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Gallery Read the full recipe after the video. Recipe Summary Servings: 12 mla101092_sip_fd08_applepie.jpg

Ingredients Ingredient Checklist 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Pate Brisee (Pie Dough) 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Pinch ground cloves 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large egg, beaten

Gallery Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary Servings: 12 mla101092_sip_fd08_applepie.jpg

Read the full recipe after the video.

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary Servings: 12

Recipe Summary

Servings: 12

Servings: 12

12

mla101092_sip_fd08_applepie.jpg

mla101092_sip_fd08_applepie.jpg

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting Pate Brisee (Pie Dough) 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Pinch ground cloves 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large egg, beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate brisee into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill all pastry until firm, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Reviews (38)

 Add Rating & Review     1495 Ratings   5 star values:        286    4 star values:        458    3 star values:        450    2 star values:        232    1 star values:        69        

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Reviews (38)

Add Rating & Review     1495 Ratings   5 star values:        286    4 star values:        458    3 star values:        450    2 star values:        232    1 star values:        69       

Add Rating & Review

1495 Ratings 5 star values: 286 4 star values: 458 3 star values: 450 2 star values: 232 1 star values: 69

1495 Ratings 5 star values: 286 4 star values: 458 3 star values: 450 2 star values: 232 1 star values: 69

1495 Ratings 5 star values: 286 4 star values: 458 3 star values: 450 2 star values: 232 1 star values: 69

  • 5 star values: 286 4 star values: 458 3 star values: 450 2 star values: 232 1 star values: 69

    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 5.0 stars       11/23/2020   This is a great go to recipe, always turns out great and everyone likes it. The lemon juice is very important to the apples, I use it as im prepping apples to keep them from turning. Maybe thats why they went grey with out it. Love this pie!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 4.0 stars       05/05/2020   The recipe is straight forward and used with Martha’s recipe for pate brisee, the pie comes out flaky and just the right balance of sweet, tart, and spice. It’s almost no fail recipe. The only complaint I have is that the written instructions and the video are completely different. Everything from the amount of apples, flour, baking temperature. I prefer the video. The woman doing the demonstration, who is not Martha by the way, does a very thorough job explaining all the details in the steps and why they are important. I think whoever is managing this site for Marty Stewart has overlooked the consistency between the video and the recipe. When I think of Martha Stewart, especially for a traditional apple pie, I think of a gold standard. I wish they would pay attention this difference and make the corrections to uphold Martha’s reputation.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 5 stars       11/02/2019   Made with lemon juice but without the zest. Turned out perfect!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 5 stars       12/17/2017   This recipe is amazing but the recipe and video are different. I followed the video. Best apple pie ever.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 4 stars       12/10/2017   husband loved the pie! we actually both loved it turned out very good. I gave it 4 starts because Im glad I read the reviews and reduced the lemon to 1TB and used 8 apples only and it was good enough  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/23/2016   I have made this pie many times and it's always good. I am so shocked to see that it didn't work out for some of the reviewers, because for me it has always been a no-fail recipe that everyone enjoys. As far as someone saying the crust is bland . . . the crust tastes like a true butter crust. It's delicious. I've also never had apples that turn gray or overcook.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       10/09/2016   Baked for 20 mins at 425 then 50 mins at 350. Crust was good but filling over cooked and resembled dense grey matter. Used Granny smith apples and added crushed wallnuts. Didnt have the lemon juice but cant see how that would kill it. Wasn't happy with results.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/27/2015   AMAZING!! It was so easy to make and it turned out perfect. The consistency was exactly right and the flavor was to die for! Everyone raved about it!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 4 stars       05/18/2015   We used 9 Granny Smith apples and 3 Honeycrisps. It was absolutely delicious, including the lemon juice & zest. Probably the most flavorful apple pie I've ever tasted. However, it was EXTREMELY watery, so would recommend using more flour, or another thickener.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       05/09/2014   Well, I like the way the filling tastes but it was way too watery and the crust was fairly bland. It turned out nice and crispy though. I didn't mind the tartness, but it overall was kind of blah.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/15/2013   This recipe is delicious! The only thing I added was a couple tablespoons of brown sugar over the top of the filling which balanced out the lemon, and only because I love brown sugar in an apple pie. This pie would NOT be so unique WITHOUT the spices AND the lemon, so I disagree with the reviews that dissed the lemon. Use a different recipe site if you prefer bland food!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 2 stars       11/29/2013   Wayyyyy too much lemon! Leave it out!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/28/2013   Definitely leave the lemon juice and zest out. I'm so glad I read the reviews first or my Thanksgiving pie would have been ruined. I added a lot more sugar and butter then it called for and also used frozen pie crust. Before putting the top layer on I sprinkled the apples with brown sugar. YUM! I had leftover apples so made applesauce as well.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 5 stars       11/22/2013   This apple pie is so good! I had two different people tell me it was the best they'd ever had. I had to make some slight adjustments to the filling as I forgot to buy a lemon and was out of nutmeg (Clearly this was a last minute idea to use up a bag of apples). I added 1 Tbsp of water in place of the lemon juice and it was amazing. It lasted 1 day in my house! Making another in right now :)  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: 5 stars       09/08/2013   Yummy! Best recipe I've ever made. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas......  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       01/16/2013   It's tasty however the granny smith apples plus the lemon juice made a wee bit too tart! Will definitely modify!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/02/2012   If you're looking for a great lemon apple pie, this is the recipe for you! Everything about this recipe was great except for the lemon. It ruined the pie. It had to be thrown out. The texture and look was excellent though.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/22/2012   I made two of these pies today. They were very pretty. However, the combination of sour apples and sour lemon juice led to my kids rejecting the pie outright. They love pie, but wouldn't eat more than a couple of bites of this one. I actually twashed the other pie down the disposal. There was one blessing with this pie: My mother-in-law is a lovely woman who currently can't taste anything because of chemo. She was able to taste this pie! (although even she didn't finish her piece).  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       10/25/2012   I made this recipe tonight. I feel it was headed in the right direction, but it would've been much better with half the amount of apples, half the amount of lemon and double the amount of flour. It came out watery and super sour in some areas... With some minor revisions, it has the potential to be very good though.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       07/05/2012   It's a great recipe... but the amout of apples seems a bit much, especially if you're using larger Granny Smith's. What I've found is 4 - 4.5 lbs of apples are more than enough, As far as someone saying that there is usually a large gap between the top of the pie and the apples once they cook down, that's absolutely correct. The only way to correct that is to saute the apples with butter first to get some of the moisture out.. then cool, and then put together with ingredients for the pie..  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       03/13/2012   Just made this recipe and it was awesome. Beautiful crust, plenty of apples. I did of course changed a few things. Smith apples are great but too sour with that much lemon juice and rind. So I halfed the apples and added pears. Pears sweeten it up without addind in more sugar and makes it less tart. I also cut some of the sugar an added some of my homemade caramel sauce...booyaa!! I also added a little flour to the apple mixture which aids in thickening the pie so it stands up better. ****STAR  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/08/2011   WAY WAY WAY TO MUCH LEMON!! Martha you should have put an amount of how much lemon to use and the number of apples made enough for 2 pies SHAME ON YOU MARTHA!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       10/17/2011   this is the greatest recipe but I used gala apples and substituted sugar with Organic Blue Agave, turned out fabulous! I have orders from my neighbours.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       04/23/2011   Too much lemon! If it weren't for the excess in lemon it would be perfect. I would use a fraction of both the juice and zest of one lemon. But overall, two thumbs up! I will use this recipe again (minus half the lemon) :)  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/28/2010   I love this recipe and have received many compliments; however, I have an issue where a void exists between the apples and the crust. The apples cook down and the crust does not, and I have roughly a 1.5 inch gap between the apple filling and the crust. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       10/22/2010   The best apple pie recipe ever. My husband always requests this instead of cake for his birthday and father's day. It's delish. I like the tartness that the granny smiths and the lemon add, but you can definitely taste the lemon, so if that isn't appealing to you, skip that part. It's a great recipe.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       10/04/2010   What size pie plate are you supposed to use with this recipe? For sizing when rolling, it says to roll it out slightly larger than an 11 inch plate. But, does that mean to use an 11 in pie plate? That seems pretty big and I only have 9 inch pie plates. Thoughts??  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/13/2009   Best apple pie that i have ever baked. The amount of spice was just right and the pastry was tender and very flakey. Thanks Martha for a fabulous recipe.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       02/27/2009   This pie was great! An instant favorite! it was so easy to make, I was shocked! I used less lemon and had it in the oven for an hour.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       02/06/2009   This pie was too lemony for me and not sweet enough. Next time I will add less lemon. Also, leave the apples in big pieces or they will turn to applesauce when baked.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/30/2008   I made a vegan version of this pie (including the crust). I used soy "butter" and ditched the egg for a soy butter/soy milk wash. It came out perfectly and I think I surprised my fiance by how yummy it was. I wish I could post a picture!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/24/2008   This pie is my husband favorite for this holidays, a little slice of heaven.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       11/02/2008   I made this pie just as the recipe directs and everyone commented how delicious it was. I'm definately going to make this my standard apple pie recipe without changing a thing.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/23/2007   I made this pie both with the lemon zest and without. All three of my family members did NOT like the lemon zest in this pie. Loved it without. I used medium sized apples and it made a very nice sized pie. I used 8-9 apples.  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/16/2007   The smaller Granny Smiths that come in bags are generally not very flavorful. You're better off with the larger size apples. Twelve may seem like a lot, but the apples will mound high in the pan, then soften and flatten during cooking. Expect the finished pie to be much "shorter" than the pre-baked pie. Hope that helps!  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/01/2007   what size granny smith apples? Small like the ones that come in bags at the grocery store or large like the ones sold individually at the grocery store? And, sliced how thick - some of your recipes say 1/4", others say 1."  
    
    Martha Stewart Member     Rating: Unrated       12/01/2007   Could you please make the print in these boxes-i.e., tags a little larger for the visually impaired. My zoomtext software doesn't work when it comes to reading on the internet  
    

    Martha Stewart Member

    Rating: 5.0 stars 11/23/2020

This is a great go to recipe, always turns out great and everyone likes it. The lemon juice is very important to the apples, I use it as im prepping apples to keep them from turning. Maybe thats why they went grey with out it. Love this pie!

Rating: 5.0 stars

Rating: 4.0 stars 05/05/2020

The recipe is straight forward and used with Martha’s recipe for pate brisee, the pie comes out flaky and just the right balance of sweet, tart, and spice. It’s almost no fail recipe. The only complaint I have is that the written instructions and the video are completely different. Everything from the amount of apples, flour, baking temperature. I prefer the video. The woman doing the demonstration, who is not Martha by the way, does a very thorough job explaining all the details in the steps and why they are important. I think whoever is managing this site for Marty Stewart has overlooked the consistency between the video and the recipe. When I think of Martha Stewart, especially for a traditional apple pie, I think of a gold standard. I wish they would pay attention this difference and make the corrections to uphold Martha’s reputation.

Rating: 4.0 stars

Rating: 5 stars 11/02/2019

Made with lemon juice but without the zest. Turned out perfect!

Rating: 5 stars

Rating: 5 stars 12/17/2017

This recipe is amazing but the recipe and video are different. I followed the video. Best apple pie ever.

Rating: 4 stars 12/10/2017

husband loved the pie! we actually both loved it turned out very good. I gave it 4 starts because Im glad I read the reviews and reduced the lemon to 1TB and used 8 apples only and it was good enough

Rating: 4 stars

Rating: Unrated 11/23/2016

I have made this pie many times and it’s always good. I am so shocked to see that it didn’t work out for some of the reviewers, because for me it has always been a no-fail recipe that everyone enjoys. As far as someone saying the crust is bland . . . the crust tastes like a true butter crust. It’s delicious. I’ve also never had apples that turn gray or overcook.

Rating: Unrated

Rating: Unrated 10/09/2016

Baked for 20 mins at 425 then 50 mins at 350. Crust was good but filling over cooked and resembled dense grey matter. Used Granny smith apples and added crushed wallnuts. Didnt have the lemon juice but cant see how that would kill it. Wasn’t happy with results.

Rating: Unrated 11/27/2015

AMAZING!! It was so easy to make and it turned out perfect. The consistency was exactly right and the flavor was to die for! Everyone raved about it!

Rating: 4 stars 05/18/2015

We used 9 Granny Smith apples and 3 Honeycrisps. It was absolutely delicious, including the lemon juice & zest. Probably the most flavorful apple pie I’ve ever tasted. However, it was EXTREMELY watery, so would recommend using more flour, or another thickener.

Rating: Unrated 05/09/2014

Well, I like the way the filling tastes but it was way too watery and the crust was fairly bland. It turned out nice and crispy though. I didn’t mind the tartness, but it overall was kind of blah.

Rating: Unrated 12/15/2013

This recipe is delicious! The only thing I added was a couple tablespoons of brown sugar over the top of the filling which balanced out the lemon, and only because I love brown sugar in an apple pie. This pie would NOT be so unique WITHOUT the spices AND the lemon, so I disagree with the reviews that dissed the lemon. Use a different recipe site if you prefer bland food!

Rating: 2 stars 11/29/2013

Wayyyyy too much lemon! Leave it out!

Rating: 2 stars

Rating: Unrated 11/28/2013

Definitely leave the lemon juice and zest out. I’m so glad I read the reviews first or my Thanksgiving pie would have been ruined. I added a lot more sugar and butter then it called for and also used frozen pie crust. Before putting the top layer on I sprinkled the apples with brown sugar. YUM! I had leftover apples so made applesauce as well.

Rating: 5 stars 11/22/2013

This apple pie is so good! I had two different people tell me it was the best they’d ever had. I had to make some slight adjustments to the filling as I forgot to buy a lemon and was out of nutmeg (Clearly this was a last minute idea to use up a bag of apples). I added 1 Tbsp of water in place of the lemon juice and it was amazing. It lasted 1 day in my house! Making another in right now :)

Rating: 5 stars 09/08/2013

Yummy! Best recipe I’ve ever made. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas……

Rating: Unrated 01/16/2013

It’s tasty however the granny smith apples plus the lemon juice made a wee bit too tart! Will definitely modify!

Rating: Unrated 12/02/2012

If you’re looking for a great lemon apple pie, this is the recipe for you! Everything about this recipe was great except for the lemon. It ruined the pie. It had to be thrown out. The texture and look was excellent though.

Rating: Unrated 11/22/2012

I made two of these pies today. They were very pretty. However, the combination of sour apples and sour lemon juice led to my kids rejecting the pie outright. They love pie, but wouldn’t eat more than a couple of bites of this one. I actually twashed the other pie down the disposal. There was one blessing with this pie: My mother-in-law is a lovely woman who currently can’t taste anything because of chemo. She was able to taste this pie! (although even she didn’t finish her piece).

Rating: Unrated 10/25/2012

I made this recipe tonight. I feel it was headed in the right direction, but it would’ve been much better with half the amount of apples, half the amount of lemon and double the amount of flour. It came out watery and super sour in some areas… With some minor revisions, it has the potential to be very good though.

Rating: Unrated 07/05/2012

It’s a great recipe… but the amout of apples seems a bit much, especially if you’re using larger Granny Smith’s. What I’ve found is 4 - 4.5 lbs of apples are more than enough, As far as someone saying that there is usually a large gap between the top of the pie and the apples once they cook down, that’s absolutely correct. The only way to correct that is to saute the apples with butter first to get some of the moisture out.. then cool, and then put together with ingredients for the pie..

Rating: Unrated 03/13/2012

Just made this recipe and it was awesome. Beautiful crust, plenty of apples. I did of course changed a few things. Smith apples are great but too sour with that much lemon juice and rind. So I halfed the apples and added pears. Pears sweeten it up without addind in more sugar and makes it less tart. I also cut some of the sugar an added some of my homemade caramel sauce…booyaa!! I also added a little flour to the apple mixture which aids in thickening the pie so it stands up better. ****STAR

Rating: Unrated 12/08/2011

WAY WAY WAY TO MUCH LEMON!! Martha you should have put an amount of how much lemon to use and the number of apples made enough for 2 pies SHAME ON YOU MARTHA!

Rating: Unrated 10/17/2011

this is the greatest recipe but I used gala apples and substituted sugar with Organic Blue Agave, turned out fabulous! I have orders from my neighbours.

Rating: Unrated 04/23/2011

Too much lemon! If it weren’t for the excess in lemon it would be perfect. I would use a fraction of both the juice and zest of one lemon. But overall, two thumbs up! I will use this recipe again (minus half the lemon) :)

Rating: Unrated 12/28/2010

I love this recipe and have received many compliments; however, I have an issue where a void exists between the apples and the crust. The apples cook down and the crust does not, and I have roughly a 1.5 inch gap between the apple filling and the crust. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?

Rating: Unrated 10/22/2010

The best apple pie recipe ever. My husband always requests this instead of cake for his birthday and father’s day. It’s delish. I like the tartness that the granny smiths and the lemon add, but you can definitely taste the lemon, so if that isn’t appealing to you, skip that part. It’s a great recipe.

Rating: Unrated 10/04/2010

What size pie plate are you supposed to use with this recipe? For sizing when rolling, it says to roll it out slightly larger than an 11 inch plate. But, does that mean to use an 11 in pie plate? That seems pretty big and I only have 9 inch pie plates. Thoughts??

Rating: Unrated 11/13/2009

Best apple pie that i have ever baked. The amount of spice was just right and the pastry was tender and very flakey. Thanks Martha for a fabulous recipe.

Rating: Unrated 02/27/2009

This pie was great! An instant favorite! it was so easy to make, I was shocked! I used less lemon and had it in the oven for an hour.

Rating: Unrated 02/06/2009

This pie was too lemony for me and not sweet enough. Next time I will add less lemon. Also, leave the apples in big pieces or they will turn to applesauce when baked.

Rating: Unrated 11/30/2008

I made a vegan version of this pie (including the crust). I used soy “butter” and ditched the egg for a soy butter/soy milk wash. It came out perfectly and I think I surprised my fiance by how yummy it was. I wish I could post a picture!

Rating: Unrated 11/24/2008

This pie is my husband favorite for this holidays, a little slice of heaven.

Rating: Unrated 11/02/2008

I made this pie just as the recipe directs and everyone commented how delicious it was. I’m definately going to make this my standard apple pie recipe without changing a thing.

Rating: Unrated 12/23/2007

I made this pie both with the lemon zest and without. All three of my family members did NOT like the lemon zest in this pie. Loved it without. I used medium sized apples and it made a very nice sized pie. I used 8-9 apples.

Rating: Unrated 12/16/2007

The smaller Granny Smiths that come in bags are generally not very flavorful. You’re better off with the larger size apples. Twelve may seem like a lot, but the apples will mound high in the pan, then soften and flatten during cooking. Expect the finished pie to be much “shorter” than the pre-baked pie. Hope that helps!

Rating: Unrated 12/01/2007

what size granny smith apples? Small like the ones that come in bags at the grocery store or large like the ones sold individually at the grocery store? And, sliced how thick - some of your recipes say 1/4", others say 1."

Could you please make the print in these boxes-i.e., tags a little larger for the visually impaired. My zoomtext software doesn’t work when it comes to reading on the internet

All Reviews for Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

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All Reviews for Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

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