National Apple Pie Day

Celebrate National Apple Pie Day with Tips, Tricks and Recipes For the Best Pie EVER!

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.” – Jane Austen

Apple pie has become an iconic American dish, so naturally, National Apple Pie on May 13th is a cause for celebration! We know that homemade, made-from-scratch pies can be a difficult dessert to master, but we’re here to help.

Apple Pie Facts for National Apple Pie Day

  • Think apple pie is All-American? The first recorded apple piece recipe was actually published pre-America…It was printed in England in 1381, 640 years ago!
  • Those early English pies did not include sugar in the recipe. Sugar was incredibly expensive, so sweet fruits, like figs, were used as a sweetener instead.
  • As the U.S. expanded west, early settlers didn’t have access to apples, so they created ‘mock apple pie’ instead. This special dessert used crackers and special spices to create a substitute for their comfort food.
  • The Granny Smith apple was named after a real person! Maria Ann Smith and her husband were apple farmers, and Mrs. Smith was famous for her apple pies. She created a new apple variety by crossing a wild European crabapple with a common orchard apple. Thanks, Granny Smith!
  • 76 apple pies can be created from a single bushel of wheat.
  • Kansas produced an average of 45 bushels per acre of wheat, so a single acre of Kansas wheat could produce 3,420 apple pies… Yum!

Tips for National Apple Pie Day

    1. 1. Use ice-cold water in your apple pie crust. Not just any cold water will do, our expert baker recommends you put a few ice cubes in the water and let it sit for a few minutes before use so it gets extra chilly. Just make sure that none of the ice cubes make it in the crust dough!

A graphic that says use ice-cold water in the crust, try putting ice cubes in the water before use. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

    2. Make sure there is plenty of flour on your workspace before you start rolling the dough. This will prevent irksome sticking! Also, make sure to roll from the center of the dough outward. This will help your final product be more even and well-rounded.

A graphic that says roll from the center outward and put plenty of flour down on your workspace.. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

    3. Tart apples make for the best apple pies. Our expert recommends Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Winesap, Braeburn or Gala apples. The acid found in the more tart varieties can help strengthen the pectin, the glue that holds fruit cells together, which then means your fruit won’t end up a mushy mess in the finished product.

A graphic that says tart apples make the best pies. Try honeycrisp, mcintosh, granny smith, golden delicious, braeburn or gala apples.. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

    4. Make sure to put a little flour on the bottom crust of your apple pie before you pour the filling in. This thin layer will help to keep your bottom crust nice and crisp, not soggy.

A graphic that says put a little flour on the bottom crust. It'll prevent your crust from getting soggy. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

    5. Don’t get us wrong, we love the look of sugar on top of apple pie, but the sugar isn’t just a pretty face. The sugar will also act as a browning agent to give your top crust a nice, evenly browned look.

A graphic that says sprinkle some sugar on top, it'll back as a browning agent and look pretty.. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

    6. Don’t forget to loosely wrap aluminum foil around the edge of your apple pie edge. This will prevent the fluted edge from over-browning or burning while your delicious pie is baking.

A graphic that says don't forget aluminum foil, loosely wrapped foil prevents over browning on fluted edges. Created for National Apple Pie Day.

You can learn more from our baker (with DECADES of baking and teaching experience) and grab her time-tested Apple Pie Recipe here.

Related Content

Have a sweet tooth? We get it! Be sure to check out our delicious dessert recipes. Or, if you’re interested in knowing the people who grow your food, be sure to check out our Farmer Stories.