These Mini Apple Pies are easy to make and filled with a simple homemade apple pie filling. The perfect mini dessert for fall!
This recipe was requested by a wonderful reader named Stephanie after she tried my mini pecan pies. I loved the idea of making a recipe for mini apple pies, so I held onto it until fall was getting a little closer. I have to say that I’m glad I did because these pies are absolutely delicious.
While I love regular pie, there’s something about mini pies that make them so much better. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re perfectly portioned or they make a simple dessert you can just pick up and enjoy. Or maybe it’s that you can eat two and not feel so guilty about it.
And let’s be honest, mini desserts are just better than regular desserts. Right?
To start, you’ll need a standard 12-count muffin pan. This recipe is for mini apple pies because they’re smaller than a regular apple pie, but be sure to use a regular muffin pan (not a mini muffin pan).
You’ll also need two pie crusts, you can either use my homemade pie crust recipe or buy a box of pie crusts from the store. The store-bought pie crusts usually come in packages of two so they’re perfect for this recipe. If I’m being honest, I usually just cheat and use store-bought pie crusts when I’m making these pies.
You want to cut the pie crust with a 3.5-inch cookie cutter to make circles that are big enough to fill each cavity in the muffin pan. They should look just like the picture above and mostly fill each cavity in your muffin pan. If you don’t have a circle cookie cutter that is the right size, just measure some glasses you have at your house and use that instead.
This filling is just a simple mixture of chopped apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and a touch of nutmeg.
When I make any kind of apple pie I prefer to use a mix of sweet and tart apples, so I use Granny Smith and Gala/Honeycrisp apples in this recipe.
You can also decorate the tops of these miniature apple pies however you like. You won’t need all of the pie crusts for the bottom, so you’ll have some left to decorate the tops. I like to use it to make a simple lattice topping (in other words, no weaving) or cut out some cute pie crust decorations for the top with small cookie cutters.
You can also make these just a bit easier and completely leave the top off and they still taste just fine! I love to serve them with a little scoop of ice cream and caramel on top.
I mean, just look at how cute those pies are up there!
Baking Tips for Mini Apple Pies
- You’ll need two pie crusts for this recipe, you can either use my homemade pie crust recipe (linked in the recipe below) or use store-bought. Use any leftover pie crust you have to decorate the tops of the pies however you like!
- You can use any type of baking apples you prefer in this recipe. I like to use a mix of sweet and tart apples, so I typically use Granny Smith and Gala/Honeycrisp apples.
- Be sure to use the correct size muffin pan for this recipe. These are mini apple pies, but you’ll be using a regular 12-count muffin pan not a mini muffin pan.
Mini Apple Pies
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts homemade or store-bought
- 2 and 1/2 cups (315 grams) chopped apples
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Roll the pie crusts out to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.
- Place each circle of pie crust in each cavity of a standard 12-count muffin pan. Gently press the dough down and around the sides, making sure the dough fits snuggly in each cavity of the muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan and any leftover pie crust dough to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg until fully combined. Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling between all of the cavities in the muffin pan (about 2-3 tablespoons per mini pie).
- Remove the extra pie dough from the refrigerator, cut out your designs for the tops of the pies, and place them on top.
- Bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the mini pies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Love mini pies? Try my Mini Pecan Pies next!
I would like to make these for my fathers funeral but need to make them about a week or so in advance. Do they need to be rebaked after thawing or can I just serve them at room temperature?
Hi, Danielle! If you bake them beforehand, then freeze them, you can just thaw them to room temperature and serve them.
Can I use a 0 c sugar substitute for this instead of sugar?
You probably can, but I haven’t personally tried it.
Hello I bought a set of 6 mini pie pans. I tried to make a cherry pie in them,. I tried to make a lattice top such as you did. I would like pictures of how you attached them, I tried but it was too lumped and not pretty around the edges. Any suggestions?
Hi, Elizabeth! I just placed the strips on top of the filling like you see in the pictures. If you used a different kind of filling that may be why it looks different.
Hi, these look wonderful! I am going to make them tonight. Have you ever made this recipe leaving the skin on the apples?
I prefer to peel my apples, but I think it would be okay to leave the skin on.
Hi! I’m making these tomorrow and was wondering if I half the recipe will it still be okay? I only want to make 6 mini pies. Thank you!
Yes, it’s fine to cut the recipe in half!
How do you get the pies out of the cupcake tin? Do you need to grease the pan beforehand or do they just fall out without greasing? Thanks!
Pie crust has a lot of fat in it, so they won’t stick to the pan. You can certainly spray your muffin pan before you add them, but I don’t find it necessary.
Hi Danielle! I’m going to make these tomorrow! do you happen to have the nutritional facts for the pies as well as your homemade crust? Also do you have and tips or tricks for the pies? Thanks so much!
Hi Ava! I’m not sure about the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate. I also suggest making sure your pie crust is cold when it goes into the oven and chop the apples into bite-sized pieces. I hope that helps!
Is it necessary to blind bake the pie crust for this specific mini apple pies?
No, it’s not necessary for this recipe.
I am wanting to make mini apple, mini pumpkin and mini apple pies all together in one 12 muffin tin. I see your recipes are to be baked between 350 – 425 degrees. Is it possible to bake them all at the same time at the same temp? If so – what temp?
Hi, Mackenzie! I would actually recommend following the temperature and cook time for each recipe to ensure that they bake up properly.
Do you think it’s possible to compile these in the morning and then put them in the fridge raw and then take them out and bake them 8 hrs later So they are fresh warm for dessert
Hi, Natalie! To be honest, I haven’t tried it. I worry that if you let the filling sit for too long in the pie crusts, the juices from the apples may make them soggy. You can bake them ahead of time and then rewarm them in the oven at a lower temperature for a few minutes.
Going to prepare these, was wondering the advantages or disadvantages of cooking or not precooking the apple mixture? Texture? Flavor difference?
Thanks for your input
I don’t personally notice much of a difference, so I don’t worry about the extra step. You can feel free to precook them if you want, but I don’t find it necessary.
Hi Danielle,
I love this recipe, looks delicious and simple to make. Can the pies be half baked and frozen and finish the baking when you need it?
Thank you.
Hi, Jane! I would recommend fully baking them before you freeze them. You can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then warm them again in the oven.
I know thisnif the regular muffin sized pies, if I’m using mini muffin pans, do I just cut the bake time shorter a few mins?
Yes, I would just make sure to keep an eye on them too.
Hi,
Can I use gluten free flour for this recipe?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it for the pie crust recipe, but for the flour in the filling that should be fine.
Can I use apple pie filling from a can?
Yes, that would be fine.
If I wanted to make blueberry pies would it be the same time and temp as these apple pies? Also, can I use cupcake liners to take out and display the pies or would the crust stick?
For blueberry pies you would need to make some adjustments to the filling. I would recommend baking the pies in the muffin pan, then once they’ve cooled you can place them inside cupcake liners for serving.
My mini pies look very dry, no bubbling. I used Granny Smith and gala apples. Any suggestions on what went wrong?
Did you happen to let the filling sit for a while and leave some of the juice in the bowl? If so, that may be why they were dry.
Hi there,
Do you think I could make and fill these, and the. Just pop them in the oven about an hour or two later? I’m planning on taking them to another house, but I’d like to do all the prep work before hand at my house. Will they be to sit in the muffin tin Rae before baking?
Hi, Sarah! If it’s just an hour or two, I think it would probably be okay. The only thing is that you will want to keep them cold or refrigerated during that time. If your pie crust is too warm, it won’t turn out as flaky.
Hi! I just baked these with my mom and they were absolutely delicious! I had never before attempted a pie but the process was so simple. Thanks for your helpful recipe.
Absolutely fantastic recipe!!! I just made these for Thanksgiving. My favorite is apple pie so these were perfect, easy enough. They taste great easy to make. I love your recipes. Thankyou
Hi there, the only apples I currently have are Fuji apples would they affect the taste drastically?
Fuji apples would be fine!
I love your mini apple and mini pecan recipes and I want to make a half pan of each. If I double the size of the mini pecan pies can I bake them at the same time as the apple? Can I bake the pan of half pecan and half apple at 350 or should I do 400? Thank you!
Hi, Mary! I honestly haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say. You could try it and if one is finished baking before the other, then remove them from the pan, and let the other one finish baking. I would probably bake them at about 350°F to avoid over baking one.
Hi, I wanted to make these for people to be able to just grab and go. Would it affect it any if I baked these in cupcake liners? Thanks
I think that would be fine.
Hi
Thanks so much for telling us how to freeze apples, however your recipe for making apple pie is for mini pies, I followed your directions to cut the apple in slices, and now I am unable to find a recipe to use frozen apple slices in a pie.
Please direct me.
Thanks.
Hi, Rhonda! I think another blogger wrote the post on freezing apples and then linked to my mini apple pies here. I do have a regular apple pie recipe here, but I haven’t tried using frozen apple slices in it.
I made this tonight and they were delicious! A few notes for next time, don’t bother with the lattice, use cut out leaves, hearts, whatever to cut out quickly and throw over top. They hold together better, are easier, and are more pleasant to eat than the lattice. Use extra butter around the top edges of muffin tins, where the apple filling spilled over the top made it the most difficult to take the mini pies out of the muffin tin.
Is it possible to make the filling in advance, and store in fridge? By just adding some lemon juice to the apples?
I imagine that you could, just keep in mind that the apples may release more juice.
I would love to make these for my daughters fall wedding. Can I freeze these? If so would I freeze them unbaked and pop em in oven frozen or bake first then freeze? Thanks in advance for your help!!
I would bake them first, let them cool, then freeze them. You can thaw them to room temperature the day you plan to serve them.
Are they good at room temp? I want to bring some to school tomorrow but, there will be no way I can heat them up.
Yes, it’s fine to store them at room temperature for one to two days.
Hello! I used egg tart crust instead of pie crust, it was the only available source at the time. Will it still work?
I’m not familiar with egg tart crust. If it’s similar to a pie crust then it should be okay.
Hello Danielle,
Do you think the recipe would still taste good with half brown, half white sugar?
Yes, absolutely! You could swap out all of the granulated sugar for brown sugar if you prefer too.