Preserve your apple harvest and make apple pie filling and can it in canning jars to use at a later date!
Canned apple pie filling allows you to make delicious apple desserts with homemade pie filling all year long.
Why make this recipe
I love apple pies! My favorite is made with tart fresh apples. Sometimes there just isn't enough time to make a pie and this apple pie filling really comes in handy. You just make a quick pie dough, open a jar of filling, pour it in and bake! Instant dessert!
Apple pie filling is also amazing in cobblers, crisps and warmed and spooned over ice cream! And I'll let you in on a little secret - this pie filling is delicious just scooped right out of the jar and eaten with a spoon!
If you love having your pantry filled with delicious homemade pie filling, you should also check out this peach pie filling!
I love canning and preserving our own food. We grow a lot of apples and while I do love them best fresh, I also love canning apples and using them all year long. Some of my favorites include apple butter, apple sauce and this canned apple pie filling.
Type of apples to use
Almost any type of firm apple will work fine for this canned apple pie filling. You do want an apple that is going to hold its shape when cooked. Some good options are Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honey Crisp, Macintosh and Gravenstein.
Many of our apples are old trees that were planted several decades ago. We don't know the true variety, but when you bite into them, they have a great crispness to them.
Peel and core your apples
To peel, core and slice the apples, I used an apple peeler. If you don't have one, no problem! Just use a small paring knife. The apple peeler makes canning this filling a bit quicker! It not only peels the apples, but it cores and slices the apples too.
Once the apples are all peeled, I slice the stack in half. It make it easier to fit half moon slices into the jars.
Don't worry if your apples begin to discolor a bit. You can add them to a large bowl filled with water to help stop discoloration if desired. Once added to the thicken mixture, the sliced apples will take on the golden color from the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Clear Jel
Clear Jel is a modified corn starch that is designed for commercial bakeries and home canning. It is a USDA approved thickener for canning pie fillings at home. Clear Jel is heat tolerant and can be reheated again and again, which makes it perfect for canning and then baking again into a dessert.
Look for Clear Jel at some grocery stores and small markets that specialize in repackaging and selling bulk food items. You can also buy it online and have it shipped directly to your home.
Don't use instant Clear Jel. It reacts very differently than regular (cook type) Clear Jel.
Canning guidelines
- Use clean, sterilized canning jars (sterilize jars in a dishwasher or by pouring boiling water into clean jars)
- Select the best fruit you can find (you can cut off any small bruised areas)
- Leave 1 inch of headspace at the top of your jar
- Use a small spatula to remove air pockets in filled jars
- Always wipe rim of jars before putting lid on
- Tighten ring firmly
- Boil in a water bath according to USDA for 25 minutes (adjust according to your altitude - see chart below)
- When time is done, turn off heat and let jars remain in the boiling water for 5 minutes before you remove. This helps prevent the filling from leaking out of the jar when it hits a cooler room temperature. Tip from Ashley at Practical Self Reliance.
- Let jars cool for at least 12 hours before removing rings
- Wash jars to remove any sticky residue. Rings should be removed for washing.
- Check to make certain jars are sealed
- Label and date jars
- Use any unsealed jars right away
- Store canned goods in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months
Increase processing time
| Altitude Feet | Increase Processing Time |
|---|---|
| 1,001- 3,000 3,001- 6,000 6,001- 8,000 8,001-10,000 | 5 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes |
Frequently asked questions
These canned apples should last for 18 months if stored in a cool dark place.
Anytime you open a jar of canned goods, you want to examine the jar first. Look for anything unusual - foaming, bubbles, leaking are all signs that the contents are not good. Also make certain the lid is fully sealed. If mold and discoloration occurs on the top, discard the contents. When in doubt, throw it out! Never taste a product that you are unsure of.
If a jar didn't seal, you have two options - Place it in the refrigerator and use up within one week or remove lid wipe down surface of rim. Place a new lid on and process in water bath again.
The temperature for water to boil varies by elevation. The higher you go, the lower the temperature for water to reach a boil. In order to compensate for this lower boil temperature, time is added to your processing time.
If you are looking for other canning recipes, try Canning Tomatoes, Canning Peaches, Homemade Blackberry Jam and Apricot Jam.
Use this pie filling as a topping on these cream cheese danish!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my canning recipes.
Listen to the recipe
You can listen to all the steps on how to can tomatoes on the podcast Preserving the Pantry! Just click on the play button below to listen now!
Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 6 quarts apples (peeled, cored and sliced - approximately 30 medium sized apples)
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups Clear Jel
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 7 ½ cups water
- ¾ cup lemon juice (bottled lemon juice)
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg and water.5 cups sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 7 ½ cups water, 1 ½ cups Clear Jel
- Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Stir mixture often to prevent scorching.
- Add lemon juice and continue cooking for one minute¾ cup lemon juice
- Add apple slices and stir carefully6 quarts apples
- Heat for 3-5 minutes on low until apples are heated through.
- Remove from heat and fill prepared jars with mixture. Leave at least 1 - 1 ¼ inch headspace in each jar.
- Use a small spatula to get rid of any air pockets or air bubbles in jars
- Wipe jars. Place canning lid and ring on jars.
- Process for 25 minutes (adjust for altitude) in a boiling water bath. When processing time is done, turn off heat and keep jars in the hot water for 5-10 minutes. This will help prevent siphoning.
Notes
- Select the best fruit you can find (you can cut off any small bruised areas)
- Use a small spatula to remove air pockets and large bubbles
- Always wipe rim of jars before putting lid on
- Tighten ring firmly, but don't over tighten
- Boil in a water bath for 25 minutes - adjust time for your elevation
- When time is done, turn off heat and let jars remain in the boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes before you remove. This helps prevent the filling from leaking out of the jar when it hits a cooler room temperature.
- Let jars cool for at least 12 hours before removing rings
- Wash jars to remove any sticky residue. Rings should be removed for washing.
- Check to make certain jars are sealed
- Date and label jars
- Use any unsealed jars right away
- Store canned goods in a cool, dark place
- 1,001- 3,000 ft. - add 5 minutes
- 3,001- 6,000 ft. - add 10 minutes
- 6,001- 8,000 ft. - add 15 minutes
- 8,001-10,000 ft. - add 20 minutes
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in October 2016. The recipe and pictures have been updated.
Kate says
Love this!!! Just made another amazing batch of this pie filling. 🙂
Kathy says
Thank you!!!
Rosie says
Most recipes call for blanching prior to mixing in the cooked clear jel mixture. Can you tell me why you omitted the blanching part? Thank you!
Kathy says
My recipe was adapted from a canning book called The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest. They do not call for blanching either and I have followed their method.
Rosie says
Made this today with Granny Smith apples, and the filling turned out very mushy! It looks beautiful in the jars but when you open it the apples are baby food soft. I’m so sad all my time wasted!
Cindi says
My jars all have a lot of air bubbles in them. I have since read that bacteria can develop in air bubbles. Is that correct? And will they be safe to eat after I cook them in an apple pie?
Kathy says
Hi Cindi,
It is important to try to remove the large pockets of air before processing. However, it is impossible to remove all the bubbles. Sometimes bubbles are formed during the processing time from the air that is in the apples themselves. As long as you processed with the correct time for your elevation and all your jars have a true seal, your contents should be fine.
Inspect before consuming. If the bubbles are moving at all or seem to have fermented, discard the contents.
Please let me know if you have any further questions,
Kathy
Randy L Morrison says
I followed your recipe and instructions exactly and was extremely happy with the results. I made two batches of 6 quarts of sliced apples each. I only had 1 jar from each batch siphon and it was because I didn't leave enough headspace. All of the jars sealed and the ones that siphoned were easily cleaned with the rings off.The proportions were spot on. I'm having some on vanilla ice and it is delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Kathy says
Thank you so much! Scooped over ice cream sounds like a delicious treat! 🙂
Jenny says
I tried this recipe twice and both times the cans leaked after I removed them from the water! With the second batch I made sure I left extra headspace. Any ideas??
Kathy says
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for asking! Did all jars leak or just a few? I've had issues with a few leaking from time to time, but not all. One thing that may help is keeping the jars in the water bath, with the heat off, for a longer time. Finally, all apples are different and they may differ from day to day and year to year. Some may contain more air than others. You might try boiling your apples first. Peel and slice the apples and then add to boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Then remove, let drain and proceed with the recipe.
I hope this helps.
Kathy 🙂
Diana says
Wow I must’ve had too many apples because it made 7 quarts and not six. The flavor is AMAZING!! I chose to only add 2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice is not too much. it was the perfect amount and I was a little skeptical. Is it OK if there are a few air bubbles in some of the jars? I’d like to give them as gifts and I don’t wanna run the chance of getting someone sick. Total winning recipe but it is a labor of love that’s for sure!!
Kathy says
Yep. A few bubbles are totally fine. They are almost impossible to remove all since the filling is so thick. I'm glad you're enjoying the filling!!!
Thanks 🙂
Fiona says
This recipe is perfect. The apple pie filling is delicious! Better than Cracker Barrel apples. I will use this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kathy says
Thank you so much!!!
Janice says
I made this recipe over the weekend. Love how easy it was. I tasted before canning and flavor was amazing. How long would you bake the actual pie for when using this filling? Want to give as gifts with instructions. Thank you so much.
Kathy says
For a two crust pie, use an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Place one crust on bottom of pie. Add filling and then place the top crust. Crimp edges and add a few slits to the center of the pie. Bake in a preheated 415°F oven for 40-45 minutes.
Tarra says
Do you use 1 or 2 quarts of filling for a 9 inch pie?
Thanks
Kathy says
It depends on how deep or thick you like your pie. One should be enough, but some people prefer 1 1/2 - 2!
Enjoy 🙂