With a homemade buttery double crust, spiced apple filling, and a drizzle of maple icing, apple slab pie is always a crowd pleaser. Follow my step-by-step photos below for pie success!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since updated it with new photos, recipe improvements, and additional success tips.
Apple pie is my all-time favorite dessert, so I have quite a few varieties on my website and in my cookbook. I love it in all forms, and today we’re making a generously sized version!
This apple slab pie has everything we love about classic apple pie, but it’s baked in a sheet pan and made to share. We’re talking a buttery, flaky double crust, a generous layer of cinnamon-spiced apples, and a sweet maple glaze drizzled over the golden top. (Salted caramel would be wonderful, too!)
It’s like a giant glazed apple pop tart you can cut into squares, making it especially easy to serve a crowd.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Slab Pie
- It feeds a crowd: Baked in a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, this apple slab pie yields about 15–18 servings.
- Extra flaky crust in every bite: A double crust surrounds the apple filling, so there’s plenty of buttery pastry to go around. Plus, the slices are thinner than regular apple pie, so you get a higher ratio of crust to filling. If you’re a crust person, slab pie is for you!
- Classic apple pie filling: Fresh apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, and warm spices—the gang’s all here!
- Simpler pie dough shaping: There’s no need to fuss over a perfectly round pie, lattice top crust, or intricate pie crust designs. Slab pie is wonderfully forgiving!
- Easy to slice and serve: Cut the cooled pie into squares or rectangles instead of traditional pie wedges.
- That maple icing! A simple 4-ingredient glaze adds a sweet maple finish that pairs beautifully with the apples and buttery crust.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prepare the pie dough well in advance, or bake the entire pie a day before you plan to serve it.
What Is Apple Slab Pie?
A slab pie is essentially a larger, flatter version of a traditional double-crust pie. Instead of shaping the dough in a round pie dish, you roll two portions of pie dough into rectangles, layer them in a sheet pan with the filling in between, and bake until the crust is golden. Finish with a glaze.
Think of a giant pop-tart, but homemade. That’s what this is!
Because slab pie is thinner than a traditional apple pie, the ratio of crust to filling is a little different. That means more flaky pastry in every bite, which is especially good news for anyone who loves pie crust as much as I do!
Slab pies are also very practical. They’re easier to cut into portions, simple to transport, and perfect for holidays, potlucks, and other occasions when you’re serving a group!
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 scaled up. It’s tender, flaky, and manageable, especially for pie crust beginners. You know I’m a cheerleader for the shortening and butter combination in pie crust, but I find this particular butter crust is fantastic for slab pie. I prefer a butter-and-shortening crust for intricate pie crust designs, but we’re keeping things simple today.
The pie dough must chill for a couple hours, so it’s best to prepare it in advance. You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Apple Slab Pie Filling
Familiar apple pie ingredients in today’s slab pie:
- Apples: I always recommend using a mix of tart and sweet apples for more complex flavor in each bite. My favorite combination is Honeycrisp + Granny Smith. For more options, see The Best Apples for Baking.
- Sugar: Sweetens the apples and helps create a flavorful filling as they bake.
- Flour: Thickens the apple juices as the pie bakes, helping the filling hold together when you slice it.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and helps keep the apples from browning.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla rounds out the flavor of the apples and warm spices. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, & Cloves: Classic apple pie spices!
You’ll also need an egg wash (egg + milk) for brushing on top of the pie, plus maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar, and a little more milk and vanilla for the topping.
Cut the Apples Into Bite-Sized Pieces
Peel the apples before chopping them into bite-sized pieces. I find bite-sized pieces, rather than thin slices, are best for sheet pan pies. (Same way I recommend cutting them for apple crisp.) Because slab pie is relatively thin, bite-sized chunks make it easier to distribute the filling evenly and get apples in every bite. The same rule applies for apple hand pies.
Toss the apples together with the rest of the filling ingredients:
Assemble the Apple Slab Pie
Roll out your 2 portions of pie dough into large rectangles, about 13×18 inches in size and 1/8 inch thick. The crusts don’t have to be perfectly rectangular, but they need to be at least that large to cover the 10×15-inch baking pan with some overhang all the way around.
Once you spread the apple pie filling evenly on top of the bottom crust, carefully drape the second crust on top, like you’re covering it with a blanket. Night-night, apples!
Fold the overhanging bottom crust up and over the edges of the top crust, then press the two layers together to seal:
Best Pan for Apple Slab Pie
A 10×15-inch jelly roll pan is ideal for this recipe because the sides help support and shape the pie. You could also use a larger rimmed baking sheet, such as a half sheet pan, and shape the pie free-form, keeping it around 10×15 inches. Don’t stretch the dough to fill the larger pan, and be sure to seal the edges well!
If you have one, the 10×15-inch size is the same pan you need for pumpkin bars and pumpkin slab pie, too.
You can flute or crimp the edges however you like. See my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need help with this step.
Finally, brush the entire top crust and edges with a thin coating of egg wash for a shiny, golden finish! Use a sharp knife to make a few slashes in the top crust. Vents help the apple filling cook and help prevent steam from becoming trapped beneath the crust. (Something you don’t have to worry about when you make a lattice-topped apple pie.)
Because it’s thinner than traditional apple pie, this slab pie takes about 45 minutes to bake through. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool before you slice into it. Let it cool for at least 2–3 hours so the filling has time to settle and thicken for neater slices. It can still be a bit warm when you slice it!
I promise apple slab pie is worth the wait.
Optional Maple Icing
You only need 4 ingredients (confectioners’ sugar + pure maple syrup + milk + vanilla) and 2 tools (bowl + whisk) for this easy maple icing.
You want it thick enough to leave visible ribbons across the crust but thin enough to flow easily from a spoon. I love how it soft-sets on top of the cooled pie crust.
Instead of maple icing, serve with a drizzle of salted caramel, a dollop of homemade whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream. Or maybe you’re an apple-pie-with-cheddar-cheese kinda person? Any way you serve it, you (and your whole crew!) will LOVE this apple slab pie.
For another fun square-shaped alternative to apple pie, try my apple pie bars!
Apple Slab Pie Tools
Pastry Brush
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Apple Slab Pie with Maple Icing
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours (including chilling & cooling)
- Yield: about 15-18 slices
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With a buttery, flaky double crust, spiced apple filling, and a drizzle of maple icing, this apple slab pie is perfect for feeding a crowd. Prepare the pie dough in advance so it has plenty of time to chill before rolling and assembling the pie.
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for shaping
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cups (28 Tbsp; 396g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) ice water, plus more as needed
- egg wash: 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) milk
Filling
- 10 cups (1200g) peeled and chopped apples (about 7–8 medium apples)
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (30g/ml) 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
Maple Icing (Optional)
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 1–2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the pie crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal with pea-sized bits of butter (a few larger pieces are OK). Drizzle the cold water over the entire surface of the flour mixture, 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) at a time, and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon added until the dough begins to come together in large clumps. Do not add any more water than needed to achieve this. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Using floured hands, gently bring the dough mixture together into a ball. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels too dry or is too crumbly to form a ball, dip your fingers in cold water and then continue bringing the dough together. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on a little more flour and continue bringing it together. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half. It’s OK to eyeball it. Gently flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- 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 a (roughly) 13×18-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 the filling evenly on top of the bottom crust. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you roll out the top crust.
- Remove the second disc of pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out in the same manner and size as the first. Drape it over the filling and fold the bottom crust’s overhang up and over the edges. Seal them shut with your fingers and flute or crimp the edges. Lightly brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Cut a few vents in the top of the crust.
- Bake the slab pie for 40–45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling through the vents. Place the baked slab pie on a cooling rack and cool for at least 2-3 hours. It can still be slightly warm when you slice into it.
- Make the icing, if using: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, a teaspoon of milk/cream, and the vanilla. If you’d like the icing thinner, whisk in another teaspoon of milk. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle the icing over the pie. Cut into slices and serve.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The pie dough can be prepared up to 5 days in advance and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling it out. You can also bake the pie 1 day in advance. Cool completely, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature and add the icing before serving. To freeze the baked pie, cool completely, cover tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, and freeze without icing for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and add the icing before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | 10×15-inch Jelly Roll Baking Pan | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack
- Pan Size: Use a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with sides about 1-inch high. If using a larger rimmed baking sheet, such as a half sheet pan, shape the pie to approximately 10×15 inches rather than stretching the dough to fill the pan. Seal the edges well to help prevent the filling from leaking out.
- Apples: Use a mix of tart and sweet apple varieties for the best flavor, such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Here are the best apples for baking.
Reader Comments and Reviews
If I want the bottom of my pie crust to be really golden and well browned, should I bake my pie on a pizza stone? Or will it do just as good a job without one?
Hi Liza, we have not tested this slab pie on a pizza stone, but we find it still gets nice and golden brown with the method outlined here. We hope you’ll give it a try!
Can I sub the maple syrup for molasses? I don’t have this syrup where I live… we also have some kind of thinner molasses if that’s better. And honey 😅
Hi Mikaella, you could use this plain vanilla icing instead. Enjoy!
I made this sheet pan apple pie for the Superbowl. It has to have been the most delicious apple pie I have ever had!
The small chopped apples gave it perfect texture. The spices were perfect, and the maple glaze was amazing. And it set up so well! I served it when it was cooled down and it was so easy to slice and serve- no breaks, just perfectly set squares.
Ten of us had it, and only ate half. It really does feed a crowd! Thanks for a great recipe.
Delicious..recipe is perfect..dough easy to work with..
When making this dough for the slab pie I weighed the butter and flour and I came together in my mixer well.i did not need to add any water and after chilling I rolled it out but I was falling apart. I managed to piece it together in the pan. What did I do wrong.
Hi Sharon, did you not add any water at all? Some water will be necessary to keep the dough from being too dry—we always use about 3/4 cup (180ml) water. We also find it best to bring the dough together with a pastry cutter or two forks. A mixer can easily overwork the dough. Hope this helps for next time!
I want to make a 1/2 recipe of the apple slab pie. What size pan should I use? Thanks!
Hi Sharon, if you use a 7×11-inch pan or a 9×9-inch pan, that will give you roughly the same square inches as half of a 10×15-inch pan.
Hi! Do you think I could slice apples for this like a traditional apple pie instead of chopping them? I make your pie regularly, but wanted to try this for a larger group!
Hi KR, you can definitely slice the apples instead. Enjoy the pie!
I haven’t made a pie crust in decades. Can you use store bought crust? If so – are 2 crusts (rolled), enough?
Hi Michele! We haven’t tested this recipe using store bough crusts, you’ll need more than two standard size crusts, since you’re rolling them to an 18×13 inch rectangle.
I have the pie crusts in the frig now. I am not good at all with pie crust but I love all of your recipes!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!
If I was to make your slab apple pie for a church tea can I make it the day before and how would I store it
Hi Maryann! This slab pie can be made a day in advance – cover and store at room temperature overnight.
I loved this pie! The filling was flavorful and the crust was easy to work with and flavorful (I have struggled with pie crusts). I did want more filling so I used 13 cups of apples and just slightly increased the other filling ingredients. Also, I saw in the comments about using parchment paper, which worked well. Thanks for the recipe.
We love this recipe! Would it be possible to use your peach pie filling to make a peach version?
Hi Amy! Yes, it would be great with the peach pie filling. Enjoy!
I was looking for long time for a good apple pie recipe!!! Finally found it. Accidentally I learn that top crust is more crunchy and apples are cook to the perfection when you will roll out crust very thin and cut into strips and then lay them on top. You can combine edges with strip as well.
Maple icing is just delicious combination with this pie. Highly recommend!!!
This came together just as described. It turned out beautifully. Will definitely make again!
Hi! Can you precook the apple filling so you don’t get the infamous pie gap?
Hi Sue, we haven’t had any issues with not pre-cooking the pie filling, but you certainly can if you prefer!
Nice, easy recipe. I did add walnuts and that was nice. However, although this crust was tasty and puffed nicely, bake this on a parchment lined half sheet pan. I cannot emphasize this enough. The butter oozed from the crust and smoked us out of the house! It was a giant mess. But it was still very nice and tasty
I am not able to chop things as well any more. Is it possible to use apples from the grocery store’s freezer?
Hi Diann! Frozen apples will usually let off too much moisture, which would lead to a soggy pie. You could try pre-cooking the apples a bit to try to simmer off some of the liquid, but we’re unsure of those results. There are some handy tools for cutting apples, like the Johnny Appleseed peeler/slicer that some home bakers swear by. Hope this helps!
I’d really like to make this in a 9×13 pan, so it has more filling per slice. Can I do that, and if so, does it change does it change the baking time.
Hi Kim, we haven’t tested it so we’re unsure of the best bake time, but it will be longer to accommodate the thicker layer of filling.
Have made many of your recipes – love them all – have you ever made your pie crust in a food processor- what’s your opinion?
Hi Betty, we find that a food processor can overwork pie dough too quickly and recommend making it by hand instead!
Hi! I have assembled apples for your apple pie and put the apple mixture in the freezer. I would like to do the same thing for this Apple Slab dessert. This recipe does not call for cooking the apples for 5 min, so I’m not sure if I can prep apples for this recipes and put in freezer. Meaning if I follow recipe I would mix cut up apple and spices and put in freezer. Thoughts? I’m trying to prep ahead and also rescue my apples that need to be used! Thank you!
Hi Susan, yes, you can prep the apples as written and freeze them for this dessert. Hope it’s a hit!
This is a fantastic recipe and perfect for taking to a potluck. I made a lattice top without the glaze and it turned out beautifully. The crust was amazing. This is one of several recipes of Sally’s that I and my daughter have used and we’ve always been pleased.
I am hosting my first Thanksgiving this year and I would like to use this recipe. However my family usually makes dutch apple pie. Do you think it would work if I used the Crumble Topping recipe from your Crumble Apple Pie on top rather than the top crust? Do you think I should double it?
I love so many of your recipes and your site is always my first stop when looking for something new!
Hi Patricia, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but we can’t see why not! We’d recommend 1.5x or 2x the crumb (if your family enjoys crumble topping, go for the 2x). Let us know how it goes and thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Hi sally can this be made with frozen store bought puff pastry crust instead of pie crust? Wondering if the puff pastry could make it a bit on the lighter side.
Hi Kayla, I can’t see why not! I haven’t tested it myself though.
Could this be made with a lattice crust instead?
Absolutely!
Hi Sally. I cannot comment on this recipe, but actually have a question. I had a recipe for apple “strudel” a while ago, but the paper recipe got lost when we remodeled our kitchen. For years since, I have tried many slab pie and strudel recipes trying to find a similar option. The biggest difference in the recipe I had was that the crust stayed soft. It was made on a cookie sheet, filled with apple filling (double crust) and glazed with powdered sugar icing after. It did not have a pie-like crust, but soft and pastry like. I was just wondering if you have such a recipe.
I loved the chewy chocolate chip recipe you have. Yumm, and turned out perfect!!
Thank you.
Jill Boggs
Hi Jill, That sounds very similar to our pastry braid and you can definitely use apple filling. Let us know if you give it a try!
I am coming to this party late, but boy am I glad I found this recipe! I made this for my book club this week and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe! I also made your soft and thick snickerdoodle recipe and it was a huge hit! I have been searching for a thick snickerdoodle recipe for years; this will be my one and only from now on! Stuck some soft caramels in some too! Made your sprinkle sugar cookies as well. They tasted great, but were a bit flat, even though I refrigerated the dough. I will be trying your snickerdoodle cake recipe soon as well!
I gotta say, you know what you’re doing girl! Keep these great recipes coming!
Could I double this and use a regular size jelly roll pan?
Hi Sarah, that should work fine to double the recipe for a larger jelly roll pan, although for best results we’d recommend making the crust twice, using one for the bottom and one for the top.
I took this to my book club Today and everyone loved it!!
Wowza! I just made this and everyone told me it was literally the best pie they had ever eaten! Followed the recipe to a T and it turned out perfectly!
I made this today for my husband. When I sent him a picture of it, I got an OMG. He doesn’t do all caps so it’s something. Thank you for the inspiration
I am a longtime baker and pies are my thing. I even purchased new 10 x 15 in baking sheets. From my perspective I think the pastry was extremely skimpy. Rule of thumb is not to handle crust dough too much. Too much handling. If I ever make this again, I will use my regular crust.