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You are going to love this cozy Dutch Apple Pie. It has a tender press-in crust, tart-sweet apples, and a buttery crumb topping that bakes up golden inside a simple brown paper bag. The texture is spot on, the flavor screams fall, and the kitchen smells incredible.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Love the recipe! Made it for a family get together and they all said it was the best apple pie they had in years!” – Ann
“Love, love, love this dessert! It’s one my family always asks me to make especially during the holidays.” – Jen
“This is one super delicious pie! My whole family loved it, it was a huge hit!” – Wilhelmina
Why I Love This Apple Pie
This Dutch Apple Pie is by far my husband’s favorite dessert. We actually call it Beau’s Dutch Apple Pie because it comes from his side of the family. I learned how to make it from his mom, fell in love at first bite, and now it is our pie of choice in the fall when local orchards have crisp apples. The crumb topping gives you that buttery, lightly crunchy finish, and baking in a brown paper bag keeps everything tender and evenly cooked. It is the only apple pie I make for Thanksgiving and even the Fourth of July.
What to serve with it:
- Classic: vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped topping
- Warm and cozy: a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts or pecans
- Simple: a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top of the ice cream
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Crust – all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, milk. Press-in dough that stays tender, no rolling required and very beginner friendly.
- Apples – Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, or Pink Lady. Tart and crisp apples hold their shape and balance the sweet topping, avoid soft varieties like Red Delicious.
- Spices – cinnamon and nutmeg. Warm baking spices that highlight the apple flavor without overpowering it.
- Sweetener and binder – granulated sugar and a little flour. Sweetens the filling and lightly thickens the juices so the slices cut neatly.
- Secret flavor – almond extract. Adds a subtle bakery-style aroma that makes people ask what the magic is.
- Crumb topping – all-purpose flour, cold butter, granulated sugar. Buttery, sandy crumbs that bake up golden and slightly crisp.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Apples: mix two varieties for complex flavor, Braeburn and Gala also work well.
- Almond extract: swap with pure vanilla extract if needed, use half the amount.
- Spice twist: add a pinch of cardamom or cloves for a bolder aroma.
- Crunch: fold ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the crumb topping.
- Gluten free: use a trusted cup for cup gluten free all-purpose blend for both crust and topping.
- Dairy free: use a plant-based butter for the topping.
- Less refined sugar: swap part of the white sugar with light brown sugar for a caramel note.
How to Make Dutch Apple Pie
- Make the crust: Stir flour, sugar, and salt. Add olive oil and milk, mix until it resembles damp sand, then press evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan.
- Make the apple filling: Peel and slice apples evenly, toss with lemon juice if you like to slow browning. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract. Toss with the apples until coated. Pile into the unbaked crust, mounding slightly in the center.
- Make the crumb topping: Cut cold butter into flour and sugar with a pastry cutter or fork until you have pea sized crumbs.
- Top: Scatter topping evenly over the apples.
- Bag the pie: Slide the pie into a plain brown paper bag. Fold the top closed and secure with staples or large paper clips. Place on the lowest oven rack.
- Bake and cool: Bake at 350°F for 90 minutes. Do not open the bag while baking. Rest 5 minutes in the bag, then remove, cool to room temperature, and slice.
Recipe Tips
- Even slices help the apples bake at the same rate and keep the filling neat.
- Do not skip the bag. It prevents the topping from over-browning and cooks the filling gently.
- Filling mound is good. It settles as the apples soften, so a tall center is expected.
- Let it cool so the juices thicken. Warm is lovely, fully hot can be messy.
- Food processor option for crumbs works great, pulse just until sandy with small clumps.
Why Use a Brown Paper Bag
- Even heat circulation bakes the apples through without drying the topping.
- Golden crust, not burnt crumbs because the bag shields direct heat.
- Simple safety: place the bag on the lowest rack, keep it several inches from upper heating elements, and use a standard grocery style brown paper bag without ink or coatings.
Frequently Asked Questions
It has a crumb or streusel topping instead of a top crust.
Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Pink Lady. Avoid soft, very sweet apples that turn mushy.
Yes. Assemble, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours, or bake fully and cool. See storage below.
Yes. Use vanilla, the flavor will be different but still delicious.
Toss slices with a little lemon juice and keep them covered.
Yes. Replace ¼ cup flour with rolled oats for a heartier crumb.
You can still get that gentle, even bake. I do this when I’m out of bags: Place the pie on the lowest oven rack. Tent the pie loosely with foil so it domes over the crumbs without touching them. Crimp the foil to the pan edge so it stays put. Bake at 350°F for 70 to 75 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until the topping is golden and the apples are fork tender. If the topping browns too fast at any point, set the foil back on top.
Optional: add a pie shield or a ring of foil around the crust edge to prevent over-browning.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Room temperature: since the filling is fruit based, the baked pie can sit covered at room temp for 1 day.
- Refrigerator: cover with plastic wrap or foil up to 5 days, the crust stays crisper if you keep slices loosely tented.
- Freezer: wrap tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: warm slices in a 300°F oven until just heated through, or microwave briefly. Whole pie warms best in the oven.
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- 25+ Thanksgiving Pies
If you love a classic apple pie but want more texture and bakery-style aroma, this Dutch Apple Pie is the one. The press-in crust is easy, the filling is bright and cozy, and the crumb topping gets perfectly golden in that brown paper bag. If you make it, please leave a rating, share your tweaks, and tell me what you served it with so others can try your ideas too. 🍏🍎🍏
Dutch Apple Pie in a Brown Paper Bag
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons milk
For the Apple Filling:
- 5-6 apples, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Combine all the crust ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and pat into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Don't roll the dough out.
For the Crumb Topping:
- Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and sugar, and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
For the Apple Filling:
- Combine all ingredients, except the apples, in a bowl. Mix well, then toss the apples in the mixture. Put the apple filling into the unbaked pie crust.
- Top with crumb topping.
- Place the pie inside a brown paper bag. Once the pie is inside, roll up the top of the bag and close it together with either staples or large paper clips. Place the bag on the lowest shelf in the oven. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes. Don't open the bag until the time is up and you have let it cool outside the oven for about 5 minutes.
- Allow the pie to cool to room temperature.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
Notes
- Best apples: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Pink Lady, or a mix.
- Keep slices even so the filling bakes uniformly.
- Lemon juice helps prevent browning while you prep.
- The bag protects the topping and promotes even baking, place on the lowest rack with space from the upper elements.
- Add-ins: ¼ cup chopped nuts or rolled oats in the crumb, pinch of cardamom in the filling, caramel drizzle after baking.
- Make ahead: assemble and chill up to 24 hours, or bake, cool, and refrigerate.
- Storage: room temp 1 day, fridge up to 5 days, freezer up to 3 months. Reheat in a 300°F oven for best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
This did not turn out well at all. Nobody in my family enjoyed it. I had to throw it away. I followed the recipe to the letter and it’s a no go. I was so hopeful too.
Amanda, I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you. Do you mind sharing what happened with the pie?
I genuinely don’t know. I even measured the ingredients to make sure things went as well as possible. It just didn’t taste good. I’m wondering if the almond extract was the “weird taste” my family mentioned. I was so excited about this too.
That could be it. Almond extract can be an acquired taste. It’s been a “secret” ingredient for us in this apple pie that has been in the family for years as it pairs well with apples, cinnamon, etc. So, other than the “weird taste,” did you have any other issues with the pie cooking in the brown bag?
Hi – I remember mom making this and I want to try it – I already have a store-bought pie crust – I assume I can just use this… any thoughts?
Yes, you can use a pre-made pie crust.
Recipe seems delicious.
Never have I heard of baking in a paper bag. This intrigues me to try. Apple pie/ crisp yummy!!
I love Dutch Apple pie the crunchy topping is always a treat. For me easier than a double crust pie. This sounds delicious.
My favorite pie on here was the brown bag Dutch apple pie!
Fall and apple pie go hand in hand!! Love the topping.
This is SO good! Have made it a few times, and the results are yummy! People are amazed that the bag doesn’t catch on fire! Heat does weaken the bag, so pick it up carefully from the bottom!😋😋
I’m fired up to go for this! One question…..any way the almond extract can be substituted? My family is really, really not a fan of almond extract.
Yes you can do vanilla extract instead!
Could you freeze the pie ahead then bake?
We have not tried freezing this pie, so unfortunately I can’t say either way!
Love the recipe! Made it for a family get together and they all said it was the best apple pie they had in years! Could I substitute another fruit for the apples such as peach or cherries?
We haven’t tried it with any other fruits, but peach sounds like it would be delicious!!
In the ingredients you just say sugar, but in the picture I see it looks to be brown sugar and if so do I need to pack it? Thx so much! Looks absolutely delicious!
It is white sugar. It just looks brown because it is mixed with the cinnamon. Hope this helps!
Yummy! My family is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this! Looks so delicious and scrumptious!
Love, love, love this dessert! It’s one my family always asks me to make especially during the holidays.
Such a classic pie! It turns out perfectly every time and is great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This is one super delicious pie! My whole family loved it, it was a huge hit!
This is such a delicious recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
If I don’t have a paper bag and bake it anyway— what will happen????
The crust top will cook faster than the rest of the pie and burn before the pie filling is done. You could also cover it with tinfoil for a similar effect.
The crust was so hard we had to chip it out with a bolster! And such a lot of sugar.
I just made this again last night and didn’t have this problem. Did you bake it in the brown bag? The crust should be flaky.
How do you cook this in a Dutch oven?
We haven’t tried it in a dutch oven before, so I’m not sure! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Delicious! Using the crust recipe for most of my pies. It’s a favorite.
This looks great! I am wondering, would it work to substitute berries for the apples? If so, how many cups of berries would you recommend?
We haven’t tried it with berries. Berries have a lot more liquid in them, so I wouldn’t recommend using them in this recipe.
I made this recipe a few times and I love it. The only thing I would change would be to have the top brown a little. Is there some way to do that?
You could remove it from the bag after cooking and place it back in the oven for a few minutes to brown the top. I haven’t tried it that way before, but that’s what I would do.
Easy to make and so so so good.
This Dutch Apple pie was delicious, but my six Granny Smith apples disappeared into the filling. I followed the recipe closely with the exception of using 2 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp sugar free almond syrup instead of 2 tsp almond extract (since I was out). It was a large pie pan so the apples weren’t stacked up. Could that have caused the apples to be mush?
Thank you.
We used a pie pan that is 9 inches in diameter and 1-1/4 inches deep. If your pan was larger it definitely could have affected the recipe. The acid in the lemon juice could have also contributed to the apples breaking down. I am sorry it didn’t turn out the way you were expecting, but I am glad to hear you still thought it was delicious!
It really was and I plan to make it for Thanksgiving.
I stumbled upon your recipe recently and it is definitely a winner!! We love it so much, I’ve made it several times. That brown paper bag does amazing things! Thank you for sharing! I did want to ask if you think this recipe can still be used with a normal lattice top as opposed to the crumb topping? I absolutely love the crumb topping but am teaching a youth group how to make pies and thought teaching a lattice top would be fun for them. Thank you!!
We haven’t tried this with a lattice top – we just love the crumb topping too much! But let us know how it goes if you do try it!
Is plain flour or self raising flour used in the crust and topping?
We just use regular unbleached white flour, not self-rising. Thanks for asking!
Fabulous, and I love the crumb topping! I always struggle with a double pie crust.
What a delicious recipe! I can’t wait to make this and smell the aroma of apples throughout my home! Yum!
Easily my favorite dessert of all-time! So delicious, thank you!
Dutch apple pie is my favorite of all the apple pies. That buttery topping was to die for!
This is my favorite way to make apple pie! Great recipe!
It’s not the holidays in my home until there’s the slight smell of singed paper bag! My grandmother passed this recipe down to us. Ours bakes at 425, so you have to be sure your oven temp is right because paper burns at 451*!
We don’t really have brown paper bags in Hungary. Do you think an oven bag would work instead of the brown paper bag?
Yes, an oven bag should work just fine 🙂 Hope this helps!
Is there a way to bake this without the brown paper bag?
You definitely can, but I don’t think it will cook as evenly. I haven’t done it, let me know if it works out. 🙂
I’ve made this pie for about 15 years and it always turns out. I don’t even remember where the recipe came from!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It definitely is a keeper. The hubby loved it.
The brown bag trick really worked!!!
So glad you guys liked it! 😀
We love this pie. I always place the bag on a cookie sheet before baking because sometimes the juices seep through the bag.
I was surprised to see olive oil in a crust. Have you tried other oils or melted butter before?
Yes, you can definitely use other oils but I would avoid butter for this particular crust.
I used butter for the bottom crust….it I should still I need the oven…will report how it went…I’m a butter lover!
Can I put 2 of the pies in same bag to bake?
I haven’t tried putting two in the same bag, so I can’t speak to how it will affect the cooking!
What kind of paper bag? Just a regular brown one? Also, I had to use regular tub butter..will that make too much of a difference?
Yes, just a regular brown paper bag from the grocery store. The tub butter won’t be quite as good but should work.
My oven is electric, if I put the bag on lowest rack the bag would be about two inches from red hot heating element. Would it work putting it on a cookie sheet?
P.S. my Mom always cooked her turkey in a brown bag. Delicious.
I think the cookie sheet would work fine.
My daughter makes this and puts a little grated parmesan cheese in the topping. Best pie we’ve ever had 🙂
Oh yum! Great idea!!!
Does it matter what pan you use for the pie? I see the glassware was used for the picture?
I have always used a glass pie pan
I have made this pie twice. The first time I put the pie in the bag as directed. It came ou perfect. I served it at a bridal shower and it was a favorite by far! The second time, which was late last night, I had the wrong type of paper bag. I tried it out, and I could smell the bag burning. In fear that my house would burn down, I took the bag out and put the pie in my turkey pan with the lid, thinking it would at least not be in direct heat. Well….I will never again do that. The pie is still tasty, but the topping did not get crispy like it does putting it in a bag. I love this pie, and will search the world to find more of the bags I used the first time. I used a thick paper bag, like what you put freezer stuff in at the store. I couldn’t find any big enough this time and just bought the ones you put grass clippings in. THIS RECIPE IS DEFINITELY A KEEPER THOUGH!!
I made this apple pie for all of my friends this past weekend! It was excellent..very flavorful! I did put the paperbag on a cookie sheet…and it baked perfectly! Thank you for a recipe I will definately make again!
My paper bag isn’t burning but the whole house sure smells like I’ve been sawing wood. But, I can’t wait to see and eat the results :).
This looks DELICIOUS! Question, I have a gas oven, will this cause my house to burn down if I use the brown paper bag? 🙂
What size pie plate is used?
A regular 9-inch pie plate is fine!
No, we have a gas oven too and it hasn't burned down the house yet! Just make sure you put the racks low and the paper bag isn't sticking up too high.
What if I just put parchment paper over it ??
We haven’t tried it that way before so I can’t say for sure if it will taste the same. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
I'm not sure how the paper bag does it, but it makes a difference in the way it cooks. It creates a perfectly evenly cooked pie.
I've never heard of putting a pie in a bag for baking, but I'd say the proof is in the picture…looks amazing!
I found this recipe a few weeks ago on big oven and was totally paranoid about putting the bag in the oven. I'm not a huge apple pie fan, but this really is amazing! Everyone loved it!
Long time reader! We've loved your chicken satay, bbq ribs, avocado grilled quesadillas and more.
I'm commenting because: WHAT IN THE HECK DOES THE BROWN BAG DO? What culinary purpose does it perform? So crazy.
Not sure on this one, but it does make a huge difference!