The Best Apple Pie Filling with Fuji Apples

This Apple Pie Filling is the best! It’s tangy and sweet and perfect for that pie crust you’ve been eyeing at the store. It’s also a great topping for just about anything! Eat it with ice cream, on pancakes, in a crescent, on a cake or in a pie. It’s delicious! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.

Apples are great because you can let them sit on your counter for a month, (while your 13 year old complains daily because they’re in his chore) and they won’t go bad… mostly.

I bought a large box of Fuji apples because I thought I liked Fuji apples.

Turns out they’re gross and really plain. At least this box was.

No tartness at all, barely sweet. Bleh.

It was like eating crunchy water.

So now I had a an entire box of unpalatable apples to use up.

There’s nothing like a large pile of apples staring at you for a month to make you feel like a failure.

But who’s laughing now, you dang apples?!

It took me a few days to peel and chop all of them.

I ended up making a lot of apple pie filling because it’s so versatile and keeps in the freezer well.

And it is sooooOOOOO GOOD!

I used 2 cups of it for the lovely and delicious cake you see pictured all over this post.

I just dumped the apple pie filling into the bottom of a greased bunt pan, poured the batter of a white cake box mix over it and baked it. Then drizzled vanilla frosting over the top.

A quick and beautiful dessert.

And it was scrumptious! Perfect for a coffee cake, breakfast cake, brunch, midnight snack. Good all around!

For the remaining pie filling, I have it stashed in the freezer for Thanksgiving. Then I’ll pie it up!

Some Tips About This Apple Pie Filling Recipe

-You need about 6 cups of the pie filling for to fill a standard pie. The recipe below makes about 6 cups but it does depend on how big your apples are.

-Keep the filling in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week or up to a year in the freezer.

-IF YOU USE OTHER APPLES for this recipe, you might not need as much lemon juice or as much cinnamon. These apples were so bland they needed all of it. Just make the cornstarch slurry with the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Taste the filling and add the lemon juice a teaspoon at a time until you have the tartness you like and the liquid has thickened. Do the same thing with adding the cinnamon 1 teaspoon at a time and taste it as you go. I like a lot of cinnamon but that might not work for everyone.

-ALSO, If you use other types of apples, you also might have to adjust the cooking time because some apples fall apart into mush if you cook them too long. These apples were very firm and kept their shape the whole time.

-Other apples that are good for cooking/baking:

Gala

Jonagold

Pink Lady

Granny smith

Braeburn

Now Let’s Make That Apple Pie Filling

Start with 9 of those flavorless, fuji apples- peeled and chopped.

I like small pieces of apple so I can use it in more things like muffins or cakes. Sometimes I don’t feel like making a pie but I have a wagonload of judgy apples to use.

Throw those into a large pan over medium high heat with 6 tablespoons of butter, 3 teaspoons of cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Cook until the sugar and the butter melt and are bubbly.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 20 minutes.

You want the apples to be tender, brown and for most of the moisture to have cooked off.

In a bowl, mix 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Make sure you get out all the lumps.

Pour the slurry into the pan of apples and cook for an additional 2-5 minutes on medium heat until it thickens up.

Now you’re ready for a pie!

Grab a pre-made pie crust and follow the directions on the box.

UPDATE: Usually you bake at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. You want the whole crust to be a deep golden brown and you’ll need to cover the edges with foil after the first 15 minutes so they won’t burn. But, you want to follow the instructions on the box if you’re going with a pre-made crust.

OR check out my Perfect Easy Pie Crust for a super flaky and simple pie crust from scratch and more instructions!

And Bingo Bango-you’ve got a pie for the holidays!

This weird baby doll my teenager kept sneaking into my shots congratulates you!

What Else Can You Use Apple Pie Filling On?

-In an Apple Crisp. Use the Crisp Topping (it is to die for!!!) from my Peach Crisp recipe. You can find it here. Just scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.

-On Waffles or Pancakes

-Ice cream topping

-Wrap up in a crescent with cream cheese, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top before baking.

-On oatmeal

-Mixed in muffin batter

-Upside down cake

-Throw it on a graham cracker crust and top it with whipped cream.

-Or eat with a a Big Ole Spoon because you’ve had a hard day. No judgments here.

Don’t forget to pin it!

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Print the recipe for later!