Appeltaart – How to Make a Traditional Dutch Apple Pie
Appeltaart is the number one pie in the Netherlands, and being Dutch, I can't wait to share my recipe for this iconic dessert. Whether you remember your oma baking this pie on a Sunday afternoon or you fell in love with a slice in a Dutch café on holiday, this appeltaart brings those warm, familiar moments back.
Why you will love this recipe for appeltaart
- You only need seven ingredients to make an appeltaart!
- If you're looking for an authentic recipe for appeltaart you had in the Netherlands, this is it! I've been making this recipe since I was Little, and it is how my grandmother taught me.
- You don't need a stand mixer or any other fancy equipment to make this pie.
What is appeltaart?
Appeltaart is a classic Dutch apple pie, but it differs quite a bit from the American-style apple pie you might be used to. Instead of a thin, flaky crust and sliced apples, Dutch appeltaart has a thicker, buttery crust and a densely packed filling often mixed with raisins and a touch of lemon zest. The crust is sometimes made with a lattice or crumb topping, giving it a distinctive homemade look and feel.
How Is Appeltaart Different from American Apple Pie?
While American apple pie usually has a flaky double crust and uses tart apples like Granny Smith, appeltaart uses a sturdier shortcrust pastry and sweet, slightly tart apples like Elstar or Cox's Orange Pippin. It also tends to include cinnamon and sometimes raisins or almond paste for extra flavor and texture. The Dutch version is heartier and often served with whipped cream or custard, making it a cozy dessert on chilly days.
Ingredient notes
Sugar: Granulated sugar, but you can also use brown sugar if you want to give your dough a rich, caramel flavor.
Flour: Regular white all-purpose flour will work best for this recipe.
Butter: Use unsalted butter since you will add salt later. Check out my post about how you can make homemade butter from heavy cream! You can use margarine if you are lactose intolerant or if you want to make a vegan apple pie.
Apples: I always use Elstar, but other apples like Jonagold, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp can also be used in apple pie. When you pick an apple, it is important to buy one that holds its shape when your pie is in the oven so it won't turn into mush.
Variations
- Vegan: To make a vegan apple pie, you can replace the butter with vegan butter, shortening, coconut oil, or margarine. You can omit the egg and add some oat milk (almond or coconut milk would also work!).
- Speculaas: Add one tablespoon of speculaas spice mix to the dough for a delicious speculaas apple pie. If you love speculaas, you can add two teaspoons to the apples instead of cinnamon.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free flour instead of regular flour for a gluten-free apple pie.
What are the best apples for appeltaart?
Selecting the right apple is essential. Dutch favorites such as Elstar and Jonagold provide an ideal balance of sweetness and tartness. If you prefer a tangier pie, Granny Smith apples are a great option as well. It's best to avoid very soft apples like Red Delicious, as they tend to become mushy when baked.
How to make a Dutch apple pie
To make the dough for your appeltaart, you add all the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add the cold butter and egg, and knead it with your hands until you have a rough dough with small chunks.
Once the mixture resembles pea-size pieces, transfer the dough to your counter, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. If your dough is still cold enough, you can use it right away.
While waiting, you can prepare your apples. You can cut them into small cubes or slice them, but make sure your slices are not too thin. Once you've finished preparing the apples, take your dough out of the fridge and roll out two-thirds of it to create the bottom crust. Add the apples on top, but do not press them into the crust before creating the stripes for the lace pattern.
To make the lattice top, roll out the dough and cut it into strips with a sharp knife or shape them by hand. Place them on top of the apples and brush them with egg wash before placing them in your oven. Let the pie cool before cutting it because if you cut it too soon, it can fall apart. Bake your appeltaart in a preheated oven for about 60 minutes. By then, your apples should be soft and the top nice and golden brown.
Most apple pies you buy in the Netherlands contain raisins, but I did not include them in my recipe because I don't like them. Add about 60 grams of soaked raisins or currants to the apples at step 5 if you love raisins.
In many old cookbooks, they add nutmeg, mace, cloves, and ginger to the apples. You could also try adding some speculaas spices to the crust.
How to serve appeltaart
The best way to serve appeltaart is still warm from the oven, when the apples are soft, and the crust is soft and buttery. Serve it with a big spoonful of whipped cream topped with caramelized apples on the side or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, especially if you're serving it as a dessert. It's also amazing with warm custard or vanilla sauce.
My tips for the best appeltaart
- Don't skip chilling the dough. You want your dough to firm up before rolling it out to create the crust.
- Use semi-sweet apples that hold their shape while your pie is in the oven. This is key to making the best appeltaart.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of rolled oats, panko, or custard powder on the crust to prevent a soggy bottom. This will absorb the juices from the apples and give extra flavor to your pie.
- You want your dough to be as cold as possible, so I like to use a stand mixer when I make this recipe. You can do it by hand, but make sure your hands are cold and never skip chilling the dough.
- Use a sptingform pan. An appeltaart isn't served in an oven dish. For this recipe, you need a 9-inch springform pan.
- Cut the strips with a pizza cutter. This is an amazing trick and helps to create straight edges!
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely. You can wrap the pie in plastic wrap and freeze it for about three months.
Yes!! This is the recipe for a classic Dutch appeltaart you get in a restaurant in the Netherlands.
No. For a classic Dutch appeltaart, you use harde wenerdeeg or pâte brisée, which does not contain baking powder or egg.
Storage
You don't have to store apple pie in the fridge. If you plan to eat the apple pie the same day or the day after, it is best to keep it covered at room temperature. You can keep it covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for 2-3 days, but the crust can get softer.
Freezer: Dutch apple pie will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for six months.
More of my favorite Dutch recipes
Traditional Dutch apple pie
Ingredients
The crust
- 2,5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
The pie filling
- 5 apples
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until combined.
- Add the diced butter and ¾ of the egg and work it into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Knead the dough a little, form it into a ball, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can use the dough straight away if it's not too soft.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (170°C) and prepare a 9-inch (24 cm) springform.
- Peel the apples and cut them into quarters.
- Slice the apple quarters, put them in a bowl, and add the sugar and cinnamon.
- Take ⅔ of your dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a well-floured counter to 4-5 mm (you can skip this past by just pressing the dough in your springform with your fingers).
- Place the dough into your springform and press it down.
- Add your apples and spread them evenly.
- Take the leftover dough and form strips by either rolling the dough and cutting strips or taking little pieces of the dough, forming 'snakes,' and pressing them flat.
- Lay the strips on your pie and seal them together by pressing the ends to your crust.
- Brush the leftover egg over the top and bake the pie for about 60 minutes until golden.
Notes
-
- If you want the most traditional pie, you can add 60 grams of (rum) soaked raisins or currants to the apples before baking.
- Add some spices like nutmeg or ginger to the apples
- Try adding some speculaas spices to the crust!
- To prevent a 'soggy bottom,' sprinkle breadcrumbs, panko, or custard powder on the bottom of your pie before baking.
- Add lemon juice to the apples to prevent them from turning brown.
- You can freeze your baked apple pie wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the leftover dough.
I love dutch apple pie and this one is gorgeous and looks scrumptious!
This is a gorgeous pie - and the recipe is so straightforward and unadulterated, you just know you're going to get a dessert that really showcases the apples!
Dutch apple pie is my favourite kind of apple pie!
I made this recipe and it turned out perfect. The whole family went on and on about how much they loved your Dutch Apple Pie recipe. This is a keeper!
I loved reading about the history of this delicious dish! Dutch apple pie is a family favorite around my home!
This dutch apple pie looks just perfection - I have made it yesterday but just used ready made pastry instead (the lazy way) - couldn’t fault it but only to say that making own pastry is a lot better ;-)
My father's side is Dutch and we always have his great grandmother's recipe. It is a little different because of topping is not crust, but this version looks delicious as well!
This looks delicious! I have a question. It says to use a 9-inch spring form pan in the recipe, but in the equipment section, it says you need. 10-inch spring form pan. Which one is correct? Thanks!
Hi Marlena! It should be a 9-inch springform but I uses to use a 10-inch pan so i thing i forgot to adjust the equiptments. Thanks for letting me know!
We've had a thirty year old association with the Dutch and can never have the American apple pie after eating the genuine pie in Holland. I had two recipes from my friends but have lost them so I've tried your recipe today. Hoping it comes out like Sjoerd’s oma’s original r recipe
Hi Sunita! How did your appeltaart turned out? This is the recipe my oma always used and how my sister makes the pie with her students. Eet smakelijk!
You say two sticks of butter - how much is that. Our butter doesn't come in sticks.
Hi Marg. One stick of butter is 113 grams so for this recipe, you'll need 226 or 230 grams.