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Copycat McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie: Homemade Deep-Fried Recipe
McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie
Inspired by McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie Gone but not forgotten Not the official recipe
- 1 hr 5 min
- Makes 8 pies
- ~$1.53 per serving~£0.70 per serving
- Not enough ratings yet
Hand pies with a bubbly, blistered crust and a hot cinnamon apple filling, in the style of the deep-fried pie McDonald's sold in the US before it switched to baked. Store-bought pastry keeps it manageable.
Clone Score
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Rate the cloneCost at home
This one's off the menu. Homemade is the only way.
~$1.53 each at home
- Homemade
- ~$12.22 for 8 (~$1.53 each)
This one's off the menu. Homemade is the only way.
~£0.70 each at home
- Homemade
- ~£5.59 for 8 (~£0.70 each)
Estimate · prices vary by location · excl. tax & delivery.
Estimate. Prices vary by location; tax and delivery fees are not included. Pantry staples (salt, oil…) are not included.
Ingredients
Filling
- Pantry
Pastry
For frying
Pantry staples are not included in the cost estimate.
Ingredient cost
- Homemade
- ~$12.22 for 8 (~$1.53 each)
- Homemade
- ~£5.59 for 8 (~£0.70 each)
Method quantities are for the original 8 pies.
Kitchen gear
- Heavy pot or Dutch oven, at least 4 qt (4 liters)
- Clip-on or instant-read thermometer
- Rolling pin
- Wire rack set over a tray
- Spider or slotted spoon
Method
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Put the diced apples, sugar, butter, cinnamon, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes until the apples are tender at the edges but still hold their shape.
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Stir the cornstarch mixture, pour it in and simmer for 1 minute until the juices turn thick and glossy. Spread the filling on a plate and let it cool completely, about 30 minutes; warm filling melts the pastry and leaks in the oil.
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Roll each pie crust a little thinner on a floured counter and cut 4 rectangles about 4 × 6 inches (10 × 15 cm) from each, re-rolling the scraps once if needed. A UK sheet cuts straight into 4.
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Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) border. Brush the border with water, fold the pastry over and press the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Poke two small steam holes in each top with the fork. Chill the pies on a tray for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, pour the oil into a heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches (5 cm), no more than halfway up the sides, and heat it to 350°F (175°C), checking with a thermometer. Use a heavy, deep pot filled no more than halfway, keep a clip-on thermometer in the oil, keep children and pets away, and never leave hot oil unattended. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat. Let it cool completely before you strain or throw it out.
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Lower 2 or 3 pies into the oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and blistered all over. Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F (170°C and 180°C) between batches.
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Drain on a wire rack and let the pies cool for at least 10 minutes before eating: the filling stays very hot long after the crust feels warm.
Tips for a closer clone
- Dice the apple small. Big chunks poke holes in the pastry and leave air pockets that burst in the oil.
- Chilling the filled pies firms up the fat in the pastry, which is what gives the bubbly, blistered crust.
- Seal the edges well and leave the two small steam holes on top; an unvented pie can split while frying.
- Fried pies are best within a couple of hours. To re-crisp, warm them on a rack in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 minutes.
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About this dupe
Gone, back, and gone again
McDonald’s sold a deep-fried apple pie in the US from 1968 and replaced it with a baked one in 1992. Restaurants in Hawaii, which also sell fried taro and haupia pies, kept the fried version, and so did the Downey, California, location (Food Republic). On June 23, 2026, the fried apple pie came back at participating US restaurants for a limited time, timed to the July 4 celebrations for America’s 250th birthday (TODAY, June 16, 2026). Coverage at the time expected it to last a few weeks, and we found no announcement that it stayed on the menu (status reviewed Oct 15, 2026). Outside those two places, homemade is the reliable way to have one now.
UK and US
UK cooks can use two 320 g sheets of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry instead of the US rolled pie crusts; each sheet makes 4 pies. Granny Smith apples are sold in both countries. Bramley apples also work but break down into a softer, sharper filling, so add an extra spoonful of sugar.
What it costs: ingredient costs are estimates for the amount used, from supermarket listing prices checked on Oct 15, 2026 (Target.com in the US, Trolley.co.uk for UK supermarkets). Prices vary by store and week.
Where this recipe comes from
Untested: a starting point written with AI help and checked against our recipe rules. Nobody has cooked it yet. Make it, rate how close it gets, and tell us what you changed. How we label recipes
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Copycat recipe inspired by the restaurant original. Not the official recipe. DupeEats is not affiliated with McDonald’s.
The original
Gone but not forgotten
McDonald’s Fried Apple PieFrom dupeeats.com/d028 · Copycat recipe, not the official recipe. DupeEats is not affiliated with any restaurant brand.
