Apple Slab Pie
This Apple Slab Pie feeds a crowd with flaky, buttery crust and a spiced cinnamon apple filling, baked in one sheet pan and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Why This Apple Slab Pie Is Perfect for a Crowd
There is something wonderfully practical about a slab pie. All the cozy, spiced flavor of a classic apple pie, but baked in a sheet pan so you get more crust, more filling, and enough squares to feed an entire holiday table. If you love the idea of apple crisp with pie crust but want something even easier to slice and serve, this is the recipe that solves both problems at once.
This is one of those fall pies recipes easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for Thanksgiving dessert. No pie plate required, no fussy lattice unless you want one, and cleanup is a breeze since everything bakes in a single pan.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A sturdy sheet pan prevents warping in a hot oven, and a good rolling pin makes rolling out apple and pie crust recipes so much easier, especially when you are working with a large rectangle of dough.
Choosing the Best Apples
Not all apples bake the same way, so the variety you choose really matters for texture. I like a 50/50 mix of Granny Smith for tartness and structure, and Honeycrisp for natural sweetness and juiciness. This combination keeps the filling from turning to mush while still tasting like the best homemade apple desserts you have ever had.
If you only have one kind of apple on hand, that is completely fine too. Just adjust the sugar slightly depending on how tart or sweet your apples are.
Chef's Tip: Slice your apples about a quarter inch thick. Any thinner and they will turn mushy during the long bake time, any thicker and they may not soften all the way through.
Building the Perfect Filling
The filling for this easy apple pie crust dessert comes together in one bowl. Tossing the apples with cornstarch instead of flour keeps the filling glossy and helps it set into clean, sliceable squares once cooled, rather than a runny puddle. A splash of lemon juice brightens the whole thing and keeps the apples from browning while you finish rolling out the crust.
This method also works beautifully if you are looking for recipes with pie filling you can prep ahead. Simply mix the apples and refrigerate them in an airtight container until you are ready to assemble and bake.
Assembling and Baking the Slab Pie
Rolling the dough into one large rectangle takes a little patience, but it is far more forgiving than a round pie shell since the edges get tucked right into the pan. Whether you go with a solid top crust, a lattice, or even a one crust apple pie style with a crumb topping instead, this recipe adapts easily to whatever you are craving.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step by step recipe:
Apple Slab Pie
This Apple Slab Pie feeds a crowd with flaky, buttery crust and a spiced cinnamon apple filling, baked in one sheet pan and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts, or homemade double pie crust, chilled
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for rolling
- 8 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for glaze
- 2 tbsp milk, for glaze, plus more as needed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, for glaze
Instruction
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 13x18-inch sheet pan with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crusts and press them together to form one large rectangle slightly bigger than your sheet pan. Fit the dough into the pan, pressing it up the sides.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch until evenly coated.
Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust in the pan. Dot the top with the small pieces of butter.
Roll out the second crust (or remaining dough) and lay it over the apples, or cut it into strips for a lattice top. Trim and crimp the edges to seal.
Brush the top crust with the beaten egg wash and cut a few small slits to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Tent with foil if the crust browns too quickly.
Cool the slab pie in the pan for at least 1 hour to let the filling set.
Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled pie before slicing into squares.
Equipment
- 13x18-inch sheet pan
- Rolling pin
- Large mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
Notes
Serving, Storing, and Variations
Once the pie has cooled and the glaze has set, cut it into squares just like a sheet cake. It is fantastic on its own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top never hurts. This recipe is endlessly adaptable too. Try swapping the glaze for a caramel drizzle, adding chopped pecans to the filling, or using it as the base for other recipe with pie crust experiments like an apple tarts with pie crust variation using individual squares of dough.
Leftovers keep well covered at room temperature for a couple of days, or in the fridge if you want them to last longer. This slab pie also freezes nicely unbaked, so you can build it in advance and pop it straight from the freezer into the oven, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
However you slice it, this Apple Slab Pie is proof that classic apple pie flavor does not need to be complicated to be unforgettable.
