Apple Cranberry Slab Pie

Apple Cranberry Slab Pie is a favorite easy party dessert designed to feed apple pie to a crowd. Made using refrigerated pie crusts, fresh apples and dried cranberries, this is the ultimate deconstructed homemade apple pie perfect for holiday parties, family gatherings and any occasion you need lots of dessert to feed a crowd.

There are just some times when a simple homemade apple pie just won’t do.  Not that there is ever anything wrong with homemade apple pie… ever!

But when you have a hungry crowd of people that need to be fed, that cute little pie tin of Dutch apple pie isn’t going to go very far, is it? 

Let’s get obvious when it comes to the perfect reason to make an apple slab pie.

Think of every single Fourth of July party since the beginning of time … tons of people!

Side note: This apple pie is perfect to serve alongside Fourth of July Fruit Pizza, Red White and Blue Patriotic Cupcakes and Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars. Just sayin’… 

So how exactly do you feed apple pie to a crowd?  How do you make sure that every hungry person at your party gets a crisp, tangy bite of your amazing streusel topped apple pie of happiness? 

Do you slave away in your kitchen, peeling apple after apple after apple and bake 6 apple pies in preparation of your guests arriving? 

Let me skip to the end of this narrative… that answer is NO!

You do not bake apple pie after delicious apple pie .. you make things easy on yourself and treat you guests to an apple slab pie and more specifically, this Apple Cranberry Slab Pie.  Problem solved.

what is a slab pie?

An apple slab pie is a huge deconstructed apple pie baked using a large 10 x 15 sheet pan called a jelly roll pan opposed to a traditional pie tin.

Simply put, A slab pie is simply a pie made in an sheet pan instead of a pie pan. It’s a great way to feed a large crowd without all of the extra work normally involved.

It’s also a bit thinner than a regular homemade pie. Sheet pan pies have less filling so they are a pie crust lovers dream come true!

why this is the best sheet pan pie

• Obviously sexy name. (wink!)
• Super easy way to feed a crowd of people tons of homemade apple pie.
• Saves you time cooking multiple pies
• Made with refrigerated pie crusts, the crust is tender, flaky and zero effort.
• Tender apples, tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts… THAT’S why this apple slab pie is a must have!
• Perfect easy dessert idea for the Fourth of July!

To make this Apple Cranberry Slab Pie, you will need:

• Refrigerated pie crusts
• Apples
• Walnuts
• Dried Cranberries
• Brown sugar
• Sugar
• Quick oats
• Cinnamon
• Butter
• All purpose flour
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon

how to make apple slab pie

To make this Apple Cranberry Slab Pie, remove the pie crusts from the packaging and lightly dust work surface with flour or work on a large glass cutting board. 

Unroll the crusts and stack on top of each other. Roll the crust out into a large rectangle approximately 18 x 12 large. 

Gently fold the dough in half and then move to a large jelly roll pan (larger than your average baking pan) lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.

Carefully unfold the crust and gently lay out on the pan, pinching the edges as you go to make a crust. Move your pie crust sheet pan to the refrigerator to chill. 

Next, work on the apple slab pie topping, Mix the sugars, oats, walnuts, flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the butter and cut together using a fork or the tips of your fingers until you have a crumbly mix.  Also move to the refrigerator to chill.

For your apple pie filling, mix together the sugar, brown sugar, flour, vanilla and seasonings together in a medium sized bowl, stir in the walnuts and cranberries and then set aside.

Peel, core and thinly slice your apples and move to large mixing bowl.  Squeeze the lemon over the apples and mix well.  Pour the sugar mixture over the apples and toss to combine.

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the apple filling into the crust and lightly spread out into an even layer. 

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes. 

Check your pie after 20 minutes and if your crust is starting to brown, tent lightly with foil so that your crust doesn’t burn.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream!

pro tips for perfect apple pie

• Make sure to slice your apples are about the same thickness. You want to try for about 1/4 of an inch thick. If they are too thick, they won’t cook all the way and if they are too thin, they will cook too much.
• The dried cranberries are perfectly tart and the walnuts add a nice crunch but feel free to leave them both out if you are just wanting a traditional apple pie instead.
• Grab a jelly roll pan online or at your local big box store to help make this apple pie recipe. If not, this can easy be made using two 9 x 13 pans.

what are the best apples for apple pie?

I like a mixture of apples when it comes to making homemade apple pie filling.

My favorite apples to use are Honeycrisp apples and Granny Smith apples but you can certainly use Gala, Fiji, Red Delicious and variety of others.

Granny Smith apples are tangy and tart and Honeycrisp apples are firm and sweet and that is my perfect combination of apples when it comes to apple pie filling.

how do you top apple pie?

• Ice cream
• Whipped cream
• Vanilla icing
• Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce

apple slab pie to feed a crowd

So where exactly would you serve up an Apple Cranberry Slab Pie? 

• Holiday parties
• Family reunions
• Fourth of July celebrations
• Thanksgiving dinner
• Kids birthday parties
• Fall gatherings

What I love most about this apple slab pie is how easy it is to make and how perfect it is for parties and feeding a large crowd. 

There is no extra work when transporting and serving up this apple pie because you simply bring your tray of apple happiness to your occasion, slice it and let the masses serve themselves.

And when I say this deconstructed apple pie serves a crowd, I am no kidding!!

This sheet pan apple pie feeds dozens of people instead of the usual 6 to 8 people from a regular homemade apple pie.  That’s a whole lot of happy pie eating people with no extra work.

more easy apple desserts

• Dutch Apple Pie Bites 
• Apple Walnut Pie
• Easy Apple Pear Crisp
• Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

Enjoy ♥

Update Notes: This post was originally published in June of 2019 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in April of 2020.