Apple pie is as American as baseball and . . . apple pie. Grated Apple Pie is a variation that resembles a custard more than the traditional chunky apple pie most people are familiar with.
In this blog post, you’ll get my version of this pie, which I humbly call Irene’s Grated Apple Pie.
The History of Irene’s Grated Apple Pie
I am not a fan of apple pie. Or I wasn’t. When I was a young mother, my sister-in-law. Lorel, shared an apple pie recipe that she swore was the best pie ever. It was apple. I doubted her. But I made it, anyway. It really was the best pie ever.
However . . .
It called for a lot of butter/margarine. After two kids and twenty-five additional pounds, I was desperately trying to lose weight. I made two versions of the recipe — one with the butter and one without. I couldn’t tell the difference. Over the years, I tweaked it some more to include my favorite little ingredient of nutmeg. And so, Irene’s Grated Apple Pie was born.
It is the favorite of Child #2 and he thinks that no matter when I make it, I’m making it for him. It’s an easy guess what will bring a smile to his face: make Grated Apple Pie or Mom’s Mexican Tacos. I’ll add the latter later.
Side Note: My kids can NOT get the name right. For some reason they call it Shredded Apple Pie. Grated/shredded. Potato/Potahto.
Ingredient Tips
Crust
My Momma has a No Fail Pie Crust that I occasionally use. I’m a pretty lazy baker and opt for the store-bought variety more than I’d like to actually admit. Here I am admitting it, though. Whatever makes you glad, make that.
Apples
Even though yellow apples are well known for use in pies, I have not been able to tell much difference. I’ve used red delicious, yellow, granny smith, and whatever variety grows in my back yard. Granny Smith are a little more tart, but are one of my favorite.
Tips for Making Grated Apple Pie
I love this recipe because it is so easy. Throw everything in the bowl and mix it up. Put it in the shell, bake it, and you’re done. There are a few things that you might want to know when making this recipe. You do not have to peel the apples. I always did until recently when I got lazier in my baking than I already was. You honestly can’t tell the difference. Include a little more fiber. Why not.
Also, when trying to tell if it’s done, it almost always takes more than 30 minutes. But not always. If you do not want a knife mark in the top of your pie, give it the jiggle test. If the middle jiggles, it’s not done. The jiggliness will determine how much more time. You’ll figure it out. If you under cook it, the filling will run. BUT remember that it’ll continue to cook a little as it sits on the counter.
If you like to protect your crust from getting too brown, use a pie ring 20 minutes into baking. I haven’t had too much of a problem with this getting over brown for some reason.
Irene’s Grated Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients for 8 inch basic pie:
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 c. grated apples
- 1 uncooked pie shell
Ingredients for 9 inch, deep dish pie:
- 2 c. sugar
- 3 Tbs. flour
- 3 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 c. grated apples
- 1 uncooked pie shell
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie shell. Bake at 350° F. for 30 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. The bigger your pie, the longer it will take.
WATCH IT
ENJOY!
No matter what time of year it is, I hope you’ll enjoy this Grated Apple Pie recipe. I’m sure it will be a crowd pleaser, but don’t be surprised if you get some strange looks from people who have never seen this pie before. They won’t know what it is. I even had someone ask me if it was a rice pie because of the texture on top. I really did LOL.
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YOUR TURN
I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me. Have you ever tried this recipe before? What kind of pie is your favorite? Is there a traditional pie your family expects to see on the table at “pie time”?
