Canning Apple Pie Filling

Name: Canning Apple Pie Filling
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 12 cups sliced apples ((3 lbs cored, peeled, and sliced)); 2½ cups sugar ((white, brown, or a combination)); ¾ cup Therm Flo (Thermflo) ((or Clear Jel)); 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground cardamom; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp ground ginger; ⅛ tsp ground cloves ((optional)); 1 tsp sea salt; 4¼ cups cold water; 1 Tbsp vanilla extract; ⅓ cup bottled lemon juice ((plus extra for adding to water))

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Canning apple pie filling is easier than you think! I'll show you how to make a delicious apple pie filling that you can either can or use to make an incredible apple pie! You can also drizzle the filling over ice cream or use it to make an Apple Dutch Baby!

canned apple pie filling in jars with apples around it

Jump to:

🧐 Why This Recipe Works
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredients And Substitutions
🍎 How To Can Apple Pie Filling
🥧How to Make Apple Pie With Canned Pie Filling
🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs
👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
🍏 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🧐 Why This Recipe Works

Canning apple pie filling allows you to enjoy apple pie whenever the mood strikes or you have unexpected company. Just pour the filling into a homemade or store-bought pie crust, and bake!
This apple pie filling recipe yields 3 quarts of filling, each jar is enough to make one pie. Store them for later use or share them with your family and friends. Wrap the lid with a ribbon or jute twine to make a sweet homemade gift!
If you don't want to tackle canning, that's ok! Apple pie filling can also be frozen for up to 1 year.

🛒 What You Need For This Recipe

🔖 Recipe Ingredients And Substitutions

Apples: A mixture of tart, crisp apples like Granny Smith and a sweeter softer apples like McIntosh or Rome apples gives you the best of both worlds. I used a variety of apples that were picked in Washington by a friend, I had no clue what type of apples they were, but the end result was still fantastic. You can't go wrong with Honeycrisp, Jonagold, and Golden Delicious.
Thickener: Most apple pie filling recipes call for Clear Jel (cook type) which is made with modified corn starch. Therm Flo is also made with modified corn starch and is recommended for canning and freezing. Plain cornstarch is not considered stable for canning.
Spices: This recipe calls for cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, freshly ground nutmeg, and cloves (optional). Grinding fresh nutmeg makes all the difference so don't skip that part!
Lemon Juice: When canning, bottled lemon juice is preferred over fresh lemons. The acidity level of lemons can vary from fruit to fruit, while the acidity level of bottled lemon juice is tested and consistent.
Sugar: I've made this recipe with granulated white sugar, a mixture of white and brown sugar, and with just brown sugar. I preferred the latter because of the deep, rich color.

Notice the difference in color between the 3 apple pie filling recipes. The first batch on the left was made with white sugar, the middle one was prepared with a combination of white and brown sugar, and the one on the right was made with brown sugar only.

* See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

🍎 How To Can Apple Pie Filling

Step 1: Sterilize 3 one-quart mason jars in a water bath canner. Peel, slice, and core the apples. An apple peeler/corer makes this task much easier. Be sure to remove any bruised or worm-damaged spots.

Pro Tip: Stir 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a large bowl of cold water then add the sliced apples to the bowl. This will prevent the apple slices from turning brown while you slice the remaining apples.

Step 2: Add sugar, Therm Flo, spices, and sea salt to a pot large enough to accommodate the filling. Whisk the ingredients until combined and continue to whisk as you add the cold water. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken.

Step 3: Fold in drained apples and simmer over low heat for a few minutes until the apples are warm.

Step 4: Ladle hot filling into hot sterilized canning jars. Leave a one-inch headspace to allow room for expansion. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth or a paper towel. Add lids and hand-tighten the rings.

Pro Tip: Use a clean spoon to compact the apples into the jar. This not only allows you to add more apples, but it helps to eliminate some of the air bubbles that form.

Step 5: Carefully lower the jars into the hot water canner. Once the water is boiling, set a timer for 20 minutes (may need to adjust the time for elevation, see chart). When the time is up, remove the jars from the boiling water canner. Confirm that they are sealed before storing them.

canning apple pie filling in boiling water

Pro Tip: If you're worried about siphoning, leave the jars in the canner for an extra 10 minutes or longer after turning off the stove.

Water Canning Altitude Adjustments

When processing food at higher altitudes (1000+ feet above sea level), more processing time is required.

1,001 to 3,000 feet, add an additional 5 minutes
3,001 to 6,000 feet, add an additional 10 minutes
6,000 to 8,000 feet, add an additional 15 minutes

🥧How to Make Apple Pie With Canned Pie Filling

Step 1: Fill a 9" pie plate with the bottom crust, trim or flute the excess pastry, and poke with a fork. Cover the pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill it with pie weights, dry beans, or raw rice. Blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Pro Tip: Blind baking the shell is a great way to cook the pie all the way through and prevent a soggy or partially cooked lower crust. If you use dry rice or beans, save them for next time!

Step 2: Pour the filling into the partially cooked shell and dot it with one tablespoon of butter. Beat egg to make an egg wash and brush the edges of the bottom crust with it. Add the top crust and press the edges of the pie to seal. Trim the excess dough or flute and then brush the top of the pie with egg wash.

Step 3: Use a sharp paring knife to make a few slits into the top crust then sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar. Use a pie crust shield to protect the edges from burning.

Step 4: Place the pie on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 45 minutes or until the pie is browned and the filling is bubbling and oozing out of the slits.

Cool the pie completely before slicing it. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!

Crumb Topping for Dutch Apple Pie

But wait, what if you want to make a Dutch apple pie instead? I got your back! Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut ¼ cup of cubed softened butter into ½ cup of all-purpose flour, and ½ cup of packed brown sugar until crumbly. Distribute the mixture over the filled pie shell and bake as directed.

🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs

What is a substitute for Clear Jel in canning?

Cook-type Clear Jel is usually called for in canned pie-filling recipes. However, Therm Flo can be substituted. Both are made with modified cornstarch, are shelf-stable (won't break down or separate), and are specifically used for thickening canned fruit.

Using Thermflo to thicken your pie filling will ensure that the pie filling will have a beautiful sheen, without any cloudiness.

What is siphoning and how do you prevent it?

Siphoning is a term used to describe the problem of filling oozing out of jars while they are being processed in a canner. Overfilling the jars (not leaving enough headspace) is a common cause of siphoning. To avoid this, leave at least a one-inch headspace.

Another cause of siphoning is extreme temperature variations. Make sure the filling is hot before adding it to the hot jars and lowering it into the hot water bath. Once the time is up, turn off the stove and leave the jars in the canner for an additional 10 minutes or until the water is cool.

Can you reprocess pie filling?

If processed pie filling does not seal, you can either store it in the fridge, use it to make a pie, or reprocess it. However, before you reprocess it, check to make sure you have enough headspace.

Most likely, the apples expanded as the filling heated up in the water bath. You may need to remove some of the filling to allow for expansion.

Using inferior lids/rings can also cause jars not to seal. I have found this to be true with the lids I purchased on Amazon. Make sure you are using new, name-brand lids, Ball lids, for example.

How long will canned apple pie filling last?

The canned apple pie filling will last up to one year when sealed and stored properly.

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

Besides soaking the apples in lemon juice and water, try salted water. Just stir 1 tablespoon of salt into a large bowl of cold water before adding the apples. Rinse the apples under cold water before adding them to the pot.
When filling the jars, using a slotted spoon is helpful so you don't end up with more jell than apples. Distribute the apples between the jars and spoon the liquid on top, making sure the apples are fully submerged in the liquid.
Leftover filling can be stirred into oatmeal, yogurt, or drizzled over ice cream.
If any of the jars don't seal, you can reprocess them, use them to make apple pies, or refrigerate them. Another option is to freeze the filling for up to a year.
I prefer to work in smaller batches, however, this apple pie filling recipe can easily be doubled to make six 1-quart jars or 12 pints of filling.

apple pie with a slice missing with apples around it

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