This applesauce custard pie is a unique and wonderfully flavorful pie that is perfect for Fall. Serve it warm or cold and enjoy with some caramel sauce or scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe: $3.83 | Per Serving: $0.32 | Servings: 8
Fresh apples can be pricey depending on location and season, but applesauce remains affordable, often found in dollar stores or available through state WIC program. With a long shelf life, it's perfect for snacking.
While an old-fashioned applesauce pie recipe may seem dated, it rivals modern flavors like our Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust. Offering the delicious taste of apple pie in a smoother texture, it's a favorite in Autumn and beyond.
Explore more apple treats like Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling, Apple Pie Bites, Spiced Vegan Apple Bundt Cake, and Vegan Apple Upside Down Cake.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It bakes like magic. Made with real applesauce and a few other ingredients, the pie filling bakes into a great custard-like consistency.
- It is novice-friendly. Baking pies from scratch can feel daunting or scary, but this is one of the easiest baked pie recipes you'll ever find.
- Simple ingredients. Made with basic pantry staple ingredients, this recipe comes together easily and cheaply so it can fit conveniently into your meal plan and budget.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Eggs- You will need eggs for the binding agent and to create that custard-like texture.
Sugar- For sweetness, use some granulated sugar. This will also help the consistency of the pie to thicken.
Applesauce- This is the base of the pie filling, so it's very important. Make sure to use plain flavored sweetened applesauce, or see notes below on different types of applesauce that you can use.
If you still have applesauce left to use, try our Vegan Banana Bread with Applesauce or our Applesauce Fritters.
Pie crust shell- You can use a store-bought pie crust or make your own pie crust if desired. I recommend regular pastry crust pie shells and not graham cracker style crusts, as those will not hold up well to the filling and baking.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Applesauce Custard Pie
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2: Roll your pie crust into a pie plate and crimp the edges. Poke multiple times with the prongs of a fork along the sides and bottom of the crust (Image 1).
Step 3: Bake in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes and remove. Let cool before use (Image 2).
Step 4: After the crust has cooled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, add your stick of butter (Image 3).
Step 6: Melt in the microwave for 30 seconds and cool slightly (until no longer hot) (Image 4).
Step 7: Add in the applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice (Image 5).
Step 8: Whisk together until well mixed (Image 6).
Step 9: In another bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon, and flour (Image 7).
Step 10: Whisk together until blended (Image 8).
Step 11: Add the cinnamon sugar mixture to the applesauce mixture (Image 9).
Step 12: Stir together to combine (Image 10).
Step 13: Pour the applesauce filling into the prebaked pie crust (Image 11).
Step 14: Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into it and come out clean (clear liquid is okay!) (Image 12).
Step 15: Let the pie cool for about 1 hour to set before slicing.
I recommend chilling the pie in the fridge after it has cooled for 2 hours before serving.
Step 16: Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, or caramel sauce.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Pie Filling Appearance- When adding the filling to the pie crust, expect it to resemble a wet pumpkin pie filling. After baking, the pie may come out cracked and more cracks may appear as it cools. This is normal and indicates that the filling is settling.
- Filling Consistency- Once baked, the filling will jiggle but will solidify as it cools and sets. Test the filling's doneness with a knife, it may come out shiny and wet, but should not have clumps of pie on it. If needed, bake for an additional 5 minutes.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes, apple butter and apple sauce can be interchanged within this recipe and the results should be the same or similar. If you feel your apple pie filling is a bit too dry before baking, you can add in up to 3 tablespoons of apple juice to help dilute the mixture.
You can use any applesauce of your choice! This includes the berry flavored ones, cinnamon ones, sweetened, or unsweetened. Simply adjust ingredients to accommodate the flavors (cinnamon should be omitted if using cinnamon flavored applesauce, and lemon juice should be omitted if using unsweetened applesauce). You can even use homemade applesauce like with our Instant Pot Applesauce!
Either one is totally fine! I like serving mine either at room temperature or slightly chilled because the texture is great but serving your applesauce pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce is an incredibly tasty experience.
❤️ More Delicious Apple Recipes
If you tried this Applesauce Custard Pie, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Applesauce Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie shell, thawed ($1.27)
- ½ cup butter, melted ($0.99)
- 1 cup sweetened plain flavor applesauce ($0.56)
- 2 large eggs ($0.30)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ($0.06)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (unless the applesauce is tart) ($0.12)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.36)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ($0.16)
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour ($0.01)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll your pie crust into a pie plate and crimp the edges. Poke multiple times with the prongs of a fork along the sides and bottom of the crust.
- Bake in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes and remove. Let cool before use.
- After the crust has cooled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your stick of butter.
- Melt in the microwave for 30 seconds and cool slightly (until no longer hot).
- Add in the applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Whisk together until well mixed.
- In another bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Whisk together until well mixed.
- Add the cinnamon sugar mixture to the applesauce mixture. Stir together to combine.
- Pour the applesauce filling into the prebaked pie crust.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a knife can be inserted into it and come out clean (clear liquid is okay!)
- Let the pie cool for about 1 hour to set before slicing. I recommend chilling the pie in the fridge after it has cooled for 2 hours before serving.
- Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, or caramel sauce.
Notes
- Expect a wet pumpkin pie-like filling that may crack while baking and cooling.
- The filling will jiggle when baked but solidify as it cools. Test doneness with a shiny, wet knife. Add 5 minutes if needed.
- Use interchangeably apple butter or applesauce. Add up to 3 tablespoon apple juice if the filling is dry.
- Any applesauce type works; adjust ingredients accordingly (omit cinnamon for flavored, skip lemon juice for unsweetened).
- Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
- Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.
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