Strawberry Apple Pie, Step by Step (Buttery Crust, 2 Ways to Top It)

This Strawberry Apple Pie layers tart strawberries into a caramelized apple filling that's cooked with brown sugar, miso, and five spice. I love cooking the apples down first to concentrate flavor before baking, which means no watery filling and no soggy bottom crust. A buttery, well-chilled all-butter dough gives you that flaky, golden shell that holds everything together for the perfect, slice-able pie.

The recipe is structured as a single-day bake, and day-by-day tips are included throughout so you can break the process across multiple days so you don’t feel overwhelmed!

This pie started as an obsessed idea I had from a Gordon Ramsay restaurant apple tart that honestly was tastier than their beef wellington. The filling is this sweet-tart gooey-ness where buttery, tender caramelized apples are deliciously contrasted with strawberries, all wrapped in a tender (not super flaky) crust. It's lightly spiced, not too sweet!

If you love using fresh/frozen strawberries in your baking, you can try my Easy Strawberry Shortcake Cookie recipe next or try your hand at a Classic Basque Cheesecake With Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Topping.

⏰ Make-Ahead & Flexible Timeline (Day-by-Day Guide)

Do you feel overwhelmed or have a busy schedule but still want to make this recipe?! This recipe can be made in one day or broken into steps across several days depending on your schedule. ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- 

˗ˏˋ ★ Option 1: Same-Day Bake ★ ˎˊ˗ 

Follow the recipe card below for directions on preparing the treat the same day. 

˗ˏˋ ★ Option 2: Make Ahead★ ˎˊ˗ 

Day 1: prep ingredients/tools

Make sure you have all the tools you need set aside. Measure ingredients in containers, cover, and set aside.

Day 2: make dough

Make dough according to recipe, wrap, and chill in the fridge. You can also freeze the dough to make another day. Just defrost overnight in the fridge the day before rolling.

Make strawberry apple pie filling according to recipe and chill in the fridge. (This can also be frozen to put together another day, defrost overnight with the pie dough the day before assembling.)

Day 3: bake or assemble 

Assemble apple strawberry pie and chill. You can bake after fully chilling the same day or next day.

This apple and strawberry pie recipe is really flexible for preparing step by step. Many of these moving parts are freezer-friendly and you just have to make sure you plan out the timing and days according to your schedule.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ woohoo, you did it!!! ٩>ᴗ<)و I hope this was fun and it helped you become a more confident baker ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 

Main Ingredients

• Apples (mixed varieties): Using a mix of Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp gives you a balance of tart, sweet, and firm textures so the filling is complex and holds up during baking.
• Black sugar: This less refined sugar adds a subtle molasses depth and gentle caramel flavor that complements both the apples and strawberries beautifully. You can sub for brown sugar instead.
• Miso: Even a small amount of miso adds savory umami depth that rounds out the sweetness though a plain pinch of salt works as a substitute.
• Lemon juice and zest: The juice brightens the filling and balances the sweetness, while the zest adds a floral citrus note that lifts the other flavors.
• Five spice or cinnamon: Five spice gives a warm, mixed spiced flavored filling, while cinnamon keeps things more classic.
• Malted milk powder (optional): This adds a gentle toasty, creamy undertone to the filling that echoes the toffee-like quality of a classic tarte tatin. 
• All purpose flour (in filling): Stirred in off the heat, this thickens the juices released by the fruit so the filling bakes up saucy but not watery.
• Strawberries: Added frozen or fresh, they bring tartness and a bright fruitiness that contrasts the sweeter cooked apples and makes this filling distinctly different from a traditional apple pie.
• Cold butter (in crust): Keeping the butter cold is essential for a flaky crust. The butter creates steam pockets as it bakes, which is what gives pie crust its distinct layers.
• Coarse sugar (topping): Sprinkled on top before baking, it gives the crust a satisfying crunch and a sparkly finish.

See recipe card below for ingredient measurements! This is for those that want a more in-depth idea of what each ingredient is and what they do. ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

🥄TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

• Large cooking pot, cooking apple filling
• Wooden spoon or spatula, stirring filling
• Cutting board, prepping apples
• Knife, peeling, chopping, coring apples
• Vegetable peeler, peeling apples
• Mixing bowl, combining crust ingredients
• Pastry cutter or two forks, cutting butter into flour
  • Alternative: Two forks or your fingertips work fine for cutting in butter
• Measuring cups, measuring flour, water, sugar
• Measuring spoons, measuring salt, spices, lemon juice, flour
• Kitchen scale, weighing apples, butter, strawberries, flour instead of cups
• Small bowl, mixing egg wash
• Pastry brush, applying egg wash
  • Alternative: A folded paper towel or your fingertips can apply egg wash in a pinch
• Rolling pin, rolling out pie dough
• 8”x3” square baking pan or 9” pie pan
• Zester or fine grater, zesting lemon
  • Alternative: A vegetable peeler removes zest in strips, which you can then finely mince with a knife
• OPTIONAL UPGRADES
• Apple corer, coring apples
• Food processor or stand mixer, cutting butter into dough faster and more evenly
• Pie shield or foil strips, protecting crust edges from over-browning

HOW TO MAKE (STEP-BY-STEP) 

How To Chop Apples

Step 1: Wash all your apples! Make sure to peel off any stickers or waxy residue

Step 2: Roughly peel. It's okay if there are some peels, sometimes I like to leave tiny peels so people know that it's fresh apples I hand prepped :)

Step 3: Chop in half with the stem part facing up.

Step 4: Lay half apple flat side down then chop in half again for both.

Step 5: Cut the core at a diagonal for all pieces (if you don't have an apple corer to do this to begin with.

Step 6: Chop chop chop!

Cook Filling

Make sure you wash, peeled, and chopped apples with no seeds!

Step 1: Add all apple strawberry ingredients in cooking pot and cook until softened.

Step 2: Pull the pot off the heat entirely. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the top and stir everything together until no dry pockets remain. The mixture will look thick and glossy.

Step 3: Add the strawberries and mix to combine. If you're using fresh strawberries, fold them in gently so they stay mostly intact. Frozen strawberries can be stirred in more freely. Cool completely.

Pie Crust Dough

Step 1: Add all your dry ingredients to a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix briefly just to combine.

Step 2: Cut your cold butter into one inch cubes. Add it to the flour mixture and pulse in short bursts, or mix on low, until the butter breaks down into uneven, pea sized pieces with some larger flat shards still visible. Those chunks are exactly what you want.

Step 3:  Drizzle in your cold water. Mix and stop as soon as the dough just begins to clump together when you press a piece between your fingers. It should look shaggy, not smooth.

Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it into two equal discs. Do not overwork it. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. This is another great stopping point if you're working ahead.

Classic Full Crust Assemble & Bake

Step 1: Roll out the first disc into a circle a couple inches wider than your pie dish. Drape it into the dish and press into the bottom and sides without stretching. Trim, leaving about ½ inch overhang. 

Step 2: Pour in the chilled filling and spread into an even layer. 

Step 3: Roll out the second disc and lay it over the top. Trim the edges, fold the overhang under itself, and crimp to seal.

Step 4: Cut a few vents in the top crust to release steam. Brush the whole top with egg wash, then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar. Chill 1-2 hours before baking. 

Step 5: Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third, about 10 minutes before pulling the pie from the fridge. 

Step 6: Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling through the vents and the crust is deep golden brown. Cool before slicing. (pictured is my pie I decided to finish baking at 10pm at night haha!)

Lattice Crust Assembly & Bake (alternative)

Step 1: After rolling out and fitting your bottom crust and filling it, place the filled pie in the fridge while you work on the lattice separately, this keeps the bottom chilling and firming up instead of sitting out. (working in parallel!) 

Step 2: On a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll out the second disc into a circle, then cut into even strips, about ¾ to 1 inch wide, using a knife or fluted pastry wheel. If the strips get soft or sticky, chill them for 10-15 minutes before weaving, cold dough weaves much cleaner.

Step 3: Working on the parchment, lay half the strips vertically, evenly spaced with small gaps between them.

Step 4: Fold back every other strip halfway, then lay your first horizontal strip across the unfolded ones. Unfold the strips back over it.

Step 5: Fold back the alternating strips (the ones you didn't fold last time), lay your next horizontal strip across, then unfold. Repeat, alternating which strips you fold back, until the lattice is complete.

Step 6: Pull your filled pie from the fridge. Using the parchment paper to help lift and guide it, slide the woven lattice onto the top of the pie.

Step 7: Trim the excess strips, leaving about ½ inch overhang. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust and crimp the edges to seal.

Step 8: Brush the entire lattice with egg wash, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Chill 1-2 hours before baking.

🔄Substitutions & Flavor Ideas

Want to switch it up? Here are some variations and substitutions you can try✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ): 

What's really fun about this recipe is that the strawberries are really easy to substitute for another berry instead so technically should I be calling this an Apple Berry Pie instead? I love strawberries so that's my usual go to but here are some berry delicious ideas!

• instead of strawberries, try another berry you love like raspberries, cranberries, or blueberries!
• Make it triple berry so you can truly call it the ultimate "Apple Berry Pie" that's better than Costco's and add ALL the berries!!!!

Enjoy! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ Please tag @sparklecakerie if you make this! I’d love to see and share your creations ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡⋆˚✿˖°

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❄️STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Room Temp

Fully baked pie keeps at room temperature for up to 2 days. The crust will stay crisp on day one and soften slightly by day two (still delicious, just different texture!)

Fridge

Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. The crust will soften a bit from the filling's moisture. You can do a quick 10 to 15 minute reheat in a 350F oven.

Freezer

To freeze unbaked, assemble the pie fully, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 325F (convection) or 350F (regular oven), adding time to the bake time by 10-20 minutes (visual cues to look for is a golden crust and bubbling filling) and tenting with foil if the top browns too fast. To freeze a baked pie, cool completely, wrap the same way, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven.

❓FAQ