With a homemade buttery crust, cinnamon-spiced apple filling, and drizzle of maple icing, apple slab pie is always a crowd pleaser. Easier than a traditional pie, roll this slab pie into any shape you want as long as it fits onto a sheet pan. Follow my step-by-step photos below for slab pie success!
Apple pie is a year-round must and there are a billion ways you can make it. Today, let’s make a slab pie version with a buttery, flaky crust and sweet apple filling, finished off with an optional maple glaze (homemade whipped cream or salted caramel would be wonderful, too!). I love slab pies because not only are they 100x easier than an actual pie, they’re essentially a giant pop-tart! We’ll bake the pie on a sheet pan– it’s thinner so there’s less filling in your “slice” but there’s more crust. If you’re a crust person, slab pie is for you.
5 Reasons to Make Apple Slab Pie
- Slab pie is cut into bars so it’s easy to slice, serve, and eat.
- Eat with a fork or hands.
- Slab pie feeds a crowd.
- Easier to freeze leftover slab pie bars compared to traditional pie slices.
- No strict measurements for rolling out the dough or complicated pie crust designs.
Slab Pie Crust
Start this recipe with the same pie crust used for mixed berry slab pie. This pie crust recipe is essentially my traditional all butter pie crust, but it yields 3 pie crusts instead of 2. (Slab pies are larger, so we need more pie dough.) You know I’m a cheerleader for the shortening and butter combination in pie crust, but I find this particular crust is fantastic for slab pie. It’s a wonderful balance of tender and crisp and browns beautifully in the oven.
The pie dough must chill for a couple hours, so it’s easiest to prepare the crust in advance. It can hang out in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for 3 months. When you’re ready to make the apple slab pie, don’t stress over rolling out the pie dough. Unlike traditional round pies, slab pies are no-fuss. Let the pie dough take on whatever shape, as long as it’s about 1/8-inch thick and can fit onto your baking pan.
Apple Slab Pie Filling
We use all familiar apple pie ingredients for today’s slab pie. For another fun alternative to apple pie, try my apple pie bars. I put salted caramel on those, too!
- Apples: I always recommend using a mix of apples for more complex flavor in each bite– a sweeter variety and a tart variety, too. For today’s apple slab pie I used a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples. Peel the apples before chopping them into little bite-sized pieces. I find bite-sized pieces, rather than thin slices, are best for slab pie. (Same way I recommend cutting peaches for peach pie.) Since the pie is thinner, you can’t really layer the slices together to get enough apple in each bite.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness.
- Flour: A little all-purpose flour thickens the filling while it bakes.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and prevents the apples from browning.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract adds flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Spices: Use a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves– apple pie’s favorite flavors! Or try using the spice mixture from my apple pie with chai spices (1.5x each spice to have enough for today’s filling).
Once you spread the apple pie filling evenly on top of the bottom crust, place the second crust on top. Fold over the edges, seal it shut, and crimp them down. It’s all quite simple because if you’re using the correct size pan, you’ll have more than enough crust to work with to really seal those edges shut.
Brush with a thin coating of egg-wash to achieve shiny, golden crust perfection! And don’t forget to slit some holes so the filling can breathe.
Optional Maple Icing
You only need 3 ingredients for today’s easy maple icing: confectioners’ sugar, pure maple syrup, and milk. While optional, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to whip up a batch– you can do this while the pie is cooling. Your house will smell like Thanksgiving and your mouth will be watering when that drizzle of glaze first hits the crust. The corner pieces of this apple slab pie with maple icing are the best because you get the most amount of pie crust possible. Dibs!
Instead of maple icing, serve with a drizzle of salted caramel, dollop of homemade whipped cream, or ice cream.
Best Pan for Apple Slab Pie
The most important part! Use the correct size pan. Any larger and you won’t have quite enough dough. Any smaller and you’ll have some overflow. You need a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan. It’s the same pan you need for pumpkin bars and pumpkin slab pie, too.
Apple Slab Pie with Maple Icing
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: about 18 slices
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Slab pies feed a crowd and this simple apple slab pie with maple icing is always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cup (3.5 sticks; 400g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup (180ml) very cold ice water
- egg wash: 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Filling
- 10 cups peeled and chopped apples (about 4 – 5 lbs)*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Glaze
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- enough milk or heavy cream to thin (a couple teaspoons)
Instructions
- Make the pie crust: Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon (15ml) added. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 3/4 cup (180ml) water. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter pieces. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Form dough into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days) or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
- Make the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie crust: Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator.Keep the other in the refrigerator as you work. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into (roughly) an 18×13-inch rectangle. Make sure to turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls. Carefully place the dough into a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan; there will be overhang on the sides– trim it to be about 1 inch. Smooth the crust out so it fits nicely into all the corners of the pan.
- Spread filling evenly on top of crust.
- Roll out the 2nd pie dough disc in the same manner and size as the first. Drape over filling and fold the bottom crust’s overhang over the edges. Seal them shut with your fingers and crimp down the sides with a fork. Cut slits into the top of the crust, then brush with a thin coating of egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake the slab pie for about 40-46 minutes until the crust is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on top of a wire rack for a few hours. You can serve this pie a little warm or at room temperature (or cold!).
- Before serving, whisk all of the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over pie. Cut into slices and serve. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie crust dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Apples: Use a couple different apple varieties for best flavor– always a tart variety like Granny Smith and a sweeter variety like Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, etc.
- Special Tools: 10×15-inch Jelly Roll Baking Pan, Rolling Pin, Pastry Cutter, and Pastry Brush (I have the 1.5 inch size)
Keywords: apple slab pie, slab pie
All I have are a couple cans of apple pie filling. Can I use that and is the cooking time any different?
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
Can you use peaches instead- or would that be too juicy for this style of pie? I have a freezer full of peach slices and the slab-style crust sounds like a fun way to put them to use.
Hi Jen! Yes, it would be great with peaches. Take a look at the peach pie recipes on this site (just type “peach pie” into the search bar on the top of this page) for filling recipes.
Hi Sally,
Will be making this delicious slab apple pie this weekend however I noticed that there is flour in the filling on your recipe ? Is there a reason for this as I’ve made apple pies in the past and have never put flour mixed in with the filling. Please let me know.
Thanks so much!
Eva
Hi Eva! Flour is a common thickening ingredient in apple pie filling. Some recipes use cornstarch, but flour is the usual thickening agent.
My wonderful mother-in-law made this for years (she passed many years ago)and I wanted to make it for my husband. I searched for it and found you:) Thank you for such an authentic and delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Hi sally!!
I want to make this for Christmas. Should I pre bake the crust before putting the filling in so i get a crispy bottom or is it ok to put the filling on the raw pie dough?
Thank you.
I do not pre-bake the bottom pie crust here. Not necessary!
I made this, and I am in L O V E with them!
Soooo good!
I made the slab apple pie for Thanksgiving, It was awesome…..everyone loved it. The directions were easy to follow and the pie crust came out flaky and tasty. I used 3 types of apples (Granny Smith, Fiji, Honeycrisp) for variety. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
I am baking in a toaster oven where the largest pan it accommodates is a 9×13 pan. Do I make two of these or is one enough using this size pan.
★★★★★
This looks amazing!
Has anyone ever used the crust and then used cherry pie filling?
You absolutely can! If you are looking for a homemade cherry pie filling I love this one: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cherry-pie/
Thanks so much for your help!
Since I had the apples the recipe called for, I went ahead and used the apples and it turned out amazing!
Can’t wait to try it with the cherries as I have a son in law who’s allergic to cinnamon
( I just used the other spices for the apple one I made- ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom, and it was delicious!)
Sally I love this recipe it’s the first time I had an apple pie turn out well. I need your expert opinion on freezing before baking or after Baking it for my thanksgiving dinner. What do you think would give a better result?
★★★★★
Hi Amy! Fresh pie always tastes best, so I recommend freezing BEFORE baking. That way you can have fresh-baked pie.
I rated it a 5 before making it because I’ve read everyone’s comments and I’m just a pie-lover.
I’m making it in the next couple days.
But I have a question.
I want to use part. Butter part shortening. What would the measurements be for that?
Also, I’m all about birthday pie! My mom always made me pumpkin pie for mine and I make apple pie for my husband’s.
★★★★★
Birthday pies for the win!! You can see my recipe for my pie crust that uses both butter and shortening here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/
This recipe is a winner! I have been making this for several years now and is my family’s absolute favorite. The apple combined with the maple icing is SO GOOD! This is a great size for larger gatherings and it’s always a hit. If I’m not making it for a group, I just throw individual portions in the feezer and reheat anytime I’m in the mood for it! Thanks!
★★★★★
For the crust, could you sub butter for shortening? Either 1/2 or all? Just wondering.
Yes, see my all butter crust recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/all-butter-pie-crust/
Have not tasted this yet, but it smells heavenly!! Made it exactly as directed except that I used 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white sugar. I didn’t measure the number of cups of apples, but it was likely more than 10 cups. I had 3 lbs of granny smith and 3 lbs of macintosh. I used all of the granny smiths and about 2/3 of the macs, so it was probably 5 lbs. I’m saying this because it took considerably longer than 45 minutes to bake. I added 10 minutes 3 times – thus it took 1 hour & 15 minutes at 375 degrees. My oven is typically right on target for baking. I cannot wait to taste this apple slab pie! I am hosting a family gathering tomorrow and this is one of several desserts. I am guessing it will disappear very quickly!! YUM!
★★★★★
Since it’s peach season, I was thinking of using peaches instead of apples since this recipe sounds & looks amazing! What kind of glaze would you recommend instead of the maple syrup? I just made a confectioner’s sugar glaze with cream & vanilla (for scones) this morning & I didn’t like the taste. I think it’s the standard glaze recipe?!? I’m looking at all your glazes on your website to find some more ideas. Thanks!
Yes, it would be great with peaches! Take a look at the peach pie recipes on my blog for filling recipes. If you don’t like the glaze with vanilla you can also try a tiny bit of almond extract. Or a drizzle of brown butter icing would be delish!
Made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and it turned out perfect! I used the jelly roll pan and I wasn’t sure at first if it was deep enough, I was afraid the apples or juice might seep out but it didn’t! I used the food processor to make the dough, I would recommend splitting the ingredients in half and making 2 batches, it was too much for my food processor which is the standard size. The dough came out perfect even tho’ I had to do some of the mixing manually. Thank you Sally for sharing the recipe with us!!
Hi Sally!
I just made this, but I added salted caramel and left off the icing. I also made it in a 13×9 pan- DEEP DISH! Thanks for a good recipe AND for helping me conquer my fear of pie crust.
Hey Sally, if I wanted to make your salted caramel apple pie in slab version, could I just add salted caramel to this recipe? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Sure can! I’ve done that before 🙂
I am so gonna make this! But I would love to know if it would be possible to make this ahead of time and put in the fridge over night and bake the next day? I want to make it for my work family!
Definitely! I’ve done it before. Assemble the pie completely, then cover and refrigerate. Bake the next day straight from the fridge, maybe add a few minutes to the bake time.
I made this yesterday. WOO HOO! My husband has NEVER been a fan of my apple pies, but MAN he loved this! I was going to take a picture for Instagram, but forgot. I saved some of the slab for myself and my husband, took the rest into work. So far it’s a BIG hit! Followed the recipe exactly. Thanks Sally! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Can I half this recipe? Will it be the same baking time?
The bake time will be a little less.
This was Great! Rave reviews from co-workers and friends. Crust was easy to make and turned out nice and flakey. Thanks for sharing your tips and recipes
Can u use pre made pie crust, instead of making your own?
Absolutely! You’ll need about 3 crusts total. This is a large pie.
I tried it with peaches. Fresh, local peaches are in season in my neck of the woods; they were just begging to be showcased in this slab pie. A slab pie is much easier to transport than a traditional pie and serves a whole bunch of folks. I took it to our church potluck and was instantly very popular.
Hey Sally-Made this yesterday & holy crap it is delish! I thought that I had messed up the crust by adding too much water but apparently not, it baked up sooo flaky, tender yet slightly crispy & buttery of course. Freakin awesome! It’s best fresh from the oven I think to enjoy that crust at it’s prime but still wonderful the next day. It kinda becomes more apple strudel like. I gave a piece to the nice plumber that came early this morning & he texted me afterwards to let me know how tasty it was! As awesome as the crust is I also love a streusel topping, so I’m thinking about trying that on top next time. Thanks so much Sally! 🙂
My apples are pre frozen and sliced from the fall. Will this effect the outcome or baking times?
I would bake the pie a few minutes longer.