This Gordon Ramsay apple pie is the classic done the way he insists it should be done: a flaky all-butter double crust and a juicy cinnamon-spiced filling, ready in 1 hr 30 minutes (plus 1 hour of cooling) for around $1.25 per slice. Eight generous servings, about 320 calories each.
Ramsay’s famous caramelized apple pie, the one he says “always sells out” from his pub menus, is built on a single clever principle: treat the apples properly before they ever see the oven. In his version he cooks the fruit down in spiced butter first; this recipe takes the same idea and applies it with a home-baker’s twist — a two-apple blend of tart Granny Smiths and sweet Honeycrisps that is tossed with sugar and cinnamon, rested so the juices draw out, then sealed under a hand-woven lattice crust with butter dots and baked on a hot tray.
What makes this one better than the usual apple pie is the texture payoff: no hollow gap under the lid (the resting step plus flour thickener keeps the filling full and glossy), a bottom crust that actually crisps instead of steaming, and a golden lattice top that turns every slice into the kind of photo-worthy moment pies rarely deliver. It is an original recipe in Ramsay’s spirit — same obsession with technique, written for a real American home kitchen with US cups, tablespoons, and dollars.
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Gordon Ramsay Apple Pie
Recipe by Yummy Recipe Ideas · Course: Dessert · Cuisine: American · Servings: 8 · Prep time: 35 min · Cook time: 55 min · Total time: 1 hr 30 min (+ 1 hr cooling) · Calories: 320 per slice · Difficulty: Easy
A classic double-crust apple pie with a flaky all-butter lattice top and a juicy filling of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples tossed in cinnamon sugar. Bakes up golden and bubbly every time — serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Gordon Ramsay Apple Pie
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the crust: cut cold butter into flour/sugar/salt to pea-sized pieces; add ice water until dough holds; divide into 2 discs, wrap, refrigerate 1 hour.
- Prep the apples: toss slices with lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt; rest 20 minutes so juices draw out.
- Line the dish: roll larger disc to 12 inches; ease into 9-inch pie dish without stretching; refrigerate.
- Fill and dot: pile rested apple mixture in, pour in the juices, scatter butter dots over the top.
- Weave the lattice: cut second disc into ten 1-inch strips; weave lattice; trim, fold edge, crimp; refrigerate 15 min.
- Glaze and bake: preheat oven to 425 F with tray inside; brush lattice with egg wash, sprinkle coarse sugar; bake 20 min, reduce to 375 F, bake 35 min more until deep golden and bubbling.
- Cool before slicing: cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour (2 better) so the filling sets.
Ingredients
For the flaky crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 to 8 tbsp ice water
For the apple filling:
- 3 lbs apples (about 7 to 8 medium), half Granny Smith and half Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 8 cups)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small dots
For the finish:
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp coarse (turbinado) sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until you have pea-sized pieces with a few larger flakes. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons of ice water and toss with a fork until the dough just holds together, adding more water a spoonful at a time if needed. Divide into two discs (one slightly larger), wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Prep the apples: Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice, then add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and toss well to coat every slice. Let the bowl rest for 20 minutes so the apples release their juices — this is what keeps the filling glossy and full instead of shrinking in the oven.
- Line the dish: On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger disc into a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish, easing it in without stretching, and refrigerate while you prepare the top crust.
- Fill and dot: Pile the rested apple mixture into the lined dish, mounding it slightly in the center, and pour in any juices from the bowl. Scatter the butter dots over the top.
- Weave the lattice: Roll the second disc into a 12-inch circle and cut it into ten 1-inch-wide strips. Weave the strips over and under into a lattice over the filling. Trim the overhang to 1 inch, fold the edge under, and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate the pie for 15 minutes so the pastry firms up before baking.
- Glaze and bake: Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425 F. Brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake on the hot tray for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 F and bake 35 minutes more, until deep golden and the juices are bubbling thickly through the lattice. Shield the edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
- Cool before slicing: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour (2 is better). The filling sets as it cools — slice too early and the juices run; wait and every slice holds its shape.
FAQs
Why does this recipe use two kinds of apples?
Because no single apple does everything a pie needs. Granny Smiths bring sharp acidity and firm flesh that holds its shape in the heat; Honeycrisps bring natural sweetness and a juicy bite. On their own, the Grannies can taste harsh and the Honeycrisps can turn flat and soft, but blended, every slice lands in balance — tart, sweet, and still with texture. This is the same logic Ramsay follows when he pairs tart cooking apples with sweeter eating apples: you are building flavor the way he does, one apple for brightness and one for body. If you only have one variety on hand, use it, but keep a firm-textured baking apple like Braeburn or Pink Lady as your backup rather than a soft one like Red Delicious, which bakes down to applesauce and makes the filling soupy. Cut every apple the same 1/4-inch thickness so they cook through evenly.
How do I stop the bottom crust going soggy?
Soggy bottoms come from steam trapped under the filling, and the fix is heat, delivered from below. Use a metal or glass pie dish rather than ceramic — both conduct heat far better — and always bake the pie on a rimmed baking sheet that has been preheating in the oven since the start. The hot tray blasts heat straight up into the base, crisping it before the juices can soak in. The second fix is in the filling: rest the tossed apples for 20 minutes and pour all their released juices into the pie along with the flour thickener. The flour gels those juices as the pie bakes, so the filling sets into a glossy, sliceable mass instead of pooling at the bottom. Finally, do not stretch the dough when lining the dish — stretched dough shrinks and thins out at the base, inviting leaks. Ease it in gently and you will cut into a bottom crust that is golden and firm, not pale and wet.
Do I have to pre-cook the apples like Ramsay does?
You do not, and this recipe deliberately skips that step. Ramsay’s trick — frying the apples in spiced butter before they meet the pastry — works because it drives off the water that would otherwise shrink the filling and leave a hollow gap under the lid. But pre-cooking takes an extra pan, extra time, and risks overcooking the fruit into mush. This recipe achieves the same result with a simpler home-baker’s method: the apples are sliced thin (1/4 inch), tossed with sugar, cinnamon, and flour, and rested for 20 minutes so their juices draw out in the bowl rather than in the oven. Those juices, plus the flour thickener, become a natural glaze that fills every gap as the pie bakes — so you get the full, bubbly filling Ramsay is after without standing over a skillet. If you love his caramelized flavor though, do not miss the deep caramel notes in our Gordon Ramsay banana bread recipe, which uses the same browned-sugar approach for a different classic.
What should I serve with apple pie?
Warm is non-negotiable — apple pie at room temperature is fine, but apple pie served warm with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream is the whole point. The cold cream against the hot, cinnamon-spiced filling is one of those pairings that needs no improvement. If you want a simpler pairing, lightly sweetened whipped cream or a drizzle of warm caramel sauce both work beautifully. For a crowd or a party dessert table, pair it with a second bake so guests can mix and match: a pan of Gordon Ramsay vanilla cupcakes makes a perfect light counterpoint to the rich, buttery pie, and a plate of warm Gordon Ramsay chocolate cake gives chocolate lovers an option while the apple pie steals the show. A slice of sharp cheddar melted on top is the old New England move — try it once before you judge it.
Can I make it ahead, and does it freeze well?
Yes to both, and apple pie is one of the friendliest make-ahead desserts. The pastry discs keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling). You can also assemble the entire pie a day ahead and refrigerate it unbaked, then bake straight from the fridge, adding 5 minutes to the bake time. Baked pie keeps at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for up to 3 days — reheat slices in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes to bring back the crisp crust, never in the microwave, which turns pastry rubbery. To freeze, wrap the baked and fully cooled pie tightly in plastic wrap and then foil; it keeps for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in a 375 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the filling bubbles again. An unbaked assembled pie also freezes well — bake from frozen at 375 F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, shielding the crust with foil after 40 minutes.
How much does it cost to make?
Remarkably little, which is part of apple pie’s magic. At current US grocery prices, 3 pounds of baking apples run about $3.50 to $4.50 in season, butter is roughly $2.50, and the flour, sugar, eggs, and spices you almost certainly already have come to about $1.50. All in, you are looking at roughly $8 to $10 for the whole pie — about $1.25 per slice for eight generous servings. Bake it with apples from a fall orchard trip or a farmers market, where a bag of seconds (perfectly good baking apples with a cosmetic bump or two) sells for a fraction of the supermarket price, and the per-slice cost drops under a dollar. For roughly the price of a single bakery slice, you get a whole homemade pie with a real all-butter crust — and the house smelling like cinnamon for an evening.
About Yummy Recipe Ideas
We take restaurant and celebrity-chef recipes and rebuild them for real home kitchens: US measurements, honest costs, and step-by-step methods that actually work. Every recipe is written, tested in concept, and reviewed before it ever reaches your kitchen.
