Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Use cook-type Clear Jel and bottled lemon juice; never substitute flour, cornstarch, or instant Clear Jel. Use quarts only.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1 inch
- Processing time
- 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Prepare firm apples and make the tested filling with cook-type Clear Jel, apple juice, sugar, spices, and bottled lemon juice before filling hot.
- Fill quarts only, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, appropriate nonreactive cookware and preparation tools, jar lifter, and quarts only.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use exact ingredients and source-specific preparation.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Use cook-type Clear Jel and bottled lemon juice; never substitute flour, cornstarch, or instant Clear Jel. Use quarts only.
About this recipe
Apple Pie Filling is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Quarts only
- Headspace
- 1 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Affiliate disclosure: This recipe may contain affiliate links to
Apple Pie Filling — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups blanched sliced apples
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup Clear Jel
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg optional
- 1 drop yellow food coloring optional
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Wash, peel, and core firm crisp apples. Cut 1/2-inch slices and hold in ascorbic acid solution.
- Blanch 6 cups of fresh slices at a time in 1 gallon boiling water for 1 minute after the water returns to a boil. Drain and keep hot.
- Combine sugar, Clear Jel, and cinnamon with water and apple juice. Add optional nutmeg and coloring if desired. Cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling. Add bottled lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Fold in hot drained apples. Fill jars immediately, leaving 1-inch headspace. Apply lids and process quarts 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve or use this preserved product according to its texture and flavor after opening; refrigerate leftovers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the recipe?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Use cook-type Clear Jel and bottled lemon juice; never substitute flour, cornstarch, or instant Clear Jel. Use quarts only.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
This is a tested thickened pie filling; plain canned apples use different ingredients, headspace, and processing.
Troubleshooting
Whisk Clear Jel as directed to prevent lumps and maintain the full 1-inch headspace.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Apple Pie Filling.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Fall
Months: September, October, November
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
35–70 lb of Apples per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.