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!
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.
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.
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.
Add crumb topping
Finally, the whole pie gets covered in this fantastic crumb topping made from flour and sugar.
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Berry Hand Pies
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie
- Skillet Pizza Apple Pie
- Mixed Berry Pot Pies
- Blueberry Cream Pie
What do you think? Will you give this unique cinnamon roll apple pie a try?
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Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 refrigerated pie crust (or homemade crust)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Pie:
Crumb topping:
- 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated or coarse sugar
Icing:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
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.
I would like to suggest to all that slightly sautéing the apples in a small amount of butter and draining off the excess liquid prior to putting in the crust is one of the secrets of good apple pie that does not shrink down when baking..and not overly liquidy….I would also add some butter to the apple mixture with a small amount of nutmeg and vanilla extract or vanilla bean…..
I made this for a Christmas party yesterday and it was delicious! Followed the instructions exactly, came out perfect and delicious! The middle was not too runny. I cooked it for 60 minutes and covered it for the last 20 or so minutes.
Made this last night for friendsgiving and it was a gooey, caramelized, sugar-encrusted, cinnamon roll-inspired hit. I like it better than the BuzzFeed rendition with canned cinnamon rolls, tbh. Thank you for your great pie ideas.
Wow. Better than buzzfeed!? What a compliment!! <3
Thanks!
xo Michael
I’ve just assembled the pie and it is baking in the oven….I am very concerned because when I mixed the brown sugar, flour, and butter the mixture wasn’t crumbly. It was more like play-doh. What did I do wrong? :/
Sounds like it may have been overmixed. But you should be okay. It will taste the same, just look a little different.
xo Michael;
This looks soooo delicious! I love the idea of doing the cinnamon rolls on the bottom. Makes it extra pretty! Can’t wait to try it!
I used a lot of recipes from Pinterest this year for Thanksgiving, and I thought I would come back and write comments (as I found them so helpful when making my selections).
I honestly thought this apple pie was just okay. The crust was pretty enough, and the apples were nice and crunchy, but otherwise I thought it was unfortunately unremarkable. My favorite part is always the filling, so I don’t know why i expected so much more when the filling is just flour, sugar and cinnamon. Anyway, no actual problems with this recipe, just not as delicious as I hoped for.
Feedback is always welcomed. Thanks so much Katrina! 🙂
xo Michael
My aunt’s fresh ape pie recipe calls for a tsp of salt in the apple pie filling mix. Also 2 T lemon juice. It’s the glaring missing ingredients. Salt offsets the sugar & lemon really makes the apple flavor pop. Otherwise it’s just a one note meh. I can only imagine salt is needed in the crumble top as well(at least a pinch).
I was looking for a cinnamon roll piecrust ,but sticking true to my aunt’s pie filling. It’s the 1st homemade, from scratch pie I made & don’t intend to change it(40yrs & counting,lol).
Also, it’s missing nutmeg. 1tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Classic apple pie ratio. Give that a try. I think you’ll be much happier. Hope it helps!
Hello. I have made this pie for the past two Thanksgivings. and am planning on doing so again this year. I am wondering though, if I could pre-make/prepare the pie, freeze it, and then bake it? Would it be the same oven temp with a longer cook time? What do you recommend? Thank you for such a great recipe, and any help you can give. 🙂
If you freeze before baking, the texture of the apples will be “off”. Bake then freeze if necessary for times sake.
By far one of the prettier pies I have ever made.I too found too much liquid but simply poured out the excess. Next time I will start my rolls on the sides first to make sure the part that shows is the best. I can fudge the bottom to come out right. I too would like to know why we need an egg wash?
I also had a problem with this pie. The crust never baked and there was too much juice. I cooked it for probably 80 minutes and I finally gave up.
So disappointed with this recipe. The apples were so wet that the crust never baked and was gooey. I cooked it so much longer but that didn’t help. Would precooking crust help?
Darlene, I’m so sorry to hear that. What type of apples did you use? That’s the only thing that could have affected the liquid in the pie. There’s no additional liquids added.
I wouldn’t recommend baking the crust before hand. I’ve never done that with a fruit pie. I would assume it would burn.
xo Michael
I loved the pie BUT next time I would pre cook the crust for a few because it underbaked.I used granny apples and the crust which was rolled pretty thin didn’t cook enough for me. Everyone loved it but I’m pretty picky..another thing I would do different was too add some of the topping inside the pie. I will make it again but just with a few changes..for me.
Thanks so much for your perspective, Brenda. I’m glad you figured out how to make the recipe work for you!
xo Michael
I made 2 of these the day before yesterday and am making another one today; sharing them with friends and family for Christmas. This is by far the best apple pie I have ever tasted! It is now my “go-to” apple pie recipe. Thanks for sharing it!!
I found your recipe on Pinterest right before Thanksgiving and I took a leap of faith and decided this would be the apple pie I will make. I am sooooooo happy I did! This pie was amazing! I stuck to the recipe exactly and it turned out incredible! Everyone loved it! Thanks so much 🙂
Can’t wait to try making this! Since I am new to baking pies, I need help!! Can I make this pie today (day before thanksgiving)? If so should I put in fridge once put together? Or should I bake, cool then refrigerate??
Did you recieve an answer for this? I’m not seeing anyone’s questions answered and I had the same one.
For best results, I like to serve the pie the same day it is made. However, when it comes to pies, I’m not overly picky. I find pies made the day before are just fine (so long as they are out on the counter, not refrigerated). However, I wouldn’t go much longer than that as the crust starts to get soggy. I hope that helps.
xo Michael
I don’t usually eat apple pie because I do not like the crust, but I do LOVE cinnamon rolls. I tweaked the recipe a bit and a added raisins and a jar of pears I canned last summer to the filling because I didn’t have enough apples and added chopped pecans to the crumb topping. AMAZING! My husband will be so delightfully surprised
I made this the other day and my family DEVOURED the pie!! It was the best pie I have ever made!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! This recipe is a keeper!! 🙂
Made this pie for Christmas and it was a hit. Everyone was saying “best pie I’ve ever tasted”. Used my own filling recipe though, so know that if you wanted to sub out Michael’s apple filling with a different one you could. Additionally, I cooked the pie for 50 minutes at 400 and some of the crust was looking a bit dark. Chipped it off and no one was the wiser, but I would recommend that anyone who makes this pie checks on it periodically beginning after 35 minutes of baking. I was zoned out watching TV hehe. Cheers!
Just made this fabulous pie!! Question: when I cut the pie after 2 hours cooling, there is alot of liquid after removing a slice. What did I do wrong? Can this be corrected,?
Thanks
I would add an extra tablespoon of flour to that recipe
Oh my lord, that crust is stunning!
This looks and sounds simply AMAZING!!!!! Every year, I do a “25 days of desserts” starting December 1st – 25th and I make all these desserts and give them as gifts to someone each day. This is the dessert I am working on for Day #5 and CANT wait to try it!!!!! Thank you for sharing this receipe
Ohhhhhh, yum…that pie looks delicious! Now…I just might have to make this one!