- Light Brown Sugar: This puff pastry apple pie recipe calls for granulated sugar and light brown sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon pairs beautifully with apples. Use another warming spice you like.
- Cornstarch: This helps to thicken the apple pie filling. Use 1:1 arrowroot, potato starch or tapioca starch as a replacement. Use 2:1 when replacing the cornstarch with flour.
- Vanilla Extract: This pairs beautifully with apples and cinnamon. Use vanilla bean paste or omit.
- Puff Pastry Sheets: Feel free to use homemade puff pastry if you like. I love using store bought puff pastry sheets. Make this apple tart recipe gluten free by using gluten free puff pastry.
- Egg: An egg wash brushed on the apple puff pastry creates a lovely golden brown color after baking. Feel free to omit if needed.
Variations
- Puff Pastry Apple Hand Pies: Prepare the apple filling as written in the recipe. Thaw the puff pastry according to the recipe directions. Unfold the one sheet of puff pastry with the creases running horizontally, not vertically. Gently roll the puff pastry to make the overall size a bit bigger. Cut the pastry along the folds to the sheet now resembles 3 rectangles. Top the center of the left size with the cooled apple pie filling. Fold the right side over and on top of the left side to fully cover and enclose the apple pie filling. Use a fork to seal the edges of the puff pastry apple pie. Brush the top with egg wash, cut a few slits into the top of the hand pie. Bake at 400 F (205 C) for 18 - 22 minutes.
- Classic Apple Pie with Puff Pastry: Roll the puff pastry sheet into a 10 x 11 inch circle. Gently transfer to a pie dish. Press the puff pastry into the pie plate to form the bottom crust of the apple pie. Prick or dock the crust and bake at 400 F (205 C) for 10 minutes. Prepare the filling as written in the recipe. Cool the filling to room temperature before filling the par-baked crust. Fill the pie plate with the apple pie filling. Top the pie with the remaining puff pastry sheet (also rolled out to a circle), sealing the edges with a fork. Brush with an egg wash, cut a few slits into the top crust and bake at 375 F (190 C) for about 30 minutes.
How To Make
Learn how to make puff pastry apple tart in a few easy steps.
Make the Apple Pie Filling
- Peel, core and slice 6 cups of apples from about 4 - 5 medium apples into ¼ inch thick slices. Place slices of cold butter on the bottom of a large pan or pot. Heat the butter over medium high heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the sliced apples to a large sauce pan or pot on top of the butter. Gently toss the apple slices in the butter. Top the apple slices with light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Gently mix the apple slices in the sugar and spices until well combined. Cook the apples for about 5 - 10 minutes or until the apples release their juices and the juices begin to thicken into a sauce like consistency. Once the apple pie filling is made, remove the filling from the heat and cool until the puff pastry has thawed enough to work with and the oven is fully preheated. While the apple pie filling is cooking, make sure to pull the puff pastry to thaw at room temperature for about 30 - 45 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).
Make and Bake the Puff Pastry Pie
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry to form a square. Gently press or roll out the puff pastry so it is completely flat and measures roughly 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm). Top the puff pastry with the apple pie filling. Make sure to leave a ½ - 1 inch boarder around the entire pastry. Brush the untopped boarder with an egg wash. Take the remaining puff pastry sheet. Roll the sheet to slightly larger than 9 x 11 inches. The top sheet needs to cover the area of the bottom puff pastry and the apple pie filling. Top the puff pastry apple pie with the top sheet of puff pastry. Use a fork to seal the edges of the bottom and top puff pastry together. Brush the top puff pastry pie crust with the egg wash. Use a small knife to create some decorative cuts to help release the steam. Sprinkle the top with sugar if you like.
- Bake the apple puff pastry pie for 22 - 28 minutes or until the apple pie pastry is puffed up and golden brown in color. Cool the puff pastry apple pie on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes. Slice apple pie puff pastry into your desired size and serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
How To Store, Freeze and Serve
- Store: Transfer any leftover apple pie slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days. This puff pastry apple pie is fine to enjoy at room temperature within 2 - 3 hours after baking.
- Freeze: I do not recommend freezing and thawing th apple puff pastry pie.
- Serve: Apple puff pastry pie is perfect when served warm with ice cream or room temperature with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use the right apples. The best apples for this apple slab pie are also the best apples for baking other apple desserts. Look for a mix of tart apples like Granny Smith and sweeter apples like Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples.
- Fully cool the apple pie filling. Make sure the apple pie filling is cooled fully to room temperature to avoid a soggy bottom crust.
- Prepare the apple pie on the baking sheet. This is the easiest way to ensure the apple slab pie stays intact.
- Gently roll out the puff pastry. Pressing the puff pastry too much can cause the layers to press together, resulting in less rise.
- Chill the puff pastry. Transfer to the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes before baking.The colder the puff pastry dough, the more flaky curst and the higher the rise.
- Don’t overfill the puff pastry. Adding too much apple pie filling can cause the apple pie to become soggy with undercooked apples.
- Cut slits in the top puff pastry crust. The slits help to release steam and encourages the pie to bake more evenly.
- Top the pie with an egg wash. This helps the puff pastry look golden once it’s done baking. Add a bit of sugar to the top of the egg wash for a little extra crunch.
- Don’t forget the toppings. I love topping my puff pastry apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Salted caramel or whipped cream would also be delicious toppings.
FAQs
How do I thaw puff pastry?
Most boxes of store bought puff pastry give thawing directions. Follow the directions listed on the box. Typically puff pastry is removed from the freezer to sit out at room temperature for 45 - 60 minutes.
How do you keep puff pastry tart from getting soggy?
Make sure the puff pastry is cold before baking. Chill the puff pastry in the fridge while the oven fully heats up or about 20 minutes before baking. Make sure the oven is hot and fully preheated. The best temperature for baking puff pastry tarts is 400 - 425 F (205 - 218 C). Additionally, par baking the pie crust can be help the bottom crust stay light and flaky instead of getting soggy.
Can I use puff pastry instead of pie crust?
Yes, it is possible to swap puff pastry for traditional pie crust. Fruit based pies are best suited for using puff pastry as the pie crust. The most common way to use puff pastry as a pie crust is to make the pie as a “pot pie” and use the puff pastry as a top crust or to make a slab pie.
Other Apple Recipes To Try
If you try this Puff Pastry Apple Pie recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Puff Pastry Apple Pie Recipe
Puff pastry apple pie is a warm and gooey apple pie made with buttery and flaky puff pastry instead of classic pie dough. Once baked until golden brown, top this puff pastry apple slab pie with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel for a perfectly easy to make apple dessert.
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 knife
- 1 skillet or pan
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 large sheet parchment paper
- 1 pastry brush optional
Ingredients
- 6 cups apples about 4 - 5 medium apples
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, sliced
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
- 1 - 2 tablespoons sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Peel, core and slice 6 cups of apples from about 4 - 5 medium apples into ¼ inch thick slices.
- Place slices of cold butter on the bottom of a large pan or pot. Heat the butter over medium high heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the sliced apples to a large sauce pan or pot on top of the butter. Gently toss the apple slices in the butter. Top the apple slices with light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Gently mix the apple slices in the sugar and spices until well combined. Cook the apples for about 5 - 10 minutes or until the apples release their juices and the juices begin to thicken into a sauce like consistency.
- Once the apple pie filling is made, remove the filling from the heat and cool until the puff pastry has thawed enough to work with and the oven is fully preheated. While the apple pie filling is cooking, make sure to pull the puff pastry to thaw at room temperature for about 30 - 45 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry to form a square. Gently press or roll out the puff pastry so it is completely flat and measures roughly 9 x 11 inches (23 x 28 cm). Top the puff pastry with the apple pie filling. Make sure to leave a ½ - 1 inch boarder around the entire pastry. Brush the untopped boarder with an egg wash.
- Take the remaining puff pastry sheet. Roll the sheet to slightly larger than 9 x 11 inches. The top sheet needs to cover the area of the bottom puff pastry and the apple pie filling. Top the puff pastry apple pie with the top sheet of puff pastry. Use a fork to seal the edges of the bottom and top puff pastry together. Brush the top puff pastry pie crust with the egg wash. Use a small knife to create some decorative cuts to help release the steam. Sprinkle the top with sugar if you like.
- Bake the apple puff pastry pie for 22 - 28 minutes or until the apple pie pastry is puffed up and golden brown in color. Cool the puff pastry apple pie on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes. Slice apple pie puff pastry into your desired size and serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
Store: Transfer any leftover apple pie slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days. This puff pastry apple pie is fine to enjoy at room temperature within 2 - 3 hours after baking.
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