An Irish apple tart with a serving next to it.

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Hi Bold Bakers!

There’s nothing better than a good baked apple dessert in the fall, and if you need proof, give this classic Irish apple tart a try. This two-crust apple tart couldn’t be simpler — or more delicious!

My homemade Irish apple tart has that perfect balance of sweet/tart apple flavor and nothing else to get in the way of tasting it in its best form! Couple that with the perfect ration of flaky, buttery crust? Oh, man. Don’t you just love when simple things feel like such a treat?

There’s no cinnamon, no nutmeg, no cloves. To the Irish, those are very American flavors; we just wouldn’t have used them. This is as authentic as you can get, and trust me when I say you won’t be missing out on any flavor. Just let those fresh apples shine.

What Is Classic Irish Apple Tart?

Classic Irish apple tart is a simple dessert with just apples, sugar, pie crust, and egg wash. Serve it with some ice cream on top, and you’ve made the perfect dessert. Baked down apples, tart and sweet, flakey, butter pie crust, and the creamy cool feeling of vanilla ice cream!

If you want to go real old school, serve it with custard or cream!

What You Need To Make A Classic Irish Apple Tart

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing bowls
9-inch (23cm) pie dish
Rolling pin

How To Make Irish Apple Tart

This is a wonderful recipe to make when you want a delicious, warm, simple dessert that really showcases those perfect fall apples. Here is how you make a classic Irish apple tart (get all the measurements in the printable recipe further down the page):

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Peel and core your apples. Then, cut them into ¼-inch (6mm) thick slices.
Place the cut apples into a bowl and toss with sugar. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out one pie crust ¼-inch (6mm) thick and line a 9-inch (23cm) pie dish with it. Pour the apple filling into the crust.
Roll out the second pie crust a bit larger than the bottom crust and cut out decorative vent holes with a knife or small cookie cutter. Set the pieces you have cut out aside.
Brush the edges of the bottom crust with egg wash, then drape the top crust over the apples.
Trim the edges so that about a ½-inch (12mm) of crust hangs past the edges of the pan, then tuck the overhanging crust underneath the bottom crust. Crimp it all around with your fingers or a fork to seal. If you’d like, decorate the edges of the pie with the cutouts by using the egg wash to help the pastry stick.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. If you notice the crust is starting to brown before the apples are cooked, cover it with tin foil and continue cooking.
Allow the tart to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Irish Apple Tart

Use my homemade pie crust, but good quality store-bought works just as well.
Granny Smith apples are perfect in this tart, but you can use any other apple that you prefer, like Bramley in Ireland. Just know that they all bake up differently. Some will keep their shape while others will get very soft, and a nice tangy apple will give this tart the best flavor.
American apple pies use almost twice as many apples and also usually include thickeners. Don’t be tempted to add more apples to this tart – the balance of apples to crust is just right, and more apples will create more liquid and possibly a soggy bottom crust.
This tart will benefit from large vent holes on top to allow the liquid released from the apples to evaporate. Instead of using a knife to cut vent holes, you can use a small cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes from the top pastry before placing it on top of the apples.
Serve this apple tart at room temperature with fresh homemade whipped cream or warm with some vanilla ice cream!

How Do I Store Irish Apple Tart?

You can store any leftover apple tart at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days.

Make More Irish Recipes!

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!