Shaunda’s Southern Soul Food Apple Pie

This is how I make apple pie: rustic, thick-sliced apples with the peels left on, cooked first in butter with brown sugar and warm spices before they ever reach the crust. Cooking the apples first is my secret to controlling all that natural moisture. They get a chance to release their juices, then I thicken those juices before filling the pie.

The result? Soft, buttery, cinnamon-spiced apples that still know they’re apples. A thick filling that stays put when you cut a slice, and a flaky golden crust wrapped around the whole beautiful situation!

At The Soul Food Pot®, I cook my apple filling on the stove before it ever touches the crust. That extra step lets me see the moisture the apples release and get the filling nice and thick before baking. Because after all that peeling… Oh wait, we don’t peel these! So, slicing, filling, and baking—nobody wants to cut into a gorgeous apple pie and find apple soup!

What makes this a Southern soul food apple pie?

It’s the flavor for me! And the way those apples come together. Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla give them that warm, familiar Southern dessert flavor I want in an apple pie.

And I like mine a little rustic—thick slices, peels left on, and plenty of buttery, cinnamon-spiced apple filling tucked beneath a golden double crust.

What apples are best for Southern apple pie?

The ones you like!

There are plenty of opinions about the “best” apples for pie, but in my kitchen, I’m not making you buy a specific apple just because you’re baking it.

I prefer apples that are red and sweet because that’s what my palate likes. If you love the tart bite of a green Granny Smith, invite her to the pie party. Or mix your apples and get a little of both.

Because I cook my apples first and use cornstarch to thicken the moisture they release, my method isn’t relying solely on a particular apple variety to control the filling. Choose your apples for the flavor you want. I’ll show you how to handle the filling!

👩🏾‍🍳 Make-It-Your-Way

Sweet apples, tart apples, or a combination—this is one decision I’m happy to leave entirely up to you. Pick the flavor you want to taste when you cut that first slice.

Standout ingredients

You don’t need a long ingredient list to make a memorable apple pie. This one gets its flavor and texture from a few Southern baking staples, and how I use them matters just as much as what’s on the list.

Apples — Use the apples you actually enjoy eating! I prefer red, sweet apples, but tart green apples or a combination of varieties work, too. Slice them thick so they can cook on the stove and again in the pie without disappearing.

Butter — The apples start in melted butter, giving the filling that rich, buttery base before the sugar and spices ever enter the pot.

Light brown sugar — This is my sweetener of choice for the filling. It melts into the juices released by the apples as they cook and brings a deeper flavor than sweetness alone.

Cinnamon + nutmeg — The warm spice combination that gives these apples their familiar Southern dessert flavor without overwhelming the fruit.

Cornstarch — This is important to my method. I use cornstarch to thicken the moisture the apples release as they cook, creating a glossy filling that stays with the apples instead of running across the plate.

Vanilla extract — Stirred in after cooking for that final warm, aromatic finish.

Double pie crust — Homemade or store-bought, both work here! You need one crust underneath all that apple goodness and another for the golden top.

Should you peel the apples?

Nope! I leave the peels right where they are. I’m going all in on the rustic feel with this apple pie, and leaving the apples unpeeled gives the filling more color, texture, and that beautifully homemade look I want.

Just wash and core the apples, then cut them into thick slices. Since I cook the apples on the stove before they go into the crust, the peels soften right along with the fruit as the filling cooks.

🥄 Shaunda says: Want one less prep step and a prettier, more rustic pie? Let the peeler have the day off! Instead, grab an apple corer and slicer. It gives me beautiful, thick, evenly sized slices all around, so the apples cook more consistently while still keeping their shape.

What to expect when making this apple pie

Here’s the whole recipe at a glance:

1. Cook the apples. Melt the butter, add the thickly sliced apples, and let them begin softening and releasing their natural moisture.
2. Sweeten, season, and thicken. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then use the cornstarch mixture to thicken those released juices into a glossy apple filling. Finish with vanilla.
3. Fill the pie. Spoon the cooked apple filling into the bottom crust, add the top crust, hand-crimp the edges, and cut vents for steam to escape.
4. Bake until golden and bubbling. The crust should be beautifully browned and the hot filling bubbling through the vents.
5. Let. Her. Rest. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing—preferably about 4 hours when you have the time—so the thickened filling can fully set.

How do you keep apple pie from getting watery?

This is where my method earns its keep. Apples naturally release moisture as they cook, so I don’t put raw, seasoned apples straight into the crust and hope for the best. Instead, I control that moisture before I assemble the pie:

Cook the apples first → let them release their moisture → sweeten and season → thicken those released juices with cornstarch → fill the pie → bake → let it rest.

By the time my filling reaches the crust, I’ve already seen how much moisture the apples released and thickened those juices into the consistency I want surrounding the fruit. No guessing, and no asking the crust to deal with a watery filling!

And don’t overlook that last step: cooling. The filling will be looser while the pie is piping hot. Resting gives that thickened filling time to cool and set around the apples so it stays with the slice.

🥄 Shaunda says: Cooling isn’t dead time—it’s part of this recipe. Give your pie at least an hour before cutting it. If you can give her four, even better. We did not control all that moisture just to lose the game in the final 30 seconds because somebody couldn’t wait for dessert!

❤️ Serve it like a Southerner: what do you serve with Southern apple pie?

Apple pie doesn’t need much help, but vanilla ice cream is the classic move around here. Whipped cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce also works beautifully.

✨ Shaunda’s Soul Food Sense

Don’t make the crust responsible for fixing a watery filling!

I handle the moisture before assembly, while I can still see what’s happening in the pot. By the time those apples reach my crust, I’ve already cooked them, seen the moisture they released, and thickened those juices into the filling I want.

Choose your apples for the flavor you love. I’ll show you how to handle the filling.
I’ve already thought this through so you don’t have to.™

Cut to the Crust Q&A

Beautiful Souls ask the best questions, so here are my straight answers based on how I actually make apple pie in my kitchen.

Do you need to prebake the pie crust?

No, I don’t prebake the bottom crust for this recipe. Once the cooked apple filling is added, I top the pie with the second crust and bake the whole thing together.

How do you keep the bottom of apple pie from getting soggy?

For this recipe, moisture control starts with the filling. I pre-cook the apples and thicken their released juices before putting the filling into the crust, rather than asking the bottom crust to absorb all the liquid released by raw apples during baking.

❌ Mistake to avoid: Don’t assume more cornstarch is automatically the answer to a runny pie. The whole method works together: pre-cooking the apples, controlling their liquid, properly thickening the filling, baking until hot and bubbling, and allowing the finished pie to rest.

How do you crimp a double pie crust?

Crimp it with your fingertips! I stopped fork-crimping my double pie crust and now lightly pinch the edges between my fingertips instead. I much prefer the softer, handmade look it gives the finished pie.

🥄 Shaunda says: And, Beautiful Soul, if I can crimp a pie crust with these long nails, we are ALL qualified!

How do you know when apple pie is done?

Don’t judge your apple pie by the clock alone. I look at the crust, the filling, and the vents for signs that she’s ready.

Look at the crust. You want a properly baked, golden-brown finish. The edges should look baked through rather than pale or doughy.

Look at the filling. Remember, I’ve already cooked and thickened my apple filling before it ever goes into the pie, so I’m not waiting for raw apples to cook from scratch. At this point, I want the filling hot and bubbling.

Look at the vents. They’re there to let steam escape, and seeing that hot apple filling bubbling through them is another good sign that she’s ready!

And after she comes out of the oven? Let. Her. Rest.

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