This Swiss Apple Pie is generously filled with sweet and tart apples and topped with the easiest crust ever. You’ll whip it up in just one bowl in a matter of minutes—simply mix, pour it over the apples, spread it out, and pop it in the oven. This crust has a lovely cakey texture, almost like a tender cookie, making every bite simply irresistible. Perfect for sharing with family and friends.
Apple pie has that wonderful way of feeling homey, cozy, and full of nostalgia, doesn’t it? While we all know that homemade apple pie is the absolute best, it can seem like a daunting task. But guess what? You absolutely can make it from scratch, and this is probably the EASIEST pie recipe you’ll ever come across! Seriously, the most time-consuming part is peeling and cutting the apples—and if you have kids, let them join in on the fun!
The crust? It takes less than 5 minutes to whip up—are you surprised? This recipe was shared with my mom by one of her coworkers, and it quickly became a family favorite. I’ve added a little twist to the filling with some lemon zest and vanilla extract for an extra burst of flavor. And the crust? It’s a delightful surprise! In my opinion, it tastes and feels way better than a traditional apple pie—light, crisp, and just a tad cakey in those thicker layers. You’re going to love it!
Video of How To Make a Swiss Apple Pie
What Apples Are Best for Apple Pie?
When it comes to baking, my go-to apples are Granny Smith—those tart green beauties! They’re firm and hold up wonderfully in the oven, so you won’t end up with mushy pie filling.
Just a heads up, they can be quite tart, so you might need to sweeten things up a bit. That’s why I love using a mix of apples. Combining Granny Smith with Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn gives you a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, along with a fantastic texture for your pie. Happy baking!
Ingredients
(Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card with all the measurements.)
Apple Filling Ingredients
- apples
- Apples are the star of the show!
- cinnamon sugar
- Cinnamon and apples are a match made in heaven! Cinnamon sugar is just a simple blend of sugar and ground cinnamon. I like to mix in the cinnamon to taste, so you can adjust it just how you like it.
- Remember, the sweetness of your filling depends on your taste and the type of apples you’re using. For tart apples, feel free to add a little more sugar, and for sweeter varieties, you can dial it back.
- lemon zest and juice
- Lemon juice is a must—it helps keep your apples from turning brown while adding a nice tartness. And don’t forget the lemon zest! It brings a burst of fresh lemon flavor that makes everything even more delicious.
- vanilla extract
- A splash of vanilla extract adds an extra layer of flavor to the filling, making it simply irresistible!
Crust/Batter Ingredients
- butter
- We’re using melted butter for this recipe, which means you don’t have to wait for it to come to room temperature—how convenient is that? 😊
- granulated sugar
- egg
- The egg binds everything together, helping to create the right structure.
- all purpose flour
- Flour provides the essential structure. It gives the crust a lovely, light texture that’s easy to work with.
- vanilla extract
- Adding vanilla extract to your delicious crust brings a warm, inviting flavor that enhances the overall taste. It’s the little touch that takes your pie to the next level
What Pie Plate or Baking Dish Should You Use?
For this recipe, I recommend using a deep dish pie plate. This way, you can pile on a generous, thick layer of apples for that deliciously satisfying filling. If you opt for a shallower baking dish, just remember to use fewer apples than what’s listed in the recipe. Overfilling can lead to bubbling juices during baking, which might spill over and create a smoky mess in your oven! So, make sure to leave a little room at the top for the crust and to keep all those tasty apple juices inside the pie.
If you’re in the mood for a larger serving, you can also use a 13 x 9-inch baking dish—just double the recipe for a delightful crowd-pleaser!
How To Make Swiss Apple Pie
- Preheat the Oven
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While it warms up, grease your pie plate with butter.
- Bonus Tip: Use the paper wrapper from the butter you just melted—just rub the buttery side on the plate. It’s a smart and economical way to make sure everything’s well-greased!
- Prepare the Apples
- Peel and slice your apples, then sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. The amount of apples is really up to you, depending on their size and your pie plate. Just make sure to fill the plate generously with those delicious apple slices!
- If you prefer a sweeter pie, feel free to add extra cinnamon sugar (which is simply a mix of ground cinnamon and sugar). Give everything a good mix and spread the apples evenly in the plate.
- Make the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted and slightly cooled butter, sugar, and egg until the mixture is nice and smooth. Next, add the flour and whisk again until everything is fully combined and the flour is incorporated.
- Combine and Bake
- Pour the batter over the apples, smoothing it out as best as you can. Pop it in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the top crust is golden brown. Your kitchen is about to smell amazing!
Serving the Pie
For the most delicious experience, serve your Swiss Apple Pie while it’s still warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. The creamy ice cream melts slightly over the warm pie, creating a delightful contrast that you won't want to miss!
This pie is just as fantastic the next day, making it a perfect treat to enjoy with your morning coffee or as a sweet addition to your lunchbox. You can even warm up a slice in the microwave or the oven for that just-baked taste again.
Delicious Apple Recipes to Try Next
Apple Cranberry Pie
If you have a little extra time, try this classic Apple Pie with a delightful twist—adding cranberries! The tartness of the cranberries perfectly complements the sweetness of the apples for a truly delicious dessert.
Homemade Applesauce
Whip up a batch of homemade applesauce for a cozy, comforting snack. It’s easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought.
Apple Cookies
These apple cookies are simple, satisfying, and a great way to enjoy the flavors of fall in a quick treat.
Apple Pie Cookies
Get the best of both worlds with these Apple Pie Cookies! They deliver the comforting flavors of apple pie in a perfectly portable cookie form—just one bite and you’ll be hooked!
Apple Bulochki
Indulge in these delightful Apple Bulochki—sweet yeast bread filled with a scrumptious apple filling. They’re a wonderful treat for breakfast or dessert!
Swiss Apple Pie
Craving homemade apple pie? Try this easy Swiss apple pie recipe, featuring a cakey crust and a generous filling of sweet and tart apples.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 (9 inch) pie 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 6-8 apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
- 1-3 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar (depending on how sweet you want the filling)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest and juice (each)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust
- ¾ cup butter (melted and cooled (plus ½ Tablespoon butter for greasing the pie plate))
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 inch pie plate with softened butter. You can use a regular size or a deep dish pie plate. (If you use the deep dish pie plate, you will use more apples and bake the pie longer.)
- Peel and slice the apples, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Fill up the pie plate almost to the top with apples. Mix it all together and even the apples out in the pie plate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, sugar and egg until smooth. Add the flour and whisk again until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the apples and smooth it out as much as you can.
- Bake in the preheated 350 degrees oven for 45-50 minutes, until the apples are baked through completely and the top crust is golden brown.
This recipe was first published on November 4, 2015, and it has continued to be a favorite over the years! I’ve since added a video and clarified the instructions to make it even easier to follow, but the original recipe remains the same.
Olga,
I recently found this awesome recipe with your pie, and love it! It's so light and delicious! And reading one of the comments left earlier, I disagree. I put about 10 apples into my glass pan, and had enough batter to cover it! I also disagree on not adding vanilla, it does add a good flavor to the pie. Thank you again!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Rose! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
My comment is short: It's THE BEST!
That's awesome, Julianna.
I've gotta say I make this pie almost every week now!🙈😋😋 my favorite! But I was wondering can I bake it in a foil round pan? (The one time use ones) because I wanted to take it elsewhere for xosti 🙂
I'm thrilled to hear that you are enjoying this recipe, Oksana.
Sometimes the store-bought pie pans are not as big and may be overfilled. I would recommend using a little bit less apples just to make sure that the apple filling doesn't leak out and make a mess. Otherwise, it should work just as well, I think.
Absolutely yummy and so easy!
Great for crowds as well. I tripled the ingredients.
Hi Olga. Thank you so much for this easy apple pie. I have been making this everyday ever since you posted my kids love it with ice cream and whip cream:). Can you share what kind of pie plate is that?
Hi Olya, I made this apple pie today, it was delicious! We are having a company on Monday, and this is what I am planing to make. I was wondering if I could ask you for some tips on to make it look as perfect as yours! When I cut the pie into slices, they kind of fell apart, the apples were too soft. I would like the slice to stay together like yours so it doesn't just taste great but looks good too! I wonder if my apple slices were too thin or I kept it in the oven for too long (47min)? I'll greatly appreciate your comment!
Just noticed my name 🙂 it should be Svetlana
Try cutting the apples a little bit bigger, Svetlana. I think that should help. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the pie.
I made this apple pie today! And wow so yummy!! My husband said it tasted like a dessert from a fancy restaurant☺️ I love how simple it is to make!!! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
I'm so happy to hear that, Olga. Simple recipes are my favorite.
I am a good baker with 30 years of experience, but still looking for something new.
So I tried this apple cake/pie, whatever you want to call it. 😀
1. I sifted flour, very important.
2. I used only 4 medium Granny Smith's, yet I hardly covered apples with cake batter. If wait for a butter to cool down and than add flour, egg and sugar - butter becomes very hard to work with. Even I had a hard time working on covering apples. I know if i used 7-8 apples, as recipe calls for, no way I would have enough batter. So make sure to not let butter to cool down.
3.If using GSmith apples, one Tbs of sugar isn't enough. Turned out to be very sour. Another thing, you shouldn't add vanilla to apples, it goes in a cake batte
Overall taste isn't bad. Easy to make and nice for an afternoon something with cup of tea. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Linda.
The size of the apples can be very different. I specified how much I used, but I did mention that the amount of apples needs to be enough to fill a pie plate. Also, everyone has a different preference of sweetness. I actually used less than 1 Tablespoon. I don't like desserts to be too sweet. I also did specify in the recipe that you need to add as much sugar as you prefer. I love the flavor of vanilla and lemon zest with apples.
I had more than enough batter to cover the apples.
I share recipes the way my family and I enjoy them. Of course, everyone has different taste preferences, so you can make as many adjustments as you like so that it will be just what you enjoy:). As a very experienced baker, I'm sure you make some really delicious treats.
Unfortunately would have to agree, I used 6 medium apples and didn't
have enough batter to cover them, and the batter was too thick to be spread nicely over the apples. I did follow the recipe exactly.
I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, Eugenia.
There should be enough batter to spread it out over the apples and it will settle over the apples as it bakes. It shouldn't be too thick at all. The consistency is easy to see in the video and in the step by step recipes.
I hope you will find the recipe that will work for you.
Hi, thanks for posting the recipe. For my family, I have to make it non-dairy. What do you think would be the best substitute (oil. coconut oil...)? Also, do you think it will work with whole wheat flour (half AP, half WW)? Thank you
I'm sorry I can't help you, Ailuy. I didn't try it any other way besides the recipe that I posted.
Thanks so much for sharing this amazing and easy recipe! My 11year old daughter made two yesterday ! ( well I did help slicing the apples)
The pie is delicious and very easy to make! And we all liked the crust much more than the original recipe.
Thanks again!!
You chose the perfect day to post this! I was going to make Apple Sharlotka today, kind of a trial - we're hosting a Bible study for the first time next week and that was one of the things on our menu. But now I want to try this out instead!
Does the dough spread throughout the pie? Or does it stay on top of the apples?
It stays on top of the apples.
No, it should stay more towards the top. It's very similar in structure to a regular pie.
This would be perfect for a Bible study, Nelya. Aren't apple baked goods the best this time of year?
Oh, yes! Any time of year, really 😉
Made this apple pie last night! It's very good, easy, and quick to put together. Whole family loved it. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. 🙂
Yay! I'm thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed it, Liliya.
I made the pie last night and it was delicious!!! Will be making another one tonight to share with my parents. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.
I'm so happy to hear that, Tatyana. Thank you for taking the time to write.
What an easy take on apple pie, love it. My boys will be making this, thank you:O)..
You've got some helpful boys, Valentina. I hope your family enjoys this pie.
I'm a fairly good cook, but pie crust terrifies me -- and I AM a pie person! So I can't wait to make this! Thank you as always.
And I LOVE the new family group photo! I've been hoping for a while that you would replace the outdated view of the precious little man. He just keeps getting more adorable, if that's possible. (And of course you and Sergi are pretty cute, too . . .)
You'll LOVE this version. It's the easiest ever and I like it much better too.
Thank you for your kind words about our family picture. Nathaniel grows and changes so quickly, it's really hard to keep up with an updated family photo.