You need to enjoy the sweet heat of Green Chile Apple Pie for dessert tonight.
There are many variations of the American classic apple pie, such as ginger apple, cranberry apple, and others. But here’s one you likely haven’t heard of- Green Chile Apple Pie. Yes, that’s right, green chile. I told you New Mexicans will put chile into everything they eat. Don’t be surprised if green chile breakfast cereal starts popping up on grocery store shelves in the near future…
How to make Green Chile Apple Pie
I don’t like pies with a wimpy amount of filling so I developed this Green Chile Apple Pie recipe to be packed with apples and green chile. With so many apples it’s necessary to par-cook them so we can avoid excess apple juice in this pie. Excess liquid in a pie filling isn’t a good thing; it will lead to soggy bottom crusts and pie pieces that fall apart instead of hold a nice wedge shape.
After the filling is par-cooked- scoop it out with a large slotted spoon onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool, leaving the excess liquid in the pot.
Don’t put hot apple filling into a cold pie crust, or you’ll have loads of problems and (again) soggy bottoms. While the Green Chile Apple pie filling is cooling, press your bottom crust into a pie plate and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Yep. Cheddar cheese. You may think “Icky!” but the cheese actually complements the flavors of this pie nicely. This is definitely not a traditional pie.
Once the bottom crust has chilled in the fridge and the filling cooled, you can assemble the pie. Scoop the filling into the pie, right up to the rim. Place the top crust on however you like, as long as it has some vents for steam to escape through.
I LOVE how lattice top pies look, and it’s super trendy right now to decorate the heck out of your top crusts with cutouts and braided dough. I have included links for the tools I personally used to make this pie, so check them out below!
Once you are happy with the crust, brush it with an egg white wash (with a pastry brush or just dip a finger in and swab it on) and sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar. It’s a brownish sugar with large crystals that is perfect for giving pies and treats an extra sparkly yummy finishing touch!
Green Chile Apple Pie is the fiery dessert you didn’t know you needed
Green Chile Apple pie’s claim to fame in New Mexico comes from a tiny (I mean seriously tiny) town called Pie Town, New Mexico. It’s literally a small gathering of homes you could count on two hands in the middle of nowhere. Well, someone in this middle of nowhere place around the turn of the century was a really good cook, and especially good at making Green Chile Apple pie. Ranchers and folks traveling through would stop on the stage and have a slice. Hence the town was called “Pie Town”. There are currently two (two!) Diners there today where you can stop in and try a slice.
If you are a green chile lovin’ New Mexican, a crazy foodie, or a professional food connoisseur, you are gonna enjoy this pie very much. If you have no tolerance for spicy heat or are a traditionalist pie person say, from New England, then this is not the pie for you. Of course, who am I to say what you will and won’t like; make the pie and decide for yourself! Please RATE this recipe and tell me what you think down below. Enjoy!
Green Chile Apple Pie
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 double crust pie 1x
Description
The sweet heat and unique taste of this famous New Mexican apple pie is fun, delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Grab a friend to help peel and chop apples and you’ll be enjoying a slice in no time!
Ingredients
- 1 box premade double-crust pie crust (I like Pillsbury brand)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces roasted, peeled, and chopped medium-hot green chiles
- 4 pounds of Gala apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg white, beaten lightly
- 1–2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Place pie crusts unopened on the counter to come to room temperature. While waiting for the pie crusts to warm, add flour, lemon zest, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, salt and green chile to a large dutch oven or 6 quart pot.
- Peel and slice apples, placing them into the pot with the spices and stir to coat. Set the apples over medium heat and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until the apples are soft. Stir in lemon juice. Scoop filling out with a slotted spoon onto a rimmed baking sheet to cool, discarding excess liquid in the pot.
- Unwrap one pie crust on a clean work surface. Gently place it into the pie plate, pressing it down into the bottom and along the sides. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly into the bottom of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill and set.
- Move an oven rack to the lowest position and set oven to 500 degrees F. When the apples have cooled, remove the pie plate from the fridge and fill to the brim with the green chile apple filling. Unroll the second pie crust. Cut four slits on top, one in each direction, or get decorative and cut it into lattice strips. Place the crust on top and crimp the top and bottom pie crusts together in a decorative fashion.
- Brush egg white over the top crust with a finger or a pastry brush. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the crust. Place pie on a baking sheet and then on the bottom rack of the oven. Change heat to 425 degrees F. and bake for 25 minutes.
- Rotate the pie and lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until the crust is nice and golden brown. If the crust is browning too deeply, carefully cover the edges with aluminum foil to prevent more browning. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour and serve.
- Prep Time: 1 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: New Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 pie
- Calories: 265
- Sugar: 53.2 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.7 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 4 mg
I am loving this apple pie recipe. I made it this New Year’s Eve Party celebration. My kids love it and they won’t stop eating. Thanks for this. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Xoxo.
★★★★★
Wonderful Jennifer! I’m glad your family liked it so much :0)
This pie has my name all over it. Apple and cheddar was already a thing for me, but adding chilis is brilliant. Can’t wait to give this a whirl. Sounds fantastic!
★★★★★
Thanks Katy!
I was looking for a pie to bake for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this!
★★★★★
We purchased a pie like this at Whole Foods a few years ago and then could never find it there again. My husband constantly talks about that pie. Today I decided to find a recipe and make it for him. This recipe is a keeper and my husband was so happy! Excellent pie!
★★★★★
That is fantastic news Barbara! I’m so glad I could be of help, thanks so much for the feedback. :0)
Just finished baking and it. Looks better than the one from Pie Town. Can’t wait for it to cool to enjoy.
It is piñon nut season in New Mexico, so I added roasted piñon nuts to the pie.
So excited!
★★★★★
Hi Diana!
I love the addition of the Piñon- I’d be really interested to know how it tastes on this pie :0)
So sad that Covid has forced the Pie town pies out of business (maybe just temporarily, time will tell). I hope you love, love, love this pie, and thanks for the comment and rating! You rock.
Hello, I just made this pie and it is still in the oven, are your green chilis raw? or roasted? I used anaheim peppers (Hatch chilis not available in Canada), roasted them in the oven, peeled etc. I just realized, the receipe
does not mention how to prepare them or if they are chopped raw and what kind. Thank you
Hi Christine, great question!
I love that you roasted and prepared your own Anaheim peppers for this recipe. Yes, I use roasted peeled and chopped green chile in this pie. I will revisit the recipe to ensure that is clear. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Thanks Emily, I loved the pie, but found the Anaheim peppers in the pie very mild and did not get the heat bite I was expecting. Can Jalapeño peppers be used? Can you recommend some varieties of peppers? I looked for hatch chilies, canned or dried, here in Canada but no luck. Thanks again!
Glad you liked the pie Christine; I have recently teamed up with The Hatch Chile Store, which specializes in shipping fresh and roasted/peeled authentic Hatch chile all over the USA and internationally as well (with customs fees). Check them out here:https://www.hatch-green-chile.com/collections/roasted-hatch-green-chile?ref=5eed478ce9282. If you want to place an international order, email support@hatch-green-chile.com to ask about shipping rates. Also, here’s a list of more companies that will ship authentic Hatch green chile: https://www.thekitchn.com/where-to-buy-hatch-green-chiles-online-23051639
You could use jalapenos, but roasting and peeling them can be a chore, especially for such a small chile. If you try that, let me know how it goes!
Hope that helps!
do you ship green chili pies for Thanksgiving? leogluck@clickcmc.com
Sadly, I don’t do catering. My goal is to help the readers of my blog (that’s you :0) gain the confidence to make my recipes at home. I’d encourage you to try to make the Green chile pie yourself if possible- using storebought pie dough makes it easy. You can do it!
The recipe does not mention how to prep or when to add the hatch chili. I do see orange/red chili pieces in one of your pictures.
Why a store bought crust; for convenience or what as I think blending the cheddar cheese into the crust would be a plus.
Hi Lois, thanks for the feedback!
I do mention adding the green chile in step 1 with several other ingredients. Perhaps I’ll bold to ensure that it isn’t missed. I recommend using roasted and chopped Hatch chile (frozen or canned) in this recipe. I do enjoy creating homemade pie crust, I have a great recipe here: https://goldilockskitchen.com/2013/11/foolproof-pie-dough.html. I recommend using store-bought for this recipe to save time but yes, of course, a homemade crust would be wonderful too! Thanks again Lois, I hope you enjoyed the pie :0)
Outstanding recipe! Made this today with only one addition to the basic recipe. I added one cup of finely chopped walnuts, and it came out identical to the Plaza Cafe in Santa Fe version of the pie. I love overstuffed pies, and this is the bomb. It certainly clicks a lot of boxes for me, including roasted Hatch chiles. Won’t be long before I make this again, I have lots of Hatch in my freezer right now due to the season for fresh chiles just ended. Thanks so much for posting this recipe, I’ve had a hankering that has now been relieved!
★★★★★
Hi Jeff! Thank you so much for your feedback; I loved hearing about the walnut addition, and I’ll be trying that next time I make this pie. I used to love walking over to the Plaza Café when I was a kid and ordering an Italian soda (Not New Mexican, I know). I was really sad when they stopped serving them. But they still have great sopapillas :0) I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe, Thank you!
I’m a pie traditionalist from New England, that now lives in New Mexico. And I fully support this pie! LOL!
★★★★★
If Pies could speak, I’m sure this one would appreciate your support hahaha Sounds like you are adapting well to your new home Clare, glad you liked the pie!