This Baileys Apple Pie recipe is the ultimate homemade Apple Pie with an Irish cream twist, you will love it! Flaky, buttery pie crust is filled with a super delicious homemade Apple pie filling infused with Baileys, because why not?! This is the Pie everyone has to make over Fall and for Thanksgiving!
I love making this pie minimum twice a year, for Thanksgiving as well as for St Patrick´s Day!

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🍷 How much alcohol is in this Boozy Baileys Apple Pie?
Before we jump into the alcohol content, in general, there are two ways to add Baileys to your Apple Pie.
- In this recipe, alcohol is added to the Apple pie sauce before the baking process - this means most of the alcohol will evaporate during baking
- You can double the sauce in this recipe and add half of the sauce before baking (just as point 1 above) and keep the other half for after baking - in this way the sauce that is not baked will have a super deep Baileys Apple pie flavor with higher alcohol content. This sauce can be used to serve the Apple pie with.
Can I make this Apple Pie with more Baileys than stated in the recipe?
Yes, you can, see point 2 above. Double the sauce incl. the amount of Baileys, however, make sure that you only use half of it before baking and keep the other half as a sauce to serve the Apple Pie with. Do not overload the filling with more Baileys than in the recipe as too many wet ingredients would make the Pie soggy
Can I make this Apple Pie without Baileys?
Yes, you can. Without Baileys, it will be a Classic Apple Pie and still super delicious!
Can I make this Apple Pie with another type of alcohol?
Yes, you can. Any other cream liqueur or rum also would go very well with apples. The same logic applies to point 2
📝 Ingredient notes
For the flaky buttery Pie crust
- Flour: Simple AP flour is fine to make the Pie crust in this recipe. If you want to be a pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
- Salt: An essential ingredient in most of the Pie recipes, please don´t skip it. Balances flavor and enhances other ingredients
- Sugar: I am using a tiny bit of granulated sugar in the Pie dough but it is not necessary. In general, pie crust should not be sweet, it is the filling that brings the sweetness. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my sugar guide.
- Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes, including this Pie crust. While in most of the recipes butter needs to be at room temperature, this is an exception and you have to take it very seriously. The butter needs to be chilled, which means take the butter out of the fridge, cut it into cubes then place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before using it. Working with cold butter is absolutely key to reaching the right consistency of your pie dough
- Egg: The crust for the Baileys Apple Pie does not contain eggs, good news if you are looking for an eggless pie recipe. If the egg does not concern you, you can use 1 egg for egg washing the top of the pie crust. Please see details later
- Water: Water needs to be chilled similarly to butter. Depending on the flour you use, you might need to adjust the quantity slightly paying attention to the right consistency that I will explain later in more details
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post
For the Baileys Apple pie filling
- Apple: Almost any apple can work that is fresh and crisp and available in your country (avoid mushy apples). Adjust the sugar according to the sweetness of your apple. You will need to peel apples and cut them into more or less identical slices
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice and its acidity is balancing the flavors, you will need freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
- Sugar: I am using simply granulated sugar here, feel free to use a mixture of granulated and brown sugar, according to your preference
- Butter: Butter makes the filling smooth and creamy, definitely use unsalted, just as above, 82% fat content butter
- Corn starch: Corn starch helps the filling to thicken and that is key to avoiding soggy pies. I suggest you do not leave this out
- Spice: You are absolutely free to use your favorite spices eg. cinnamon, cardamon, or vanilla bean. I am using my homemade pumpkin spice.
- Baileys: Of course, you will need some Baileys to make Baileys Apple Pie! Alternatively, you can use any other cream liqueur or rum, or you can leave it out, if alcohol is a concern
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
1. How to achieve the best flaky, buttery pie crust
If you ever mistakenly baked dense, hard pie crust you know what I am talking about… Pie crust should be flaky, almost like puff pastry but without the hassle of spending 3 days with lamination. How to achieve flaky pie crust without lamination? In fact, it is super easy if you follow 3 simple rules.
- Make sure all ingredients of the pie dough are very cold at all times, even your kitchen temperature should be relatively cold ( below 20C / 68F). If at any point the dough gets too warm or butter starts to melt, pop it back in the freezer for a minute or two. Avoid using extra flour, instead, make sure ingredients are nice and cold
- Do not use a mixer, do not overwork or knead the pie dough, in fact, butter chunks staying in the dough encourage the pie to achieve a lovely flaky texture
- Avoid soggy bottom at all cost as obviously soggy pie crust can’t be flaky. On that note, see further tips below
The process of making flaky Pie dough is in fact very easy and quick:
- In a large bowl whisk dry ingredients; flour, sugar, and salt until fully combined
- Cut butter into small chunks and place it into the freezer along with the flour mixture, and water for 10-15 minutes
- Once all ingredients are nicely chilled, add very cold butter chunks into flour and rub the flour mixture between your fingers until it becomes a sand-like consistency. Leave some bigger butter chunks in the mixture, no need to fully incorporate the butter into the flour
- Add very cold water into the dough, a small amount at a time, and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon after each addition
- Start working the dough with your hands. First, it will look crumbly but it should come together in the next minute or so. Remember, leave in some butter chunks, do not overwork the dough, and do not use a mixer
- Form 2 disks (one for the top, and for the bottom of the crust), cover with plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
💡 Top Tip: Resting the pie dough in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours is mandatory, otherwise, believe me, you won´t be able to work with the dough and it is effectively impossible to roll it out
2. How to avoid soggy Pie crust
Soggy Pie which needs a spoon instead of a fork, is every Baker’s biggest nightmare. In fact, it is rather easy to avoid overly wet, soggy Pies if you follow some key rules;
- You will need to pre-cook the Apple Pie filling so basically reduce the juice of the apples. However, make sure you do not overcook the apple, it should stay still crispy. For my apples, the cooking process took 3 minutes
- Use corn starch to thicken the Apple pie filling sauce. Basically, you will need to remove the apple slices once they are pre-cooked, then further thicken the sauce with starch. Then, Baileys will be mixed into the sauce and finally, the whole mixture will be remixed with the apple slices. Voila, this is your Baileys Apple pie filling
- Chill Pie dough before filling and use the Apple Pie filling cold - Make sure you keep the pie dough cold at all times. Once you assemble the bottom of the Baileys Apple Pie, place it into the freezer for 30 minutes. Also, the apple pie filling should be chilled before using
- Bake the Pie throughout - It is better to overbake your Pie than under-bake, as under-baked Pie dough will turn out soggy. If unsure and the top is browning too much, you can always use kitchen foil and cover the top loosely
- Let the Pie cool properly - Even a perfectly baked pie may look soggy and wet straight out of the oven. As the pie cools, its filling will solidify. It takes a few hours for the Apple pie to cool and its filling to set completely
💡 Top Tip: Thickening and precooking the filling, chilling the dough before filling, properly baking the pie, and letting it cool are the ultimate rules of baking any pie
3. How to make the Baileys Apple pie filling
Making the filling for this Baileys Apple Pie could not be easier, it comes together in less than 10 minutes and you can flavor it with tons of different spices eg. cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla bean, etc!
- Peel and cut apples into identical slices. Use lemon juice to avoid apple slices browning
- In a saucepan melt, butter and sugar then mix in the spices and apple slices and cook the mixture over medium heat for about 3 minutes until the apple is slightly cooked and some water evaporates from the mixture. The exact cooking time depends on the apple you use, so focus on the texture (you should stop cooking it before it gets soft), not the time. Make sure you do overcook the mixture.
- Remove apple slices and let them drain
- Take a small amount of sauce out of the pan and mix it with corn starch until starch is fully incorporated then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens
- Now remove the saucepan from the heat and mix Baileys into the sauce
- Finally, mix the sauce with apple slices and cool the filling to room temperature before using. At this point the filling should not be too watery, this will ensure a moist but not soggy outcome when Pie is baked
💡 Top Tip: If you want to serve your Pie with additional Baileys sauce for the maximum Baileys Apple Pie taste experience, you have to double the ingredients of the sauce (butter, sugar, spice, Baileys). Add half of the sauce to the apple slices before baking and keep the other half for after baking - in this way the sauce that is not baked will have a super deep Baileys flavor with higher alcohol content. This sauce can be used to serve the Apple pie with
3. How to assemble the Baileys Apple Pie
I recommend making the Pie dough first and letting it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. It is incredibly difficult to roll out a Pie dough that is not chilled, please make your life easier by not skipping this step.
Prepare the Baileys Apple pie filling next as that also needs to cool to room temp before using it.
After 2 hours of chilling time, take one of the pie dough disks out of the fridge and let it rest few minutes on the kitchen counter. The dough should stay cold but slightly warmed up to be able to roll it out without breaking it.
- Transfer the disk to a very lightly floured surface, even better if using Silicone baking mat that prevents the dough from sticking. Start rolling the dough from the center to the side, make sure you turn the dough with your hands after each rolling so it will become even. No need to add flour while rolling, the pie dough should be cold enough not to stick to the kitchen counter.
- If you are using a Pie dish 9 inch / 23 cm, roll the dough into 10-11inch / 27 cm in diameter. Make sure that the thickness of the pie dough is somewhat even. Remember, do not force the dough, after rolling, it should stay smooth and cold, easy to work with
- Trim the rolled out dough with a scissor, then carefully, with the help of the rolling pin, place the dough into a Pie dish 9 inch / 23 cm. Remember, it should be easy to work with the pie dough at this point if not, it means it is too warm and needs to be chilled first. Fold the extra edge of the crust underneath the dough.
- Chill pie dough again in the freezer for 30minutes. Make sure you do not place filling into the warm crust as that will ruin the bottom of your Pie straight away
- Once the Pie dough is chilled and Apple Pie filling is at room temp, place the filling into the Pie crust, mounding slightly in the center. Be careful not to get the filling on the edges. Also at this point, you will need your judgment in regards to the quantity of the sauce. If you thicken the sauce enough earlier, the filling should be moist but not wet, however, if you feel that the filling is too wet, it is better to leave out some of the sauce than make the Pie soggy.
Chill Pie crust again now with the filling in while preparing the lattice top.
💡 Top Tip: I strongly advise using 2 silicone baking mats whenever you need to roll pie dough, but if you do not own this wonderful, inexpensive baking equipment, flour your working surface and roll the dough on that
4. How to make a Lattice top for this Pie
What is Lattice Pie Crust? Lattice pie crust is strips of pie dough lying on top of pie filling. From a practical point of view, the lattice closes the Pie filling and if there is any hole in between the strips, it allows steam to escape. In recent years lattice pie crust has become more and more popular and some bakers use it to express their wonderful artistic skills. From a visual point of view, you can make all sorts of lattices, my recipe is just one idea.
The process of making Lattice Pie crust is much easier than it might look:
- Take the remaining pie dough disk out of the fridge and roll it out similarly as the first one (slightly larger since the stripes overlap on my patter), this will be used for the lattice pattern
- Cut the pie dough into even strips, it does not really matter how wide, choose your preference. You can use a sharp knife or pizza wheel. You will use the longer strips in the center of the pie and the shorter strips on the edge
- Layout the strips (5 or more depending on how wide you cut the strips) vertically on top of the filling.
- Fold every other strip back and place one of the (long) trips perpendiculars on top. Then unfold
- Fold again every other vertical strip back. Lay one of the unused strips perpendicular on top. Then unfold
- Repeat until your Baileys Apple Pie is fully covered then fold the excess dough that lays over the edges of the pie back. You can also flute the pie edge if desired
- Remember, if at any point the strips get too warm and difficult to handle, use the fridge or freezer for a few minutes
- Once the lattice pattern is done, either chill the entire Pie, or if the dough is cold enough, continue carefully! brushing with egg wash (egg + cream) and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.
💡 Top Tip: Making the Lattice top can really elevate your Baileys Apple Pie to the next level and you will see, it is not that hard! Alternatively, you can simply roll the dough out and place it on top of the filling without a lattice pattern, however, you need to make sure to make some holes on the top crust for the steam to escape during baking the Pie.
5. How to bake the Baileys Apple Pie
Once you are done with all Lattice patterns, you might be tempted to finally bake the Baileys Apple Pie, but instead, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes while preheating your oven to 200 C / 372 F (no fan). Freezing helps to hold the Pie shape while baking.
After 15 minutes take the Pie out of the freezer and bake it at 200 C / 372 F for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 175 / 347 F and bake for another 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Remember, it is better over baking your Pie, than under baking and leave the bottom raw. If the edges or top was browning too fast during baking, place aluminum foil loosely on top / around the Pie to prevent it from further browning.
Serve this Pie with some more Irish cream sauce or why not try this St Patrick’s Day Charcuterie Board if you are making the pie for St Patrick´s Day?
💡 Top Tip: The pie and the filling will further set as it cools. After a few hours at room temp, it should be well set and ready to be served.
🥣 Equipment notes
Pie is one of those technical bakes that do not require any special equipment, you will only need your hands and an understanding of the temperature and temperament of the pie dough. Rolling pin is handy and a Pie dish but that’s it.
I recommend using a 20-23 cm pie dish, this recipe is made in a 9 inch/ 23cm Pie dish. Anything bigger can cause significantly longer baking time, anything smaller can be maybe a bit too tiny to slice. Regarding the material of the tin, many favors one or the other, however, I truly believe that once you master the technique, the material, whether it is glass or ceramic or something else does not matter too much. My pie dish is a rather affordable and old-fashioned enamel.
Silicone baking mat is one of those inexpensive baking hacks I wish everyone knew about. It is the perfect baking equipment to roll pie dough, pate sablee dough, babka dough, or any other sticky dough without using extra flour. I really recommend investing in this wonderful equipment!
As always, for a consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. And make sure you invest in an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under-baked or burnt Baileys Apple Pie.
🥧 More Pie recipes
- Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers (VIDEO)
- No bake Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust (VIDEO)
- 3 Ingredient Pie Crust (VIDEO)
- The Ultimate Egg Wash Tutorial: My Favorite 1-Minute Egg Wash Recipe and 21 Egg Wash Alternatives For Any Needs
- Pie Crust Cookies (VIDEO)
- The Best Strawberry Galette
- Pear Galette (VIDEO)
- Creamy Sicilian Ricotta Pie (VIDEO)
Baileys Apple Pie
Equipment
- Digital scale
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 350 g (3 cups) AP flour
- 14 g (1 tablespoon) Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 250 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter very cold
- 110 g (½ cups) Water very cold
- 1 Egg for egg wash
Baileys Apple Pie filling
- 900 g (7 cups) Apple measure after peeled and cut into slices
- 160 g (⅘ cups) Granulated sugar
- 85 g (⅓ cups) Unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoon Spice eg. cinnamon or use my Home made Pumpkin spice recipe
- 14 g (1 tablespoon) Corn starch
- 150 g (⅔ cups) Baileys
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Start with Pie dough
- In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar and salt until fully combined and cut butter into small cubes
- Pop butter cubes, flour mixture and water into the freezer for 10-15 minutes
- Once all ingredients are nicely chilled, add very cold butter cubes into flour and rub the mixture between your fingers until it becomes a sand like consistency. Leave some bigger butter chunks in the mixture, no need to fully incorporate butter into flour
- Add very cold water into the dough, a small amount at a time and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon after each addition
- Start working the dough with your hands. First it will look crumby but it should come together in the next minute or so. Remember, leave in some butter chunks, do not overwork the dough, do not use a mixer
- Form 2 disks, cover them with plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge for minimum 2 hours
Baileys Apple pie filling
- In a saucepan melt butter and sugar then mix in the spices and apple slices, and cook the mixture over medium heat for about 3 minutes until apple slightly cooked
- Remove apple slices and let them drain
- Take a small amount of sauce out of the pan and mix it with corn starch until starch fully incorporated then pour the mixture back to the saucepan and cook the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens
- Remove saucepan from the heat and mix Baileys into the sauce, then mix sauce with apple slices and cool filling to room temperature before using
Assemble
- Carefully, with the help of the rolling pin, place the dough into a Pie dish. Fold the extra edge of the crust underneath the dough.
- Chill pie dough again in the freezer for 30minutes
- Once Pie dough chilled and Apple Pie filling is on room temp, place the filling into the Pie crust, mounding slightly in the center
- Take the remaining pie dough disk out of the fridge and roll it out similarly as the first one (slightly larger since the stripes overlap on my patter), this will be used for the lattice pattern
- Cut the pie dough into even strips and make the lattice pattern as explained above in my Baking tips
- Once the lattice pattern is done, either chill the entire Pie or if the dough is cold enough, continue with egg wash (egg + cream) and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar
Baking
- Place your Pie into the freezer for 15 minutes while pre-heating your oven to 200 C / 372 F (no fan)
- After 15 minutes take the Pie out of the freezer and bake it in 200 C / 372 F for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 175 C / 347 F and bake for another 30 minute until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown
- If the edges or top was browning too fast during baking, place aluminium foil loosely on top / around the Pie to prevent it further browning
- Let the Pie set on room temp for a few hours before serving. Store in room temp
Persiphony
This recipe looks AMAZING! Can’t wait to make it especially as I just purchased a special edition bottle of Baileys which is ‘Apple Pie’ flavoured Baileys! Meant to be I think. Thank you so much.
Kata
Oh good luck with the recipe! Pls remember not to overload the filling with Baileys to avoid soggy pie but you can always make more sauce as a side - as explained in the recipe 🙂
Maja
This Baileys Apple Pie is the most delicious apple pies I’ve ever made! Don’t miss making the extra Baileys sauce as Katalin recommends in the recipe 😉
Gigi
Hi! I want to try out this recipe but wondering if I can replace the baileys with something non alcoholic?
Thank you 🙂
Kata
Just leave the Baileys out then:)
Ailyn
Hi Kata! I've never made an apple pie and planning to make this to a Thanksgiving dinner we were invited to. May I ask what apples did you use? Thank you and huge thank you for sharing your delicious and detailed recipes.
Kata
I explain what apples to use in more detail in this recipe:) Have a Happy Thanksgiving soon and good luck with the pie! https://www.spatuladesserts.com/caramelized-apple-topping/