Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

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This cinnamon roll apple pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It has all the goodness of an apple pie, but it’s elevated with a unique take on the classic version. Made with a cinnamon roll-inspired crust, it looks as delicious as it tastes!

close up of a baking dish filled with apple pie with a cinnamon roll crust

I’ve been so excited to make this apple pie ever since I saw the idea for its unique crust on Pinterest. And don’t worry…for those of you who don’t want to make pie crust, this recipe calls for a store-bought one.

Let me introduce you to this cinnamon roll apple pie!

Ingredients

All of these ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store.

Pie Crust

  • Refrigerated Pie Crust: Any brand of pie crust will work, as long as you can roll it out. You can also make your own. (Get my go-to pie crust recipe HERE.)
  • Unsalted Butter: If you use salted butter, just don’t add any extra salt to the recipe.
  • Cinnamon and Sugar: Granulated sugar and ground cinnamon are must-haves! Buy plenty of both of them, because you’ll use them in the other parts of this pie too.

Apple pie filling

  • Apples: Use a tart apple, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
  • Flour: Any kind of all-purpose flour will work.
  • Cinnamon and Sugar: Granulated sugar and cinnamon together again for the filling.

Crumb topping

  • Unsalted Butter: Soften the butter to room temperature before you add it to the other ingredients.
  • Flour: Again, just use whichever all-purpose flour you prefer.
  • Light-Brown Sugar: Make sure it is light-brown because the pie is rich enough without adding dark brown sugar (which has more molasses than its lighter counterpart).
  • Sugar: White sugar will sweeten it a bit more. I recommend using coarse sugar.

Icing

  • Powdered Sugar: Always use powdered sugar for icing.
  • Vanilla Extract: You can use almond extract if you don’t have vanilla.
  • Cinnamon: You’ll only need a pinch of cinnamon for the icing.
  • Milk: Any kind of milk will work, even almond milk.
cinnamon roll apple pie pinterest image

How to Make

There are four parts to this pie recipe – the cinnamon roll pie crust, the iconic apple pie filling, the crumb topping, and the icing.

Make the cinnamon roll pie crust

This crust is special because not only does it taste amazing but it gives a dose of eye candy too. It looks like mini-cinnamon rolls lining the pie pan!

To create this look (and add extra cinnamon-sugar flavor), sprinkle an unrolled refrigerated pie crust with cinnamon and sugar. Then you simply roll it up and slice it into what looks like mini-cinnamon rolls.

rolling pie crust up into cinnamon rolls
diy cinnamon roll circles

Next, press the little rolls into a classic pie pan. (You can use any type of pie pan here, but the clear glass will show off the beautiful design of the crust, so that’s what I recommend.) Pretty neat, right?

Mix the apple pie filling

I used a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for the filling, two of my favorites. Apples tend to become more sweet when baked, so I recommend using a more tart variety instead of a sweeter one.

granny smith and honeycrisp apples coated in spices

Add crumb topping

Finally, the whole pie gets covered in this fantastic crumb topping made from flour and sugar.

crumb topping for cinnamon roll apple pie

It will seem like a lot when you’re putting it on, but just keep piling it high. As they bake, apple pies tend to flatten, so the higher, the better.

fresh baked apple pie with cinnamon roll crust

Top with icing

Slide the pie in the oven and bake it for an hour. For a final “cinnamon roll” touch, a swirl of cinnamon icing goes over the top. Pure perfection, friends!

Naturally, I served up mine with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can use store bought, or if you are feeling fancy, try my recipe for 2 ingredient no-churn ice cream.

cinnamon drizzled apple pie topped with ice cream


I forgot to take a picture while taste-testing this pie (I got distracted by the deliciousness), but I can attest that seeing the cinnamon swirls in the crust as you dig in is pure bliss. It’s also one of those unexpected things that makes this dish really memorable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get to the printable recipe card, here are some questions people often ask about how to make a cinnamon roll apple pie. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments and I’ll get back to you.

Can you make this with canned cinnamon rolls?

Technically, you could save yourself a lot of time and roll out canned cinnamon rolls and use them as the pie crust. My only hesitation is that since they are made to be fluffy cinnamon rolls, they will give the apple pie a different texture.

I haven’t tried this but if you do, you’ll need to slice the dough extra thin, which i think could be quite challenging. But, if you give it a try, please let me know in the comments how it turns out!

What can I use instead of cinnamon for apple pie?

Just sprinkle some apple pie spice in the filling if you don’t have cinnamon. It’s the perfect mixture of a variety of spices.

Can I freeze this pie?

Yes, this is a freezer-friendly pie! Just wrap it up nice and tight in aluminum foil and store it in the freezer for up to six months.

baked cinnamon roll-inspired apple pie

While the unique crust on this delicious apple pie takes a few extra minutes, it’s so worth it. I think it also would be fun to try with a pumpkin or pecan pie. The possibilities are endless here, and sure to be delicious.

Enjoy this pie? Check out these recipes:

a fork full of ice cream and apple pie

What do you think? Will you give this unique cinnamon roll apple pie a try?

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Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie | Inspired by Charm #ayearofpie

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

This Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie is a unique take on a classic apple pie. Made with a cinnamon roll inspired crust it looks as delicious as it tastes!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple cake, cake, dessert, streusel, apple pie, apple pie cinnamon roll, cinnamon roll, cinnamon roll crust, pie recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 567kcal

Ingredients

Crust:

Pie:

  • 7 – 8 cups apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb topping:

Icing:

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Unroll your crust on a lightly floured surface. Then, brush the crust with melted butter and evenly sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll the crust up tightly and slice into 1/2-inch rounds.
  • Press these rounds, cut side down, into a clear glass 9-inch pie plate. Press until flat, covering the entire pan. Make sure there are no spaces between the rolls.
  • In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the flour, sugar, and cinnamon until evenly coated. Then, pour the apples into the crust. It will mound up and almost seem to be overflowing. This is good.
  • Then, in a medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, and brown sugar with your fingers or a pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble over the heaped apples. Finally, sprinkle the whole pie with the sugar.
  • Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 50 – 60 minutes). (My oven tends to brown things easily, so I very lightly covered the top of my pie with tin foil for most of the baking process.) Once baked, remove form the oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
  • When the pie is cool, you can prepare the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk. If your mixture seems too thick, add a bit more milk. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off. Then, pipe the icing in a swirl (to resemble a cinnamon roll) on top of the crumble.

Nutrition

Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 67g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

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66 Comments

  1. HOLY COW THIS IS SO GOOD! I’ve been looking for a go-to apple pie recipe and this is definitely it. I used my regular pie crust recipe and it worked perfectly. Great recipe!

  2. I’ve made this before (it’s been my go-to) but have a question. Any ideas on how to make it gluten free without compromising the flavor or the texture?

  3. I made this yesterday for Friendsgiving, and it was a huge hit! It was also my very first time making a pie, so I was pretty pleased with myself. 🙂 I put it in the oven for an hour, and with my oven, it was perhaps a hair too long. I am making it again in a few weeks, so I will make the adjustment. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!

  4. My husband requests this pie every year for his birthday which, this year, is Thanksgiving .. I add a little lemon and brown sugar to the apples also…BEST PIE EVER!!!

  5. I want to make this for Thanksgiving this year, it looks great. I have a question about the topping: it says to blend the other ingredients with room temp butter, then it will be crumbly; will it get crumbly with room temp butter?

  6. I just made this apple pie and I really didn’t care for it. The crust, which was the cinnamon rolls, was not flakey like my pie crust. Flavor was good but I guess I will make my usual apple crumb pie.