Caramel Apple Pie

This caramel apple pie has a spiced apple filling, a buttery brown sugar streusel topping, and caramel sauce drizzled on twice! It’s the kind of pie that disappears fast at any fall gathering.

“I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was completely gone before anyone touched the pumpkin pie. The double caramel drizzle is what sets it apart! I will definitely be making it again this year”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mary

Apple pie is one of those desserts that always hits the spot! It’s nostalgic and delicious; then add caramel, and it’s truly decadent. Apple pie, whether it’s double crust or topped with streusel, is easy and impressive.

This caramel apple pie is always on rotation for my Thanksgiving table! The streusel topping sets it apart from the other pies, and there is never any leftover! If you love apple desserts as much as I do, my French Apple Tart and Apple Pie Bars are recipes worth having in your back pocket for the season.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Pie Crust: The base and structure of the pie, holding the apple filling in place as it bakes and bubbles. Use my Easy Pie Crust Recipe if you want to make one from scratch, or a store-bought refrigerated crust works just fine here.
• Apples: The main filling, and the variety you choose matters more than you’d think. A firm, tart apple like Granny Smith holds its shape during the long bake and balances the sweetness of the caramel and sugars. The most common mistake is using a softer variety, which turns mushy rather than tender, so stick with firm apples that can stand up to 45 to 55 minutes in the oven.
• Brown Sugar: Used in both the apple filling and the crumb topping, adding a deeper, molasses-forward sweetness that plain white sugar can’t replicate.
• All-Purpose Flour: Does two jobs here: it thickens the apple filling’s juices into a saucy consistency and forms the base of the crumb topping. Don’t swap it out in the topping or the crumbs won’t come together correctly. For the filling, you can use cornstarch or tapioca starch if that is what you have. Just reduce it by half and make sure the filling bubbles for 1 minute.
• Lemon Juice: Brightens the filling and keeps the apple slices from oxidizing while you’re assembling the pie. Fresh is always best when it comes to citrus.
• Caramel Sauce: Drizzled over the apple filling before the crumb topping goes on, and again over the finished pie just before serving. My Easy Salted Caramel Sauce is what I use here, and it makes the pie taste like you really meant it. A store-bought caramel sauce works too if you’re short on time buy or make extra so you can make these carmelita bars next!
• Unsalted Butter: Mixed into the crumb topping to bind the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon into coarse, sandy clumps. It should be softened, not melted, or the topping will clump unevenly rather than baking into a crisp, golden crust.

Variations for Caramel Apple Pie

• Pear Caramel Pie: Swap the apples for firm, ripe pears like Bosc or Anjou. Pears bake down more quickly than apples, so keep an eye on the filling during the last 10 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get too soft.
• Oat Crumb Topping: Replace a third of the all-purpose flour in the crumb topping with old-fashioned rolled oats. The oats add a chewier, more textured topping that holds up well against the juicy filling underneath.
• Add some nuts! Chopped pecans or walnuts would be just delightful in the streusle topping!
• Use apple pie spice! Swap out the spices for this homemade apple spice mix!

Professional Tips for Perfect Caramel Apple Pie

• Cool the pie completely before slicing. The 3-hour cooling time in the isn’t optional. The filling needs that full rest to set up, and if you cut into it early, the juices will run out, and the slices won’t hold their shape. Overnight is always best with pies!
• Cover the edge of the crust with foil halfway through baking. The crust will often start browning before the filling is fully bubbling and the crumb topping is deep golden. Tent just the outer edge with foil around the 25-minute mark to keep it from burning while the rest of the pie finishes.
• Use firm, tart apples and slice them evenly. Uneven apples bake unevenly, so some pieces turn mushy while others remain slightly firm. Aim for consistent thickness so every bite has the same tender texture throughout.
• Don’t skimp on the crumb topping coverage. The instructions call for the crumbs to completely cover the apple filling, and that is where it’s at! Stresuel is one of the things where more is more!

How to Make Caramel Apple Pie

Use these step-by-step instructions to make a warmly spiced caramel apple pie with a buttery brown sugar streusel topping and two layers of caramel sauce. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the pie crust

Step 1: Heat your oven to 400°F. On a floured work surface, roll out your pie crust into a circle large enough to fit your pie plate with some overhang. Transfer it carefully to the pie plate, then press it gently into the bottom and up the sides. Trim the excess crust to within about 1 inch of the edge, fold it back over itself so it lines up with the rim, and press and flute the edge however you like. The crust should feel snug against the plate with no air pockets underneath. (photo 1)

Make the apple filling

Step 2: In a large bowl, stir together the sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice until every apple slice is evenly coated. The mixture will look a little dry at first, then the lemon juice and sugars will start drawing moisture from the apples, and it will loosen up. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, mounding the apples in the center so the pie has a gentle dome rather than a flat top. Drizzle the first measure of caramel sauce evenly over the mounded filling. (photos 2-5)

Mounding the apples higher in the center accounts for the natural settling that happens as they bake down. A flat filling at the start will sink below the edge of the crust by the time it’s done.

Make the crumb topping

Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work everything together until the mixture forms coarse, sandy crumbs. It should hold together when you press a clump between your fingers but still feel loose and crumbly overall. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the apple filling in an even layer, making sure to cover the apples completely with no gaps. (photos 6 & 7)

If it feels too smooth or paste-like, your butter may have been too warm, which is fine; just pop the bowl in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes, and it will firm back up. You can also make this in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Bake the pie

Step 4: Slide the pie onto the center rack of your preheated 400°F oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the crumb topping is a deep, even golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling up through the edges of the streusel. (photo 80

The bubbling is important: it tells you the filling has reached a high enough temperature to cook through and thicken. Keep an eye on the crust edge starting around the 20 to 25 minute mark, and if it’s browning faster than the topping, lay a loose piece of foil over just the crust edge to slow it down

Cool the pie

Step 5: Transfer the baked pie to a cooling rack and let it rest for a full 3 hours before cutting. The filling needs that time to set: if you slice into it while it’s still warm, the juices will run out, and the slices won’t hold their shape. It will smell incredible, and the wait is genuinely hard, but a fully cooled pie cuts cleanly and the caramel flavor in the filling is more pronounced once it’s had time to settle.

Finish with caramel and serve

Step 6: Just before serving, drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the cooled pie. The caramel will pool slightly in the crumb topping and run down into the crevices, which is exactly what you want. Slice and serve straight from the pie plate. (photo 9)

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope this caramel apple pie earns a permanent spot in your fall baking rotation, as it has in mine. Browse our Dessert Recipes or make this cherry pie next!