The BEST Dutch Apple Pie with Oat Streusel Topping
Print RecipeBakery-style Dutch apple pie with an all-butter crust, perfectly spiced (not-too-sweet) apple filling thickened with small-pearl tapioca, and an irresistible crunchy oat-brown-sugar oat streusel. Easier than double-crust and always the first pie to disappear!
Servings: 8 slices
equipment (affiliate links
- Apple peeler and corer optional
- kitchen scale optional
- pastry board and cloth optional
- flour duster optional
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 single all-butter pie crust homemade or store-bought
Apple Filling
- 10 c. (950 g) tart baking apples about 6 large apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- ⅓ c. (67 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (40 g) light brown sugar packed
- 3 tbsp small-pearl tapioca
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh is best
- 2 tbsp (28 g) salted butter cut into small pieces
Oat Streusel Topping
- ¾ c. (94 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ c. (110 g) packed light brown sugar packed
- ¾ c. (65 g) old-fashioned or quick oats
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 7 tbsp (100 g) salted butter melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
- Fit your all-butter pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edges high, and freeze the empty shell for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack.
- In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with both sugars, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and lemon juice. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Pile the apple filling very high into the frozen crust and dot with the 2 Tbsp butter pieces.
- Cover the entire pie loosely with 2 layers of foil (cut small wedges in the foil and fold them back over the crimped edge to shield the crust). Place on the hot baking sheet and bake 425°F for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the streusel: stir flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt together. Add melted butter and mix until large clumps form.
- Remove pie from oven; reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C). Carefully remove foil, scatter streusel evenly over the apples.
- Bake 40–50 minutes more, until the streusel is deep golden and thick caramelized juices are bubbling at the edges.
- Cool on a wire rack at least 4 hours (preferably 6–8) before slicing.
Notes
- Best apples: 50% Granny Smith + 50% Honeycrisp OR Cosmic Crisp for the perfect sweet-tart balance and texture.
- Foil shield: Keep it on the entire bake time for perfectly golden edges.
- Freezing (Grandma’s method): Cool completely → double-wrap in plastic wrap + heavy-duty foil → freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp 4–5 hours and reheat slices 15–20 seconds in microwave or whole pie at 350°F for 15–20 minutes.
- Thickener: Small-pearl tapioca gives the clearest, glossiest filling – no soaking required with this long bake time.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg
