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Take a break from a traditional Apple Pie and give this Apple Cream Cheese Pie a try. Homemade pie crust is filled to the brim with a delicious creamy filling and topped with plenty of fresh apples cooked with warm spices until tender.
Cream pies such as this Strawberry Cream Pie and this Peaches and Cream Pie are amazing summer pies. But you’ll be happy to hear, this Apple Cream Pie is the perfect Fall pie that combines your favorite Autumn flavors with the cool creaminess of a summer pie. My husband even requested it for Thanksgiving!
How to make Apple Pie with cream filling?
This apple cream cheese pie is made with a homemade pie crust, filled with a cool and creamy mixture of whipped cream and cream cheese filling, then topped with a cooked apple pie filling flavored with plenty of apple pie spice for that perfect Fall flavor.
- Start by making the pie dough and baking it empty without any of the filling. Allow it to cool completely before adding any of the filling. See our lemon meringue pie post for how to blind bake a crust.
- Cook the apple pie filling in a saucepan and allow it to cool completely as well.
- Make the cream filling, which is a mixture of whipped cream and cream cheese. Keep this refrigerated until needed.
- When the pie crust and apple are completely cool, assemble the pie. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
What type of apple is best for apple cream pie?
Sweeter apples that are crisp and firm are best for this pie. I’ve tested this apple pie recipe with Fuji and Rave, and they were both delicious, so I don’t think you can go wrong. Though I would stay away from granny smith since they can be more tart. You can also use a mixture of your favorite apples.
Should I use cornstarch to thicken the apple pie filling?
For this recipe, I used just 2 teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water to thicken the apple filling, just enough to make a thick but juicy sauce. One caveat you might run into is how much water your apples release, if a lot you might need more cornstarch, if not a lot you might need less.
For example, when I used Fuji apples, the cornstarch actually made the apple filling way too thick, taking away the juicy factor. With the Fuji apples, I thought it would have been fine even without cornstarch.
But when I used Rave apples, they released a lot more juice when cooked as compared to Fuji. So I needed to rely on the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. You may need to use your own judgement when cooking the apples to get the sauce to your desired thickness without being too watery.
Other tips for perfect Apple Cream Pie
- You can use homemade or store-bought pie crust for this recipe. If using store-bought crust, make sure to look for deep dish pie crust.
- A cookie crust using graham crackers or ginger snaps will also work for this pie.
- Each component of this cream pie can be made a few days in advance and the pie can be assembled the day off for serving.
- This apple pie must be kept in the refrigerator since it has a cream filling. And it will last 3 – 5 days in the fridge once assembled.
More Autumn pies you’ll love
This Apple Cream Cheese Pie might quickly become one of your favorite pies for Autumn. Try it and come back here for even more delicious pies you’ll love this Fall.
If you make this apple pie recipe, we’d love to see a photo. Tag us on Instagram @wildwildwhisk and @ohsweetbasil. Happy baking!
Apple Cream Pie
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, rounded
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, rounded
- 5 oz Butter, unsalted, cubed & cold
- 3 Tablespoon Water, cold
- Extra Flour for Rolling
Apple Topping
- 7 Apples, medium, approximately 2 lb 10 oz, yields 2 lb peeled & diced
- 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 oz Butter, unsalted
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoon Water
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make the pie crust
- Add flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Transfer flour mixture to a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Add cubed cold butter to the flour mixture, pulse several times until butter is about pea and bean size. Variations in size is okay.1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour, 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 5 oz Butter
- Turn the food processor to “on” position and drizzle cold water over the dough mixture through the water hole, as soon as the dough starts to pull together turn the food processor off. You may need to stop the food processor in between and get a spatula to mix up the flour at the bottom.3 Tablespoon Water
- Turn the dough out on the counter or cutting board and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Take pie dough out of the fridge and roll into a circle about 2” larger than your pie dish. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and roller.Extra Flour for Rolling
- Carefully place the dough over the pie dish, lightly press the dough into the bottom and side of the pie dish, let the excess dough hang over the side. Trim some of the excess dough if necessary to create an even edge, but leave enough to fold under and flute the edge. Cover the prepared pie dough with plastic wrap and freeze while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Take the frozen pie crust out of the freezer and poke holes with a fork on the bottom and side. Line the frozen pie crust with parchment paper, large enough to cover the crust completely, including the edges. Add pie weights or dry bean on top of the parchment paper, enough to fill to the top. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Take pie crust out of the oven and remove weights or bean. Add an egg wash if you want. Place pie crust back into the oven and bake for another 10 - 13 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
Make the apple topping
- Toss peeled and diced apples with brown sugar, apple pie spice, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside.7 Apples, 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple mixture and cook for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft but still with a slight crunch.1 oz Butter
- Mix cornstarch with water in a separate bowl and pour over the apple mixture, continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Turn off heat and let apple cool completely.2 teaspoon Cornstarch, 2 Tablespoon Water
Prepare the cream cheese filling
- In the stand mixer bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with half of the sugar, and half of the vanilla extract to stiff peak. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream, 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar, 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- In the same stand mixer bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese with the remaining sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the whipped cream back into the bowl, and set the mixer on “stir” or fold by hand using a spatula until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until needed.8 oz Cream Cheese, 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract, 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
Assemble the pie
- When both the pie crust and apple are completely cool, add the cream mixture into the crust, level out the top with a spatula. Then spoon the apple pie filling on top of the cream. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
