Easy Skillet Apple Pie Recipe

This Easy Skillet Apple Pie recipe with fresh apples and refrigerated pie crust is an easy dessert baked in a cast iron skillet in a delicious caramel sauce. It’s the perfect fall dessert!

Not only is this pie very easy to make, but it only takes 30 minutes to bake — and that’s what won me over. I love homemade apple pies, but having the oven on for almost an hour when it’s still hot, isn’t my idea of fun.

But a half an hour is doable, especially if you bake it early in the day.

I found the original recipe watching Tricia Yearwood on Food Network years ago. Since then, I have made my own easy recipe every year — it’s so good — the best apple pie! I use fresh apples instead of pie filling and store-bought crust to keep things easy.

To make this easy pie even easier, use apple pie filling!

Easy Apple Pie Ingredients

You can find these simple ingredients in most grocery stores if you don’t already have them at home.

• Apples — I use Granny Smith apples for baking. You can use any firm apple, though. Pink lady apples, gala apples and golden delicious apples or honey crisp apples will all work.
• Refrigerated pie crust — I use Pillsbury pie crusts, but any brand with 2 crusts will work. You can use a homemade pie crust if you have a favorite recipe.
• Butter — either salted butter or unsalted butter
• Brown sugar — either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
• White sugar — granulated sugar
• Lemon juice — to keep apples from turning brown
• Cinnamon — for that classic fall flavor

You will also need a cast iron skillet for best results or any oven-safe skillet that can go from the stove-top to the oven.

How to Make Apple Pie in a Cast Iron Skillet

First, preheat the oven and prepare the apples. If you are using pie filling, you can skip this part!

Cut the apples into 1/2 inch slices. Then, place apples in a large bowl, and toss with lemon juice. Then mix with cinnamon and sugar, and set aside.

Next, melt butter in the skillet on medium heat until melted. Remove from heat.

Reserve a tablespoon of the melted butter to brush on the top crust. from heat.

Then, spread the caramel layer evenly on the bottom of the skillet.

Place the bottom crust on top of the brown sugar mixture. Then, spoon the apple mixture on top of the pie crust.

It looks like a lot of apples! Don’t worry about the pie being too full, though.

The apples will cook down as the pie bakes.

Dot the apples with a little butter. Then, place the second pie crust over the apples. Now normally in a classic apple pie recipe, you would pinch the two crusts together, but it’s kind of hard to do in the skillet.

Just pinch the crusts as much as you can. If they don’t really seal, don’t worry. Make 4 slits in the middle of the pie crust using a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.

Finally, brush the reserved melted butter over the crust, and sprinkle with a tablespoon cinnamon sugar.

Baking Time

Place the skillet in the preheated oven, and bake for 30 minutes. When done, the top crust should be golden brown, and apples should be fork tender.

You can tent the top with foil if the crust starts to get too brown.

How to Serve Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie

Let the pie cool down a little before serving. There is a lot of liquid bubbling around in the skillet, but it will turn to a thick caramel sauce as it cools.

As wonderful as this easy skillet apple pie is, it’s even better with a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream or butter pecan ice cream on top!

it’s best when served warm. Spoon the sauce from the skillet over the pie slices when serving. The ice cream just melts over the crust and into the apple filling, and all is well with the world. For just a moment, anyway.

Helpful Tips

The original recipe uses a 9-inch cast iron skillet, but I’ve made this pie with a 10-inch cast iron skillet and a 12 inch skillet without problems. If you use a larger skillet, note that the pie crust does not go all the way to the top of the pan.

Slice the apples into half-inch slices. If you slice them too thin, they will turn to mush.

Sometimes, the pie crust sticks when you are unrolling it. If it tears, place it on a lightly floured surface, and gently press the crust back together.

The caramel sauce will be bubbling around in the skillet as it cooks, and the pie looks messy as it bakes. This is normal. It will thicken as it cools.

If you use a smaller skillet, you may want to place a baking sheet under the pan in the oven to catch any drips. I did not have any problems with overflow using a larger skillet.

More Apple Desserts for Fall

If you like this skillet pie, try my caramel apple dump cake or these delicious crescent roll apple dumplings or my apple crisp without oats. Check out more easy desserts and even more delicious fall recipes.

When I first made this easy apple pie recipe, I really thought it wouldn’t work. For one thing, the pie crust doesn’t go up very far in the pan. And since the butter and brown sugar mixture is wet and gooey, I thought for sure the crust was going to fall apart. Also, it’s kind of hard to seal the top crust to the bottom.

But it’s all good, folks! I am more than happy to admit I was wrong about the pie, and this one’s a winner!

For more dessert recipes and easy family recipes sent by email, sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow on social media.

Recipe published in 2016 and updated in 2023.