Can You Leave Apple Pie Out?

Last updated on September 7th, 2022 at 10:04 pm

You’ve heard the phrase, “As American as apple pie”? This fruit dessert became a symbol of American prosperity back in the 19th and 20th centuries. Even though it was eaten even long before this time in Europe, apple pie has remained an icon of American pride.

Around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, you see more apple pies being baked and its sweet taste is irresistible. Pair it with some vanilla ice cream and you have yourself a delightful dessert. Now, for our question, can you leave apple pie out?

You can leave apple pie sitting out on the counter for a couple of days as long as it contains sugar. You will need to be sure it is stored properly in a covered container. After two days of sitting out, it is best to refrigerate your apple pie.

After you have had a houseful of guests over for the holidays, you probably don’t have much room in your refrigerator. Instead of trying to pack the remaining apple pie into the fridge, you can leave it out. For a couple days that is. 

If you want to leave the pie sitting out for a little bit, this is perfectly acceptable. Apple pie can be left out for about 2 days before it needs to be refrigerated. Just be sure to store it properly in a pie container/dish or airtight container sealing it with a lid or some plastic wrap. 

So, you can leave apple pie out for a day or two. But, you don’t want it to dry out so remember to store it properly. A moist apple pie is better than one that is dried out. 

It is important to note that you can only leave apple pie out if it contains sugar and not any custard, cream or egg filling. Sugar-free apple pie and apple pie made with a custard, cream, or egg in the filling do need to be refrigerated and cannot be left out. 

But for a traditional apple pie, these can be left stored in the proper container and covered for about 2 days on the counter and 2 more days in the fridge.

How Long Can Apple Pie Sit Out After Baking?

Apple pie is a favorite dessert for many. It is yummy and sweet and is the perfect addition to any meal. We know that you can leave apple pie out. But, if you are baking an apple pie, you could be wondering, how long can apple pie sit out after baking?

Apple pie can be left out for 2 days. Make sure to loosely wrap plastic or foil over the pie dish after it has cooled. After this, you will want to store it in the refrigerator so it doesn’t go bad. 

There are many ways you can decorate the crust of an apple pie. You may have seen your grandmother form the pie crust into grand designs for an eye-pleasing treat. If you want to get fancy with your pie crust visit Pillsbury.com for some great tips. 

Apple pie is so easy to bake and you can keep it simple if you want to. This heartwarming dessert is made with apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, lemon juice, and a pie crust. 

To make apple pie, you simply slice the apples very thinly and then combine all of the ingredients together into a large bowl. Mix it up well and place inside of a pie crust that has been placed neatly in a pie dish. 

Place a second pie crust on top of the filling pressing the edges together. You can even make slits on the top for a traditional apple pie look. Then you will need to bake it until golden brown which is about 40 to 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 

After the pie is done, let it cool. You can now enjoy a delicious apple pie slice fresh from the oven. If stored properly, you can leave the apple pie sitting out for 2 days until it needs to be refrigerated.

Can You Eat Apple Pie That’s Been Left Out?

This crusted, fruit and sugar filled dessert brings back memories of your grandmother’s house when the aroma of freshly baked apple pie filled every room. After baking one yourself, you accidently left it on the counter for more than just a couple of days. 

Can you eat it?

It is fine to leave an apple pie sitting out for a couple days if it is whole and kept covered, but once it is sliced it should be placed in the fridge so it doesn’t go bad. Bacteria can begin to form after two days of the pie being left out so if your apple pie has been sitting out longer than that it shouldn’t be eaten. 

The sugar and acid in the apple pie help to preserve it for about 2 days. So, it can sit out for this long. After the 2 days, it can be refrigerated for 2 more days. 

If left for any longer than 2 days, the apple pie will grow bacteria and will not be safe to eat. You will have to throw it away. So, remember to refrigerate your apple pie after a couple of days to keep it good and so you can enjoy the sweet dessert. 

If you want apple pie to last for longer, you can even freeze it. It will last for about 6 months in the freezer and is easy to defrost. By freezing apple pie you can do all the hard work in advance so you can have apple pie without much effort later on. 

Don’t eat apple pie that has been sitting out for more than a couple days because it could have developed a harmful bacteria that can cause the serious food-borne illness, botulinum. So, be sure to always store apple pie properly because you shouldn’t eat it if it’s been left out for more than 2 days.

Final Thoughts

So, if you have a lot of holiday food taking up all the room in your fridge and don’t have any space for that delicious apple pie, you can leave it out for 2 days. But remember that you can only leave apple pie out if it does contain sugar and has no custard, cream or egg filling. 

So, after baking you can let the dessert cool, place some plastic wrap or foil over the pie dish, or transfer to an airtight container. Then you can leave it on the counter for a couple of days until it should be refrigerated. 

To be safe, you shouldn’t eat apple pie that has been left out for longer than 2 days because bacteria will begin to grow in it after this time. As long as you properly store and cover it, you can safely leave apple pie out for a couple of days.