Love apple pie but not all the effort? You won’t believe how quick and easy it is to whip up this amazingly delicious Easy Caramel Apple Pie!
My husband really, really loves apple pie. It is the only dessert he ever asks for. But, being the devoted wife that I am, I would only ever make it for Thanksgiving. Because let’s face it: apple pie is a lot of work. Between the homemade crust and all those apples that need to be peeled and cored and sliced, it just wasn’t a commitment I was willing to make on a regular basis.
Until now.
A few months ago, on our month-long road trip, some friends introduced us to a handy little tool that has changed our life! You may have already heard of it, but I was blown away. It was an apple corer-peeler-slicer. Have you ever seen one? They are SO cool! We have never eaten so many apples in our life, and by always keeping a few rolls of refrigerated pie crust handy, I can now literally whip up an apple pie any time the urge strikes.
Oh-So-Easy Caramel Apple Pie
My go-to apple pie recipe is pretty simple, but I sometimes like to jazz it up with the addition of some homemade caramel sauce. It also works great with a jar of store-bought caramel, or you can skip the caramel altogether and just add extra sugar. I also like to use a combination of sweet and tart apples for better flavor.
Here is what you need:
1 package refrigerated rolled pie crust (2 rolls) 5 tart apples (I like Granny Smith) 3 sweet apples (such as Pink Lady, Macintosh, Envy or Honeycrisp) ½ cup sugar 2½ tablespoons lemon juice 1½ teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 3 pats butter 1 8-oz. jar caramel sauce (optional) 1 large egg 1 tablespoon heavy creamStep 1: Peel, core and slice apples. Remove pie crust from refrigerator and let sit on counter for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Note: Peeling and slicing the apples is the hardest part of making apple pie, so just trust me when I say that if you like apple pie, buying one of these apple corer-peeler-slicers might be the best money you ever spend. It literally took me about 5 minutes to core, peel and slice all 8 apples.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until apples are well coated. Note: If you are omitting the caramel sauce, be sure to add an extra ¼ cup of sugar here.
Step 3: Unroll first pie crust and set on 9½” pie plate. Unroll second pie crust on cutting board and cut out design or pattern, if desired.
Step 4: Place ½ of apples in pie crust. Top with 3 pats butter. Cover with remaining apples.
Step 5: Heat caramel in microwave to bring it to pouring consistency. Carefully pour over top of apples.
Step 6: Carefully place 2nd crust over top of apples and crimp edges with edge of bottom crust to seal.
Step 7: Whisk together egg and heavy cream. Carefully brush top of pie with egg mixture. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
Step 8: Bake at 375ºF for 60-75 minutes, until crust is brown and juices are bubbly. If crust begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Oh-So-Easy Caramel Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package refrigerated rolled pie crust 2 rolls
- 5 tart apples I like Granny Smith
- 3 sweet apples such as Pink Lady, Macintosh, Envy, or Honeycrisp
- ½ cup sugar
- 2½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 pats butter
- 1 8 oz. jar caramel sauce optional
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
Peel, core and slice apples. Remove pie crust from refrigerator and let set on counter for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large bowl, mix apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until apples are well coated. (If you are omitting the caramel sauce, be sure to add an extra ¼ cup of sugar here.)
Unroll first pie crust and set on 9½" pie plate. Unroll second pie crust on cutting board and cut out design or pattern, if desired.
Place ½ of apples in pie crust. Top with 3 pats butter. Cover with remaining apples.
- Heat caramel in microwave to bring it to pouring consistency. Carefully pour over top of apples.
Carefully place 2nd crust over top of apples and crimp edges with edge of bottom crust to seal.
Whisk together egg and heavy cream. Carefully brush top of pie with egg mixture. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 375ºF for 60-75 minutes, until crust is brown and juices are bubbly. If crust begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil. Let cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
Preparing the apples is the hardest part of making apple pie, so just trust me when I say that if you like apple pie, buying one of those apple corer-peeler-slicers might be the best money you ever spend. It literally took me about 5 minutes to core, peel and slice all 8 apples.
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WOW! This looks scrum-dilly-umptious!!!! I am not a baker.. AT ALL! But, I have been designated to bring
the apple pie. I was tempted to buy one from the bakery until I found your recipe & photos…
I have a few questions:
Would it be ok to bake this the weekend before Thanksgiving, freeze it & then thaw it out … or, should I just make
it the night before & follow the instructions you provided to Nicole?
Also, can you tell me how you made those lovely designs in the crust? Do I need a special device? Aside from not being a good cook, I’m not a very good artist either! lol…
I intend on attempting to make (2): one with caramel & one without….
Unfortunately, I won’t have enough time to purchase one of those devices…. but, if this recipe turns out to
be a hit, I’ll DEFINATELY be purchasing one (or asking Santa for this as a Christmas present!!!)
Thank you, SO MUCH, for inspiring this not-so-good of a cook to dive into this unchartered territory!!!!
I found this site to show how to freeze an unbaked Apple Pie. I am going to try it! Can’t do everything the day befhttp://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2010/12/09/freeze-the-fastest-way-to-fresh-baked-fruit-pie/ore TG.
Hope it works for you and me!
So very delicious. I can only imagine how good this is going to taste. Thank you bunches for sharing this recipe! It will surely be a family favorite in no time.
One more question. If making this the night before serving, should it be refrigerated overnight? Thanks!
Yes, I would. Then you could heat up individual pieces if you want to have a warm apple pie. 🙂
It looks so yummy! And and leaflets add a nice touch, can’t wait to try your recipe.
A couple of questions…
I will be traveling to family the day before thanksgiving. Can I make this the day before thanksgiving, and then bake it on thanksgiving?
Or would you suggest making and baking it on Wednesday and then serving it on Thursday?
Also, do the leftovers need to be refrigerated?
I would make and bake the pie the day before Thanksgiving. The only thing that I would be concerned about if you made the pie and waited until the next day to bake, would be the pie crust. I’m not sure if it would end up being too soggy!