Baking With Wild Apples and a Wild Apple Pie

Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by Ellen Christian

Are you baking with wild apples? Wild apples are a bit different than store-bought. Learn how to make your wild apple recipes come out perfectly.

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Baking with wild apples - Wild apple crumb pie recipe

Baking with Wild Apples

We have several wild apple trees in our neighborhood. They grow wild in the woods and fields around where I live. I have no idea what variety of apples they are. They aren’t well taken care of and I’m sure they’ve been there growing wild for years. No one uses the apples so I decided to save a few from the squirrels and make a wild apple pie.

Baking with wild apples is a little bit different than baking with apples that come from trees that are cultivated. There are many different types of wild apple trees. You never know if they will be best for eating, applesauce, or baking. The best thing to do is to pick a few apples and eat them as is.

Apples that are tart are often best for baking. If the flesh is soft, it would work best for applesauce. Apples with firm flesh make wonderful pies.

What are wild apples?

Because wild apples aren’t cultivated, they aren’t sprayed to keep bugs away. The apples aren’t pretty like the ones you find in the grocery store. They are often oddly shaped or have marks on them.  They are probably smaller in size than what you’re used to. You often find then on long winding country roads at the corner of farm properties.

Don’t let this stop you. Baking with wild apples is still worth doing. Try them in my apple granola crisp recipe.

Baking with wild apples - Wild apple crumb pie recipe

Types of wild apples

There are so many different types of wild apples out there that it would be impossible to list them all. Basically, they are the forgotten heirloom varieties of apples that are in the genus Malus which has about 30-55 different varieties of apples. Here’s some information on the older varieties of apples.

Can you make apple pie with eating apples?

You can really use wild apples and eating apples for just about anything you can use traditional apples for. Remember that they are more tart and not necessarily pretty.

So while they taste just as good, they may look different. I usually enjoy baking with wild apples when I use them in apple pie, apple crisp, apple crumb, and apple muffins.

Are you baking with wild apples? Wild apples are a bit different than store-bought. Learn how to make your wild apple recipes come out perfectly.

Recipes for apples from a tree

Here are a few recipes that you can try.

Wild Apple Crumb Pie Recipe

I made a Wild Apple Crumb Pie recipe that we absolutely loved. Of course, it will work just as well if you don’t have apples from a wild apple tree.

You can use apples that you get from the farmers’ market. Or, you can use apples you get from the grocery store. Baking with wild apples is a great choice when you have them.

a bowl of apples on a cutting board

Can I freeze the apples?

Sure! You can definitely freeze wild apples just as well as you can freeze regular apples. Just peel and core the apples and soak them in lemon juice for 5 minutes.

Drain them and arrange them on a cookie sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. Freeze them overnight. Then, remove them from the baking sheet and put them in a freezer bag.

Be sure to write the date on the bag. You can keep them for up to a year in the freezer. I hope you’ll try baking with wild apples soon!

Wild Apple Crumb Pie Recipe

Yield: 8

Wild Apple Crumb Pie

Baking with wild apples - Wild apple crumb pie recipe

You will love this homemade apple pie made from wild apples!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 bottom pie crust
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or less depending on sweetness of apples)
  • 5 cups of wild apples, slice, peeled, cored, bad spots removed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Mix the 5 cups of apples, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
  3. Pour it into the pie shell.
  4. In a different bowl, mix the 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup flour.
  5. Cut in the butter until it resembles fine crumbs.
  6. Sprinkle the topping over the apples in the pie crust.
  7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 27gProtein: 3g

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this, tag me on Instagram so I can see @ellenblogs

18 thoughts on “Baking With Wild Apples and a Wild Apple Pie”

  1. I made this and it was amazing. Not to tart – just right! Thanks for such a great recipe. I’m finally using those wild apples!

    Reply
  2. This looks fantastic! I love gleaning and am definitely that person who points out all the old farmstead apple trees driving around. I can’t wait to try your recipe!

    Reply
  3. Yesterday was my first time ever attempting to make an apple pie with wild apples and i must say that it was a total success with this recipe!! Obviously i played around a little bit with the measurements n such, but overall it was delicious! Will definitely recommend this recipe to everyone for now on!

    Reply
  4. I made the wild apple pie using the above recipe. Delicious. And I didn’t need to turn on the mixer for the prep. Thanks Ellen for sharing!
    Note: I made the pie crust from scratch using a different recipe so control the ingredients to tailor to my taste.

    Reply
  5. This recipe made the wild apples we picked taste delicious. Not too sweet, not to apple-tart. Perfect with these ingredients and measurements. Thank you for a wonderful staple recipe! Happy to see I’m not the only one who appreciates wild apples.

    Reply
  6. I always thought you couldn’t eat wild apples but after reading this, it makes perfect sense that of course you could. I’m not sure we have wild apple trees around here but I’ll be looking when we’re in places that they could grow.

    Reply

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