This is a classic apple pie made with store-bought puff pastry instead of pie crust, so the top comes out shatter-crisp rather than just golden. Cinnamon-nutmeg apples go under a hand-cut lattice, brushed with egg wash, and baked until deep golden brown. Total time is about 1 hour, most of it hands-off in the oven.
📷 Recipe Snapshot
📌 Recipe: Puff Pastry Apple Pie with Lattice Top
⏲️ Time: 1 hour (20 min prep, 40 min cook)
👥 Serves: 8 servings
🌏 Cuisine: American
📝 Quick Summary: A simple apple pie made with flaky puff pastry, thinly sliced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a golden lattice top baked until crisp and puffy.
🌟 Main Ingredients: Apples, puff pastry, cinnamon, nutmeg, white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, egg, and salt.
💡 Pro Tip: Let the apples sit with the sugar and spices while preparing the pastry. This helps release their juices and creates a thicker apple filling once baked.
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My daughter Erica made this one - I mostly just assisted. That's honestly the best proof of how easy it is: no pastry to make from scratch, just store-bought puff pastry.
When baked, the lattice on top puffed up beautifully. Once it came out golden and crisp, everyone wanted a slice straight away. We ended up having double portions because nobody wanted to stop at one piece.
I also used the leftover pastry cuttings instead of throwing them away. I added thin cheese pieces on top, brushed them with egg wash, sprinkled sesame seeds over them, and baked them after the pie. They disappeared straight from the tray, especially with the kids - they were gone almost immediately.
If apple desserts are your thing, this isn't the only one in regular rotation here. There's my classic apple cake recipe, a version made with fresh apples and a moist crumb, and an apple cake recipe with more fruit than batter if you want the apples to really lead. If you'd rather skip the pie shape, these apple crumble bars are just as fruit-forward, and these apple custard buns with cinnamon streusel are a good next bake if you liked the filling here.
If it's the pastry work you enjoyed more than the apples, a couple of other posts use similar technique. This peach galette with a brown sugar crust uses the same fruit-juices-do-the-work approach, and this cherry crostata recipe is a good comparison if you want to see how shortcrust behaves differently from puff pastry.
💗 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No pie dough to make from scratch - store-bought puff pastry does the job
- The lattice top bakes up genuinely flaky, not just golden
- Comes together with pantry spices and one bowl for the filling
- Works with almost any baking apple you have on hand
♻️ Substitutes & Variations
- Apples: A mix of tart and sweet apples (like Granny Smith with Honeycrisp) gives more depth than one variety alone.
- Sugar: Swap the brown sugar for coconut sugar for a slightly less sweet, more caramel-like flavor.
- Spice: Add ¼ teaspoon allspice or ground ginger alongside the cinnamon and nutmeg for a warmer, more spiced pie - it'll taste less classic and more like a fall spice blend.
- No lattice: Skip the strips and lay the second sheet whole over the top, cutting a few slits for steam. Faster, but you lose the crisp, flaky top pieces the lattice gives you.
- Leftover trimmings: Don't discard the scraps from cutting the lattice. Top them with a little thin-sliced cheese, brush with egg wash, add sesame seeds, and bake alongside the pie for a savory bite while you wait.
👩🍳 How To Make Puff Pastry Apple Pie with Lattice Top
1. Prep apples. Slice apples, toss with sugars, spices, and salt. Set aside while oven preheats to 350°F (180°C).
2. Fill. Press one pastry sheet into the dish. Toss apples with cornstarch, add to dish with 1 cup collected juice.
3. Make the lattice. Cut second sheet into strips, arrange in a lattice, seal edges, brush with egg wash.
4. Bake. 40 minutes, until deep golden brown.
*See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
For the same lattice technique in a savory dish, my braided puff pastry chicken pot pie uses strips over a creamy chicken filling instead of apples.
Claudia's top tips
- Don't throw out the lattice trimmings. I scatter a little thin-sliced cheese over the leftover strips, brush them with the same egg wash, add sesame seeds, and bake them alongside the pie. They come out of the oven first, and honestly, they get eaten faster than the pie does.
- Keep the puff pastry cold right up until you use it; if it warms up too much while you're working, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Slice apples to a consistent thickness so they cook evenly - too thick and the middle stays firm, too thin and they turn to mush.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
Best served warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream so it melts slightly into the apples. Also good on its own with coffee the next morning - the pastry stays fairly crisp overnight if stored uncovered.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the resting step for the apple filling, which leads to an under-thickened, watery pie
- Adding all the collected apple juice back in instead of just 1 cup, which waterlogs the bottom pastry
- Working with warm, soft puff pastry instead of cold, which stops it from puffing properly
❓ Recipe FAQs
You can assemble the pie up to the point of baking, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours. Bake it fresh rather than reheating from cold pastry for the best rise.
This usually means the apple filling was too wet going in. Make sure you're only adding back about 1 cup of the collected juice, not all of it, and that the cornstarch is fully mixed in first.
Fresh is better here - frozen apples release too much extra liquid as they thaw and bake, which can make the bottom pastry soggy
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 325°F (165°C) for about 10 minutes to bring back some crispness - microwaving will soften the pastry.
Yes, once fully baked and cooled. Wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the oven.
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📖 Recipe
Puff Pastry Apple Pie with Lattice Top
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (a firm baking apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp holds its shape best here - very soft apples like Red Delicious can turn mushy)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed if frozen
- 1 large egg beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.8 apples
- Scatter the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt over the apples. Toss well, then set aside while the oven finishes preheating - this gives the apples time to release their juices.1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, Pinch of salt
- Take one sheet of puff pastry and press it into the pie dish, trimming the edges to within 1 inch of the rim.2 sheets puff pastry
- Add the cornstarch to the apple mixture and toss again until evenly coated.2 tbsp cornstarch
- Pour the apples into the pastry-lined dish, then pour in about 1 cup of the juice that's collected at the bottom of the bowl.
- Roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and cut it into strips. Arrange the strips over the apples in a lattice pattern.
- Trim any excess dough from the strips, then fold the overhanging edges underneath to form a thick, sealed rim.
- Brush the whole top with the beaten egg.1 large egg
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden brown.
Eva says
This puff pastry apple pie was so good! The apples were sweet and perfectly spiced, and that flaky pastry made it even better. Such an easy dessert that tastes like fall in every bite!
Sarah says
This puff pastry apple pie was absolutely delicious! The apple filling was tender and warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, while the puff pastry crust baked up beautifully flaky, crisp, and golden.
Nora says
I loved this puff pastry apple pie! The cinnamon-and-nutmeg apple filling was warm, sweet, and perfectly comforting, while the puff pastry made the crust wonderfully flaky, buttery, and crisp.
Jacqueline. says
My new favorite apple pie recipe. Just love the puff pastry in it!
Anna says
Beautiful pie, the filling was impressively thick enough to not spill out everywhere (which is normally my experience with apple pies) and we really loved it warm with ice cream. Also, what a great idea to bake the scraps! We topped some with sesame and sea salt and some with cinnamon sugar! Tasty little treats!
Renée says
This apple pie was such a lovely shortcut bake. The puff pastry made the top so flaky and crisp, and the cinnamon apple filling tasted cozy without being too heavy. Perfect with coffee the next morning too.
Mary says
Love a shortcut recipe! Puff pastry was the perfect choice too--so flaky and delicious with the apple filling.
Mandy says
I love the puff pastry crust. I want to use it on all my pies now!
Sandy says
This pie turned out perfectly and I love the puff pastry shortcut. Thanks for sharing!
Liz says
Delicious!!! And using storebought puff pastry made it so easy to make!
Sarah says
This puff pastry apple pie is flaky, buttery, and filled with warm, cozy apple flavor. Such a simple twist on a classic dessert and definitely hard to resist!
Jan W says
I was a bit skeptical, because I do love traditional apple pie, but this turned out great. A nice shortcut! I will make it again.
Mia says
This came out so flaky and delicious, and I loved how easy the puff pastry made it. The cinnamon apple filling with that crisp golden top was such a good combination!
Amy Dong says
I baked this over the weekend, and everyone loved it. The buttery pastry and sweet apple filling were the perfect combination!