A fun take on our classic apple pie recipe inspired by our recent trip to Paris, this Apple Rose Pie makes a big impression but is incredibly easy to make. Check out our step-by-step guide below for a foolproof apple rose tart!

Apple Rose Pie Recipe

This pie is delicate and sweet not just in appearance, but in taste, too! A decadent butter pie crust filled with honey-sweetened custard, and topped with pretty pink apple roses.

This is the perfect pretty pie recipe if you’re not one for fancy lattice work, and I promise you – these apple roses are way easier than they look! The trick is to soften the apples before rolling them up (I give a couple different methods for doing that below).

Of course, because the apples will eventually brown, I recommend waiting to assemble this pie until within a couple hours of serving. You can bake and chill the pie crust and prepare the custard in advance, but try to wait to cut and assemble the apple roses until closer to serving time so that they are still fresh looking.

One tip for making these apple roses: in order to make the sliced apples more pliable, I heated them in the microwave.

There are a few different ways to do this, but the two that I experimented with are microwaving the slices plain or in a bowl of lemon water. (You can also heat in a pan of water on the stove.)

There are benefits and drawbacks to either method. Microwaving the slices without water involves more “babysitting” than the lemon water method, but the lemon water method does involve very hot water so you will need to use a fork or tongs to carefully remove the apple slices from the water afterwards.

Experiment with both and see which one you prefer. You will be making a LOT of roses for this recipe, so you have time to try them both! I personally prefer heating them in water – you can also try pouring boiling water onto the slices in a bowl.

Apple Rose Pie Ingredients

For the tart crust:

For the Custard:

Milk
Egg Yolks
Honey or Maple Syrup
Cornstarch
Sea Salt
Vanilla Extract

For the Apple Roses:

Apples, quartered and sliced thin
Lemon Juice
Honey or maple syrup, optional

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: Do not cut the apples before starting this recipe as there is a 2 hour gap between the start of the recipe and when the apples are needed. Keep the apple slices in lemon water or lemon soda until ready to use.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Measuring cups and spoons
Pie plate or tart pan (I used a 11″ tart pan)
Rolling pin
Mixing bowls
Small pot
Sharp kitchen knife

How to Make a Rose Pie

For the pie crust:

Preheat oven to 400F

Mix the crust ingredients together with a fork or your hands.

You still want the dough to crack easily, this will not be smooth like a play dough.

Roll out the dough to 1/4″ thickness (if that is too tricky, just don’t make it thicker than 1/2″) and line your pie plate with the dough.

Crimp the edges as desired, and then use a fork to poke holes throughout the pie shell.

Fill with pie marbles and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

For the Custard:

In a small pot over medium heat, add the milk and heat until just bubbling.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, honey, cornstarch and salt.

Carefully and slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.

Transfer the egg-milk mixture back to the pot and reduce heat to low.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and stir in the vanilla.

(Note: you should strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve at this point but I never do.)

Place custard in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

To make the tart:

Pour the custard into the baked pie shell and even out with an offset spatula.

Warm 8 apple slices in the microwave in 30 second spurts, until the apple slices are flexible. (Alternatively, heat the apples for 3 minutes submerged in a cup of lemon water.)

Roll one slice of the apple tightly, and place in the tart for the centre of a rose. Arrange remaining 7 slices around the first apple slice to create a rose pattern. Repeat with all apple slices until the tart is full of roses.

Optionally, use a pastry brush to brush the apples with honey.

Pin this Apple Rose Pie recipe:

Grab your free printable for our apple rose pie:

Yield: 1 pie, 10 servings

Apple Rose Pie

Name: Apple Rose Pie
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 Tablespoon sugar; 6 Tablespoon butter; 6 Tablespoon shortening or lard; 6-8 Tablespoon ice water; 1 1/2 cups milk; 6 egg yolks; 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup; 2 Tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4-5 apples, quartered and sliced thin; 2 Tablespoons lemon juice; 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, optional

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the tart crust:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
6 Tablespoon butter
6 Tablespoon shortening or lard
6-8 Tablespoon ice water

For the Custard:

1 1/2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Apple Roses:

4-5 apples, quartered and sliced thin
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, optional

Instructions

For the pie crust:

Preheat oven to 400F
Mix the crust ingredients together with a fork or your hands. (You still want the dough to crack easily, this will not be smooth like a play dough.)
Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness (if that is too tricky, just don't make it thicker than 1/2") and line your pie plate with the dough.
Crimp the edges as desired, and then use a fork to poke holes throughout the pie shell.
Fill with pie marbles and bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

For the Custard:

In a small pot over medium heat, add the milk and heat until just bubbling.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, honey, cornstarch and salt.
Carefully and slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.
Transfer the egg-milk mixture back to the pot and reduce heat to low.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and stir in the vanilla.
(Note: you should strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve at this point but I never do.)
Place custard in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

To make the tart:

Pour the custard into the baked pie shell and even out with an offset spatula.
Warm 8 apple slices in the microwave in 30 second spurts, until the apple slices are flexible. (Alternatively, heat the apples for 3 minutes submerged in a cup of lemon water.)
Roll one slice of the apple tightly, and place in the tart for the centre of a rose. Arrange remaining 7 slices around the first apple slice to create a rose pattern. Repeat with all apple slices until the tart is full of roses.
Optionally, use a pastry brush to brush the apples with honey.

Notes

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 432Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 6g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

This pretty pie is the perfect option for a special occasion like a birthday, especially if the birthday girl or boy is not a fan of cake.

For more fun apple pie-inspired recipes, check out our Apple Pie Dessert Enchiladas or our Edible Apple Pie Slime.

Apple Rose Pie