My dad’s birthday fell on this past Saturday, and because the temperatures had been over 100°F the week before, I offered to treat everyone to ice cream to celebrate. With that kind of scorching hot weather, Dad loved the sound of my idea, so on Friday evening, we made plans to drive across town to the ice cream shop the following day shortly after lunch.
Yet somehow, the clouds rolled in overnight and the temperature dropped more than 30°F, so when I rolled out of bed on Saturday morning, I nearly dove back under the covers. Crazy bipolar California weather!
We waited all morning for the sun to start peeking through the clouds, but even though it never did, everyone else still agreed that they were craving ice cream. I threw on a big sweatshirt, hopped in the car, and browsed the sweet flavors alongside my family.
Although Mississippi Mud always calls my name (I am a huge chocoholic, after all!), I walked out with nothing. My fingers would’ve frozen to the cone the moment I stepped outside! I don’t exactly mix well with the cold… But the rest of my family happily licked their sherbet, sorbet, and ice cream cones as we walked back to the car.
I spent the rest of the day thinking about chilly fall weather and cozy comfort foods, so later that weekend, I cooked a batch of this Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling to satisfy my cravings. With its warm cinnamon smell wafting through the entire house, my whole family followed their noses to the kitchen and couldn’t wait to sample a taste!
Unlike store-bought canned fillings, this easy recipe is much healthier! It contains no high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, or artificial ingredients. Desserts don’t necessarily need any of those to taste delicious! Instead, this homemade version is made with wholesome ingredients, making it clean eating friendly—and basically healthy enough for breakfast!
Our homemade pie filling begins with big, juicy fresh apples. I used all red for this batch because they’re sweeter than green and thus require less additional sweetener. I’ve tried Fuji, Jazz, and Honeycrisp apples in this recipe, and all of those work great!
If you’re a traditionalist and prefer Granny Smiths for your pie fillings, they would be fine too, but I’d suggest increasing the sweetener to compensate for their tart taste. Another option that you could try would be half green and half red. You get the best of both worlds, and that’s perfect for indecisive people like me!
To help prevent the apples from browning, we’ll sprinkle them with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice while creating the syrup to pour on top. I promise that you can’t taste the citrus when we’re done cooking—only sweet apples!
The syrup is a combination of water, maple syrup, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I love warm spices and generally mix in more than most recipes, but my family agreed that this pie filling had the perfect amount! You’ll cook those ingredients on the stove for just a few minutes to activate the cornstarch and make it thicken the mixture before pouring that cinnamony goodness over the apples in the slow cooker.
Then all that’s left to do is wait for the slow cooker to work its magic and make your house smell like fall!
And yes, we did eat this by the spoonful… And over oatmeal… And on top of pancakes… And with ice cream…
But I managed to save enough to use in another new recipe, so stay tuned! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy slow cooker apple pie filling!
| Healthy Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling | | Print |
- 9 cups (1150g) diced red apple (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups (260mL) water
- ¼ cup (32g) cornstarch
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Add the diced apple to a slow cooker, and toss with the lemon juice.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium pot until smooth and the cornstarch has completely dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken and has reduced by a third. Pour the mixture over the apples, and toss until all of the apples are coated.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid, and cook the apples on HIGH heat for 3 ½ hours, gently stirring after every hour, or until the apples are extremely tender. Cool completely to room temperature in the slow cooker before transferring to airtight containers and refrigerating.
I’ve tried this filling with Fuji, Jazz, and Honeycrisp apples, and they all work well. Gala and Red Delicious should work too. If you prefer Granny Smith apples, you may need to add additional maple syrup to compensate for the missing sweetness. A blend of half red and half green apples would taste great as well. I do not peel my apples, but you're welcome to remove their skins if you prefer.
Honey, agave, coconut sugar, or brown sugar may all be substituted for the maple syrup.
HOW TO USE THIS FILLING TO MAKE A PIE: Here is my apple pie recipe that uses this as the filling!
REGULAR OVEN METHOD: If you don't have a slow cooker, then you can bake this in the oven instead! In Step 1, add the apples to a large bowl instead of a slow cooker. Follow Step 1 and 2. After Step 2, transfer the mixture to a 2-quart Dutch oven with a lid or a 9x13" cake pan. Cover the pan with the lid (if using a Dutch oven) or with foil (if using a cake pan). Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir, and if the apples aren’t completely soft and tender, then bake for another 15-20 minutes more or until they’re fully soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
STOVETOP METHOD: Use a very large soup pot (one that holds 10-12 cups) to prepare it on the stove. After adding the apples, cover the top and let them simmer over low heat for about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the apples towards the bottom of the pot from burning, or until the apples are extremely tender.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}
Hello I was wondering if I could just put this apple pie filling in a pie crust as is or if there are any other steps I need to take? I really want to try this out for the holidays! 🙂
I’m so honored that you’d like to try my recipe for the holidays, Virginia! I’ve actually shared a link to the apple pie recipe of mine that uses this filling in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!), which should answer your question. I know it can be easy to miss that little detail! 😉 I’m excited to hear what you think of this apple pie filling if you try making it!
I’m wondering if I can use the slow cooker recipe for the apple pie without cooking it in the slow cooker first. It seems cooking the apples twice would take away some of the nutrients.
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lori! If you’d prefer not to precook the filling in the slow cooker, then I’d recommend following this apple pie recipe of mine instead. It uses fresh apples and doesn’t cook them twice, so it sounds like it might be a better fit for what you had in mind! 🙂
If you end up making either of my recipes, I’d love to hear what you think of the apple pie!
Can you can this recipe? Or freeze it?
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Jenn! I haven’t tried canning or freezing this before… We eat it much too quickly! 😉 If you’ve had success with other similar recipes, then I’m guessing it would work with this recipe too. I’d love to hear what you think of this apple pie filling — and how the canning or freezing goes too! — if you end up trying it! 🙂
Can this be made in an instant pot ?
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Catalina! I haven’t tried making it in an instant pot, so I’m not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. However, I know many instant pots have a “slow cooker” setting, so I’m guessing it would work just fine in an instant pot if you used that setting and your instant pot could hold the same volume as a 5-quart slow cooker. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this apple pie filling if you try making it!
Made this pie today for thanksgiving. I do not bake and was really worried. You made the process super simple and it came out amazing. Pie is in the oven as I type this. Thank you so much. 😃 And happy turkey day from my family to yours.
I’m truly honored that you made one of my recipes for such a special occasion, Deborah! It means even more to me that you think I made the process easier, especially hearing you were worried ahead of time. That’s the sweetest kind of compliment — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving and thoroughly enjoyed your homemade apple pie!
Quick question, have you ever tried arrowroot vs cornstarch? If so, which works better?
Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Cassandra! I haven’t tried arrowroot starch, so I’m not sure whether it’ll work. I do know cornstarch works perfectly though! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this homemade apple pie filling if you try making it!
Hi, Amy! Thank you so much for all your recipes! I am wanting to make this for a friend who cannot have sugar in any form whatsoever… Do you think this could work without any sweetener at all?
You’re so thoughtful to want to make this for your friend, Stephanie! That person is really lucky to have you in their life. 🙂 If you’d like to make this without any sweetener, then I’d recommend using the sweetest red apples you can find. I’ve made it with Fuji apples, and that worked well! The pie filling wasn’t quite as sweet, but it was still delicious.
Alternatively, if there’s a sweetener that your friend is allowed to consume, then I’m happy to try to figure out if we could make that work in this recipe!
Thank you so much for your quick reply! I can’t wait to try this pie for my friend! Believe it or not, she can’t have cornstarch either… Do you think I could use whole wheat flour instead? Thanks again for all your help and your amazing recipes!
It’s my pleasure, Stephanie! I haven’t tried substituting anything for the cornstarch, so I’m not personally sure about whether whole wheat flour will work and don’t want to lead you astray.
My main concern is that whole wheat flour doesn’t thicken the liquids and the juice the apples release nearly as well as cornstarch. If you do end up trying to use whole wheat flour, you’ll likely need to add more, but I’m not sure how much.
If you do end up trying that substitute, I’d be really interested to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Maybe try xantham gum to thicken it?
Hi Amy,
Because you don’t peel the apples, does the peel soften when cooked?
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe, Ada! The peel does soften in this recipe because you’re cooking the apples for 3+ hours. However, you’re welcome to peel your apples first, if you’re worried about the texture! That’s completely fine to do. 🙂
If you end up making it, I’d love to hear what you think of this apple pie filling!