Soul Food Southern Apple Pie Recipe (2024)

Apple pie is essentially an American classic! Fresh apples with hints of cinnamon melt in your mouth—the perfect pie for your summer dinner gathering or a cozy holiday evening.

What makes this a Black folks soul food applepie recipe?

The flavor! This soul food apple pie recipe features fresh apples sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Seasoned to perfection, the apples are roasted and baked to leave you reminiscing on the best Southern dinners.

Cooking the apples down first with spices and brown sugar softens them and creates the ideal texture where the apples are not mushy to fall apart, yet they still have a melt-in-your-mouth texture!

Just the way we like them, sweetened, spiced, soft, and gooey.

Do you need to coat the apples with lemon juice?

This recipe doesn’t call for lemon juice or lemon zest to balance the sweetness because there’s no need. Instead, the soul food spices create the perfect flavor profile, so the apple pie is not too sweet.

So there’s still room to serve soul food apple pie with favorite toppings like whipped cream, ice cream, or buttery caramel sauce for a truly irresistible dessert!

This Southern old-fashioned apple pie recipe will be loved by anyone who tries it and is easy to throw together in an afternoon.

So you don’t have to leave home to enjoy a perfect piece of pie!

Whether you are a die-hard pie lover or have a sweet tooth, this easy-to-make apple pie recipe will help satisfy your cravings.

The pie crust, buttery and flaky, is all homemade from scratch, which is easy to do, but you can also use a store-bought pie crust.

This sweet soul food apple pie recipe is not difficult to make, and any beginner can master it.

How do you make apple pie from scratch?

With this easy, from-scratch apple pie recipe, you can whip up a crowd-pleaser that’s a must-have on the summer barbecue or holiday desserts menu.

The key to creating a perfect, classic apple pie is not overwhelming the apples with too much sugar.

For this soul food apple pie recipe, the apples are first cooked in a pot of sweet soul food seasonings and then baked in the pie to the perfect consistency.

Black folks Southernsoul foodapple pie recipe

Kitchen equipment for a soul food apple pie recipe

• Fruit & vegetable peeler
• Apple slicer corer (optional)
• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker (optional)
• Instant Pot Omni Plus oven(optional)
• 9-inch deep-dish pie plate
• Pastry wheel or pizza wheel (optional for a lattice top crust)

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Ingredients for a soul food apple pie recipe

• 2 cups of cold water, divided
• 6 large apples
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or vegan butter)
• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 two-pie crust kit (or a homemade two-pie crust)

Ingredients for the egg wash

(*omit this step for a vegan-friendly recipe)

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of milk

Instructions for a soul food apple pie recipe

For this Soul Food Apple Pie recipe, you’ll need a top and bottom crust.See my recipe HERE for homemade almond flour pie crust. Or you can use a store-bought two-pie crust kit or another homemade pie dough recipe.

1. Make the 2-pie crust dough according to the package instruction or your pie crust recipe.
2. Transfer the bottom pie crust dough to a greased 9″ pie plate, pie pan, or pie dish and set it aside. There should be at least a 1-inch overhang of dough.
3. Also, set aside the second piece of the rolled-out dough for the top crust.
4. Peel the apples and remove the seeds and core.
5. Slice them into thick slices (a thick apple slice is best, so the apples don’t get mushy).
6. Open the Instant Pot lid and pour in 1 cup of water, the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
7. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the remaining cold water with the cornstarch until it’s free of lumps.
8. Pour the water mixture into the Instant Pot.
9. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine the apple mixture.
10. Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
11. When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 4 minutes.
12. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
13. Use a slotted spoon to drain the cooked apples as you transfer them from the pot and into the prepared pie crust.
14. Then place the top pie crust over the apple pie.
15. Connect the edges of the top and bottom crust by pressing around the edge of the pan.
16. Trim the extra crust from around the edges of the pressed dough.
17. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp the crust.Pro tip:You may choose to cut strips from the rolled-out top crust dough for a lattice pie crust. (Using a pizza wheel or pastry wheel, cut the dough into even strips, 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide, depending on how thick you want your lattice.)
18. Prepare the egg wash by mixing the egg and the milk in a small bowl. Use a basting brush, and brush the entire surface of the top pie crust with the egg wash. (You will have a lot of leftover egg wash.)
19. Bake the apple pie on the bottom rack at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes in a conventional oven or until the top crust is golden brown. In the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, bake the pie at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the top crust is golden.
20. Let the pie cool for 1-2 hours to allow the apple filling to set before slicing.
21. Slice and serve this Soul Food Apple Pie recipe with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Pro tip:Use any remaining dough to make pie crust cookies!

What do you serve with soul food apple pie?

Favorite toppings like whipped cream, ice cream, or buttery caramel sauce are ideal for this pie.

Other soul food classic recipes, especially those savored and loved on holidays likeJuneteenth,Memorial Day,Thanksgiving, andChristmas, are perfect to pair with thisSouthern dessert recipe.

Start your dinner menu with aSouthern-style whole chicken,Southern-style green beans, and a heaping serving ofsoul food macaroni and cheese.

Apple pie is the perfect dessert to complete this Southern American savory meal.

Soul food Southern apple pie recipe FAQs

Where does apple pie come from?

Though many Americans still say apple pie came from the US, it actually originated in England. In addition, the all-American apple pie has culinary influences from France, the Netherlands, and even the Ottoman Empire.

The English spread the recipe to their colonies, and that’s how apple pie came to the Southern United States.

Ultimately apple pie gained its iconic flavorful fruit filling from enslaved African Americans in the kitchen.

Should you cook apples before putting them in a pie?

Apples contain a lot of water, and the moisture will escape during baking and fill the crust with air bubbles.

If you cook the apples first, the water will evaporate, and the mixture will become more solid when it goes into the pie crust.

Cooking the apples can cause them to become mushy if you cook them too much. The bottom of the filling may stay soft and watery instead of being nice and thick.

This recipe calls for you to drain the apples before adding them to the pie for filling.

Also, using the Instant Pot keeps you in control, so you pre-cook the apples just enough to solidify them without falling apart.

Why pre-cook the apple pie filling?

Pre-cooking the apple pie filling also locks in the Southern soul food flavors!

It is generally better to pre-cook the apple pie filling and then drain the extra liquid because tart apples can be too juicy. And you want to avoid making a watery pie filling.

If you don’t pre-cook the apple pie filling, you may need to bake the pie longer, and the apples could become browned and mushy. Or the top crust over-browning.

How do you thicken apple pie filling?

Apple pie filling can be thickened by adding more cornstarch. Cornstarch is crucial in achieving that perfect apple pie consistency.

To thicken the apple pie filling, mix the cornstarch with cold water and then add the mixture to the cooked apple pie filling.

How do you keep your apple pie from getting soggy on the bottom?

People often ask why their apple pie is so watery?

Pre-cooking the apples is best to avoid making a watery pie filling with a soggy bottom crust.

What is a fried apple pie?

An apple fried pie is an apple-filled empanada. A fold-over apple-filling pastry like McDonald’s apple pies. Also called apple jacks in the African American community.

How does Marie Callender make her Dutch apple pie?

Similar to this recipe, except Dutch apple pies have a crumbly topping instead of a top layer made from pie crust.

What is an apple hand pie?

Apple hand pie is a smaller, single-serving apple pie designed to be eaten with the hand. They are commonly palm-sized, and sometimes the illustration on the packaging shows the whole pie in the palm of a hand.

What does apple pie a la mode mean?

Apple pie a la mode is an American dessert. It’s a slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What apples are best for making apple pie?

People often ask, “What are the three best apples for apple pie?” and “What apple variety is best for cooking?”

There are numerous varieties of apples available to discover at your favorite market. Almost all suitable for a homemade soul food apple pie recipe.

The main reason behind different apple varieties is genetic differences. Different kinds of apples have different tastes and textures.

There are some all-time favorite apples that are generally considered suitable for making apple pie.

So what type of apples do you use?

The best apples for making apple pie include:

• Granny Smith apples
• Gala apples
• Pink Lady apples
• Granny Smith apples
• Golden Delicious apples
• Russet apples
• Fuji apples
• Red Delicious apples

Granny Smith apples are a unique variety with a tart and sweet taste and are still juicy and crisp. To make an exquisite tasting pie, you can mix Granny Smith apples and Golden Delicious apples.

Should you peel the apple?

Yes, peel the apples first. They’re much easier to eat in the pie rather than un-peeled.

How are baked apples and apple pie different?

Apple pie is another name for a pie dish featuring apples as one of the primary ingredients. Baked apple slices are prepared by roasting sliced apples with butter and sugar.

There are many differences between the two. The most obvious is that one is a pie and the other is not. Also, one is a pastry baked in an oven, and the other is roasted fruit.

How do you make Black folks baked apple slices?

What can you put on baked apple slices?

Your creativity is the only limit! You can put whatever you want on the apple slices. It’s a matter of personal preference and taste.

Top them with whipped cream and caramel sauce if you wish to be more glam. For example, if you plan to serve cooked apple slices for breakfast, you can top them with butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

You can also add some nuts for a bit of crunch or maple-glazed bacon bits for added protein to your snack.

Can you make Black folks baked apple slices ahead of time?

Yes, then drain and freeze them to use later in a soul food apple pie recipe!

How long can you keep leftover homemade apple pie?

Homemade apple pies are best eaten when served just a few hours after baking. Afterward, storing apple pie in the refrigerator covered with a lid or plastic wrap is usually the best option for up to 5 days.

What temperature do you bake a frozen apple pie?

Not sure what to do with all of your fresh apples in the fall? A frozen apple pie is a good thing and an easy way to meal-prep pie to enjoy at a later date. The ideal temperature for baking a frozen apple pie is 450°F.

Should you bake pies on a cookie sheet?

It’s easier to get a pie in and out of the oven if the pie pan sits on a baking sheet. A sheet pan will also catch any filling that bubbles over.

Pro tip:It’s much easier to clean when the baking sheet is lined with foil or parchment paper!

Should you put a foil tent over the pie when baking?

For this soul food apple pie recipe, it’s not necessary.

Pre-sooking the pie also reduces the baking time, so there’s no risk of burning the pie crust – thus no need for a preventative foil covering.

Should you prebake the pie crust?

There’s no need to prebake the pie crust for this recipe.

What did you think about this Southern soul food apple pie recipe?

Have you had it?

Would you make it?

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