18 Ways To Upgrade Canned Apple Pie Filling

Few things are as delicious, or American, as homemade apple pie. Unfortunately, making apple pie from scratch involves painstakingly peeling, coring, and chopping a bunch of apples, which is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The best, and most cost-effective, way around this is to purchase a can of store-bought apple pie filling. While there are many brands to choose from, none can quite compare to the real deal. Not only are they often lacking in flavor and texture, they can have a tinny aftertaste, from the canning process.

Fear not, as there are some tried and true solutions to help upgrade canned apple pie filling and make it taste like it was made from scratch. As a professional chef, I've baked my fair share of apple pies. While I may prefer making my own filling, I understand that this isn't always an option and I have some tricks up my sleeve to transform the canned stuff into something to suit a gourmet.

One of the simplest ways to elevate canned apple pie filling is to doctor it up with herbs and spices. While you could reach for a jar of apple pie spice, this is the place to think outside the box. Savory herbs like lavender, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, basil, or mint can be a game changer. The floral, earthy notes conferred by these herbs can complement and enhance the sweet elements of the apple pie filling, while providing a sophisticated complexity.

Other savory spices with smoky elements, like paprika (a favorite of celebrity chef Alton Brown) are ideal for use in fruit-based pies, particularly apple and peach. The fruity, earthy, and tangy flavors in these spices showcase the inherent flavors of pome and stone fruits alike. The key is to go easy on the herbs and spices. Start with roughly ¼ teaspoon per can of apple pie filling and adjust according to your taste.

When it comes to baking, adding a hint of a flavor extract can help accentuate the other ingredients. A dash of vanilla, almond, maple, cinnamon, lemon, orange, coconut, lavender, or rum extract can transform store-bought apple pie filling by highlighting the sugar and apples while tempering some of that tinny, canned flavor. To amplify the intensity, try combining multiple extracts. I happen to be quite fond of vanilla and almond as a team, but many of these can easily pair well with one another and with the pie filling.

Though you can use both imitation and pure extracts in baked goods with relative success, I tend to favor the latter. Imitation extracts are frequently made using synthetic compounds that resemble the taste and aroma of the real deal. These are bolstered with various colorings, preservatives, and additives to help mimic pure extract, with varying degrees of success.

While it may seem counterintuitive, any good baker worth their salt knows that the key to a good dessert is a pinch of this mineral. For this reason, salt is the ingredient you need to add to canned apple pie filling to help balance out the sweet components, both tempering them and allowing them to shine. Though I almost always use coarse-grained salt for all of my cooking needs, fine-grained salt can also work perfectly well in this case, as it will become evenly distributed throughout the filling.

When considering what kind of salt to add to apple pie filling, get bold and creative by using a hint of smoked salt, French fleur de sel, Himalayan pink salt, or another specialty salt. Many finishing salts are infused with flavorings, like bacon, citrus, or chili pepper, which can add layers of nuance and texture to the finished apple pie.

Since complexity is the name of the game when it comes to upgrading canned apple pie filling, it's crucial to incorporate a layer of acidity to the mix. Lemon juice, orange juice, or apple cider vinegar can add brightness and tang to your apple pie, giving it a mouthwatering transformation while minimizing that canned flavor.

When opting for citrus, fresh is best, as you can use both the juice and zest from the fruit. Many bottled varieties are watered down, producing a subpar flavor. If you do opt to use a bottled citrus juice, use one that's not-from-concentrate, like Lakewood Organic Pure Lemon.

As far as vinegar is concerned, while apple cider is a natural fit, there are other options that can work equally well, like a citrus-infused champagne vinegar or a tart pomegranate vinegar. That said, I'd steer clear of intense, dark-colored balsamic vinegars, as these can turn the filling an unappetizing brown hue.

One of the biggest negatives to canned apple pie filling is its less-than-luscious mouthfeel. It tends to be gloopy and lacks the richness that you'd get from a homemade version. This is very easily remedied by adding a little fat to the equation, in the form of some butter. Indeed, Julia Child may have been onto something with her fondness for this dairy product. A few cubes of butter placed onto the filling and underneath the pie crust before baking will melt into the pie, giving the filling a glossy finish and smoothing out the texture.

For an even more elegant variation on this technique, consider making brown butter and stirring this into the store-bought apple pie filling. If you're feeling really fancy, you can infuse the butter with flavorings, like vanilla and star anise, for an apple pie fit for a king.

Though canned apple pie filling may already be sweet enough, there are reasons you might consider adding a pinch of brown sugar or molasses to the mix. The characteristic robust, toasty, caramel-forward flavor of these provides a layer of complexity to help round out the pure sweetness. You can also augment the filling with pure maple syrup or honey, as these tend to have intense floral and earthy notes that provide complexity. When using these sweeteners, be sure to add them conservatively. The goal isn't to make the pie filling cloying, but to provide it with different shades of sweetness.

Another great addition that has a tangy-but-sweet flavor is pomegranate molasses. While pomegranate molasses is most often associated with Middle Eastern delicacies, like muhammara and fesenjoon, it can easily be incorporated into desserts with great success. Make sure to get a quality product, like Sadaf pomegranate molasses, for the best results.

Another way to combat the less-than-perfect texture of canned apple pie filling is to smooth it out with cornstarch. Though it may be tempting to make a cornstarch slurry and add it to the filling, this isn't quite as effective, as this technique works best when it's immediately heated. While you could heat the pie filling, add the slurry, and then cool it before loading up the pie crust, you can achieve quality results by combining the cornstarch with a hint of brown sugar and sprinkling the mixture into the room temperature pie filling straight out of the can.

If you don't have cornstarch or are looking for an alternative, rice flour, potato starch, arrowroot, or tapioca starch can all be good substitutes. Regardless of the thickener you use, stick to a ratio of approximately ½ teaspoon mixed with about 1 tablespoon of brown sugar per cup of pie filling.

While the point of using store-bought apple pie filling is to minimize the time and effort required to make it yourself, there is some value to putting in just a little elbow grease to help improve its flavor and texture. Try supplementing the canned filling with a couple of fresh apples. The canning process transforms the texture of apples, rendering them mushy. Fresh apples can add a burst of crispness and juiciness to contrast this and give the final dish that made-from-scratch feel.

Simply core, peel, and slice the apples thinly and toss them in with the apple pie filling. To make things even better, try combining different types of apples. Sweet varieties, like Gala or Honeycrisp, pair beautifully with tart ones, like Granny Smith or Braeburn. Before adding the fresh apples you may want to season them with whatever supplemental spices you choose to add to brighten up their flavor.

Nothing helps with a mushy texture like adding a bit of crunch to the equation. While nuts, including almonds, pistachios, and pine nuts, are an obvious choice, there are other options that can impart unique flavor and interest to canned apple pie filling. Crumbled cookies, including shortbreads, Nilla Wafers, and graham crackers are all ideal, as are sweet cereals, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

You can also go with crushed salty crackers for a sweet and savory complexity. Just be sure to keep it simple and avoid crackers that have any kind of garlic or onion flavoring. You want basic salt and light herb seasonings for the best results.

When crushing nuts, crackers, cereal, or cookies, you can toss them into a food processor and pulse them until they resemble coarse bread crumbs. Alternatively, put them in a ziplock bag and crush them by hand using a rolling pin, for a more rustic look.

Another fabulous way to improve the less-than-stellar texture of canned apple pie filling is to layer in some dried fruit. This can add chewiness, offsetting the soft apples and enhancing them with tart and sweet notes. Some of the best types to use include dried cranberries, currants, raisins, cherries, figs, dates, and apricots. It's best to chop larger fruits finely, so they're well integrated and you get some in every bite.

One way to revive overly dried fruit is to macerate it. This process involves soaking the shriveled fruit in a liquid for 30 minutes to an hour. During this time, some liquid is absorbed by the fruit, plumping it up and giving it a slightly less toothsome texture. You can macerate simply with boiling water, infused with the same spices and extracts being used to augment the apple pie filling, but other heated liquids can work even more effectively, like coconut water or citrus juice.

Sour cream or yogurt is the secret weapon you need for transforming store-bought apple pie filling. Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt are loaded with fat, which can smooth out the gloopy texture of canned pie filling. Their tanginess will also help to balance out the sweetness, creating a more sophisticated and luxurious finished product.

The key is to use the right kind and add the proper amount to the mix. Full fat is the only option for this process, as low or nonfat versions of these dairy products are not as rich and are often bolstered with fillers and other additives that can impact the final texture of the pie. Additionally, it's important not to add too much to the pie filling, or you run the risk of diluting it, which will cause it to ooze out after the dessert is baked. Roughly ¼-⅓ cup will suffice per can of apple pie filling.

Let's be honest, nothing makes a dessert like apple pie more festive than a splash of booze. The addition of a dash of alcohol can help to infuse store-bought apple pie filling with flavor and enhance the aroma and taste of the other ingredients present. This is a matter of science. Alcohol reacts with volatile flavor components, both fat-soluble and water-soluble molecules, helping to deliver them to your olfactory senses. This ultimately allows you to taste them more fully.

Some of the best options for apple pie include vanilla-forward bourbons and spiced rums. Other great contenders include orange-flavored and nut-flavored liqueurs, like amaretto. Amaretto has distinctive bitter undertones that will counteract the sweetness of the pie filling while adding nutty notes. Just make sure to use some discernment when adding booze. Approximately one tablespoon is all you need to upgrade canned apple pie filling.

Combining sweet and savory ingredients is the ideal way to amplify both flavors. One union that has withstood the test of time is apples with cheese. Indeed, the marriage between apple pie and a type of sharp cheese known as Wensleydale has been commonplace in Britain since the 17th century. Though other cheeses can work well, salty, pungent, tangy ones, like a sharp Cheddar, work particularly well to help make apples taste more fruity and to layer some complexity into sweet, canned pie filling.

Certainly you could just reserve some shredded Cheddar as a garnish for apple pie, but adding it into the pie filling has its advantages. Not only will the cheese infuse the filling with flavor as it melts and adheres to the other ingredients, it will also transform the texture of the pie, making it creamy, gooey, and giving it an endlessly satiating mouthfeel. A half cup of shredded cheese should be enough.

Another legendary element that highlights the success of the marriage of sweet and savory components is bacon. Bacon is the beloved and multi-faceted ingredient that can make virtually anything taste better by adding fat, a salty and meaty flavor, and a crunchy texture that bursts in your mouth with every bite.

When it comes to using bacon in apple pie filling, the type you use is worth considering. Though any bacon can technically work, I tend to prefer thin versus thick-cut bacon for this purpose. You want bacon that will crisp up as it cooks, rather than remaining chewy. Before adding bacon to apple pie filling, cook it and cool it, draining it on a layer of paper towels to wick away any excess fat. Crumble the bacon into small pieces and stir it into the filling before baking the pie. If you're feeling fancy, try using maple or applewood smoked bacon for extra flavor.

Earthy, aromatic, fruity, and slightly spicy, green chiles have a lot of great qualities that make them an ideal ingredient to add to many dishes. Tossing them into a dessert may seem bizarre, but green chiles are the perfect element to help counterbalance the sweet components in something like apple pie. When stirred into store-bought apple pie filling, the dish is instantly transformed into something complex and grown-up.

The best part is that you don't have to roast, peel, seed, and chop the chiles yourself. You can purchase pre-prepared chiles, like a can of La Victoria Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles, that have already been processed for you, saving your nostrils and digits from the sometimes painful task. Simply drain the excess liquid from the canned chiles before adding them to the store-bought apple pie filling. If you want even more heat, swap the green chiles with one chopped, canned chipotle for an added kick.

Using peanut butter in baking isn't exactly a novel concept. Many desserts take advantage of the distinctive, nutty flavor and smooth, creamy texture of quality peanut butter to give baked goods a luxurious mouthfeel and salty aftertaste. While this may not seem like an obvious fit with apple pie, I'd argue it's a perfect combination. Whether you use chunky or creamy, mixing just ¼ cup of this spread into store-bought apple pie filling can help smooth out its texture and add much-needed richness.

Before attempting to combine peanut butter with apple pie filling, you may need to warm it to loosen it up it. The easiest way to do this is to submerge the jar in hot water for a few minutes. If you're looking to add peanut butter and add a little smoldering heat to your apple pie, you might want to use some Ass Kickin' Creamy Peanut Butter with Habanero Pepper.

Two of the secret ingredients that I keep on hand for all of my baking needs are rose and orange blossom water. These staples of North African and Middle Eastern culinary traditions are ideal elements to add complexity and exotic flair to canned apple pie filling. These ingredients are produced using a steam distillation process, extracting the flavor of the rose petals or orange blossoms, yielding a fragrant, floral liquid that is particularly well-suited for pairing with fruit.

Just a tablespoon of either rose or orange blossom water will revolutionize your apple pie. If you're using orange blossom water, consider combining it with the zest of an orange to amplify the citrus notes. You can also mix the two types of water for a more nuanced flavor. Sadaf Rose Water and Sadaf Orange Blossom Water are good quality versions of these that will last for quite some time.

One of the hallmarks of a truly transcendent dessert is its ability to titillate every one of your taste buds. This requires the layering of various ingredients, encapsulating each of the five flavor components: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami — and umami is the one flavor component that is most often overlooked in desserts. It's also the one that can completely transform your baking game.

Ingredients like miso, mushroom powder, or green tea can totally transform canned apple pie filling. Even surprising ingredients like Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce can work wonderfully in a dessert. These juxtapose with the sweetness while adding savory notes that are pungent, but not overwhelming if used sparingly. That's the key here. You don't want to go overboard with any of these. You want just enough to taste those savory and salty notes, but not have their underlying elements, like anchovies, dominate the pie. Start with just ½ teaspoon per can of filling and adjust according to personal preference.