18 Apple Pie Recipes You Never Saw Coming

Pumpkin spice gets quite a bit of fanfare when it comes to fall desserts, but let’s not forget about apples — specifically apple pie. Warm and sweet with just the right amount of tart flavor and delectable flaky crust, apple pie is one of the most beloved desserts in the country. Old-fashioned, traditional recipes are reliable and certainly delicious, but there are a handful of apple pie recipes that reach outside the confines of tradition and embrace a more unusual spin on the classic dessert. Check out the variations below and tell us in the comments if you know of others.

Related: Creative Pie Recipes to Spice Up Your Holidays

Heading into the holiday season, the debate over best pie is impending: apple or pumpkin? This recipe eliminates the back-and-forth and combines the flavors into one flaky crust.

Recipe: Taste of Home

Related: Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren't Pies

Brown sugar and bourbon is a rich flavor combo that lends itself well to apple pie. Add in some decadent caramel and this extra-sweet take on a classic dessert becomes truly next-level.

Recipe: Creative Culinary

Related: Classic Pie Recipes

There’s nothing wrong with classic apple pie recipes, but the basis should remain the same no matter how creative you get with added ingredients. Disney’s caramel apple pie recipe enhances the original flavors with additions that just make sense: golden-brown, buttery caramel, a sugar cookie crust, and a crumb topping.

Recipe: Six Sisters’ Stuff

For more great recipes and hosting tips, please sign up for our free newsletters.

Dipping apples in peanut butter is a simple yet tasty snack that just works, with the sweet and salty peanut butter balancing the tartness of the apples. This recipe pays homage to the pairing, adding peanut butter into the otherwise traditional apple pie recipe.

Recipe: The Weary Chef

If you’re someone who likes spicy cinnamon flavors, this pie has it coming from multiple directions. With Red Hots candies, ground cinnamon, and Fireball whiskey, this is a recipe that will warm you from the inside out.

Recipe: Restless Chipotle

While pumpkin pie and apple pie are typically at the forefront of holiday pie favorites, pecan pie is a contender too. In another hybrid recipe, this apple pecan pie offers the best of both worlds with savory and sweet notes joined by the tartness of the apples.

Recipe: Food52

Why settle for ground cinnamon in apple filling to get the flavor packed into a pie? This recipe uses cinnamon rolls for the crust, elevating the flavor and texture of the dessert.

Recipe: Inspired by Charm

Adapting apple pie recipes typically involves sweet ingredients. This recipe has a sweet and savory flavor with added notes of rosemary for a bolder taste.

Recipe: Cinnamon & Coriander

Everything tastes better with bacon, right? For the sake of this pie’s ingredient list, we sure hope so. If your ideal way to cut the tart flavor of Granny Smith apples is with salt, this recipe is here to oblige.

Recipe: Delish

This recipe’s flair comes from the cream cheese topping, although its caramel and cinnamon graham cracker crust and sugary apple filling are vital. Adding caramel ice cream sauce, whipped cream, and chopped pecans as toppings only adds to the sweet flavors this pie emphasizes.

Recipe: kitchn

With sliced almonds, fresh cranberries, and almond paste, this unique apple pie recipe is the perfect take on apple pie if you’re looking to embrace seasonal staple ingredients.

Recipe: Urban Bakes

Jalapeño apple pie is a real thing — because sometimes cinnamon doesn’t bring enough heat. This recipe includes traditional ingredients such as ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, but has kicking spice too thanks to the pepper jelly and jalapeños. 

Recipe: tbsp.

Jalapeños aren’t the only pepper you can add to apple pie for more flavor. This recipe brings roasted green chiles and cheddar cheese to the party to really get taste buds dancing.

Recipe: Eating New Mexico

When putting a creative spin on apple pie, sometimes it’s all in the crust. Such is the case for this off-the-wall recipe, which includes a crust infused with shredded cheddar cheese.

Recipe: Spoon Fork Bacon

From applewood used for smoking to brown sugar-based sauces, the ingredients of classic apple pie aren’t all that unfamiliar in barbecue, so why not marry them for an eclectic dessert? This pie follows along with the classic recipe in every way except one twist thrown in: barbecue sauce.

Recipe: Head Country Bar-B-Q

While the most popular way to enjoy apple pie is warm, this dessert is served cold. In fact, one of the only things Snickers caramel apple pie has in common with traditional apple pie is the apples. Otherwise, this dessert is made up of vanilla pudding, whipped topping, Snickers, sweetened condensed milk, and caramel sauce packed into a graham cracker crust. 

Recipe: Mom Foodie

Apples’ balance of sweet and tart flavors pairs well with many other fruits. This recipe adds crushed pineapple to the mix for an unexpected yet delicious twist.

Recipe: Taste of Home

To make apple pie more decadent, this recipe includes a creamy vanilla custard. The rich accompaniment is the ideal companion for the dessert, reminiscent of a pie and crème brûlée hybrid.

Recipe: Chisel & Fork