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🍎 Spiced fruit pies

Pomegranate cardamom apple pie

Bright apple pie with jewel-toned tang and warm cardamom

⏱️ Time estimate: about 1 hour 45 minutes, plus cooling

Apples cooked in a thickened pomegranate, lemon, ginger, and cardamom sauce, tucked into a lattice crust and baked until bubbling.

Pomegranate cardamom apple pie

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2-inch thick

For finishing

  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • Double crust pie dough for a 9-inch deep-dish pie

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the pomegranate juice, lemon zest and juice, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cook about 6 minutes until thickened like molasses.
  2. Cook the apples. Add the apples and stir to coat. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until they start to soften, then cool completely.
  3. Prep the topping. Mix the coarse sugar and cardamom in a small bowl. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  4. Roll the dough. Fit one crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Roll the second round larger and cut it into strips for a lattice.
  5. Assemble. Fill the pie shell with the cooled apple mixture, weave the lattice, trim and crimp the edges, then brush with cream and sprinkle with the cardamom sugar.
  6. Bake. Bake on a lined baking sheet at 400°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes more, until deeply golden and bubbling.
  7. Cool fully. Let cool at least 4 hours before slicing.

Cooking the apples first is a smart move, it helps the filling bake up evenly and keeps the bottom crust from waiting on stubborn fruit.