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Caramel Apple Pie

Heidi Larsenby Updated: Sep 4, 2026

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This caramel apple pie features an ultra-flaky pie crust, a sweet-tart apple filling, and a chewy crumble topping, all finished with a drizzle of caramel sauce.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I made this pie today and it was the best pie I have ever made. I make pies regularly and it is by far my favorite! I did substitute the flour in the filling with arrow root and added an extra heaping tablespoon and the consistency was perfect.” -Shannon, FoodieCrush reader

drizzling caramel sauce onto an apple crumble pie

Thank You, Ree Drummond, for Another Knockout Pie Recipe!

Photo of Heidi from FoodieCrush

In Ree Drummonds’s signature style, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays: 140 Step-by-Step Recipes for Simple, Scrumptious Celebrations replicates the recipe style that’s made legions of The Pioneer Woman fans melt with each blog post.

When deciding what I might make from her book, I had plenty of choices thanks to the 140 recipes packed into 400 pages. Then I flipped to this caramel apple crumb pie, a standard at Ree’s Thanksgiving feast. I was a goner when I read her words, “This apple pie will make you cry. But in a good, cleanse-your-soul way.”

Who couldn’t use a good cry thanks to pie? Especially when it’s with tears of joy while savoring a mix of oatmeal crumble, creamy caramel, and classic apple pie.

Thank you, Ree, for helping my soul become pure once again with your caramel apple pie.

Enjoy!

Heidi
making apple pie filling and crumble topping for caramel apple pie

Ingredients You’ll Need

The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Pie crust — You can either buy your favorite pie crust from the store or halve my butter pie crust recipe to make just one crust. (Or make the entire recipe and freeze the other crust for a future pie!)
  • Apples — Granny Smith, with their firm texture and tart punch, are the classic pie filler. I found Braeburn and Pink Ladies are a great combo too.
  • Lemon juice — Prevents the apples from turning brown.
  • Sugar — There’s granulated sugar in the apple pie filling for a neutral sweetness, and brown sugar in the oat crumble for moisture and flavor.
  • All-purpose flour — Some folks say that thickening your apple pie filling with flour makes it turn cloudy, but I still prefer it to cornstarch which can sometimes give it a jellied texture.
  • Butter — Makes for an ultra rich and buttery crumble topping.
  • Quick oats — Old fashioned oats work too, but your crumble will be chewier.
  • Pecans — Chop them finely so nothing sticks out from the crumble and burns.
  • Caramel sauce — I won’t lie, I never make my own caramel sauce (who has time for that??). Use your favorite jarred caramel sauce here; a salted caramel sauce would be especially divine.
apple pie with crumb topping ready to be baked

How to Make a Caramel Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

  1. Shape the pie crust. You’ll first need to prep and roll out your pie crust, then place it in the pie dish and crimp it. This is my go-to butter pie crust recipe, but you’re welcome to use your favorite store-bought pie crust too.
  2. Meanwhile, prep the filling. Peel and thinly slice the apples, then toss them with a little lemon juice, sugar, flour and salt.
  3. Make the crumble topping. It’s essentially an apple crisp topping that’s made with quick oats instead of the usual rolled oats. A pastry cutter makes it so easy to incorporate the butter into the topping!
  4. Assemble and bake. Mound the apples in the pie crust, then sprinkle the crumble topping over them. Bake the apple pie with crumb topping until it’s golden brown.

Heidi’s Tip: When you first assemble the pie, the mound of apples looks massive. Don’t worry, the apple pie filling cooks down a lot in the oven and flattens out by itself.

  1. Cool before serving. This pie cuts best when it has cooled completely and firmed up, so allow yourself at least several hours of resting time before cutting and serving. Then if you’re dying for a piece as a warmed up base for cold ice cream, just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes.
slice of caramel apple pie on plate
caramel apple pie with slice lying on plate next to it

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.

5 from 19 votes

Caramel Apple Crumb Pie Recipe

This caramel apple pie features an ultra flaky pie crust, a sweet-tart apple filling, a chewy crumble topping, and it's finished with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Print
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword caramel apple pie
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 – 10
Calories 603kcal

Ingredients 

Apple Pie

  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
  • 7-8 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
  • juice of half of a lemon
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Crumble Topping

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (or 1 ½ sticks)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar , packed
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup quick oats
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • ½ cup jarred caramel topping

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  • Shape the pie crust. Roll the pie crust on a lightly floured surface until about 1 inch larger in diameter than the top of a 9-inch pie pan. Fold the crust in half and transfer it to the pie pan and unfold it. Carefully cut the edges of the pan so it hangs just below the lip and then tuck the edges underneath to form a neat crust rim then crimp the edges of the crust.
    1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
  • Make the filling. Toss the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
    7-8 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples, juice of half of a lemon, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Make the crumble topping. In another large bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar and salt and blend with a pastry blender into pea size pieces. Add the oats and pecans and combine.
    ¾ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup quick oats, ½ cup finely chopped pecans
  • Assemble the pie. Mound the apples into the pie crust then sprinkle with the oat topping.
  • Bake. Lightly cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cover the entire pie with aluminum foil if it seems to be baking too quickly.
  • Cool before serving. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Drizzle with caramel sauce, slice and serve.
    ½ cup jarred caramel topping

Notes

To store: This pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you plan on making it in advance, I recommend waiting to drizzle the caramel sauce over top until you’re ready to slice and serve it. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy as the apple crumble pie sits on your counter.
To freeze: You’ll want to freeze it without the caramel sauce, if possible. You can freeze the pie whole in its pie plate, or wrap slices in plastic wrap and freeze them individually for up to 3 months.
This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays: 140 Step-by-Step Recipes for Simple, Scrumptious Celebrations and was shared with permission. 

Nutrition

Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 604IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

More Apple Desserts to Make This Fall

More Pies We Love on Thanksgiving

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Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

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  4. Amy B.

    Thanksgiving is the best holiday with the best food for sure. I buy a 14-16 pound turkey for 2 people just in case I wind up having to share. :-)

    Reply

  7. Yvette N.

    Christmas is my favorite holiday because the world suddenly seems more peaceful.
    My favorite Christmas dish is the Danish Pastry I make for Christmas breakfast :)

    Reply

  8. jenna

    favorite holiday is july 4th. i love the heat and long summer days of sun and kids running around and playing at the pool. The dish I love for this holiday is gazpacho soup using vine-ripe tomatoes from the garden!

    Reply

  13. Patti Burgess

    Christmas Eve is a holiday unto itself in our home, being of Italian decent. It is my favorite, even more so than Christmas. I enjoy all the foods, and the traditions that go with it. Especially the Feast of the 7 Fishes. My 18 year old son and I try and outdo ourselves year after year. This year, he is away at college, so we are doing a different twist. We sent out handwritten invites (going out today!), asking people to bring their favorite Italian appetizer/antipasto or side dish, but leaving the main dish(es) and desserts for us. This will alleviate the pressure on me, being the lone cook in the house. Daughter won’t be coming home as she is spending it with her beau, who is coming back from an extended deployment in the Navy…and she is due to leave on hers, right after the winter break. My guy cleans…no cooking from him!

    Reply

  14. Brittany

    My favorite holiday is Christmas, because my mom makes a big, seafood-based Italian meal (Feast of the Seven Fishes). My favorite dish has to be the zuppa di pesce – pasta with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, and scallops with a spicy red sauce.

    Reply

  18. Daphnee Reynolds

    It’s a tie between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My mom makes Sweet Potato Casserole every year and it is so good! My sister and I fight over it! If I could eat one thing all the time, it would be that!

    Reply

  19. Christina Gathright

    First, that pie looks amazing! Thanksgiving is my favorite food holiday and I love my mom’s cranberry sauce mixed with her stuffing. It’s awesome!

    Reply

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