Dutch Apple Pie (Amish Apple Crumb Pie)
Dutch apple pie, also known as Amish apple crumb pie, is a comforting layered dessert built on three simple parts: a buttery bottom crust, a soft cinnamon-spiced apple filling bound with a little cream, and a sweet, sandy crumb topping in place of a second sheet of pastry. That crumb top is the signature move. It bakes up golden and slightly crisp while the apples underneath stay tender and juicy, so every slice gives you soft fruit and a crunchy finish in the same bite. It works just as well warm with coffee in the morning as it does after dinner.
What Sets Dutch Apple Pie Apart from a Classic Apple Pie
The difference comes down to the top. A classic double-crust apple pie seals the fruit between two layers of pastry, while a Dutch or Amish-style pie leaves the fruit open and finishes it with a crumb made from flour, brown sugar, and melted butter. That crumb caramelizes as it bakes and adds a texture the closed-crust version cannot. There is also a small twist inside this recipe: the apples are gently cooked on the stovetop first and combined with cream before they go into the shell, which gives the filling a smoother, almost custardy body rather than raw slices that release liquid in the oven.
The Three Layers, Ingredient by Ingredient
Because this pie is built in stages, it helps to think about it one layer at a time. Everything below comes straight from the recipe card.
- The crust: flour, a little brown sugar, salt, and cold cubed butter, brought together with very cold water and a splash of cold vodka. The vodka is not there for flavor. It hydrates the dough so it rolls out easily, then mostly cooks off in the oven, which keeps the baked crust tender and short rather than tough.
- The filling: about 8 medium apples, sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, butter, and liquid cream. Mixing sweet and sour apple varieties gives you the best balance so the pie is not flat or cloying.
- The crumb topping: flour, brown sugar, and melted butter rubbed into a loose, sandy mixture that you scatter over the apples before the final bake.
One quick note on diet: this is a vegetarian recipe, not a vegan one, because the crust, filling, and topping all rely on real butter and the filling uses cream. If you would rather keep it fully plant-based, my apple streusel cake is very close in spirit and made without dairy.
How to Get the Crust and Filling Right
Two steps make or break this pie, so it is worth slowing down for both. First, chill the lined crust. After you roll the dough, press it into the dish, and prick it with a fork, give it at least two hours in the fridge before baking. Cold dough holds its shape and does not slump down the sides. When you blind bake it, line it with foil and weigh it down with dried beans or chickpeas so the base stays flat.
Second, drain the apples. After the diced apples simmer with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt for about ten minutes, strain off the liquid before you build the pie. That released juice is exactly what makes fillings watery. Here you reserve it, stir it into the cream, and cook it back down until thick, so all that apple flavor returns to the pie as a glossy sauce instead of a soggy bottom. If you want to go deeper on getting the most out of that spice, my notes on how to cook with cinnamon are worth a read.
Choosing the Best Apples
The recipe calls for eight medium apples and suggests mixing sweet and sour varieties, and that advice really pays off. Firmer, tart apples hold their shape through the stovetop cook and keep the pie from tasting one-note, while sweeter apples soften into the sauce and round everything out. Avoid apples that turn to mush the moment they hit heat, since the filling is cooked twice here. If you love baking with apples this way, you might also enjoy my easy apple crisp or the cozy fresh apple cake.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This pie is friendly to a bit of planning. You can blind bake the crust a day ahead and keep it covered at room temperature, and you can cook the apple filling in advance and refrigerate it, then assemble and bake the topping on the day you want to serve. Once baked, the pie is best served at room temperature. Store leftovers loosely covered in the fridge for up to three or four days, and a short warm-up in the oven brings back the crisp edge on the crumb top far better than a microwave, which softens it. Slice it only once it has fully cooled and set, so the layers stay clean.
What to Serve It With, and More Apple Ideas
A slice of Dutch apple pie is lovely on its own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoon of lightly whipped cream against the warm crumb never disappoints. If you are building a whole apple-season spread, browse my roundup of autumn apple recipes for fall, or try a few favorites like apple pancakes, healthy apple muffins, apple strudel, or the famous American apple pie.
If you bake this one, I would love to know how it turned out. Leave a star rating and drop a comment below telling me which apples you used and whether you went for ice cream on top. Your notes help other readers pick their perfect mix.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Dutch Apple Pie (Amish Apple Crumb Pie)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 160 g flour
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 120 g butter cold, cubed
- 2 tablespoons water very cold
- 2 tablespoons vodka cold
For the filling:
- 8 apples medium, sweet and sour varieties can be mixed
- 50 g sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 120 ml liquid cream
Crumble topping:
- 160 g flour
- 120 g brown sugar
- 100 g butter melted
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a food processor, blend flour, sugar, and salt for a few seconds.
- Add butter and blend for 5-7 seconds.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl, add water and vodka, then mix with a spatula until homogeneous.
- Place the dough on a floured surface, knead until smooth, and roll it out into a circle large enough for the baking dish.
- Line the baking dish with the dough, prick the surface with a fork, trim the excess, and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, cover the dough with foil, weigh it down with beans or chickpeas, and bake for 40 minutes.
For the filling:
- Clean and dice the apples, then mix with sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a pot, melt butter, add the apple mixture, cover, and cook on medium heat for about ten minutes.
- Strain the cooked apples to drain excess liquid, reserving it in a bowl. Combine with liquid cream and return to the pot, cooking until thickened.
- Spread the cooked apples over the baked crust and pour the cream mixture on top.
For the topping:
- Mix all topping ingredients in a bowl until creamy.
- Evenly sprinkle the topping over the apple filling.
- Bake the pie for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
They refer to the same style of pie. Both use a single bottom crust filled with spiced apples and finished with a crumb topping instead of a top pastry layer. The names simply reflect its Dutch roots and its popularity in Amish home baking.
The recipe calls for about 8 medium apples and recommends mixing sweet and sour varieties. Tart, firmer apples hold their shape through cooking while sweeter ones soften into the sauce, giving the filling both structure and balanced flavor. Avoid very soft apples that turn to mush, since the filling is cooked twice.
The cold vodka helps hydrate the dough so it is easy to roll without overworking it. Because alcohol mostly evaporates in the oven, it does not develop as much gluten as water alone would, which helps keep the baked crust tender rather than tough. You do not taste it in the finished pie.
No, it is vegetarian. The crust, filling, and crumb topping all use real butter, and the filling is enriched with liquid cream. For a fully plant-based option with a similar feel, try the apple streusel cake linked in the post.
Yes. You can blind bake the crust a day in advance and cook the apple filling ahead, then refrigerate it and assemble with the crumb topping before the final bake. Baked leftovers keep in the fridge for three to four days and reheat best in the oven to restore the crisp crumb top.
Blind baking the chilled crust keeps the bottom crisp instead of soggy under the moist filling. Cooking and draining the apples first removes excess juice, and that liquid is reduced with cream and returned to the pie as a thick sauce, so you get deep apple flavor without a watery filling.
Perfect texture! My friends loved it