Homemade Apple Pie a la Mode (with No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream!)
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Apple Pie a la Mode is such a classic dessert, and even more delicious when you make it all from scratch! The deep-dish apple pie is full of apples and spices, and the ice cream is no-churn, so there is no excuse not to make it!
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Apple Pie a la Mode
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
Apple pie is such a classic dessert! The Americans claim it, after all, there’s nothing more American than apple pie! But it actually has its origins in England.
Regardless of its origin, I LOVE apple pie, and this recipe for homemade apple pie a la mode is really easy to make.
The pie crust pastry is made from scratch, however, if you are not too confident with making pastry, just buy ready-made stuff from the supermarket.
The filling is as simple as peeling and cutting the apples and coating with sugar and spices before tumbling into the pie dish.
Serving pie “a la mode” simply means it is served with ice cream. I first heard of it back when I watched Beverly Hills 90210!
It’s not a term used in the UK, but it sounds pretty cool and a lot more fancy than “with ice cream”!
Pie à la Mode was allegedly invented at the Cambridge Hotel in Cambridge, Washington County, New York, in the 1890s. – Wikipedia
Now, of course you can just buy some vanilla ice cream to serve with your apple pie, but you could also make your own. My No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream recipe is easy to make and so good!
This recipe uses American cups. They’re a handy piece of kitchen equipment to have along with a kitchen food scale. Having both in your kitchen means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog as I use both cups and weighted measures.
For my UK readers: When I go on vacation to the USA, I like to stock up on my favourite American food products and ingredients, so you’ll find them used in some of the recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Luckily, we can buy a lot of American ingredients online these days, and in supermarkets (check the World Foods aisle!) which is awesome! (Although sometimes the price can be on the high side…) When I use American ingredients in recipes that I share on my blog, I always aim to suggest British alternatives or include Amazon affiliate links to where you can buy them online.
More Recipes Using Apples
Apples are the hero ingredient in this recipe, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Baked Cinnamon Apple Crisp
- Sparkling Apple Ginger Punch
- Jewish Apple Cake Recipe – Dairy-Free for Rosh Hashanah
What Are The Best Apples For Apple Pie?
Did you know there are more than 7000 varieties of apples in the world? (There are over 2500 varieties in the UK alone!)
Not all apples are created equal, so you need to know which apples are best for making an apple pie.
You want to use a variety of apple that is firm, but also sweet and tart. Ideally use a mixture of two varieties of apple for an awesome flavored pie!
These are common varieties of apples that you are likely to find without a problem:
- Braeburn
- Granny Smith
- Pink Lady
- Golden Delicious
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold
- Cox’s Orange Pippin
- Bramley – this is not a firm apple and does go soft, but Brits use it a lot when making apple pie!
More Pie Recipes
Looking for more pie recipe inspo? Check these out next:
How Do I Make Apple Pie a la Mode?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Apple Pie a la Mode
This classic apple pie can is easy to make and tastes great served a la mode - with homemade ice cream!
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1¼ cup vegetable shortening
- 7-12 Tbsps ice-cold water
For the Pie Filling
- 6 cups peeled and sliced apples
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbsps unsalted butter, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
To Serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8.
- To prepare pie crust, add flour, salt, and vegetable shortening to a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer.
- Gradually add ice-cold water until the dough binds together and can form a ball. Cover and place in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a large bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 2 even sections.
- Roll out each piece of dough to 10-11 inch diameter for a 9-inch pie.
- Line a 9-inch pie pan with one of the crusts.
- Transfer the apple filling to the pie crust.
- Place top crust over the pie and crimp the edges together.
- Cut 4-5 vents into the top crust with a sharp knife and place a small piece of butter in each.
- Cover edges with foil or a pie crust protector to prevent over-browning.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 230C/450F/Gas 8.
- Reduce temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with homemade No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
To make a deep dish pie, double the filling ingredients and roll out the bottom crust to a 12-13 inch diameter.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 731Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 417mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 4gSugar: 29gProtein: 7g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Fall Harvest Soup
- Main Dish: Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken
- Side Dish: Rustic Roasted Potatoes
- Beverage: Bourbon Apple Cider Maple Fizz Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!