Our Best Apple Pies and Tarts That Would Make Grandma Proud

Deep dish isn’t just for pizzas. When you have excess apples, baking your dessert in a taller pan is a brilliant solution. Don’t think big means challenging, though. With just five ingredients and thorough, tested-and-true instructions, this is actually one of the best apple pie recipes for beginners. 

For bake sales, potlucks, picnics, or party favors, a slice from a large pie isn’t the most convenient option. That’s where these mini apple pies come in. These hand pies taste just like a classic apple pie, but in a tidier, handheld format. Easy to eat on-the-go or pack to enjoy later, these hand pies can be made in an air-fryer, baked in the oven, or deep-fried on the stove.

If you’re craving pie but don’t want to miss the frosting you might dig into on a cake, turn to this glorious powdered sugar-glazed pie. In addition to that topping, naturally-sweet and chewy dried cherries are studded throughout the 12-serving sheet pan pie. The cinnamon and vanilla notes complement both featured fruits beautifully, while store-bought dough makes this puff pastry apple tart much easier than it looks to assemble.

Mini apple pies aren’t all prepared in itty-bitty pie pans, as hand pies, or in muffin tins. For this unique dessert within a dessert, we mash-up the concept of baked apples and apple pie into one tempting treat. Scoop out the filling from sturdy baking apples, then use that filling to whip up the pie filling. (The pie filling recipe calls for apple cider and apple pie spice to really max out the fall flavor.) Once it’s simmered down into a thick and bubbly consistency, stuff the filling inside the apples, top with strips of pie crust, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Like the less-fussy cousin of apple pie or apple tart recipes, this galette is a free-form sweet that is rustic and elegant all at once. Showcasing fresh cranberries and toasted pecans, this is one of our top picks for a Thanksgiving dessert. Allow the apple and cranberry recipe to cool completely before serving so you can slice clean pieces, then serve with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Related: Extra Apples? Try Them in These Tasty Sweet and Savory Apple Recipes

For a supremely rich and bakery-quality option, consider this over-the-top Dutch apple pie. We describe it as such because the filling includes a splash of silky heavy cream, and the streusel topping is jam-packed with buttery, brown-sugary goodness. 

Test Kitchen Tip: To score perfectly golden results, tent the pie with foil for the final 30 minutes of baking so the crust doesn’t burn.

Here’s one fall dessert idea that’s almost too pretty to eat … but not quite. With a delicious sugar-coated oat pastry topper and a hearty drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce, you’ll want to leave no crumb behind. While it does require a bit more effort to construct the eye-catching shingled topping, we think this caramel apple pie recipe is certainly worth the effort.

Buy It: Oven Basics Pie Plate ($7, Bed Bath & Beyond)

Craving a treat that’s light on prep and calories? Go mini. These tiny apple pie tarts are filled with a buttery blend of apples, toffee pieces, and brown sugar. Bake in a mini muffin tin for built-in portion control. Whether you choose one or two (or more!) is up to you. We don’t judge, especially around desserts this delicious.

Buy It: Trudeau Mini Muffin Pan ($13, Target)

To those unfamiliar with the dynamic duo of apples and cheddar, this combo might sound odd. But trust the time-honored New England pairing—the sharp cheese pairs beautifully with the sweet fruit in this apple tart recipe. To make this distinctive dessert, stuff a buttery pastry with cinnamon-spiced apples, then sprinkle with cheddar cheese crumb topping. Bake until bubbly and golden, then enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Four pounds of apples go into this towering caramel apple pie—but you don't have to peel a single one. Just slice the fruit and pile it up. Oats baked into the flour crust add a rustic touch, while warm caramel sauce drizzled on top cranks up the decadence level even more.

Buy It: Sander's Caramel Topping ($4, Target)

If you enjoy apple danishes at your local bakery, then we’d put our money on the fact that you’ll adore this puff pastry apple tart. Tuck a sweetened cream cheese mixture under the apples to give the simple pie the flavor of a Danish pastry. 

Test Kitchen Tip: To save time on day-of prep, start with store-bought puff pastry and whip up the apple filling up to 24 hours in advance before you assemble, bake, and devour.

Honeycrisp apples are one of our go-to apple varieties for snacking and packing in a brown bag lunch. They’re also stellar in apple pies and apple tart recipes. Thick caramelized wedges of Honeycrisp apples top this beautiful custard pie made with nutty browned butter.

For an aromatic spin on Mom's classic homemade apple pie, try this luscious, herb-scented recipe. A rosemary-flecked sugar syrup adds just the right sweetness to tart Granny Smith apples. For an extra dose of earthy flavor, mix ½ teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary into the homemade pie crust. You won’t regret it.

Seeking a pastry-free alternative? This might just be the best apple pie recipe for you. Instead of a typical pie crust, the base features a crunchy layer of flaked coconut and finely crushed oat-and-honey granola bars. A decadent topping of mascarpone cheese, sugar, amaretto, and whipping cream is a unique and melt-free alternative to ice cream.

Can’t decide between a crunchy crust or a pastry one? We can’t either, so we decided to combine both into one irresistible treat. This cinnamon-spiced apple pie recipe with crumb topping is studded with crunchy pecans and topped with a drizzle of gooey caramel sauce. All of the above are built atop a flaky pie pastry. This is one holiday pie that’s fight-over-the-last-slice good.

This apple crumble pie is the best apple pie recipe for bake sales, holiday feasts, and other large gatherings. Oh yes, and any time you have loads of fresh fruit. Inspired by Dutch apple pie, this fruit dessert boasts 10 cups(!) of tart apples and a rich crumbly topping. The result? A 25-serving dessert that bakes all at once in a single sheet pan.

Buy It: OXO Jelly Roll Pan ($20, Bed Bath & Beyond)

An apple pie recipe with fresh apples is good. But you know what’s even better? An apple pie that also features another autumnal fruit favorite: fresh pears. This crowd-pleaser combines those two fruits with plenty of warm baking spices and a buttery praline topping.