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These mini apple pies are what everyone is talking about right now! They’re made just like a traditional apple pie but baked in a simple muffin tin, giving you the cutest individual pies. They’re delicious, easy to make, perfectly spiced, and guaranteed to be the star of your Thanksgiving dessert table.
Since you are here make sure to check out these peach mango Jollibee hand pies, these mini pecan pies, these dutch apple pie bars, as well as this decadent apple crumble cheesecake bars recipe!
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I have such a soft spot for anything apple pie, and these mini versions might honestly be my favorite way to make them. They’re cute, cozy, and so much easier to serve than a full pie. Every time I bring a batch to a fall gathering, they’re gone in minutes because everyone loves having their own personal little pie. Plus, the buttery crust + warm apple filling + crunchy streusel? It tastes like pure autumn comfort in every bite.
Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Perfect individual servings for parties or Thanksgiving
- No complicated lattice crust, the streusel topping is quicker and tastier
- Kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and great for make-ahead
- Uses simple, accessible ingredients
- So cute on a holiday dessert board
Ingredients For This Mini Apple Pies Recipe
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this delicious apple pie recipe. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- Store-bought pie crust or homemade pie dough
- Flour
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Cold butter (salted or unsalted)
- Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Apples
- Powdered sugar for optional dusting
How To Make Mini Classic Apple Pie Recipe
This is how you can make these little apple pies. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
Make The Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- In a large bowl combine the diced apples, white sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and apple juice.
- Toss until evenly coated and set aside.
Create The Crumb Topping
- In a medium bowl combine the cubed butter, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, mix all of the ingredients together until coarse crumbs form.
- Store in the fridge for later. This step will help keep the butter in our streusel cold so that when we bake it it retains its shape on top of the mini pies.
Prepare The Mini Pie Crusts
- Spray cooking spray in each cavity of your muffin tin. You can also add a strip of parchment paper to make it easier to pull them out once they’re done.
- Roll the pie crusts with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, and cut out about 10 4-inch rounds from each pie crust dough.
- Press those crusts into each cavity of the muffin tin gently to keep the parchment paper strip out.
- Fill each cavity with the apple pie mixture then top that with some of the streusel. Repeat the process until each little pie crust is full.
- Bake in the preheated oven.
- Allow the mini pies to cool down before pulling them out of the muffin tin and enjoying them as is or with some salted caramel sauce or vanilla ice cream.
How should I serve them?
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- Vanilla ice cream
- Salted caramel sauce
- With tea or coffee
Tips for the Best Mini Apple Pies
- Use a mix of apples (Granny Smith + Honeycrisp is amazing!) for the perfect sweet–tart balance.
- Keep the streusel cold – chilled butter gives you a crisp, crunchy topping.
- Don’t overfill the muffin cavities; the filling will bubble slightly as it bakes.
- Add parchment strips underneath the crusts for easy lifting after baking.
- Let them cool fully before removing from the muffin tin so they don’t break apart.
- Bake on the lower-middle rack for the crispiest crust.
- Top just before serving so the streusel stays crunchy and the whipped cream stays pretty.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. The streusel stays crispest on day one.
Yes! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Add parchment between layers to keep them looking perfect and when ready to enjoy, thaw on the counter then air-fry or bake at 350°F for a few minutes to re-crisp.
Granny Smith is the classic, but Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji also work great. A mix gives the best sweet–tart balance.
Peeling gives a softer filling, but it’s optional. If not peeling, try to use organic apples.
Mini apple pies with streusel topping
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 cups peeled cored, and diced apples (about 2 medium-sized apples)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tbsp butter melted
For the Crust:
- 1 packages of store-bought refrigerated pie crusts contains 2 crusts in total
For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup butter salted, or unsalted, cold, cubed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F then spray nonstick spray in each cavity of your muffin tin. You can also add a strip of parchment paper to make it easier to pull them out once they're done.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the diced apples, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, melted butter, and lemon juice. Toss until the apples are well coated with the sugar and spices. Set aside.2 cups peeled, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tbsp butter
- Roll out one of the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Use a 3.4-4 inch round cookie cutter or a glass to cut out circles that are slightly larger than the openings of your standard muffin tin. You should be able to get about 6 circles from each pie crust. Repeat with the remaining pie crust.1 packages of store-bought refrigerated pie crusts
- Carefully press each pie crust circle into the cups of your muffin tin, making sure to mold them to the shape of the cups. Trim any excess crust hanging over the edges. Make sure that the parchment paper is still poking out of the sides. Put aside for later.
- In a separate bowl, prepare the cinnamon streusel topping. Combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cold cubed butter, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fill each crust with the prepared apple filling, then sprinkle the cinnamon streusel topping over them.
- Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, and the streusel is crispy.
- Remove the mini apple pies from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the mini apple pies with cinnamon streusel have cooled, you can serve them as is, with a dusting of powdered sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce.powdered sugar
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fabulous little treats! Added walnuts to the
topping and cranberries to the apples. Everyone
loved them, thank you!
That sounds amazing! Thank you for giving them a try!
Best mini apple apple pies ever
So glad to hear that!! Happy holidays!
Can you make the apple filling in advance, I have a recipe for apple pie filling but don’t want to ruin the muffin pies using it
You most certainly can! Making the filling in advance is perfectly fine as it should keep well in the fridge.
You say these can be made ahead and frozen. Please clarify: build and freeze unbaked OR build, bake, cool then freeze? Either way how do I reheat?
You can actually freeze them either way, baked and unbaked. You will reheat them in the oven from frozen, DON’T THAW. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for pre-baked, and 25 minutes for unbaked.
I’ve been intimidated to try making apple pastries in the past but gave this one a shot! It was easy and straightforward for a novice baker like me to follow, and I am BLOWN AWAY at how delicious these came out!!! I used a butter crust recipe instead of the store crust but I think they’d be a showstopper either way. Definitely saving this one!
Happy to hear they worked out for you!
can you bake these in mini aluminum pans instead of muffin pans? adjust baking time/temp to?
You absolutely can! As far as baking time, that’s difficult to determine. Just start with 10 minutes then check on them every 2 minutes until done.
Can I freeze the pies before baking them?
Yes you can store them raw in the freezer for a month or two if they’re wrapped well and tight to prevent freezer burn. And you can cook directly from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
You mention oats, but they are not in the recipe. I would prefer oats in the strussel topping. Can you advise?
If you would like to make this recipe with an oat streusel topping you can add 3 tablespoons of old fashioned oats to the streusel mixture and follow the rest of the recipe as it is written!
Thank you for your reply! I will try that.
I’d like to try making them in muffin cups/cupcake liners… have you done this? any thoughts/tips?
thank you! always love your recipes! 💛
You could! It might be a little harder to place the dough in the muffin cups but if you get sturdy ones it should be easier.
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
Yes they can! My only tip is to cover the crusts with foil so they don’t over-cook or burn. This may be tedious but it’s definitely worth it. Bake in the oven until the filling in the middle starts to bubble.
What kind of apples can we use?
I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe!
Can these be baked, frozen out of pan and reheated later??
They absolutely can!