Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie – A classic apple pie filling is loaded into a buttery cheddar cheese crust with a lattice pattern on top.
You cannot go through fall without making a pie. It’s a must-do! This year, my family and I did some apple picking so we were primed for pie-making. I even have some apples leftover after making this pie so apple butter may be in our future.
Apple pie is a classic so it’s not something you want to play around with too much. But I just couldn’t help but try a new crust for my traditionally apple pie recipe. The crust is made from cheddar cheese, which makes it the perfect salty balance to the sweet apple.
Without further ado, here is my Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie!
Making the cheese pie crust
Cheddar cheese pie crust is really just that – traditional pie crust with cheddar cheese added. I used my favorite pie crust recipe made with 3 parts butter and 1 part shortening.
To make the crust, flour, salt, sugar, and shredded cheddar cheese are added to a food processor and pulsed until combined. Butter and shortening are cut into the crust until fine crumbs form. Finally, with the processor on, ice water is drizzled in until a dough forms.
The dough is shaped into two separate disks, wrapped, and chilled for a few hours.
Making the filling
Once the dough is chilled, it’s rolled out and laid into a deep dish pie pan (about 2 inches deep). The excess crust is cut off and the edges of the crust are reinforced so they are a little thick.
The apples are sliced to 1/4″ thick and tossed with sugar, flour, and spices. They are then spread into the pie crust and flattened into an even layer. The top crust is placed on top in a lattice pattern. I like the look of a lattice pattern but you can keep it traditional and use a full crust on top, if you prefer. Just make sure to vent the top of the crust to let the steam escape.
Baking the pie
The pie is chilled for 10 minutes in the fridge while the oven preheats. Then, before it goes into the oven, it’s brushed with an egg wash and then baked for 30 minutes. Foil is place over the top of the pie and it’s baked for another 20-25 minutes.
The pie is cooled for at least 3 hours before slicing to ensure the filling has time to set.
Tips & Tricks
- Cover with foil. The first time I made this pie, the topping got too brown. Therefore, every time after, I covered the pie with foil about halfway through to ensure it stays the pretty golden brown.
- Slice apples into thin wedges. The thickness of the apple is important so that they don’t stay too firm but also don’t get too mushy. I suggest making them between 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick.
- Cool pie completely. Do not even try to cut into this pie until it’s completely cooled. Since the filling is made from fruit and its thickened juices, it will fall apart everywhere if it’s warm when you cut into. If you want to serve the slices warm, I suggest microwaving each slice after it’s served on a plate for no more than 15 seconds.
Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter cold
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening cold
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 large egg
For the filling:
- 10 cups sliced apples no more than ¼-inch thick
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Add flour, sugar, shredded cheddar cheese, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Cut the cold butter into cubes. Add to the flour mixture along with the vegetable shortening. Turn processor on and let run for 5 seconds. Then, drizzle in cold water. Keep processing until mixture begins to clump.
- Pour dough mixture onto a clean surface. Using your hands, pull the dough together into one ball. Cut ball in half and form two discs of the same size and shape. Cover each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
- Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften up. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Once dough is ready, roll it out into a disk using a rolling pin. The dough should be 10½ to 11 inches in diameter. Gently fold rolled dough in half and place onto 9 inch pie pan that is 2 inches deep (deep dish pie pan). Unfold the dough so that it is covering the dish completely. Let the dough lay into the dish so that it is not stretched or pulled. Fold over excess edges and press into a smooth or fluted edge, ensuring that the whole outside edge is the same thickness. Chill while you make the filling.
For the filling:
- Peel and core tthe apples. Slice the apples into ¼-inch slices and place into large bowl. Add the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and lemon juice. Toss the mixture together until combined. Add the filling to the chilled pie crust and spread to create an even layer. Place the filled pie back into the refrigerator.
Finishing the pie:
- Roll out the second disk of dough into a big circle about 12 inches in diameter. Slice the dough into 1-inch strips. Remove the filled pie crust from refrigerator. Place 4 to 5 strips of dough on top of the filled pie with about 1 inch between each strip. Starting with the strip of dough farthest on the left, pull back every other strip of dough halfway. Add 1 strip of dough perpendicular to the others in the middle of the pie, and fold over the strips that were pulled back to make a basket weave. Pull back the strips of dough that were not pulled back in the last round. Add another strip of dough about 1 inch below the middle horizontally. Fold over the pieces of dough that were pulled back. Repeat the process until you’ve completed a lattice pattern. Fold over the excess dough at the ends of the strips and press into the edges to make a thick crust. If you have enough dough, flute the edges. If not, keep them smooth and round. Place the prepared pie into the freezer to chill for 10 minutes before baking.
- Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water. Remove the pie from freezer. Brush the top of the crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place pie into a preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pie and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. You'll know it's done when the crust is deep, golden brown.
- Let pie cool for at least 3 hours before cutting. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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Love the salty-sweet combo—the cheddar crust with gooey apple filling is pure comfort genius!
What a great and unusual twist on an apple pie! The addition of cheese in the crust makes it even more delicious, and it balances the flavour so well!
Absouletely love apple pie, but never thought of with cheddar cheese, Sounds so good, definitely going to try it!
Never thought of adding cheddar to my apple pies but what a genius idea! I love apples and cheese, so baked together into a pie was a fantastic change from traditional apple pie.
I love this apple pie! I am obsessed with this combo, and it is definitely going to be a favourite in my kitchen. Pinned to make over and over 🙂
It sounds like a perfect fall dessert to make for my kids this weekend.
It is so easy and delicious, and I am sure they will love this!
I am so glad I found this recipe! I remember my aunt making apple pie when I was a teen and her crust was fabulous. She told me it was because she used sharp cheddar cheese. At the time I was so confused but as an adult, I’ve been wanting to make it! And I used your recipe to do so. So good! I think your version is better than the one my aunt used to make.
My great grandpa loved an apple pie with cheddar cheese on it, so I had to give this a try. Yum, so good, just the right amount of cheese to enhance the sweet apple flavor.
My grandpa’s favorite way to eat apple pie was with a slice of cheese! This recipe takes it to the next level…he will be so happy 🙂
Apple pies are one of my favorites to have! I never would have thought of adding cheddar to the pie ingredients. Saving this to make this weekend!
Beautiful! And the addition of cheddar cheese is Fantastic.
This turned out to be my BEST apple pie yet! I cannot believe how much flavor was in this. Delicious and very easy to make.
What a magnificent idea to put the cheddar cheese in the crust. I’m looking forward to making this amazing pie! Yum!
Putting cheddar in the crust was genius. Loved the combo of apples and cheddar.
This looks so good and I love apple pie, it’s my favorite!
This sounds AMAZING!!!! I love apple and cheddar cheese together, this definitely takes it to the next level!
My family loves apple pie and your cheddar crust sent them into a tizzy! They absolutely loved it and want me to make it again next week!
I am not sure why I had never thought of this combo but it is absolutely awesome! Thanks for a great recipe.
I literally eat apple slices with chunks of cheddar cheese on them. I know I would love this pie!
Oh my gosh, yum, I am sure I’d love this pie. It looks and sounds delicious!
I’ve never thought of putting cheddar in the crust, it sounds delicious