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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.
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!
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.
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)
- 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 recommended times (adjust according to your altitude)
- 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
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, Homemade Blackberry Jam and Apricot Jam.
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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.
Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 6 quarts apples (peeled, cored and sliced – approximately 30 medium sized apples)
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Clear Jel
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 7 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg and water.
- Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Stir mixture often to prevent scorching.
- Add lemon juice and continue cooking for one minute
- Add apple slices and stir carefully
- 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 inch head space 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
Notes
- 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)
- Use a small spatula to remove air pockets and large bubbles
- Always wipe rim of jars before putting lid on
- Tighten ring firmly
- Boil in a water bath according to USDA recommended times
- 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.
- 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
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in October 2016. The recipe and pictures have been updated.
79 Comments
David @ Spiced
October 3, 2016 at 5:30 amI love making my own apple pie filling, but I’ve never canned it before! Thanks for the tips…and thanks for linking to the Clear Gel. I’ve never heard of that one, but I’ll have to check it out. (I’m not a fan of using gelatin as a thickener.) Looks delicious…and I foresee many apple pies in your future, Dawn!
Kathy
October 4, 2016 at 5:10 amIt was a first for me….I will definitely be making it again!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
October 3, 2016 at 4:39 amWhy have I never thought of this?! Genius idea Kathy! Perfect to use up all those apples I’ve been hoarding!
Kathy
October 3, 2016 at 4:50 amFresh apples can only last so long….making pie filling lets you enjoy them a little longer. Enjoy!
Megan - The Emotional Baker
October 3, 2016 at 4:33 amI haven’t canned anything before, but apple pie filling seems like the perfect place to start 😉 I love apple pie and how great to be able to enjoy it year round!
Kathy
October 3, 2016 at 4:49 amApple pie filling is the perfect place to start! Happy Canning!
Kushi
October 2, 2016 at 8:41 pmWOW! This looks amazingly delicious!
Kathy
October 3, 2016 at 4:46 amI can’t wait to enjoy it mid-winter….and late winter….and spring….and now 🙂
Maria @ kitchenathoskins
October 2, 2016 at 6:26 pmWarm, comforting and delicious!!
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 7:01 pmThanks!
Kate @ Framed Cooks
October 2, 2016 at 1:23 pmI have been making applesauce upon applesauces with the Honey Crisps that are all over our local farm market – but now I need to make me a jar full of THIS!
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 7:02 pmYou definitely want to make this apple pie filling! I need to get busy and make some applesauce! Hmmmm….maybe we should do a trade 🙂
patty
October 2, 2016 at 8:06 amWhat variety of apples do you use?
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 8:42 amHi Patty,
We get ours from an old apple tree and the variety is unknown. However, any firm, crisp apple will do. Avoid transparent variety apples. They are great for making applesauce or apple butters because they break down quickly.
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
October 1, 2016 at 11:53 amSo cool, Kathy! I had never thought of making apple pie filling, ready for you when you want to make an apple pie. And we LOVE apple pies! Thanks for sharing!
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 10:37 amApple pies are the best! This pie filling makes it so much easier to have them more often.
Lori from LL Farm
October 1, 2016 at 11:33 amThis looks so good! I bet your kitchen smelled amazing when you were making it. 😉
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 10:37 amOh Yeah! The kids were going crazy with they yummy smells! They wanted to eat the pie filling straight from the pot!
[email protected]
October 1, 2016 at 10:22 amThough I love so many pies…at the end of the day, apple is my favorite! Especially with a little scoop of ice cream. So this(!) is a recipe and idea I can absolutely get behind!! Love it!
Kathy
October 2, 2016 at 10:36 amA little scoop of ice cream with apple pie is the best!