This freezer apple pie filling is the perfect way to preserve apples from the tree. Use in season apples for the best flavour and your freezer will be stocked with apples that can be used in apple pie, crumble, cobbler or as a topping on porridge all winter.
As hard as we have tried, our section just doesn't seem to be well suited to growing fruit trees. It's windy, dry and the few apples we did manage to grow this season were swiftly picked off by a rouge possum before we even had a chance to get to them!
Luckily for us, our lovely neighbour has an apple tree that is laden at this time of year. We have a long standing deal - she provides the apples and I turn them into enough apple pie filling for both of us. It's the best of both worlds!
As much as I love canning fruit to preserve it, this apple pie filling is one for the freezer. The use of flour in the filling which makes it beautiful and thick - perfect for apple pies or apple crumble - means canning or bottling it is not recommended. Freezing is perfectly safe and cuts out the extra step of water bathing, which after a long summer preserving is perfect!
So once you've made enough stewed apples for the pantry, give this recipe a try - it will become a regular in your preserving schedule!
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Ingredients
The list of ingredients is super simple.
- Apples - any variety, red or green are both fine or even try a combination!
- White sugar
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Fresh lemon juice
✨Top Tip
If you can get your hands on one of these apple peelers, it will make processing these apples a breeze! Plus, it's a fun way for kids to help!
How to make apple pie filling
Step 1: Wash, peel, core and slice your apples into slices approximately 0.5cm thick and add to a large pot.
Step 2: Add flour, sugar and spices and mix well into the apples. Mix through the lemon juice and allow to sit for 30 minutes until the juices start flowing.
Step 3: Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens.
Step 4: Allow to cool completely before transferring into snaplock bags or freezer proof jars or containers. Seal the bags, label them and place in the freezer.
How to use Freezer Apple Pie Filling
When you are ready to use your apples, thaw them out in the fridge the night before, or just on the bench. Once it is thawed, pour it straight into the dish and top with crumble topping, or if making a pie, roll out your pastry and pour in the filling before topping and baking.
Some of our favourite ways to use apple pie filling
- Apple crumble
- Apple cobbler (just replace the peaches with a bag of apple pie filling)
- Apple pie
- Mini apple pies (we love using our mini pie maker to make cute little apple pies)
- As topping for oatmeal/porridge
- In overnight oats
- In apple shortcake
Tips for freezing
My favourite way to freeze this apple pie filling (or anything I am freezing in bags) is to portion it into snaplock bags, squeeze out as much air as possible and close it up and then press the bag flat before freezing. It is much easier to stack the frozen bags in the freezer this way and they thaw out much faster too.
FAQs
They last extremely well in the freezer - I would normally suggest that 6-12 months is long enough but because the apple slices are wrapped up in the delicious sauce, I have used a bag that I found at the bottom of the freezer from 2 years ago and they were absolutely fine!
Whichever apples you have! I use the apples from my neighbours tree and I could not tell you what variety they are! Any apples that you would normally use in apple pie or crumble will be perfect. Bonus points if they come straight from the tree!
I don't, only because it is an extra step that I think it is unnecessary - the apple slices may start to go slightly brown as you are preparing them all, but once you add all the other ingredients and they cook down, you will not notice it and it certainly doesn't affect the finished product.
Freezer Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 2.5 kilograms apples
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash, peel, core and slice your apples into slices approximately 0.5cm thick and add to a large pot.
- Add flour, sugar and spices and mix well into the apples. Stir through the lemon juice and allow to sit for 30 minutes until the juices start flowing.
- Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens, around 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before transferring 2 cups of filling (or whatever amount you think will be useful for you) into snap lock bags or freezer proof jars or containers. I will often let the pie filling cool overnight in the fridge before freezing.
- Seal the bags, label with contents and date and freeze.
Notes
Frances says
Is the flour used to just thicken the sauce? could I use corn flour or something else to make it gluten free?
Laura says
Yes, the flour is just to thicken. Cornflour would work perfectly!