Indulge in the delightful taste of summer with a scrumptious apricot pie, bursting with the natural sweetness of ripe apricots in a flaky, golden crust. This apricot pie recipe uses simple ingredients – just fruit and sugar, thickened with flour, and accented with the subtle flavors of almond and coriander.
Apricot season doesn’t last long. Delicious, tree-ripened apricots are hard to come by and eating just one is never enough. But when cooked down and made into the most spectacular apricot pineapple jam or used in all kinds of baked goods like an apricot tart, an Apricot-filled braided sweet bread, and this pie? A WHOLE different ball game, friends. This apricot pie recipe is, in fact, one of my favorite desserts of all time.
There is a subtle hint of almond and coriander in this pie filling that takes it up about ten notches. The warming spices complement the sweet fruit so delicately, your guests won’t know what hit them.
When in season, I like to stock up and make as many recipes as I can while the getting is good! And this apricot pie is one of my favorites. It represents everything we love about summer. Fresh fruit, the aroma of freshly baked pie, backyard BBQs, dessert, and drinks on the patio. It doesn’t get much better! If you love apricots, too, be sure to try our recipe for Apricot Delight. So summery!
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🥧 Ingredients:
- Fresh apricots – No need for peeling. Cut in half, remove the pit, and slice into thin slices. I used about 14 apricots to make 2 cups of fruit, so estimate 24-28 apricots for one pie.
- Granulated sugar – Depending on how sweet your fruit is, you can adjust the amount of sugar used.
- Salt – Used to bring out the natural flavors of the rest of the ingredients.
- Ground coriander – A beautiful warming spice that will wake up the entire pie.
- All-purpose flour – Used as a thickening agent for the filling. Will be mixed in with the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Almond extract – An optional flavor note.
- Salted butter – Dots of butter will be added on top of the pie filling before the top crust is added, just prior to baking.
- Pie crust recipe – This recipe works with any double crust; you can use a pre-made pie crust, though I recommend homemade.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
The only thing that might top off this incredibly delicious pie is serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Or both.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the apricots for peaches, plums or your choice of fruit.
- Try a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon in place of the coriander for a different spice option.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice or lemon zest into the apricot filling. It will add a bit of tart balance to the sweet.
- In a pinch, store-bought pie filling or using frozen apricots in place of the fresh will work.
🔪 Instructions:
We make this apricot pie in the same way that we make most fruit pies. Preheat oven to 425°F. Keep pie crust chilled until ready to roll out.
Step 1: Wash and remove the pits from the apricots. Slice into wedges. Prepare a heaping 4 cups of apricot slices. Place them in a large bowl.
Step 2: To the apricots, add ½ – 1 cup sugar (to sweeten), flour (to thicken), and seasonings (the salt, ground coriander, and almond extract.)
Step 3: Stir together the pie filling ingredients and set aside.
Step 4: Use a rolling pin to roll out your pie crust and gently arrange it in a 9-inch pie pan.
Step 5: Mound the pie filling into the pie crust.
Step 6: Dab small pieces of the butter over the top of the fruit.
Step 7: Roll out the top crust on a lightly floured surface or sheet of parchment paper. Use a sharp knife or pastry wheel (I love using this fluted pastry wheel for a wavy crust) to cut ½″ strips of pie crust.
Step 8: To make a lattice top, lay parallel lines of pie crust strips to cover the top of the apricot pie.
Step 9: Fold back every other pie crust strip, folding at about the center of the pie. Place a strip of pie crust the opposite direction so that it goes over alternating strips of pie crust and will be under those that are folded back.
Step 10: Unfold the folded strips of pie crust to form your first row of woven crust.
Step 11: Now fold back the alternate strips of pie crust and place the second strip of perpendicular pie crust. Notice how the woven lattice crust is starting to form.
Step 12: Fold down the strips of pie crust to weave in the second row.
Step 13: Continue folding back and weaving in pie crust until you have a completed lattice crust.
Step 14: Pinch together the lattice strips with the bottom crust. Fold under excess crust and adjust so that you have a fairly even layer of pie crust all the way around the pie.
Step 15: Flute the edges of the pie crust or crimp with a fork.
Step 16: If desired, use a pastry brush to brush the top of the crust with cream, milk, vodka, or an egg wash. An egg wash will produce a darker golden crust, while the others provide some moisture for a sugar dusting to stick.
Step 17: Sprinkle granulated sugar or a coarse sugar over the crust.
Step 18: Bake this easy apricot pie for 8 minutes at 425°F. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes, until the pie filling is bubbling up through the lattice crust and the crust is golden brown.
Serve: Allow the pie to cool completely so that the filling thickens. Serve with a big scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Oil pie crust vs Butter pie crust
Oil pie crust is probably one of the easiest crusts to make. It’s made with oil, flour, water, and salt. There is no cutting in cold butter, no using a food processor, no chilling, none of that. Just stir together the ingredients and roll out your crust – ready in just a few minutes! The results are a tasty, sturdy pie crust that’s crispy in texture and works with almost any type of pie.
A butter pie crust is more traditionally a buttery and flaky pie crust. It also uses just a few ingredients (flour, butter, salt, and iced water) and can be used for all the pies! It has that melt in your mouth, sinful butter flavor. I use a food processor and although it’s not quite as quick as the oil version, it comes together in less than 5 minutes.
Tips for ripe apricots
- The color of the apricot is usually a good indication of their ripeness. Green is a no. Yellow, orange, and even some blush or red hints are what to look for.
- Do a squeeze check. If they have no give, they are not yet ripe. If they give just a little they should be good. Too much give, and well, you get the idea. Probably a bit too overripe. This doesn’t mean you need to throw it out, necessarily, it just means use it soon. If the smell is pungent, the fruit is squishy, or there is oozing coming from the fruit, it is probably overripe and should be discarded.
- The biggest indicator of a ripe, tasty apricot is the SMELL! They should smell sweet and ripe. If there is no hint of an apricot aroma, skip them.
- I don’t typically find flavorful apricots in the big supermarkets or grocery stores. Farmers’ markets or straight off mom’s apricot tree are the way to go.
Pro Tip: Having pre-made pie crusts at the ready comes in so handy when the mood for baking a pie strikes. Make a couple of different types, freeze the dough and thaw when you’re ready to start baking. Oil pie crust and butter pie crust are two that I always have ready to go. And even when I don’t, they’re easy enough to make in a jiff!
Fun Fact
Is pie really American?
We’ve all heard the saying, “as American as apple pie,” but did you know the pie itself originated in Egypt? They took a crusty crust and topped it with a honey filling. It wasn’t until years later that Greeks invented a pastry crust that wasn’t made with oats or barley, but resembled more of what we know today.
Even still the Romans took things a little further and used the pastry crust to envelop meat in an effort to preserve it and keep its juices in. Believe it or not, the crust itself was never meant to be eaten. The idea traveled across Europe and as it happens, evolved and changed over time. When the British ended up in North America, so did pie!
Crusts, pastries and fillings changed and evolved even further into the flavors and desserts we love today. Apple pie is great, but Apricot pie? That is a must try! We’ll use a very similar process as how to make a fresh peach pie.
Recipe FAQs
Once picked, apricots slow down their ripening process. Leave them on the counter or in a paper bag at room temperature. How unripe they are to begin with will determine how quickly they ripen. If the fruit has no scent, is green, or is rock hard when you get it, it may not ever ripen. My rule of thumb is – if I can’t smell any scent, I do not buy.
If you have ripe apricots but are not quite ready to bake this pie, keep them in the fridge until you are ready. You can also prepare the pie filling exactly as instructed, place it in a freezer safe ziploc bag, and freeze until ready to use. Ripe apricots typically stay fresh only a couple of days after they’re picked, so use them or freeze them right away.
Apricot pie can actually stay at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, on the counter for up to 2 days. If it lasts any longer than that (and by that, I mean if it hasn’t been eaten), transfer it to the fridge in an airtight container for another couple of days.
Yes! In fact, preparing a pie and freezing it before baking keeps its texture and taste intact for when you’re ready to bake it. Or again, freeze bags of pie filling. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and dump straight into a pie crust for sweet summer fruit pies all winter long!
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Apricot Pie
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh apricots sliced
- ½-1 cup granulated sugar adjust amount depending on sweetness of fruit
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 double pie crust recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Wash fruit and trim off any brown spots. Slice in half, remove pit, and slice into small slices. You do not need to peel the apricots.
- Place the fruit in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, coriander, flour, and almond extract, if using.
- Stir the fruit mixture gently to evenly distribute ingredients.
- Roll out one half of the double pie crust recipe and arrange in 9" pie plate.
- Mound fruit filling into the crust.
- Dot small pieces of butter across the top of the pie filling.
- Cover the pie filling with the other pie crust. We used a lattice crust here. Pinch the edges of the crusts together to seal. Sprinkle the top of the pie with some granulated sugar if you'd like.
- Optional: brush pie crust with a cream, milk, vodka, or egg wash. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake the apricot pie for 8 minutes at 425°F. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F and continue cooking for another 40-45 minutes or until fruit is bubbling up in the pie and the crust is browned. If crust or edges get too brown before the filling is done cooking, cover the browned areas with aluminum foil until the pie is done baking.
- Cool pie completely before slicing and serving. (Or serve warm with ice cream, but know that the filling may be more runny until it is fully cooled.)
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Susan says
You stated you used bought 14 apricots and got 2 cups of sliced. So should I buy 28 apricots for the pie?
Stefanie says
Hi Susan, Hmmm. This is an excellent question and I do not remember off hand if that is a typo. I will go grab some apricots (I think they’re just in season!) and remeasure. I would grab 25-30 and then if you get two pies, even better! I also have an apricot pineapple jam recipe that my family begs me to make as soon as they see apricots in season, so you could always use the extras for something else, if it comes to that. I will follow up shortly.
Sue says
Have you ever made apricot pineapple pie? I had a dear grandma that made one that was delicious but I never got her recipe. Not sure how to adjust for the crushed pineapple. Your thoughts. Thanks!
Stefanie says
Sue, that sounds delicious. I make an apricot pineapple jam that is one of my favorites of all time, and I never thought to combine them in a pie, but you can bet I’m going to give that a try asap. I think the extra liquid in crushed pineapple could be an issue, so I would drain the crushed pineapple and then I’d probably use about 2 1/2 cups apricot and 1 1/2 cups crushed pineapple with the same measurements for everything else. If you try it first, let me know how it works. I’m so curious, I might have to go see if I can get my hands on some apricots tomorrow. lol.