I love apple pie, but I’ll be honest: making a lattice crust has always been the part that made me think twice about making one. The pie itself isn’t complicated, but rolling out the second crust, cutting all those strips, weaving them together, and trying to make the whole thing look pretty takes enough time that sometimes I just didn’t bother.
Apple Pie Without the Lattice
Then I remembered something I grew up eating in Eastern Europe: prăjitură cu mere, an apple cake made with pastry dough that’s grated over the apples before baking.
And I thought… why not do the same thing with an apple pie?
So that’s exactly what I did. I used my usual double pie crust, put half underneath the apples, and instead of turning the other half into a lattice, I chilled it really well and grated it straight over the top.
And honestly, I think it’s genius.
Not only is it so much faster than making a lattice, but you don’t actually miss out on the crust. If anything, you get to experience it in a different way. Every little piece of grated pastry bakes into its own flaky, buttery bite, so you get little pieces of crust all over the top instead of having to cut through a few pastry strips.
The top becomes wonderfully rustic and golden, with all those little flakes of pastry catching the butter and browning in the oven. And underneath, you still have the classic combination of soft, cinnamon-spiced apples and a proper pie crust.
It’s basically the apple pie I always wanted to make—without the part that used to stop me from making it.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie
No lattice to make. This is probably my favorite part. You don’t have to cut perfect strips, weave them together, or worry about making your pie look like it belongs in a magazine.
You don’t lose any of the crust. This isn’t a crumble topping or a streusel pretending to be pie crust. It’s the exact same buttery pastry you would normally use for the top crust, just grated instead.
Every bite gets pastry. Because the dough is grated into small flakes, you get little pieces of crisp, buttery crust throughout the entire top.
It’s rustic and forgiving. The beauty of this pie is that it doesn’t need to look perfect. The grated pastry creates its own beautiful, uneven golden top.
How to Make Apple Pie with a Grated Crust
Prepare the pie crust
Divide your double-crust pie dough in half. Roll one half out and fit it into a 9-inch pie dish. Keep the other half refrigerated until it’s very cold and firm.
Make the apple filling
Toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice until evenly coated.
Fill the pie
Add the seasoned apples to the prepared pie crust, arranging them into an even layer.
Grate the top crust
Take the chilled dough and grate it directly over the apples using the large holes of a box grater. Let the pastry fall loosely over the filling rather than pressing it down. The uneven pieces are exactly what you want.
Bake the pie
Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.
Cool and serve
Let the pie cool for about 30 minutes before slicing if you want to enjoy it warm. Serve it as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Secret Is Very Cold Dough
This is probably the most important thing to remember when making the grated crust.
The dough needs to be really cold and firm before you grate it. Soft pie dough will stick to the grater, break apart, and become difficult to handle.
After dividing the dough, keep the portion for the top refrigerated while you prepare the apples. If it still feels soft when you’re ready to grate it, put it in the freezer for a short time until it’s firm enough to grate easily.
You want to be able to run the dough over the large holes of a box grater and have it fall into distinct pieces rather than turning into a soft mass.
Don’t Try to Make the Top Perfect
This is one of those recipes where messy is actually better.
Once you start grating the dough over the apples, resist the temptation to spread it around or press it down. Let the pieces fall naturally.
Some areas might have slightly more pastry than others. Some apples might peek through. That’s completely fine.
Those little spaces allow steam to escape from the filling, while the irregular pieces of pastry create all those crisp, golden edges that make the topping so good.
And honestly, this is much less stressful than trying to make a perfect lattice.
Apple Pie with a Grated Crust
Equipment
- 9-inch pie dish
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Box grater
- Baking Sheet
- cooling rack
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2½ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter cold and cut into small cubes
- 8-10 tbsp ice water
For the apple filling
- 6 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and sliced into ½-inch slices
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the pie crust :In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture has mostly pea-sized pieces of butter, with a few larger flakes remaining. Drizzle in 8 tablespoons of ice water and gently mix until the dough starts to come together. Add the remaining 1–2 tablespoons only if needed. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together into a disk. Don't knead it.Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions.Roll one portion into a circle large enough to fit your 9-inch pie dish. Transfer it to the dish, gently pressing it into the bottom and sides. Trim the edges if needed and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.Keep the second portion of dough refrigerated as well. It needs to be very cold and firm before you grate it.
- Make the apple filling:Add the sliced apples to a large bowl. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Toss until the apples are evenly coated and everything is well combined.
- Assemble & Bake:Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Take the bottom crust from the refrigerator and fill it with the apples, arranging them into an even layer.Take the second portion of very cold pie dough and grate it directly over the apples using the large holes of a box grater.This is where the magic happens. Don't press the grated dough down or try to make the top even. Just let the little pieces fall naturally over the apples, leaving some spaces between them.Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any bubbling juices.Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for 35–45 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the apple filling is bubbling.If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the remaining baking time.Let the pie cool for about 30 minutes before slicing.
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