Frozen Apple Pie (And How to Bake From Freezer)
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This post includes how to make a delicious apple pie and how to bake the frozen apple pie straight from the freezer.
One of my favorite things to bake for folks I love the most is an apple pie. I have a special recipe that we just love. It’s unlike any other and several times a year I head out to buy the assortment of apples needed and come home to spend some time in this labor of love with a perfect apple pie to show for my efforts at the end of the day.
For the longest time, the thought kept popping into my mind “I wonder if I could freeze these?”. I wanted to be able to make several at one time and then have apple pies at the ready when the need arose or for gift giving. Being gifted a homemade apple pie seems about the coolest gift around in my mind.
That’s how this idea for frozen apple pie came to fruition. Follow these steps and you’ll get a delicious apple pie that’s perfectly -spiced with a . The best part is, you can store it in the freezer and bake straight from frozen when the craving calls for it. Sound good?
If you are still in the mood for apple desserts check out some of my other recipes like Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings Recipe, Caramel Apple Milkshake, Apple Brownies, Apple Dapple Cake, and Apple Cobbler With Crescent Rolls.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pillsbury Roll Out Pie Crust
Frozen apple pie filling
- Lots of apples
- Apple juice
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
Helpful Kitchen Tool
Peel and slice your apples.
I like to slice mine in “chips” so that they stack better and help my pie maintain its shape. I use at least two different types of apples and make sure at least one or two of those are Granny Smith apples, but the others are usually sweeter apples (your choice). The sweeter apples tend to break down a bit in the baking of the pie but the Granny Smith helps to maintain a pretty pie shape. I really like the flavor of different types of apples cooked together.
The bowl on the right has apple juice and lemon juice in it. As I slice my apples I put them in there and toss them a bit every few apples to prevent browning.
The bowl on the left has corn starch, sugar, and spices. Once all of my apples are peeled and chipped, I stir them to coat in the liquid they are in and then pour the dry ingredients over all of them and stir until it is evenly distributed and my apple slices are coated.
Assemble the freezer apple pie.
I am using some disposable pie tins I purchased at Walmart. I didn’t want my pie pan stuck in the freezer and also wanted the lids that came with these to help make freezing easier.
Fill each pie shell with the apple pie filling.
Top with another pie crust.
For the crusts, I am using roll out pie crusts that are store bought. Pillsbury makes the name brand of them but mine are the generic Kroger or Walmart brand. You can certainly make a homemade crust if you like but I like these just fine and feel confident enough in my homemade pie crust skills that I have nothing to prove to anyone. Plus I’m supporting the wonderful person who came up with the idea of making roll out pie crusts and that just gives me the warm fuzzies (or maybe it’s knowing I’m going to have apple pie soon).
Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Cut four slits in the top of the pie.
Don’t get caught up in trying to make your homemade pie look like the ones in stores. That’s silly. Why do we cheapen a homemade baked good by trying to make it look store-bought? Get in there and make that thing look homely and homemade and be proud of it!
Freeze the unbaked apple pie.
I place the plastic lid that came with the pie plate on top and then put it in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum seal it. If you don’t, wrap them very heavily in aluminum foil (several layers) and freeze immediately no matter how you seal it.
How to bake the frozen apple pie straight from the freezer
- Unwrap the freezer apple pie. If desired, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over.
- Place fully frozen apple pie on a baking sheet in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 425. Watch to see when the oven reaches preheated temperature. Once the oven reaches 425, set the timer for 15 minutes.
- After that time is up, remove the pie from the oven, reduce temperature to 375, cover the edges of the pie in foil, and return to the oven. Continue baking for 50-60 minutes, or until pie is lightly browned on top and bubbly inside.
How to bake the fresh apple pie
Preheat oven to 425. Place unbaked pie on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After that time is up, remove the pie from the oven, reduce temperature to 375, cover the edges of the pie in foil, and return to the oven. Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until the baked pie is lightly browned on top and bubbly inside.
Storage
- If you wrapped in foil, bake the frozen apple pie within 1 to 3 months for optimum freshness. If you sealed it in a FoodSaver bag, try to bake within 6 months to a year. These are my own personal guidelines, feel free to decide for yourself what time frame you think is best.
- You can also store baked apple pie leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Apple juice is not something we normally have at our house so I buy a package of apple juice boxes to keep in the pantry when I need it for cooking. I also use apple juice whenever white wine or cooking wine is called for in recipes. It’s a very versatile and flavorful ingredient!
- A handy baking tip: Write the baking instructions in a permanent marker on the vacuum-sealed bag before freezing your pie, so you don’t need to go searching for them when the time comes.
- Once baked, serve your warm apple pie slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- I mention using a combination of sweet and tart apples in my apple pie recipe. For sweet, I recommend apple varieties like Golden Delicious and Braeburn. For tart, you can’t look past Granny Smith apples.
Recipe FAQs
Can you make gluten-free frozen apple pie?
Absolutely! The frozen apple pie filling is actually already gluten-free, so all you need is to either purchase a gluten-free pie crust or make your own at home.
Here are more amazing apple pie recipes:
Jack-o-Lantern Apple Pie With Puff Pastry
Faux Apple Pie (my improved version of a classic recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 package Pillsbury Roll Out Pie Crusts or generic
- 9-10 apples two different kinds, one Granny Smith
- ¼ cup apple juice*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- dash salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Roll one pie crust out into a pie plate. Place the lemon and apple juice in a large mixing bowl along with the vanilla. Peel and chip apples into that bowl, pausing every now and then to stir them to coat in juice.1 package Pillsbury Roll Out Pie Crusts, 9-10 apples, ¼ cup apple juice*, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir to blend. Pour the dry ingredients over the apples and juice and stir well to coat.¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dash salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ¾ cup sugar
- Fill pie crust with the apple mixture. Dip a brush or fingertip in water and run around the edge of the crust before placing the other crust on top of it. Crimp the edges together with a fork or your fingers. Cut four slits on top of the pie crust.
- If you are using a disposable pie plate, top pie with the accompanying lid. Carefully seal pie in a FoodSaver bag or wrap really well in foil. Note: how well the pie is sealed determines quality of the pie once baked. Freeze immediately.
How to bake the frozen pie
- Unwrap the frozen apple pie. If desired, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over.
- Place fully frozen apple pie on a baking sheet in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 425. Watch to see when the oven reaches preheated temperature. Once the oven reaches 425, set the timer for 15 minutes.
- After that time is up remove pie from oven, reduce temperature to 375, cover the edges of pie in foil, and return to oven. Continue baking for 50-60 minutes, or until pie is lightly browned on top and bubbly inside.
How to bake a fresh apple pie
- Preheat oven to 425. Place pie on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. After that time is up, remove the pie from the oven, reduce temperature to 375, cover the edges of the pie in foil, and return to the oven. Continue baking for 40-50 minutes, or until pie is lightly browned on top and bubbly inside.
Notes
Nutrition
“If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch you must first invent the universe.” ~Carl Sagan
I only have glass pie plates. Can I still freeze and bake using a glass pie dish? Or will the heat from the preheating oven cause the cold glass to crack?
It depends on your pie plate. They are supposed to be made with tempered glass so it should work but I’d definitely let it thaw some before putting it in the oven. What I usually do is put it in a cold oven and let it preheat in there so the glass warms gradually. However, make sure the glass is in good shape with no nicks or cracks. Even then, I’d make sure you were using a reliable brand of bakeware.
Could a sugar substitute be used in this? Like swerve?
Swerve would be a wonderful substitute!