Chai Spiced Apple Pie Filling
Classic apple pie filling transforms into a lovely, earthy treat with the simple addition of cardamom. Chai spices make this a fun twist for all of your fall and winter desserts!
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I know fall is traditionally known as pumpkin season (and don’t worry—I have PLENTY of delicious pumpkin recipes to share with you in the next few months). But two things I love just as much about fall are apples and chai!
Chai is basically your classic apple/pumpkin pie mixture with cardamom and maybe some star anise and black pepper (crazy, I know!). My favorite part of chai, though, is the cardamom. It’s so warm and exotic.
Fun fact: the word chai actually just means tea (in a variety of languages). However, chai as we know it refers to the Indian spiced tea (or “chai” in Hindi) that’s been around for centuries. Supposedly, a king ordered a spice infused tea be made for Ayurvedic (natural healing) purposes.
So combining apples and chai spice creates a fun, exotic yet still earthy new take on the classic pie filling we love so much.
Why this recipe works
This recipe is basically a classic apple pie filling with cardamom added in. Each person has their own spice preference when it comes to apples, so there may be some other ingredients here that you wouldn’t normally use, such as cloves, allspice, and ginger. But that spice is what makes this recipe so delicious! Additionally, I like to use a combination of lemon juice (to prevent browning) and apple juice or cider in my pie filling. You only need a bit, as you don’t want a watery mix. Finally, flour (or cornstarch) helps thicken the mixture so you get that perfect slice or bite of whatever you use this for.
Another thing that’s so great about this recipe is that pre-cooking is optional. You can jar it, use it as a cake filling or cheesecake topping, or make apple pie bars out of it. Or, you can skip the cooking part and use it to make a chai spiced apple pie!
Key ingredients
Apples. Obviously! You can use any kind you like, although using at least some tart apples is often ideal. Chop them for something like a danish or cake filling, or slice them for a pie or tart.
Brown sugar. I like the deeper flavor of brown sugar, but you could sub an equal amount of granulated sugar.
Flour (or cornstarch). I often use a combination of both, but either will do. The amounts are not interchangeable, so be sure to check the note below if you plan on switching.
Lemon juice. This is important to prevent brown apples!
Apple cider (optional). Just a bit helps create that filling “sauce” and adds to the lovely apple flavor. You can omit if you need a thicker filling or sub lemon juice (or bourbon!).
Vanilla. Chai just isn’t the same without vanilla! Be sure to use pure extract here.
Butter. I love the creaminess that adding just a bit of butter brings to any apple recipe, so I almost always include it!
Chai spices. I use cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice, but you’re welcome to use your own recipe or premade mix.
How to make chai spiced apple pie filling
1. Peel, core, and chop or slice apples. First, determine if you’re pre-cooking it or going to bake it in a pie crust right away. If making a true pie, you’ll want to slice the apples thinly whereas you’ll dice them into about 1/4 inch pieces for a pre-cooked filling.
Note: a vegetable peeler and apple slicer and corer help a lot with this, but feel free to break out the fancy gadgets if you have them!
2. Add everything to a large saucepan. You’ll want a large pan so you can easily stir without making a big mess, which is perpetually my problem. If you have no issues with this, then I’m jealous.
3. Cook until thickened and apples soften just slightly. They’ll soften more as it cools and more still if you cook it again in something like bars or a pre-baked crust. The goal is to cook the cornstarch without overcooking the apples, so be sure they’re still a bit crispy. This should only take 3-5 minutes for a filling that will be heated again or 6-7 minutes if you plan to serve as-is.
Enjoy!
How to use chai spiced apple pie filling
As a pie! Usually, you don’t pre-cook the filling when making and apple pie. You want the crust and filling to bake together, or the crust will be soggy and the filling chewy and too thick. So, if you want to make this for a chai spiced apple pie, slice the apples instead of chopping them, skip the cooking step, and bake it right into a pie. I suggest my brown sugar all-butter crust, foolproof classic crust, or my new favorite: sour cream crust. You’d bake it for about an hour, tenting with foil toward the end.
As a cake filling. This is a favorite of mine. I love using non-traditional fillings in cakes, especially pie fillings. You could use this in my apple pie cake recipe or my apple pie cupcakes!
In hand pies! Just like my cherry hand pies, you’d want to pre-cook any hand pie filling. Follow the recipe here and simply swap out cooled chai spiced apple pie filling for the cherry.
As a gift! Warm pie filling can be placed in a jar and sealed immediately, creating a nice, tight seal. Keep this refrigerated, as it’s not shelf-stable, and share with others!
With a pre-cooked pie crust. If you happen to have a lot of apples to use up, you can always make apple jars of pie filling ahead of time and bake the pies later using pre-baked or par-baked crust. For a par-baked crust, line it with foil and fill with weights then bake for about 20 minutes, until the foil pulls away easily. Then, fill that with the pre-cooked apple pie filling and top with a crumble, like the one here (a double crust won’t really work here) and bake 20 minutes, until the filling bubbles.
In a no-bake pie! Crazy, I know, but I live in California, where the forecast is hotter than the surface of the sun until November. Like, I’ve already decorated for Christmas by the time it’s cool enough to wear a sweater or bake an apple pie. So I often opt for no-bake pies! My preferred no-bake crust with apple is my honey cinnamon crust, but a regular graham cracker crust would work, too!
In a crisp! This is another instance of not pre-cooking. You’d prep the filling (dicing or slicing the apples—up to you) then top with the crumble found here. Just as with the cherry crisp, bake until the filling bubbles, tenting with foil as needed.
In bars! These Dutch apple pie bars are delicious, but using chai spiced apple filling would make them even more warm and cozy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Can I use cornstarch instead of flour?
Yes! The rule is typically half as much cornstarch as flour, so you’d only need 2 tablespoons cornstarch here. Or, you can do a halfsies situation, where you’d use one tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons flour. Cornstarch does cook a little faster, so be aware of this. If you want barely cooked apples, cornstarch is actually a better option, so that the sauce thickens quickly without cooking the apples too much.
What kind of apples should I use?
Any kind will do. Jonagold and Pink Lady are probably my favorites for baking, but they’re not always available at a lot of stores (I usually only find Jonagold/Jonathan apples when we go apple picking). Using a combination of tart and sweet apples is ideal, like Granny Smith and Gala or Honeycrisp. I just don’t recommend Fuji for baking—they turn mushy pretty quickly.
How long will this last?
In the fridge, this will last 2-4 weeks, possibly longer if sealed really well. I don’t recommend freezing, as that often causes mushy apples upon defrosting. If you do freeze it, use a freezer safe plastic bag, as a glass jar can easily shatter. The one exception is freezing uncooked filling then cooking it right away. I’ve assembled unbaked pies and frozen them. You simply bake from frozen for about 2 hours. I haven’t tried it, but I would imagine freezing uncooked filling would work about the same. The key is to cook it from frozen, since defrosting is what tends to release moisture and cause mushiness.
Can I increase the recipe?
Yes! This recipe makes about 3 cups, which is enough for all of the suggestions mentioned above, plus a little extra. However, if you have an excess of apples or want to give several gifts away (or make several desserts), you can increase the recipe. I wouldn’t do more than double the recipe, as that becomes very difficult to stir without mashing the apples. Instead, try cooking it in batches or leaving some cooked to use as pie filling—you can fill an unbaked pie crust, top it with a second crust, lattice, or crumble, and freeze it! Bake at 375 for 2 hours from frozen, tenting with foil halfway through.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this filling. Affiliate links provided.
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Chai Spiced Apple Pie Filling
- prep time: 5-10 minutes
- cook time: 5 minutes
- total time: 15 minutes
yields: 3 cups
Ingredients:
- 6-8 medium apples (about 3 pounds)
- 1 cup (200g) lightly packed brown sugar
- juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons or 28g)
- ¼ cup (56g) apple cider (can sub apple juice)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (34g) flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom*
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger*
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice*
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves*
- small pinch (with your fingers) finely ground black pepper*
- pinch sea salt
Instructions:
- Peel, core, and chop the apples into ¼ to ½ inch pieces. It’s a rough size, and you can use larger if that suits your needs best. If you are making a pie, it’s helpful to make ⅛ to ¼ inch slices instead, to layer in the pie. Note: a vegetable peeler and apple slicer and corer help a lot with this, but feel free to break out the fancy gadgets if you have them!
- Add the apples along with all the other ingredients into a large saucepan or medium stockpot. Stir well then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce part begins to thicken. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the apples are softened but still have a bit of a crunch, about 6-7 minutes. If you plan to use this in a pie later on, leave the apples pretty firm, only cooking 3-5 minutes, as they’ll cook a little more in the oven.
- Use right away or store in a sealed jar in the fridge 2-4 weeks. You can also freeze it in a ziploc bag (not a jar--that will shatter) for 2-3 months, but be sure to cook it for only 3 minutes to avoid mushy apples and try to use it in a recipe that will cook it from frozen (as defrosting frozen filling can turn the apples mushy).
Enjoy!
Filling should be stored in a tightly sealed container, in the fridge. It will last 2-4 weeks if well-sealed.
*You can sub 1 tablespoon of your favorite chai spice mix as long as it’s unsweetened.